Chapter 1: Old Dirty Apartment

In one of the poor parts of the capital city of country Z, in an old 24 story building with mini apartments that has old dirty paints and cracked walls with decayed roofs, was where Milana lived alone. It was exactly 6am when a loud and aggressive knock on the door woke her up from her sleep. She wondered who it was in the early hours of the day.

Milana involuntarily stood up from the bed to go check who's on the door, her brown long wavy hair was scattered all over her face as she sluggishly strolled to the door to check who it was.

When she got to the door, she peeped through the tiny hole to see that it was the owner of the building and she thought to herself what would have made him come cause last she remembered, her rent had not yet expired.

She proceeded to open the door and the landlord walked inside her tiny old apartment with a deep frown on his face like someone just made him angry and the anger was surely directed at her for a reason she was yet to know.

“Good morning Mr Sam, can you please explain the reason you are here?”

Mr Sam, looked round the small apartment and then back at her “You are owing me 8 months rent yet you dare to ask such a question!”

Milana frowned “8 months? are you sure you know what you are saying Mr Landlord because I remember given my mother money for one year rent to give to you 8 months ago, so I still have two months left before my rent expires”

Mr Sam frowned “You are such a foolish girl, so you think your mother paid? She didn't pay but gambled the money at the popular community club which is known as a gambling den” he gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Milana was shocked, there is no way her mother would have done that. Yes, her mother was a gambler and did not like to work, but would she be foolish enough to gamble with their rent? 8 months ago when her mother and younger siblings still lived here, she had wanted to go pay the rent herself to the caretaker when it had expired but her mother had volunteered to do so since she had classes that day. That was the first time her mother would be offering to help her with something but who would have thought she planned to gamble with it.

Not wanting to completely believe the landlord, she decided to ask him some questions.

“Then why did you wait for 8 months before coming to collect your rent, why did you not speak up immediately?”

Mr Sam cracked his throat and looked away with a bit of shame in his eyes that immediately disappeared.

She has had rumors about her mother having an affair with the landlord but did not believe over the years they had lived here, but it seems there Is some truth in it. Her mother has gambled with the rent money and then slept with the landlord in exchange for paying rent.

Mere thinking about the possibility of it being true made her eyes turn red. Since her elder brother's moved overseas with their father to study medicine, the family responsibility became hers only. She had to become the provider since her mother was too lazy to work, she had to provide for herself, her mother and her younger siblings.

She earned every dime through her sweat and that house rent was her sweat but her mother who never values her effort decided to gamble it away. She only started saving a little bit for herself only about 7 months ago when her mother and younger siblings moved out of this apartment to go live in the house her younger siblings father had rented for them in one of the rich neighborhoods in the capital. She did not come with them because she did not want to be a burden, her sibling's father was not her father so she thought there was no need to live with them.

Her mother was now living well with her siblings after gambling the rent money. If she had known at that time, she would have gone to live with them because now even her savings can't pay for the 8 months rent again.

“Well truth is I and your mother used to be really close, we had something going, so I had thought I could overlook the rent until she dumped me a few months ago only because she is now living a good life” he gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Milana's mother was a really beautiful woman so losing her pained him which is why he came for revenge.

And staring at her daughter now, he could see that she was way more beautiful. Although she doesn't look like her mother or have any of her features, she was way more beautiful and she was young.

The thought of having such a young lady in his bed made him lick his lips.

“You know, if you want me to forget about the rent, you can just replace your mother” he said this while placing his hands close to her shoulder but Milana was quick to hold his hand and twisted his finger making him scream.

“How dare you try to lay your hands on me” she frowned at him then pushed him outside with all her strength and closed the door.

“I already got the court order to kick you out of this apartment. You have just 24 hours to pack your things and leave or ease, I will throw you out with your properties in the street!!” The landlord said in anger then threw a paper containing the court order for her to leave the apartment.

Milana picked it up, opened it, read it then leaned on the door, with eyes red like she was about to cry but she held it in.

Her eyes scanned their mini apartment with an open plan kitchen, tiny bathroom and bedroom that had cracked walls. Although she did not have the best average living condition but she at least hoped to stay here for 1 more year until she finds a better place after she is through with university and has a job.

But now where is she supposed to live before that time reaches? She thought to herself and then remembered that her mother was the cause of all this.

Milana head into the room and started packing her personal belongings into two large luggage. Then she went to take her bath and dressed up in a blue Jean, black t-shirt, combed her hair and packed it in a bun then covered it with a face cab. Her dark gold eyes stared back at her in the mirror.

She was going straight to where her mother and siblings lived, it was either they allowed her move in with them or she gives her back her money for the rent.

She took a taxi straight to the location that will take approximately 1 hour to get to and on the journey there, she called her best friend Belle to tell her what happened. Belle shouted is anger when she had what happened, how would a mother do such?

“So you are going there now?” Belle asked

“Yes, I have no other choice,it's either I live with them or she gives my money back”

“Very good cause enough is enough” Belle who was angry, said.

“I'm already close by, I will give you feedback later”

“Alright, make sure to call me later”

“Sure”

After she hung up the call she looked at the address on her phone to see if she got it correctly cause the estate they just entered had a lot of tall beautiful building with gardens. This would be the first time she was coming here, but she had the address because her mother had given it to her before they left incase of any emergency that has to do with them, not her.

She got down fron the taxi and her luggage where brought down and the taxi left after she paid. The big house in front of her was the house her mother and siblings had been living in for the past 7 months. Their father Mr Miller the owner of Mill cooperation was sure rich.

She dragged her luggage along with her to the front door then pressed the bell.

The door opened and behold it was her mother who was shocked to see her. Her middle aged mother looked younger and healthy, she even had a beautiful dress on. She is happy that they were living well and felt like hugging her but remembering what her mother did made her not to.

“What are you doing here young lady?” Rena demanded of her daughter.

“Hello mother, it's been a while”

“That is not the question I asked, why are you here and with your luggage?” Rena said authoritatively.