THE BILLIONAIRE'S WORLD
1138 Words
Benny Gets Hired...
Turns Into a Nightmare...
Benny sat on the edge of her tiny bed, staring at the email on her cracked laptop screen.
"Congratulations! You have been selected as a ghostwriter for Sterling & Co. Publishing.
Further details will be sent shortly". Welcome aboard!
Her breath hitched.
She actually got the job. It felt like a dream, or maybe she was just imagining things.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling a disbelieving laugh and teary eyes.
This was Sterling & Co.-one of the biggest publishing firms in the world. People killed for a chance to work there. And somehow, out of thousands of applicants, they chose her?
An undergraduate, Who is just kinda new to Ghostwriting.
Why?
But before she could celebrate, reality hit her like a slap.
She had rent due. Bills piling up. And her landlord was running out of patience.
As if on cue, a sharp knock echoed through the room.
She froze.
The door swung open, revealing Mr. Henderson, her bald, wrinkled-suit-wearing landlord, with the usual look of unamused debt collector energy.
"Benedicta," he said, in a slow and smug voice. "It's the first of the month."
Her stomach dropped.
"I know, I-"
He held up a hand. "Save it. You're more than three weeks late. I've been generous, but now? I need my money. Now."
She swallowed. "I just got a job at Sterling & Co. I swear, I'll pay you soon-"
He snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it." He glanced around her tiny studio apartment with
undisguised disgust. "Until then, consider this your final warning."
Benny watched helplessly as he walked away, slamming the door behind him.
She had to make this job work.
Because if she failed?
She'd have nowhere left to go.
---
"Next week Monday"
Sterling & Co. Headquarters – Manhattan, New York
Benny gulped as she stepped into Sterling & Co.
It wasn't just an office.
It was a billionaire's playground.
Glass walls, Shiny marble floors, Employees dressed in designer suits, speaking into Bluetooth earpieces like they were closing million-dollar deals before lunch.
She tugged at her thrift-store blazer, feeling painfully out of place.
A tall, icy-blonde receptionist gave her a quick once-over before sighing like she had better things to do.
"Name?"
"Benedicta Williams. I was hired as a ghostwriter."
The receptionist barely glanced at her screen. "Top floor. Mr. Sterling's office."
Benny's stomach plummeted.
Mr. Sterling?
Her boss was Adrian Sterling?!
She thought she'd be working under some editor-not the untouchable billionaire himself.
Her hands tightened into fists as she stepped into the elevator.
The ride to the top floor felt longer than her entire life.
When the doors finally opened, she stepped into Sterling's lair-and felt like she had
entered another universe.
Cold. Sharp. Ruthless.
And sitting behind a massive glass desk, with the aura of a king surveying his kingdom, was him.
Adrian Sterling.
The ruthless, untouchable CEO.
Feared by employees, respected by competitors. Emotionally unavailable-or so it seems.
A man who gets everything he wants.
He looked pissed.
"You're late."
Benny blinked. "I-I was told to come at-"
"I don't care what you were told." His voice was calm but cutting, like ice slicing through
steel. "You work for me now. That means you follow my rules."
She clenched her jaw, swallowing a sarcastic "Oh, great. He's one of those, arrogant and
rude Boss".
Adrian leaned back in his black leather chair, his piercing blue eyes locked onto her.
"Let me make this clear, Williams."
He stood, walking towards her with the controlled grace of a predator.
Benny refused to step back.
"Sterling & Co. is not a playground," Adrian continued. "I don't tolerate mistakes. I don't
tolerate excuses. And I definitely don't tolerate laziness."
Benny's eye twitched.
"I-"
"Rule number one," he cut her off. "You always submit your work on time. No exceptions."
Benny's fingers clenched around the strap of her bag.
"Rule number two: I hate incompetence. If your writing is mediocre, you rewrite it until it
meets my standards."
Her nails dug into her palm.
"Rule number three: You don't waste my time with irrelevant questions. If you can't figure something out, you shouldn't be here."
Her blood boiled.
"And rule number four," he said, his voice dipping into a dangerous softness, "If you ever.argue with me, you're fired. Immediately."
Silence.
Benny could barely breathe.
She had met arrogant bosses before. But this man?
He wasn't just arrogant.
He was a nightmare wrapped in a designer suit.
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Still want the job?"
Benny's pride screamed at her to throw his rules back in his face and walk out.
But then, she thought about her empty bank account. Her landlord. Her rent.
She had to survive.
So she lifted her chin and met his gaze head-on.
"Yes."
A flicker of something unreadable passed through Adrian's eyes.
Then, with zero emotion, he turned back to his desk.
"You start now."
---
First Assignment – The Nightmare Begins
Ava, Adrian Sterling assistant took Benny to her working space, then left to
get some documents.
Few minutes later.
Benny barely had time to breathe before she was handed her first task.
"Mr. Sterling wants this done by tonight," his assistant, Ava,said briskly, dropping a thick folder on her desk. "No mistakes."
Benny stared at it. "This is-"
"Twenty chapters. Due at midnight."
Her brain short-circuited. "Excuse me?!"
Ava shot her a bored look. "Problem?"
Benny wanted to scream. Who in their right mind expected twenty chapters in a day?!
But she forced a tight smile. "No problem."
Ava smirked, clearly enjoying her suffering. "Good luck, newbie."
Benny collapsed into her chair, rubbing her temples.
This was insane.
She took a deep breath, cracked her knuckles, and got to work.
---
Midnight – The Submission
By the time she finished, her brain felt fried.
She dragged herself to Adrian's office, knocking once before stepping inside.
He didn't look up. "You're late."
She gritted her teeth. "It's 11:58."
Adrian took the file without glancing at her. "Sit."
Benny hesitated. "Why?"
"Because I said so."
She clenched her fists but sat.
Adrian flipped through the pages, his expression unreadable. Then, without warning-
He tore the first page in half.
Benny choked on air. "What the-"
"This is garbage."Her jaw dropped.
Garbage?!
She had spent hours on that! Adrian looked up, eyes cold. "Redo it. By 8 AM."
Benny shot up from her seat, furious. "Are you kidding me?!"
He didn't even flinch. "Do I look like I joke?"
She glared at him, chest heaving.
"You're insane."
Adrian smirked. "Welcome to Sterling & Co."
Benny wanted to strangle him.
But instead, she grabbed the ruined pages and stormed out.
This job was going to kill her.
And Adrian Sterling?
He was going to be the death of her.
- Writer
