Chapter 17

17 17- Hakuna Matata

“I have never prepared Beef Fajita on a commercial scale,” Marissa remarked while making the shopping list with Akari and Citra. She was trying her best not to remember Rafael’s soft moans

whenever he used to eat it. O

“I’m sure, you’ll ace it, Mar!” Akari patted her shoulder and started maintaining the ledger on the laptop provided by Marissa.

For the last two weeks, she had been sending Akari to the

superstore for grocery shopping along with Flint. She didn’t want to take any risks.

Though she wanted to be mentally prepared to face the Sinclair family, but it was better to postpone it as much as possible.

“Akari. I have prepared the list. You can go shopping. And please only pick fresh tomatoes. We’ll be needing them in bulk quantity for our other orders,” Akari nodded and started clicking the laptop keys.

“By the way, who is the president of MSin Industries?” Citra asked while stirring the spatula in the pot. She was preparing strawberry

syrup.

The question made Marissa go still for a moment but then she tried to fake a smile. Obviously, it had nothing to do with Rafael. He owned Sinclair Industries and this MSin was someone else.

However, she also showed interest in the conversation.

They knew Akari was talking to Dean nowadays.

“I don’t know,” Akari shrugged carelessly and then picked up her

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phone, “Let me ask, Dean.”

Both Marissa and Citra chuckled at that.

“Akari. Let the poor guy work in peace. Stop calling him during

working hours,” But Akari just raised her index finger to make them quiet.

“I’m not calling him. I’ll just send a message and see if he can

answer it.”

They were teasing Akari when someone knocked on the door. The knock was on the commercial kitchen door not on the entrance door of their home. That meant someone was there for business.

“Hello, Marissa!” Wearing a black suit, Mr. Amir came inside with a dimpled smile on his face, “How are you.”

Marissa who was beaming, the smile vanished from her lips. She didn’t know why he was here yet her sixth sense was telling her it was something bad.

“Mr. Amir?”

“Oh! How many times should I ask you not to call me MISTER Amir? It’s Amir for you, sweetheart,” Marissa felt uneasy in his presence. Three years back, he helped Marissa with the finances, assuring her that the small building would be in her name as soon as she paid off all debt.

She was allowed to take as much time as she wanted. Being a big fool, Marissa trusted him and took the loan instead of going to the

bank.

For the last few months, he had been asking her to go on a date

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with him. Marissa kept reminding him that she had a steady boyfriend, Gerald. Faking it at that time was the best option but his advances were increasing with each passing day.

“Merissa,” she heard Citra whisper behind her, “this is the reason we need MSin catering contract. Once we will pay him, I hope he will hand us the property file.”

Marissa blinked in understanding though she knew Citra couldn’t see her.

“Please sit down, Mr. Amir. What can I do for you?” Amir who was a fine man in his early thirties smirked and picked the grocery list from the counter.

Marissa passed an annoying look to her girls because everything about their business was meant to be confidential.

“MSin…” he read the heading on the paper and turned a blazing gaze towards Marissa, “You got an order from MSin? How do you know them?”

Before Marissa could answer, Akari spoke without looking up from the laptop, “We don’t know them. They approached us.”

“Hmm…” he took his sweet time in reading all the ingredients and then Marissa and the other two girls gasped when without warning he started tearing the paper into tiny pieces.

“MSin is not suitable to work with. I just completed a furniture order for them and their owner. Oh. He was such a rude man.”

“Owner?” Marissa muttered but he heard her.

“Yeah. Owner, his name is Joseph Maskatiya.” Marissa took a sigh of

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relief. She was thinking that maybe MSin belonged to someone from the Sinclair family. Thankfully she was wrong.

“And you, my girl,” he started walking towards her, “Don’t fall for them. They are scammers. They haven’t paid me for my hard work.”

Marissa who didn’t like it when he called her ‘My Girl‘ frowned.

They didn’t pay him?

“So, tell me,” He brushed his index finger on her nose bridge, “Would you accept their order?”

Marissa tilted back her head to avoid his touch, “Let me look into this, Mister Amir. I’ll do my homework first before taking any decision.” She wasn’t going to back out just because he wanted it.

He needed to know that he might be the owner of this place on paper, but it was Marissa’s business, and she would never allow anyone to get her decisions changed.

“I own this business, Mr. Amir. And I know what decisions to make.”

“I know, honeybee.” He tried to tuck her stray hair behind her ear, but she didn’t give him a chance and gently shoved his hand away, “But don’t forget… I own this space. And if I’ll decide to take it from you, someday then you won’t be having any business.”

Marissa didn’t budge from her place and kept looking boldly into

his eyes.

Yes, she might be on the roads if he decided to do that. But she would never go down without a fight.

After throwing a final glance around, he smirked and turned to

17 17- Hakuna Matata

leave, “Don’t forget to call me if you decide to change your mind and accept my date invitation.”

“Holy cow! The audacity of this man,” Akari hugged Marissa from behind trying to offer some comfort. But Marissa wasn’t scared. Her business had brought enough confidence in her.

Amir was mistaken if he thought she was a weakling.

Rafael was busy typing on his laptop when Joseph came out of the bathroom, “Isn’t there any extra toothbrush?”

“Yes. Because the reservation of this presidential suite is in my name. Not yours. Now get out of my room and go home. I need to work.”

“Come on, man. Don’t be a bummer. I’m here to stay,” Rafael shook his head in exasperation. Joseph could stay with him whenever he wanted without an invitation. He had always been like that since

childhood.

The only time he couldn’t do that was when Nina Sinclair didn’t let him meet Rafael for two years.

“Rafael! Toothbrush! Or I’m going to use yours…” he threatened his

friend.

“Use intercom, man. Ask for room service. For God’s sake!” Rafael rolled his eyes and checked his phone for the umpteenth time.

“Any message from the detective?” Joseph asked him in concern.

Rafael shook his head, “I don’t think, he can do it. Which means I’ll look for another competent person. I asked him specifically to

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update me this evening.”

Joseph shrugged and went to the bathroom. When he came back, he was wearing Rafael’s bathing robe.

“Gosh, Joseph. You could have asked room service to bring that for you,” he was getting annoyed with his friend or maybe he was frustrated because he couldn’t get anything on Marissa.

Joseph didn’t bother to answer and sat down when they both

heard a knock.

“Who it might be?” Rafael muttered to himself, “Yes!”

The door opened and the man came inside.

Rafael smirked, “Oh. It’s you. I knew you wouldn’t be able to find. anything on her. It’s ok. You can collect your check tomorrow from my office.”

The man walked up to him and handed over a heavy manila. envelope. Rafael took it with a frown and tore it open to empty it

on the mattress.

His gasp was audible when he saw what it was.

Numerous pictures of Marissa and the three babies whose ages. seemed like three years old spread on the bed.

“Marissa?” Rafael whispered, “Hakuna Matata.”

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