You Cannot Have Him Alone

CHAPTER 4

Stella was shocked to see the convoy. However, her focus was more on the handsome man walking towards her. Stella was amazed by his handsome appearance. She blushed and waved her left hand shyly as the man moved closer.

“Do you remember me?” he asked, extending a handshake to Stella.

Stella shook his hand and watched him remove his sunglasses. She looked directly into his eyes and remained speechless for a while.

“Your voice sounds familiar, have we actually met before?” Stella asked, still trying to recall meeting the good-looking man.

“Well, I am Michael, the homeless guy you helped earlier today,” Michael said, smiling.

Stella shook her head. “It was a lie. How come?” she screamed and dropped her handbag in surprise. Stella walked around Michael to check if she could recall any resemblance between Michael and the homeless guy she met earlier.

“You gave me bananas and apples and ordered food for me. Do you remember now? He asked. Stella nodded her head, sobbing silently.

“And you also gave me a $100 bill,” Michael said, putting his hand in his pocket. He brought out the $100 and stretched his hand to Stella.

“Well, here is the $100, and I have something else for you.” Michael waved his hand and Frank came forward carrying a golden briefcase. He handed the case to Michael and returned to his previous standing position.

“Here is $10,000, to repay your kindness to me today,” Michael said, passing the briefcase to Stella.

She took the case and hugged him tightly, crying.

“You are truly a God’s sent, I wanted to…” Stella appreciated. But Michael interrupted her immediately.

“I wanted to take you on a date tonight. At least to show appreciation for your kind gesture toward me earlier today.”

“No, you have done enough,” Stella replied, leaving Michael to pick up her bag on the floor. But Michael bent down immediately and picked up the bag before she could.

“But I still insist you consider my request, please,” Michael pleaded. Stella took a deep breath and nodded her head.

Michael held her hand as they walked back to his SUV. Frank opened the back door for them to enter. The convoy left the spot and drove to the fanciest restaurant in Miami. Michael held Stella’s right hand as they walked into the restaurant.

They went straight to the VVIP section of the restaurant and sat opposite each other. There was a short silence between the two. Michael waved his hand. A waiter walked up to them holding two tablets. He passed the two devices to them. Michael and Stella made their request from the long list of menus. The waiter left to get their orders and the silence continued.

Michael is staring so deeply at Stella. But she was looking around the restaurant admiring its beauty.

“This restaurant is quite expensive. We should find a cheaper place to eat,” Stella suggested.

Michael smiled. “Well, you don’t actually have to worry about that as this is one of my many restaurants in Miami,” he replied.

Stella gazed at him with her mouth wide open.

“If you were so rich, why did you pretend to be like a homeless guy to walk into my shop?” Stella asked.

“Well, it was actually a social experiment to find out more about you,” he replied.

At that moment, two waitresses walked up to the table carrying their orders. They ate in silence. Michael ate only a small portion of the food. He left a larger portion as a leftover. He watched Stella eat slowly.

“You ate like a queen. Are you related to the queen of England?” Michael joked.

Stella dropped her eating fork and knife inside her food and wiped her lips with the serviette kept on the table.

“You are so hilarious,” Stella said, smiling at Michael. She drank water and then picked up her fork and knife.

“Our family culture back in Canada is to eat slowly, especially in front of strangers,” She said again and resumed cutting deep into the chicken.

“And I don’t want to become a stranger anymore, I want to get closer and establish a deep connection with you,” Michael said, looking deep into her eyes.

Stella stopped eating again and looked directly at Michael’s eyes.

“Don’t you think you are rushing me?” She asked.

Michael shook his head.” I just clocked 32 years old. During my recent birthday celebration, my family and friends advised me to find a wife and start my own family. I was never a fan of marriage. And also, I need a partner to attend some important events for the next 2 years.”

“Why then, did you decide to change your mind? Moreover, we are just meeting each other for the first time,” Stella reminded him.

“I know. But I currently don’t have any good relationships with any girls,” Michael said, calmly. “I have tried most of my female friends and strangers in the past, and they all failed the test. So, when I saw you, I decided to test you to see if things could work out for us. I saw that you were not wearing rings when I spotted you, meaning that you are not married yet. I hope things will work out for us.”

“I will have to think about it and get back to you,” Stella said, checking her wristwatch. “I think I should be going home now.”

“I will surely drive you home,” Michael replied. “But before that, I have a contract proposal for you. I want us to go into a marriage contract. I will pay you $20 million for the two-year contract. You will come and leave with me and attend high-class events with me as my partner. You will not bear kids for me. What do you think about my offer?”

“This is too much for me to handle. But I really need the money. Can you give me some time to think about it?” Stella requested, adjusting in her sitting position.

"I will be expecting feedback from you soon," Michael said, standing up. “I will drive you home since you insist on going home now."

He stretched his hand to Stella and she grabbed it. They walked towards the exit. He removed his credit card and swapped it at the counter. When they stepped outside, the bodyguards and drivers were waiting patiently. Frank opened the back door for Michael and Stella. They entered, and the convoy drove off.

“Please, I would like to stop at my friend’s house,” Stella said suddenly.

Michael gave Frank a sign and continued replying to his email. Stella directed Frank, who was leading the convoy toward Emily’s house.

“Stop here,” Stella said, as they arrived at the front entrance of Emily’s house.

Michael stepped out to open the door for Stella. Emily saw the convoy through her window and walked out. She smiled at Michael, and he smiled back at her. He opened the door and Stella stepped out.

“I will be expecting feedback from you, my dream queen,” Michael said, entering the car.

Stella only smiled as she watched the convoy drive down the road.

“Who is he?” Emily asked curiously.

“Common girl, let’s settle down first before I explain what actually happened,” Stella replied, walking toward the entrance door of Emily’s house.

Emily followed her hastily. But before she could catch up with Stella, she was already inside the living room.

“I will need your advice, girl,” Stella said, taking a deep breath.

“You haven't answered my question yet,” Emily said meanly. “Who is he?” She asked again.

“Please relax, girl. I thought he was crushing me but never knew he wanted something else,” Stella said. “Can you imagine that he wanted me to go into a contract marriage with him?”

“Hmm, If I were in your shoes, I would accept his offer immediately,” Emily advised her, chuckling devilishly. "And how much is he offering for the marriage contract?"

“$20 million. But he is not a straightforward person. First, he appeared like a homeless dude at my shop trying to beg for alms. Of course, I assisted him with fruit and even ordered food for him. But he returned later with a convoy, revealing his wealth and gifting me $10,000 for a good outing. And now, he wants us to enter a marriage contract,” Stella said and paused.

Emily watched her television, pretending like she was not hearing what Stella was saying.

“What should I do now?” Stella asked after waiting for a while without getting a response from Emily.

“Just give him a chance,” Emily responded casually. “I have to rest now, we can talk later on the phone.”

Stella watched Emily leave her unanswered, walking away from her. She was speechless by her friend’s mood swings and reaction towards her.

Stella booked an Uber and walked outside to wait for the driver to arrive. The driver arrived five minutes later and drove her home. When Stella reached her house, she had her bath and fell into her bed to get a short sleep.

Meanwhile, Michael had been restless since he got back to his house. He was waiting to receive a phone call from Stella. He texts her twice, waiting for her to reply with a call or text. But none of these happened. While Michael sat down, taking a sip from a glass of wine. He held his phone in his hand and slept off on the couch.

Early the next morning, Michael woke up and had his bath. He dressed up in an expensive suit and drove himself straight to Stella’s shop. When he got there, he found her opening her store.

“I have been waiting for your call or text all night, and you neglected me,” Michael said, calmly stepping down from the car.

“I am so sorry, my friend made me angry,” Stella apologized. “I wanted to text you this morning after opening my business.”

At that moment, a cop's call drove packed in front of Stella's store.

Three cops alighted and walked into her store. “You are under arrest,” said one of the cops.