Property Investment 1

Days flew by and before Stellar could take a breather from her mountain high paperwork, it was already Friday.

Never looking back on the stack of documents on her desk, she turned off the lights in her office and called it a night.

She didn't want to be late for her meeting that evening and was actually looking forward to it for days.

Her destination was a coffee shop near the chapel in the heart of the shopping complex. That part of the map was quieter and ideal for meeting people for business purposes.

Reaching the coffee shop, Stellar waved her hand when her eyes met with the lady occupying the table by the floor to ceiling window.

Stellar skipped her way from the glass doors, her excitement snaked through her veins the closer she got to her destination.

"Hey, slow dooown," Kimberly cautioned Stellar, whose hand flew to her mouth as she uttered an 'oops'.

Exchanging air kisses, Kimberly gestured for Stellar to take a seat and asked her client if she wanted to consume anything from the menu.

Meanwhile, while the two ladies were happily discussing in their spot, a Maybach was parked across the street. Inside, a pair of eyes peered through the opera binoculars as though a gala was unfolding in front of her.

"Who is she meeting?" Lotus passed the magnification device to her son, Cooper, who was busy fiddling with his phone.

Without looking up at his mother, Cooper answered, "That's what I'm trying to find out. I'm doing a reverse image search. Oh, here she is… a real estate agent?" 

Cooper's brows furrowed as he read Kimberly Rice's profile. He wondered why Stellar would meet with a real estate agent unless she was leaving the Cross's home.

Earlier, mother and son were really camping outside Kosmos earlier to ambush Stellar for dinner. However, they decided to follow her trail when instead of her usual routine of going home straight from work, she skipped her way to the coffee shop.

"I think we should crash their meeting. What do you think?" Lotus asked, her eyes glued to the coffee shop window where Stellar and Kim could be seen sitting. "Do you think they're friends? Maybe they're just catching up."

"I don't think so. See the flyer Stellar's holding? That's the new condo up The Hill."

"Oh!" Lotus snapped her fingers. "Gotham Tower?"

Cooper nodded his head. He crossed his arms over his chest. A sinister thought crossed his mind, and he didn't think twice to whisper it in his mother's ears.

Lotus's eyes widened, and her head nodded in agreement with Cooper's idea. She quickly shoved her son, urging him to exit the car so they could bump into Stellar in an accident.

Strutting her way inside the coffee shop, Lotus dramatically gasped when Stellar's eyes flitted towards her. "Sweetheart, Stellar, what a surprise."

Stellar ejected from her seat and excused herself. She found it awkward to speak with Lotus, especially after that sex education crash course they had in Hong Kong. 

Nonetheless, she still walked towards Lotus to pay her respects and gave Cooper a high five and a hug.

"Oh? Is that Kimberly?" Lotus mused, Kimberly's name rolled off of her tongue with so much familiarity as if they really knew each other.

Kimberly's brow furrowed, and she studied the lady standing beside Stellar. She wondered if she was an old client of hers, but couldn't remember where or when she saw Lotus, or if she did ever cross paths with her.

Taking that opportunity to gain Stellar's confidence in taking her as her real estate agent, Kimberly stood from her seat and bowed. "Yes, madam, I am Kimberly Rice." 

"Oh, Kimberly. How could you forget about me?" Lotus jutted her bottom lip out as if slightly offended. "Remember? I bought a penthouse unit in Gotham Tower years ago while it was pre-selling." Lotus winked at her.

Stellar saw the confusion in Kimberly's face, so she leaned a bit closer and whispered to Kimberly's ears, "Lotus Knight."

Kimberly angled her head. Three creases formed on her forehead as she rummaged through her brain. 

She had an excellent memory, ah! She needed that for expanding her network. So why oh why was this lady such a...stranger?

Her eyes studied Lotus from head to toe. From the looks of it, Madam Lotus had the capacity to purchase a fifty million dollar penthouse.

Winking back at Lotus, Kimberly slapped her thigh and exaggerated a laugh. "Come on, Madam. How could I forget about my biggest client!"

Kimberly and Lotus faked a laugh, so pretentious, it made Cooper grimace in his spot. 

For a split second, his eyes flitted to Stellar who was watching the scene unfold. 

He stifled a laugh upon seeing her eyebrow twitch as if she was dubious of what she just heard.

Since they were standing and were blocking the way of other patrons, the group then shared a table and discussed the properties that Kimberly was presenting to Stellar. 

Kimberly advised that if Stellar had extra time, she could show Stellar the units first so the latter could have a feel of the spaces.

Also, it was obvious that it was Stellar's first time to purchase a property and she didn't want to overwhelm the young lady.  

"Actually," Stellar trailed off, her finger drew circles on her thigh. "Do you also have 'For Lease' units? I just needed a place ASAP and who knows, if the neighborhood grows on me, I might consider purchasing a unit in the future."

"I do have some listings. Just hold on a sec." Kimberly smiled at Stellar before fishing out her tablet in her bag.

She was checking her files when she heard Lotus speak.

Kimberly paused and she side-eyed Lotus. To her confusion, she saw the madam winking at her, so she winked back at her. 

So instead of looking for available property listings, Kimberly entered Lotus Knight in her search engine where she saw a brief overview of the madam's profile—Lotus Knight, philanthropist, and wife to billionaire Audi Knight of Knight Steel Corporation.

Blinking her shock, Kimberly wasn't sure how to approach the situation before her. Should she follow Lotus's lead which was unknown to her, or should she stick to her agenda with Stellar who was still indecisive of what she really wanted?

Kimberly's gut told her to follow the trail which has a money's scent to it, so she locked her screen and a smile bloomed on her face. 

If conniving with the sprightly madam would end with her earning millions in commissions, then so be it.

Shifting in her seat, Lotus angled her head to face Stellar. "Would you like to see the unit that I bought? If you're in a rush to find a place, you can stay there in the meantime. Just pay for the maintenance fees which I believe won't break your bank."

Before Stellar knew it, Lotus Knight whisked them away from the coffee shop. 

In under an hour, the group entered the heavily gated community of The Hill, a newly developed township on the outskirts of the business district and home to millionaires of the country. 

As its name suggests, The Hill sat atop a ridge, about two thousand feet above sea level. 

A city within a city, applications for homeownership at The Hill were rigorous, but the panoramic views of the business district from The Hill and the lush parks and numerous amenities available for homeowners made it a bang for the buck.

True to its name, the Gotham Tower at center of The Hill stood mighty and proud of its forty-five floors of glory.

The tip of the skyscraper was sometimes covered with thick fluffy clouds. However, that afternoon, the Gotham Tower was in full view, demanding everyone who caught it on their sight to take a pause and be struck with its straight and smooth lines that rose up to the sky.

Stepping inside the two-floor penthouse suite, Stellar noticed the sleek and clean lines adorning the space, and the heavy influence of mid-century modern design. 

If the building's facade was breathtaking, the view from floor to ceiling windows of the penthouse suite was another thing. It was heavenly, like one floating in the sky without any restraints or parachute. 

Subconsciously, her foot brought her straight to the terrace across the grand room, and as she opened the heavy glass door, the mixture of the panoramic view of the city on the left side and the rolling hills on the right side gave Stellar the best of both worlds in one vantage point.

Walking through it all, breathing in what was presented to Stellar on a silver plate, she felt a lump in her throat. 

The place was lovely. It truly was. She even wanted it for herself. But if she would be honest to herself and be realistic, it's too much space for a single person. 

On top of that, she was always out for business, and now that she made a pact with Holden, it was impossible for her to stay longer than intended inside the unit. 

All she was looking for was a place to sleep… actually. 

However, before she could say anything, Lotus spoke behind her as if the madam could hear exactly what was inside her thoughts.