Rise of the Billionaire actress

Esther wore a white t-shirt and joggers pants. She was finally grocery shopping. Her car was parked outside the store, ready to assist her in conveying the items.

Her list was pretty long, and she ran around the store, picking out her things and throwing them in the cart.

It was mid-afternoon and surprisingly there weren’t many people in the store. She wasn’t complaining as it allowed her free reign, access and speed all through her shopping spree.

It was nice to shop when there weren’t as many people and Esther found it almost enjoyable. Keyword being almost.

Having gathered all she needed, Esther was ready to go and trudged towards the counter to get her check. There was no line, and she immediately got checked and packed.

Taking two trips to her car, Esther was finally good to go and mentally hi-fived herself for a job well done. Unknown to her, someone was carefully watching her with unbelief clad in his hooded eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

That person was Daniel Greenwood.

He visibly struggled to breath and in milliseconds she was gone. It was like she was never there to begin with. Like he had been hallucinating all these while and maybe losing his mind.

Still standing in the middle of an aisle, Daniel kept his eyes on the door which she just passed through. A gazillion thoughts ran through his complex mind.

Daniel didn’t want to appear like a psycho or risk being discovered, so he picked up some sweets packets and some other snacks in quick succession. He was already losing his mind as it was.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The moment he turned around, he was met with the shock of his life. He wasn’t dreaming, it couldn’t have been a dream. There she was, standing right before his eyes. In the same white shirt he thought he’d wrongly seen.

It was her. Standing over the counter and attempting to gather all her paper bags in both hands. He was brought back to the moment he first laid eyes on her.

That curve, poise, confidence and hair of hers. They were still the same. She was still the same. Only a little bit older. And boy did she age like fine wine.

Daniel gradually took her in, mouth agape and loss for words. Like before, she was out the door before he could properly take her in. The moment the doors shut once again, he regained his senses and this time around, hurried to the counter and paid for his treats.

The woman behind the counter was stunned. It was actually ‘ Daniel Greenwood ‘ in her store and he was looking as pretty as ever! As soon as Daniel noticed her reaching for her phone, he dropped a thousand note bill and without a word, dashed out in pursuit of his queen.

On getting out, he saw the familiar ponytail in a car driving out, and he panicked. He couldn’t lose her again! Heck, he just found her! Heaven did him a favor and he wasn’t about to let it go down the drain.

It was his destiny to seek her out and make her his again. If there was anything his search for her over the years had taught him, it was the fact that only he could get to her.

She was his magnet. His soulmate. His Queen. And there was no denying that it was approved by the Heavens. Daniel rushed into the car and bellowed at the driver.

” Follow that car! Do not lose sight of her, step on it.” He ordered hysterically, stunning the driver who immediately started up the car and began tailing her.

After a while of following blindly and silently, the driver realized that they were headed the opposite direction of their prior destination and decided to bring it to his notice.

Meanwhile, Daniel’s eyes were focused on the car ahead of them. His eyes didn’t lose sight of the target, it was as though If he blinked or removed his eyes for a little second, she would disappear. He couldn’t afford missing her, not today, not anymore.

” Sir, I believe we are headed quite far away from your previous destination. ” The driver blurted. Before he could get another word out, Daniel beat him to it.

” Keep your eyes on the car. Don’t lose sight of her. ” He said determinedly.

” Yes sir. ”

The cars continued up until the neighborhood of her home was in sight and her car pulled up in front of her home.

Esther turned off the ignition of her car and let out a sigh. She was finally home and all she could think of was the two trips inside she was going to do as a result of the volume of her shopping bags.

She immediately got loose from her seatbelt and stepped out of her car, ready to get her groceries Inside. She packed a decent amount of bags in her hands, alongside her home key and uneasily marched to the front doors of the house.

Meanwhile, Daniel was inside the car watching her like a psycho stalker. He was gobsmacked as he once again reaffirmed the fact that it was his queen in flesh and blood.

As he watched her struggle with the bags, he couldn’t stop a smile from coming into his face. She was still the same. His Queen was never a fan of grocery jobs, she still wasn’t. He wondered what else that hadn’t changed about her. He yearned to go closer; to find out, to touch her.

And he did just that.

Daniel stepped out of the car like an intoxicated person. He didn’t remember to take along his face cap or mask. He walked over to her with his facial glory in full display.

As he drew nigh, his heart thundered within him and his pulse quickened. His stomach knots tightened and an effectual door of previously locked emotions poured out of him in measures he couldn’t explain.

Two steps away from her, he reached out for her arm and the moment his palm connected with her arm, something shifted. Sweet shockwaves shot through his system just like he’d remembered.

This time around, it was even better.

He was on cloud nine. His thoughts and feelings spiraled out of control like a boy meeting his crush. Like a wolf joining with his soulmate. Above all the wonderful feelings, there was one unmistakable emotion that resonated through him.

One that caused his breath to hitch and his heart race. An emotion he never thought he could feel again after her. One that he felt once in the early stages of his life and had lost hope on ever feeling that way ever again.

Love.

Utter, unhinged, natural, and in its most purest form.

Esther felt a presence loom over her and before she could turn around to see just who it was, she felt a warm, manly and oddly familiar hand placed upon her arm.

She turned around in curiosity, backing her front door to properly face the culprit. Her eyes connected to the familiar brown orbs of Daniel, and the world stood still.

Esther was overcome by a lot of emotions she’d worked throughout the years to keep hidden. She was stunned, scared, angry, frustrated and to her disgust, happy. She couldn’t deny that a little bit of her felt ecstatic to see him and the knowledge of that irked her to no end.

In a matter of seconds, what felt like a peaceful collision of two worlds was abruptly brought to an end.

” Esther.” The sure voice of Daniel breathed, breaking the silence between them and making aware of how close they were from each other.

The feeling of his hand over her was nothing compared to how she felt at the mention of her name. The way her name effortlessly rolled off his mouth did things to her that she couldn’t explain.

It was bittersweet. Nostalgic and intimate. A combination that never spelled well for her. Everything about her leaned into the familiar feeling but she fought it.

Gut Wrenching memories poured within her mind space from her past and it wasn’t so hard anymore. She needed to be as far away as possible.

She was no longer that person, her life was changed now. She couldn’t let him in and wreck all she had managed to create over the years. Deloise was now in the picture.

The moment her daughter’s face flashed within her mind frame. The deal was sealed. Esther jerked away from his hold like one bitten by a snake.

” Don’t you dare mention my name. How dare you touch me?” She spoke in a venomous voice. ” Never show up here again.”

Without waiting for a reply from a dumbfounded Daniel, she opened her door, entered along with her bags inside and closed it with an ear splitting bang.

There were still more provisions in her car but it could wait. She slid to the floor behind the door, and captured her face in her palms, trying to calm herself.

It didn’t take long before she reduced to a sobbing mess. For the first time in a long time, she allowed herself the right to be weak and cried till she couldn’t.