CHAPTER 1

What the fuck!!!!!

Jesus Christ!!!

She didn't even have a dime to buy an ordinary matchstick set.

How was she going to cook for Granny Mia?

Maryann Taylor couldn't understand why her own poverty grew intense every day, she felt devastated.

Yes. She was beautiful, she had a nice shape, and she admits to that….but stealing?! Na. Nothing can stop her from stealing.

If she can't have what she wants at the moment, she would rather steal than beg.

She is a big-time thief who has stolen since she was three but never went to prison.

Granny Mia knew her granddaughter was a thief, a thief will always be a thief, no matter the nitty-gritty, she is crippled though.

She is a laundry woman, who always did the laundry for her customers while sitting in her wheelchair.

She tried all possible ways to make Maryann change, but all fell on deaf ears.

She has taken care of Maryann since she was three years old till now.

Maryann is an orphan who went into stealing because of poverty, as she always told people.

Many people all round the neighborhood knew Maryann as a thief and when her case was being reported to the police, she always had her own way of escaping to the point where the police got tired of her cases.

So to society, she was known as a menace.

"I'm hungry, Ann gurl" Granny Mia cried to her granddaughter.

"Gran, no match for cooking". Maryann said "I need to go find 'em."

"Stealing again?!" Granny Mia interjected "When will you ever stop, child?" Granny Mia asked, feeling powerless.

"We have no option, Gran" Maryann said.

"Don't steal, we can borrow" Granny Mia pleaded in weakness

"Nobody would want to, Gran, I'm out. Heading somewhere"

Immediately, Maryann tied her hair into a bun and covered it with a black ball cap, then she wore her black jeans slacks and black crop top that revealed her abs and pretty pinned navel

"I'm going Gran, see ya in the next few minutes," Maryann said as she jumped out through the window.

Granny knew very well that Maryann was a fast runner, and she needn't worry because she knew she would come back with what she aimed to carry without no eyes seeing her.

Granny-Mia still believed God would change Ann gurl someday, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing lazily down her wrinkled cheekbone.

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Maryann looked left.

She looked right too.

She scanned the whole environment and when she saw it was clear.

She jumped over the wall leading to the market square and saw people gathering near a kiosk of fresh oranges.

She gulped down her saliva at first because the oranges looked juicy.

Gran loved oranges and pineapples so much, she decided to get some for Gran.

She sneaked in among the crowd.

Nobody noticed her because of the rowdiness.

She stretched her hand and picked three oranges and sneaked back out of the crowd and nobody still noticed her.

As she was about to run out, the owner of the kiosk who sold the oranges had a peek at Maryann sneaking away from the crowd.

He screamed; "That damn brat!!! Maryann….how dare you steal from me? Return my oranges before I unleash my anger".

All the buyers turned and saw Maryann running and jumping on tables just to get away from the scene.

So many people tried to pursue her, but she was too fast to get hold of.

Maryann kept on running without looking back.

Running further, she didn't see the stone in front of her until she stumbled upon it…..

"Shit!!!!" She muttered under her breath, her thoughts went far.

She just couldn't give herself the inspiration of giving up.

If she fell she would get up immediately and run...until a hand caught up with her and held her from falling, the hand was wrapped around her abs gently, and she stood, she stared at his face, his dark hair was packed into a bun ponytail, and he had dark sunglasses on that shaded his eyes which she couldn't see, his masculine scent was so mild but lingered sweetly under her nostrils, his lips were plumpy, peachy and looked very luscious, he had pointed nose, and he was dressed in a long sleeve compression shirt with joggers and nice boots….. Gosh!!!

He was so perfect…

Maryann came to her senses when she heard a whistleblowing , "Fuck!" whist. She cursed because she lost guard.

About to start her race of escapism one more time, he held her hand to prevent her from running.

She tried to break free, but he was too strong for her to even flinch, then Bill, the orange seller, caught up with them.

"Mary? How dare you steal ma oranges?!" Bill said angrily as he walked up to Maryann.

Everybody's attention was fixed on both Maryann and her saver.

  "Are you okay, Miss?" Her saver asked her

"Let go of me!!" Mary said as she faced him. "You are the reason, I am caught up in this mess, now how do I take this to my Gran?" Her face looked fierce as she complained.

"Is this how you thank someone who saved your life? By the way, your Gran sent you to steal?" Her saver asked

Everyone close to the scene was staring at Maryann's saver.

Within a twinkle of an eye, ten men in black, ten soldiers from the U.S. army, ten FBI agents, ten police officers came running towards the scene and their riffle pointing directly at Maryann.

Thinking he was just a mere civilian just like everyone else, Maryann replied "You don't have any fucking right to talk against my Granny like that, it's none of your fucking business, who told you to save me in the first place, huh?!"

One of the men in black moved towards Mary, but her saver held him back.

"If only you knew who you are talking to, you wouldn't even make any attempt to utter any word from your mouth after creating such an offensive mess" One of the FBI officers spoke deeply in anger.

"And so what?!" Maryann hissed as she ran out of the scene.

The police officers were pursuing her when her saver said "Let her be", then he turned to one of the men in black. "Pay the orange seller double the price of what she stole" and he walked away.

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    "Where did you go to?" Granny Mia asked Maryann as she came in through the window sweating and hyperventilating.

"The market"

"Stealing again?!" Granny Mia asked.

"Not really," Maryann said as she removed the clothes she wore out and put them in the washing machine

"Cops caught you?"

"If they did, I wouldn't be here talking to you" Maryann said as she started peeling the oranges.

"Gotten into trouble?"

"Not really"

"Then why do you look troubled?" Confused Granny Mia questioned further.

"Ehmmm….the thing is….." Maryann didn't want to tell her Granny that she had insulted an unknown man, because she knew that Gran would basically kill her for that. "See? I got you oranges, you gotta eat 'em real quick" She tried to shove the topic away.    

"Oops!!! Oranges!!!" Granny Mia exclaimed in excitement, then she paused and looked at her granddaughter "Stolen?!"

"You see…..I….."

"If stolen, I won't eat them, return it to where you stole it from" Granny Mia said sharply without a second thought

"Fine. But I think I have gotten into trouble", Maryann said, as she sat on the floor ready to confess.

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Cyril Brown was so devastated to the point his mind couldn't relax.

The brunette thief had a nice shape, those curves, those rounded breasts hidden inside her crop top, brushed butt and the likes but fuck it, she was a thief.

Taking something that was not yours and without the owner's permission was something Cyril hated most in his life.

At thirty-three, he remembered when he was elected during his inauguration, he was interviewed about his love life and why he was still single till date to the public.

It made him feel really ashamed and, just because the pressure was getting worse from all angles, didn't make him go grab whoever, and just get married to them.

Don Flynn, his personal advisor, had given him the idea of entangling with a girl for the sake of public peace and for the sake of his people, because they really needed a first lady.

He never liked nor ever thought of agreeing to the idea because he loved to live a straight forward life.

How could he marry someone he didn't love to start with? Na. That was total bullshit.

He scampered round his office trying to think of a way to solve the issue.

He had given a law that anyone who stole from another would be in prison for five years and half a year.

He was trying to reminisce why he couldn't give an immediate order for the thief to be caught and put in prison.

Could it be he was attracted to her? Na. He would never get attracted to a thief.

He just felt he didn't want her to go to prison, and he knew if he let her go scott-free it would cause public uproar, and it would encourage more theft and partiality.

What should he do? She insulted him and so many people witnessed it, which he knew would make her case worse.

Why was his heart beating?

He was trying to think of a solution when he heard one of his bodyguards who guarded his office door day and night walk up to him and told him he had people waiting to see him.

Cyril nodded, giving the bodyguard the go-ahead to let them in.

He dropped the glass of champagne he was holding on the table, he sat at the head of the table.

His Personal Advisor, Don Flynn, His Personal Assistant, Bobby Harlow and one of the FBI agents who were present at the scene walked in

"Have a seat". Only his Personal Advisor and the FBI agent sat while his Personal Assistant stood behind him.

They bowed before sitting.

He knew why they were here, but he just decided to act foolishly.

"Any problems?" Cyril asked.

"Yes, Your Excellency", Don started. "We have a big issue to discuss," Don continued calmly.

"Okay…..?" Cyril said calmly.

Don began: "Your excellency, you have propounded a law that theft has to be prohibited and offenders tortured before being jailed for five years and half a year without trial…..the news of what happened at the market today has spread like wildfire and if you hadn't disguised yourself, the public would've caused an uproar tagging you as a biased president, we can't just turn a blind eye and let her get away with it"

"The President in the market is another issue…." Bobby added as he handed an Ipad to Cyril with an article about 'THE PRESIDENT IN DISGUISE IN THE MARKET', but Don cut him short.

"It has already circulated… They found out?" Don interjected.

Bobby nodded.

Cyril inhaled and exhaled "It was just an ordinary orange, why the fuss?" Cyril couldn't believe he said that out loud.

"Ordinary??!!!! Orange??!!" The three men exclaimed in unison as they looked at each other in disbelief and shock.

Cyril was fucked, but he had no choice but to say out his mind "Yes. It wasn't even worth a dollar and the fact that she didn't know I was the president was her luck, so why make a big deal out of it?"

"Your Excellency, you are being biased on this matter", The FBI agent said.

"Theft grows rapidly and gradually, she has to be punished for stealing, others are about to suffer for theirs, so she shouldn't be an exception. Letting her go this time around will encourage her to do it again," Don said.

"But…." Cyril was confused, but why was he defending an ungrateful thief in the first place?

He didn't want to be biased, and his Father had warned him before he died never to create a corrupt government, and he made a promise never to but….. Cyril sighed "So what do you plan on doing now?"

"As you said your excellency, she will be tortured before being jailed for five years and half a year", the FBI agent said.

"You are the reason I am caught up in this mess. Now how do I take this to my Gran", Cyril recalled; "Okayyyyy" Cyril said "I am your president and whatever I say stands still and that's it."

"What do we do now, Your Excellency?" Bobby asked.

Cyril stood up from his seat, picked up his glass of champagne and walked over to the large transparent view that made him see the view from outside clearly.

Looking outside the view, he took another sip of his champagne and said "Bring her to the White House".