Are You Firing Me?

"Not again!" Stella mused under her breath as Raphael moved closer to her. All she wanted to do right now was leave this mansion and have some peace of mind. She was already tired of the unhealthy attention she had brought upon herself.

"I can see that my Mina has taken a special liking to you. Look at the way she has transformed you from an ordinary farm girl to a city queen." Raphael beamed as he intentionally blocked Stella's path and held her gaze.

Stella faked a smile and said in the most charming but sarcastic tone. "Your Mina is an awesome and caring woman. I could never thank her enough for showing an ordinary farm girl like me this amount of love. So, if you don't mind, I would like to take my leave now and return to the farm where I belong. Unlike you, I have work to do." She tried to move the other way but Raphael obstructed her path again.

"Not so fast, beautiful." The side of Raphael's lips curved into a sly smile. "Don't you think you're forgetting to acknowledge the one person that brought you here? If it wasn't for me..." he beat his chest proudly, "...you wouldn't get to know my Mina or even earn her forgiveness and sweetness. I think I deserve a simple, thank you."

"Forgive my insensitivity." Stella masked her ire under a pretentious smile. "Thank you, Raphael. You're such a gentleman. Now, may I leave? I've been away from work for quite a while and this may affect my job."

"No! You don't have to work anymore when you are with me. I could even have you paid for the next year without working. All you have to do is ensure I'm always happy. Consider today your lucky day because I'm about to change your story. I have something special to show you in my bedroom and I promise you're going to love it." Raphael placed his hand on Stella's shoulder and allowed it to slide down her arm while aiming for her slender waist.

As if infringing on her personal space or harassing her wasn't bad enough, he leaned closer to kiss her on her cheek but things took a weird turn.

On impulse, Stella raised her right knee and struck him between his thighs.

"Agh!" Raphael crouched and grunted in pain.

Stella looked around to be sure no one was watching them before leaning close and whispering in his ears.

"I am not your local whore. Next time you make such a move on me, I will rip out your balls." She hissed and left him wallowing in pain.

Unknown to either Stella or Raphael, Mina had secretly followed Stella out of her bedroom and had witnessed the drama between them.

Not wanting to bump into any other Dawson family member, Stella hurriedly followed the path Mina had guided her through and left the mansion. But instead of going to the vineyard looking like a misplaced city girl, she went straight to her house for a change of clothes.

After dressing up in proper work attire, she came out of the house and locked the door.

She was in the process of running back to the vineyard when her friend, Hannah called out to her.

"Stella, wait up!" Hannah quickened her pace to catch up with her Rosaltan Ville's number one feisty and best friend.

"Ann, I'm still at work. Let's talk later." Stella replied without waiting for her friend.

Hannah had to run to catch up with Stella while panting.

"You should be done with work by now. Aren't you going to the wine treading festival? I heard that there are a lot of rich and handsome young men in town. Today could be our lucky day. Imagine hooking up with one of these men and becoming a prospective wife to a handsome city guy like Loretta. Do you know what that means?" Hannah beamed excitedly.

"As much as I would love to know, I'm at the point of losing my job if I don't report at the farm in the next five minutes. I will join you when I'm done with work." Stella said and quickly left before Hannah brought up juicy gossip.

Although Stella was tempted to stand and chat with her funny and lively bestie, she was worried about what the strict Alfred would do to her for being away from work for almost two hours.

As Stella was approaching the entrance to the vineyard, she noticed workers trooping out in their numbers.

"It's too early to close for the day."

Stella felt her already thumping heart pick up its pace. She quickly approached one of the workers and asked him, "Why are we closing so early?"

"Mr. Alfred said we should round up for today so that we can all partake in the festival." The short female worker responded gleefully.

"Oh! Thanks!"

Stella ignored the excited eyes staring at her as she walked into the vineyard in search of Alfred.

"Stella!"

Stella turned around only to see Clinton Domino running towards her.

"What does this fool want right now?" Stella hissed knowing that Clinton wouldn't hesitate to pledge his undying love for her at every opportunity he got.

"Hello, Stella," Clinton beamed as he stood before her.

"Don't tell me you stopped me only to say, hello." Stella's face scrunched into a frown.

"N...no, n...not at all," Clinton smiled sheepishly. "Y...you look so beautiful. Actually, I...I was wondering if y...you would like to g...go to the festival with me."

"N...no!" Stella made a caricature of his stuttering as she hissed and walked away.

She couldn't wrap her finger around the reason why Clinton chose to keep his hopes alive, that one day she would say yes to him, after several rejections. She had already made it clear times without number that there was no future between them. Still, he kept coming to receive insults.

"Stella!"

Stella was about swear between gritted teeth thinking Clinton was the one calling her again. But when she turned around, wearing an irritated look, she was shocked to see Alfred staring at her as though he had seen a ghost.

Without waiting for Alfred to say anything, Stella started by apologizing.

"Sir, I'm so sorry for all the trouble I may have caused you today. I..."

Alfred didn't wait for Stella to finish her statement. He had been given strict instructions by an aggrieved Raphael not to allow Stella into the vineyard.

"You don't need to apologize Stella. In fact, you're not supposed to be here. You need to leave immediately otherwise I could get in serious trouble."

"What! Are you firing me, sir?"