Stella proverb:

"Are you sure you can handle it, Stella?" Riana asked me with concern over the phone while I was on my way to the 'monster's' home in the car.

"Yeah, don't worry. I have a plan," I assured her, trying to convey that I had things under control.

"What are you going to do? I'm sorry I can't help you right now; my mother is really angry with me," she said with regret.

"You don't have to. I'm okay. I've decided to go in there silently, so nobody will notice me. I'll just give the packet of sweets to his maid and leave his home as soon as possible," I explained. I knew my plan was simple, but I hoped it would work.

"Okay, Stella, I hope your plan works. I have to hang up now; Mom's calling. But don't forget to call me if there's any problem, okay?" I could hear the concern in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah! Okay, you go," I replied before hanging up. I was feeling incredibly nervous and missing Riana badly. My heart was pounding fast, and I even had a headache. I wished I could vent my emotions by yelling at someone.

Finally, I arrived at the building. When I got out of the car, I couldn't help but doubt my presence there. I was awestruck, my mouth hanging open. This wasn't just a building; it was practically a mansion. I couldn't help but think that my entire home could fit into a tiny corner of this mansion.

"Stella, I'll park the car here. When you're ready to leave, just give me a call," Uncle Deon, who had been our driver since long before my birth, informed me. I usually call him D.

"You just wait here. I'm coming, D," I said before heading into the mansion.

"Yes, Ma'am! Who do you want to meet?" the security guard asked me at the gate.

Oh God! If I told him I had come to meet Mike, he would be informed, and my plan wouldn't work. So I decided to hand the parcel to the security guard and leave the house immediately.

"Ummmm...could you please give this parcel to Mike?" I asked him politely.

"Sorry, Ma'am, but we can only accept parcels if the owner authorizes them. Could you please tell us your name first?" the security guard inquired.

Now I am really frustrated.

"So, is Robert Williams here?" I inquired with the guard.

"No, Ma'am, he's not here," the guard replied.

"Alright, could you please call him to check if he can accept the parcel from me? And mention that I'm Stella, the daughter of Daniel," I requested, hoping to involve Uncle Williams but not Mike.

"Okay, you're Miss Stella?? Ma'am, please come in! I apologize for making you wait for so long!" the guard suddenly pleaded.

"It's okay, no problem! I understand it's your duty. But I can't come inside; I'm in a bit of a hurry. Can you please just give this parcel to Mike?" The only thing on my mind was to leave the place as soon as possible.

"No, Ma'am. You have to come in first. That's the order from inside. We can't do anything about it," the guard requested.

"Alright! But please, don't tell Mike that I'm here. I want to surprise him," I said, putting on a fake smile to make it appear genuine.

"Okay, Ma'am," he agreed and led me inside the mansion, a place I had never imagined I would set foot in.

With every step I took inside, the loud and thumping music from the house became clearer. I was trembling at the thought of being seen by anyone.

I couldn't help but feel like a delivery girl, especially since my outfit seemed to match the uniform perfectly. The music's loud beat only made my heart race even faster.

When I opened the door slightly, what I saw was unbelievable! Is this what they call a party? I had never been in such an environment before. The music was deafening, alcohol was everywhere, and people were dancing like crazy.

I felt disgusted and thanked God that I had never attended these kinds of parties and had no regrets at all. The best part was that nobody was noticing me at all.

"They might be thinking of me as just another delivery girl like myself," I thought, relieved that I was going unnoticed.

Now the question was, to whom should I deliver the parcel?

Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind, startling me. When I looked back, there was the devil himself standing in front of me!

My body started trembling, and I felt a numbness washing over me. I wished there was someone to catch me if I fainted, but no, that would be even more embarrassing. I couldn't even go to school now.

He snapped his fingers in front of my face with an evil grin.

"Yeah, here...sweets...my mom sent them for you... I mean, you...you told her...yeah..." I stammered as I handed over the parcel to him. I didn't know why I was so nervous. This place wasn't for me, and neither were these people.

"Why are you so nervous, Stella? And how sweet of Aunt Suzanne! But sadly, I don't like sweets!" After he finished speaking, everyone suddenly started laughing.

I wished I could pinch myself to believe that it wasn't real, that I was stuck in some horrible dream. Unfortunately, it was all too real, as I could hear the sound of mockery and laughter from all around me.

"Was that a joke?" I asked in disbelief.

"No, not at all! Do you think I'm joking??" he asked me in a very serious tone. He then turned to the others who were there, and every one replied in unison, "Noooooo!" He tossed the parcel at Robin, who was sitting with a blonde girl.

I felt incredibly angry. They could insult me, but insulting my mom was absolutely unacceptable.

"I can't believe you, Mike. How low can you sink? Don't you dare insult my Mom! My parents mean the world to me! You have no right to play with my mother's emotions. I didn't want to come here, but I did it because my mom was feeling sad, and I came just to deliver the sweets. She made these sweets for you with so much love, but now I'm starting to think you don't deserve her affection. You're the most heartless person I've ever seen in my life!" I burst out at him, then walked toward Robin to retrieve the sweets.

But as I neared him, he threw the parcel to another person. I continued walking toward the other guy, who then tossed the parcel to someone else.

I felt like a monkey in a circus, but I didn't care how ridiculous it seemed. I had to retrieve those sweets from these monsters. They might see me as nothing, but for my mother, I could do anything. I felt sorry for her for trusting that devil.

Everyone was laughing, including him. I was so focused on trying to retrieve the sweets from one person to another that I didn't realize I was getting closer to a pool. Suddenly, someone pushed me into the pool, and I lost my balance. In a matter of seconds, I was in the pool with a big splash.

Once again, everyone burst into laughter, unaware that I didn't know how to swim at all. I was drowning, unable to see anything and struggling to breathe.

Suddenly, someone jumped into the pool and pulled me out of the water. As I regained my senses, I felt someone continuously slapping me and saying, "Stella, wake up! I'm so sorry, I'll never leave you alone again! Please, wake up, Stella!"

When I finally managed to open my eyes, everything looked blurred. A girl who resembled Riana was excitedly hugging and kissing me, exclaiming, "Stella, thank God you're alive!"

I got up and saw Riana, feeling relieved that she was actually with me. I hugged her tightly and cried, urging her to leave the place. "No one here is good. They only know how to play with emotions!"

Riana held me tightly to comfort me and said, "Don't cry, Stella. I'm sorry I'm a bit late." Then, she looked at the crowd and declared, "No one's going to hurt you, Stella! Your bodyguard is with you now."

As we were about to leave the house, my tear-filled eyes suddenly met the gaze of that heartless person, the one I had never hoped to cross paths with again.

He was such an actor, skilled in manipulating others' emotions with his expressions. Right now, he was pretending to feel guilty, but I knew he was a fake person. Riana and I continued walking towards the main gate without looking back.

#Thank you all for reading this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it.