MARRIED TO A BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER ONE “Yes, move that over there,” Elaine said, pointing at the mannequin. The woman who had a pair of headphones on nodded and picked it up. “Mrs. Stone?” A voice called from behind. Elaine turned to face the voice. It was one of the models. It seemed she was having trouble trying to picture herself in the dress that was on the mannequin. “Yes, Chloe? What is it?” She asked. “Are you sure this is okay?” Chloe asked. Her slender body was beside the mannequin now. Elaine wasn’t pleased to hear that. She folded her hands beneath her bosom and raised an eyebrow at her. “Chloe. We have already spoken about this,” Elaine reminded her. “If you don’t want to do this, we can find somebody else.” Chloe was silent. Elaine waited for her to say a word but nothing came. “That’s what I thought,” she said and turned back to the stage. The runway was being cross-checked. Elaine sss all smiles today. Tonight was going to be the biggest night of her life. It was the night she was going to announce herself to the world and what better stage to do so than in Paris? She was going to take the world by storm. This was her time. Nothing could ruin the moment now. “I see you’re getting excited already,” a female voice said from behind. Elaine turned around and met a woman with long blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Elaine smiled when she saw her. It was Katherine Dubois, her muse. She nodded at Katherine. “Katherine. Look,” she said pointing at the stage. “Tonight is the night. This is going to be the greatest night of my life.” Katherine chuckled at her words. She was too exuberant, and it was understandable. Elaine had worked hard to get herself here. She had been sent to her from New York because of her amazing talent and Katherine had made her a star. It was incredible that someone so young could be so talented and passionate about art. Her kind were hard to come by these days. Katherine had taught her everything she knew, and Elaine had caught on quickly. She had also spent nights in the studio working on these designs, and looking at them now, they were gorgeous. This didn’t surprise Katherine. She knew what Elaine was capable of. And this was just the genesis of her career. “This is just the beginning, Elaine,” she said, holding her shoulders. “There are going to be many more nights like this one, and all you have to do is keep on thriving. Nothing can stop you.” Elaine nodded as those words penetrated her. She was looking at the runway as Katherine spoke to her. She was enlightened and felt she could conquer the world. That was the plan tonight. Tonight was the night the fashion was going to know her name. Tonight was the night that Elaine Stone would be a star. It was too impeccable for anything to go wrong. She didn’t dream of that. If nothing went as planned, she would be back to nothing and that was what frightened her most. She had nobody to run to. Both of her parents were dead. Designing was the only thing that kept her alive. Katherine had been helpful to her for the past two years. And so, she had to repay all that hard work tonight. Elaine placed her hand on Katherine’s and squeezed it right. “Nothing can stop us,” she said. Katherine smiled as she heard that. She had taught Elaine too well. Confidence was the root of success. She had to be optimistic and confident. That was the attribute of every designer. Elaine possessed both of those attributes unsurprisingly. Her success was written in the stars. It was only a matter of time. “That’s my girl,” she said. Elaine smiled and turned to her. “One of the models is unsure about one of the dresses I made,” Elaine said. Katherine furrowed her eyebrows as she heard of that. “And who’s that?” She asked. “Chloe,” Elaine replied. Katherine shook her head. Elaine looked at her confused. “It seems this isn’t the first time she’s doing that,” Elaine said. “No,” Katherine replied. “I’ll have to change her soon. Her negativity could contaminate some of the other models.” Elaine nodded at that. Nobody with a negative energy should be near the stage, especially in her dress. Each of her designs was made with passion and enthusiasm. Nobody with a negative energy should be ten feet close to clothes. “Thank you, Katherine,” she said. Katherine smiled at her. “Now come with me,” she said. “Let’s have some tea and discuss tonight’s event.” Elaine grinned and nodded as she heard that. “Okay.” *** Romeo Richmond was leaning against his chair with his face staring at the ceiling. He was bored. It was another long day at work with nothing to do. He wondered why his father would place him here. This wasn’t how he had imagined his life would pan out. He was still young and therefore had all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted. Sitting all day and looking through documents wasn’t his kind of thing. He loved to party, not work. His father knew this, and that was why he was placed here. As the acting CEO of the company. Romeo sighed and leaned off the chair reaching for his desk. He was hoping he would get to go somewhere important tonight. Dylan was in town, anytime he was around, there had to be something fun to do. Romeo dialed Dylan’s phone number on the telephone and placed the receiver in his ear. The line rang for a few seconds before it stopped. “Hello?” Dylan’s voice sounded. “It’s me, Dylan,” Romeo replied. There was a chuckle at the other end of the line. “Why are you calling me with your dad’s office line?” He asked. Romeo rolled his eyes. “Because I’m in his office, you dumbass!” He said. Dylan chuckled at this. “You? In an office?” Dylan asked, surprised. Romeo sighed and rubbed his forehead. It was only his first week, but it felt like he had been working here his whole life. Work could be so draining. Romeo rarely had anything to do because he was rich. He had gone to the best schools and gotten everything he wanted from his parents, so he felt he never had to work. Now sitting in his father’s office, he realized that life was fading away slowly. Responsibilities were mounting on him and it was getting harder. Every decision he made would affect the company either positively or negatively. That was too big a job to handle. “My father made me the new CEO,” he said unpleasantly. “My induction party is next week.” “No way!” Dylan exclaimed on the other end of the line. “Anyways. I was just asking if we could go clubbing tonight,” Romeo said. “Clubbing with a CEO?” Dylan asked. “You’re way too big to be hanging with us, man.” Romeo smacked his forehead in frustration. “Come on, Dylan. This is no time for games,” he said. A knock came on his door. Romeo felt irritated by it. “I’m not sure about going out tonight,” Dylan confessed. “You see, I got this girl coming over and…” “I don’t need to hear the rest of it. Good luck,” Romeo cut in and slammed the receiver in frustration. The knock came again on the door. Romeo sighed. “Come in,” he ordered. The door swung open and a woman stepped into the office. Romeo’s eyes lit up in surprise. The woman standing before him was gorgeous. She had blonde hair which was pulled back neatly into a ponytail. Her red lips complimented her pale skin. She had a blue shirt and a black skirt on with a pair of glasses sitting on her nose. Romeo was intrigued. “Good morning sir,” the woman said nervously. Romeo blinked twice when he realized she was talking to him. “Yes. How can I help you?” He asked. The woman scratched the back of her neck nervously and Romeo smiled. She was shy. Romeo loved this. “Err—I was supposed to submit a particular document to your father last week, but I missed the deadline,” she confessed. Romeo raised an eyebrow at that, and a smirk appeared on his face also. “Really?” He asked. She nodded in response. “I know the change in personnel is hard for you to take in,” he said. “Yes, sir. Some of us weren’t aware of the changes made in leadership,” she added. “Let me see the document,” Romeo said, stretching out his hand. The woman handed it over to him. Romeo went through the document. It was the sales report from last month. Business wasn’t booming compared to three months ago. He would have to step up. He closed the document and looked up at the woman. “What’s your name again?” He asked. “Amber, sir,” she replied. “Amber Malone.” A mischievous smile spread across Romeo’s lips as he placed his hands on the desk. His eyes scanned her body once more. She was beautiful, and he couldn’t stop looking at her breasts which seemed to be busting out of her bra. He was enthralled by this. “You missed the deadline which was 11 am on Friday last week,” he replied. “I know, sir. And I’m ready for the consequences of my actions,” she said. “You could be fired, you know?” He reminded her. Amber’s eyes widened at that. “Fired? No, sir. Anything but that,” she pleaded. “You’re ready to do what it takes?” He asked. The lady nodded. “Yes, sir. Anything,” she replied. Romeo’s smile grew larger as he heard that. “Anything, you say?” *** Romeo woke up and looked at his surroundings. He rubbed his eyes gently and looked at the figure lying beside him. It was Amber from his office earlier this morning. He smiled as he watched her sleep peacefully. Romeo rose from the sheets and reached for his pants. He was standing stark naked now. He had taken her to this hotel a few hours ago where they had the time of their lives. Romeo was impressed. He never knew she was a freak. He had been greatly entertained. Now she lay wasted and spent on the bed. Romeo aloft into his pants and zipped up. Immediately, his phone rang. He cussed under his breath and reached into his pockets bringing it out. He was surprised as he stared at the caller’s ID. It was his aunt, Teresa. “Tess?” He greeted. “What did I tell you about calling me that?” Tess questioned. Romeo rolled his eyes at her words. “Sorry Aunt Teresa,” he apologized. “Much better,” she replied. “I just want to tell you that there’s a fashion show in Paris tonight, and I’m looking for a partner to travel with.” Romeo chuckled as he reached for his undershirt. “What about that guy you’ve been seeing?” Romeo asked as he buttoned his shirt. “That guy with the fake British accent.” Teresa chuckled at the other end of the line. “We broke up last week,” she said. “Really? Thank goodness,” Romeo said. “I didn’t know how much longer I could stand him.” “That’s not the point, Romeo,” she reminded him. Romeo nodded, reaching for his suit jacket. “Right, right. You’re looking for a partner for the fashion show,” he said. “You know fashion shows aren’t my thing. What about mom?” Teresa sighed. “Melissa isn’t around,” she reminded him. Romeo wore his suit jacket finally. “Oh yeah. She’s on a holiday,” he remembered. “Come on, Romeo. You’re my last hope,” she pressured. Romeo sighed and looked at his wristwatch. It was a few minutes after 2 pm. He wondered what time they would get to Paris. He wasn’t busy tonight, so it meant it was free. But going to a fashion show would be more boring than staying at home or spending the night with Amber. He turned to her and she was still sleeping. He shook his head. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll go with you.” “Yes! We leave for the airport in an hour,” she announced. Romeo ended the call and clenched his jaws. Paris, it is.