Kamryn cast her mind back to the Monday morning, months ago when she found an almost lifeless blonde little girl lying at the entrance of her bakery. That girl today, had come to be her best friend and motivation to keep pushing through life and business. Goodbyes are however going to be said at some point and this was the case for Kamryn. She had fallen in love with her supposed boss, and didn't stand a chance with him anyway, but his girlfriend Ciara was after her life, as she had sent a mob after her who'd beaten her up and wrecked her apartment, as she sensed her as an opposition and a threat to her hideous plan against Manry Financial Services. After Kamryn's disappearance, what becomes of Maya amidst this turbulent situation? What follows after Ciara's plot becomes successfully hatched? Would Henry be able to redeem his business empire? Would he ever regain all he lost to her, and would he lose Maya his daughter in the process too? Read to find out!
Chapter 1 The Morning Surprise
Kamryn's POV
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Crew a cock in the neighborhood. It was Mam Stephany's.
It is mornings like this that makes me want to warn that hen, like I would any individual disrupting my tranquility, better still murder it.
Mam Stephany is the old lady who looks after our not so big compound. Rumors had it that the house was willed to her late husband by a distant relative, before his death. He had so many properties and no direct family, as he was never married, so he had to give them out to extended family members, and Mam Steph's husband was one of them. He however died ten years later, leaving the house behind with her and she'd since been living all by herself, with her children paying her visits regularly.
She was such a peace-loving person, so much that I had no issues whatsoever to worry about living there.
I was still basking in the cool of the morning after the cock had gone silent when my alarm rang.
I arose out of the bed with rage for yet another disturbance. I sluggishly walked to where my phone was on my dressing table, and put it off.
Kamryn Williams is a hard worker, but now she needs to rest for a little more, I whispered to myself in defense, and plopped back into my bed.
How I detested Mondays!
Don't get me wrong; I love my job and even more the opportunity to satisfy people's pastry cravings but being a small business owner in this part of the world was not a walk in the park.
I solely had to sort out orders for the week, bake and decorate cakes and my signature banana bread, take inventories, render customer care services and a host of other things.
Well, that's what you get for working by yourself, for yourself.
I had wanted to get an assistant since my business was growing significantly but I wasn't sure how it would turn out, I didn't want anyone tampering with my unique recipe.
For a minute my bed and I felt inseparable, and it was as though the comfort it gave intensified.
While I was still contemplating whether to get out of bed or sleep for a bit more, my phone beeped; it was an order because ain't no way anyone was messaging me that early.
Kate, my best friend, worked at a fashion house and didn't know the internet until it was lunch break, and no! I do not have a lover or boyfriend. Love and Kamryn could never be used in the same sentence.
I struggled with severe anxiety and detested answering calls, especially from strangers. However, I needed a way to connect with my clients and communicate with them, so I continued using WhatsApp messaging on my business number.
The order read thus;'Good morning Kamryn. Three medium-sized banana bread for Tuesday morning. I'll pick up in person.
It was either the geographical location of the bakery as it was situated in the heart of New York City even though it was a little hidden, my recipe, or even both, but I always had new and even returning customers, giving me assurance that I was handling my craft well because no one would return for a subpar product.
I got out of bed like a zombie and staggered to the magnificent silver-lined mirror at the front-end of my room.
It was my custom to always take a moment in the morning to admire and appreciate myself because I was such a masterpiece, but that moment was usually prolonged into several minutes.
If looking in the mirror was an offense, I'd be serving a life imprisonment jail term by now. I ate in front of the mirror, cried, laughed, spoke to myself, danced, dressed up, and did every other thing you could think of. I practically lived in front of it.
I set an alarm for 8:00 am, my regular departure time from the house. It was 7:05 am so I had ample time to prepare as all I needed to do was clean myself up, dress up and leave.
Thirty minutes later, I was finally set to leave. I threw the sling of my black bag across my left shoulder, inside it was everything I needed, it was quite sizable for the quantity of things it contained, my past relationship traumas could even fit in.
My mother had handed it over to me before I left home a year ago to New York city to start up my life as an adult and my business, so even though I was very far from her, it always reminded me of her.
I practiced my cat-walk as I went down the stairs. I feel like I have such awful walking steps and I always lose composure when I am in a rush, so whenever I get the opportunity to slow down, I try to live in the moment and a gentle walk always helps me with that.
As I stepped out, the morning air slapped hard against my face. It was a cozy morning and I could hear the birds chirping in the trees in the neighbourhood. The air was fresh and so I was. Ready to face the day!
Usually, before I could even walk a few minutes, a taxi cab would drive past but this day felt so different and calm. I had walked for what almost seemed like an eternity before I sighted an ash coloured Toyota camry driving towards me. I flagged it down almost immediately and got in through the front door as soon as it stopped.
It was a grey-haired man who drove it, he had this welcoming smile on his face, it was like a promise that the day would be beautiful even though I knew I had workkkk!
The ride from my neighborhood to my workplace lasted for approximately ten minutes, luckily for me, there was not much traffic-congestion. We soon arrived at the bakery premises and just as I was about to alight, I handed the driver a five dollar note.
'Here sir', I said, while returning the smile he'd greeted me with when I first got into the car.
Save it for another day or lunch.
Sir? I asked in a manner suggesting that I wasn't sure what I heard the first time.
Yeah, I don't charge my first passenger for the day. It's my own little way of giving back to society, he responded, clearing my doubts.
I thanked him severally before getting down and when I was out, I waved him goodbye till his car was out of sight. It was so beautiful to see that good people were still existent in the world.
I confidently sashayed down with a catwalk, my vibrant outfit and smile captivating the other vendors in the neighborhood. Alas! I was at the bakery .
I swiped the ziplock of my bag open and got out a bunch of keys. Without strain, I picked on the right one for the door, I'd been opening it for over a year now so I'm confident I could do it with my eyes closed.
I inserted the key through the door, twisted it through twice and flung the door open.
Dear God, thank you for today. My steps are ordered by your word and everything around me is made subject to your Lordship. Amen. That was my short prayer before I began with anything.
I proceeded to unlock the knob of all the wooden windows around the shop and wipe every surface, including that of my work tables, shelves, the customers desks and chairs.
I swept through the floor thoroughly with my wooden floor brush, ensuring that every single particle of dirt was removed. A neat environment is non-negotiable.
Next, I rearranged every piece of furniture in a visually pleasing manner. I took out the sign post with the 'OPEN' inscription and placed it just by the shop entrance, then I proceeded to do the last thing on my list, which was to empty the trash can.
I hand picked the plastic vessel containing the dirt I had accumulated from the past week. It was full to the brim already. I took it out through the door but I wasn't quite sure what my eyes met there.
I panicked at the sight and my heart began to race fast like it was in a marathon.
A pale-skinned little girl with blonde hair was lying flat on her chest at the entrance of my bakery.
My hands trembled with fear that I didn't realize when the plastic can came off them.