HE ROSE AGAIN

Chapter 008

As Ella settled into the seat behind Lamar, as she was teasing Lamar, the waiter approached to take her order. "Good evening, miss. What would you like?" he asked politely.

Ella smiled softly. "I'll have two slices of pizza and a glass of apple juice, please," she requested, with a welcoming smile plastered on her face.

As the waiter went to fulfill her order, Lamar turned to face Ella, feeling nervous and confused. He couldn't believe that Ella was sitting with a helpless and dirty-looking boy like him. Also, he had a lot of questions in mind to ask about the Stevenson Hill Empire but didn't know how to begin not to provoke Ella. "You seemed like a nice lady and I bet you have a good heart. How did you end up working at the Empire?" he asked gently, trying not to arouse any kind of suspiciousness.

Ella sighed and smiled. “This is my sixth year in this company. Sometimes it gets good and rosey and sometimes it gets hectic and overbearing. But it is what it is.”

Hmm, Lamar exclaimed, nodding his head in understanding. “That's how life is, sometimes, good and sometimes bad. But we keep going. I bet one day, you’ll have your own company,” Lamar said, in a playful tone.

Ella chuckled and said. “Well, thank you. My dad always wished that for me. He never liked the idea of his only daughter working for anyone. He wanted to help me build my fashion company but…. Death took him away from me. In fact, they took him away from me.” wiping away a tear that had escaped her eye.

Lamar felt pity for her. “I'm so sorry for your loss, at least you have your mother, with her by your side you would be able to achieve all that your dad had planned for you.”

Ella took a deep breath and stared at Lamar who was looking confused. "I got this job to support myself after my mom passed away, I guess she couldn't cope with the loss of her beloved husband," she explained softly. "My dad used to work for Mr. Andrew as his driver, but he was killed before he could fulfill his plans for me."

Lamar's heart sank as he listened to Ella's heartbreaking story. "I'm so sorry, Ella. That must have been incredibly tough for you," he said sympathetically, reaching out to comfort her.

Ella nodded, her voice was now trembling with emotion. "It was. And what's worse is that no one ever found out who killed him. He died after discovering a secret of Mr. Andrew's," she revealed, tears welling up in her eyes.

Lamar felt a lump form in his throat as he realized the amount of Ella's pain. He can relate to her pain. He was also placed in that situation. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort and support her desperately.

As he cuddled her, the waiter came and served Ella what she had ordered. And left immediately.

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As Ella was gradually taking a bite from her pizza, Lamar was lost in his thoughts filled with lots of questions.

He began to think about what secret Ella’s dad could witness or hear that would result in his assassination. “Could it be about his parent's death? Or something more? While he was lost, he overheard something, a name that brought his spirit, soul, and body back to reality.

It was the mention of his father’s name, Mr Anderson. “Ella, did you say again?” Ella stared at him and repeated what she had just said. “I wish Mr. Anderson was alive, I bet my dad would’ve still been alive. He was just a good man. My dad spoke highly of him.”

Acting ignorant, Lamar inquired, “Please who is he? And what business does he have with the Stevenson Hill Empire?”

Ella flashed a weary smile. “Well, Mr. Anderson was the director and owner of the Stevenson Hill empire. He bought the higher share but he was killed, alongside his wife. Nobody knew what happened to their son who was just a little boy when the incident happened. But before my dad died, he believed that the boy was still alive somewhere and he was looking for him.”

“Wow! That was quite a revelation. With all this information, why are you still here? What are you still working here?” Lamar inquired.

“Well, this was the only place that accepted me. I have to survive.”

Lamar sighed, “I understand but you have to be careful. Those who killed your father might think you knew something too. Just be careful.” Lamar warned.

Ella smiled and nodded.. Then they rounded up their lunch. It was time to get back to work.

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BACK TO THE OFFICE……

Having eaten, Lamar returned to the office, strong and ready to dive into his cleaning duties. According to his job description, he was meant to clean three times a day.

As he approached, Mr. Andrew's office, as usual, he became nervous, Lamar didn't know what to expect again. but he had to do it, not wanting to give Mr. Andrew any reason to embarrass him further.

Taking a deep breath, Lamar knocked on the door, his heart pounding in his chest. "Come in," a voice called from inside.

Slowly, Lamar pushed open the door, expecting to see Mr. Andrew sitting at his desk. Instead, he was met with a surprising sight – his ex-wife, Victoria, and her new husband sitting across from Mr. Andrew.

The room fell silent as they all stared at each other, their expressions a mix of shock and doubt. It was just Mr. Andrew who had a mysterious grin on his face.

After a moment, Victoria broke the silence with a mocking tone. "Well, well, well. Who do we have here!" she sneered, her words trickling with sarcasm.

Lamar forced a reluctant greeting, his throat tight with emotion. "Hello, Victoria. Hello, um, sir," he managed to stammer out.

Her husband chimed in with a smirk, "Surprised to see you here, Lamar. I guess even janitors have to work somewhere. You have to feed huh?"

Feeling a crick of humiliation, Lamar tried to maintain his composure as he silently cursed anything that concerned Mr Andrew. It seemed that no matter where he went, trouble always found him.

SOMEWHERE AROUND THE EMPIRE…

Someone smiled, watching in the camera what Lamar was doing.