The Billionaire’s Temptation

Chapter 2

*THE WINSTON MANSION 10:46 AM *

The Winston Mansion was bustling with activity, workers milling about, cars lining the parking lot. This was Julian Winston's family home, where his mother, Carol Winston, sat in the living room, glued to the news. She loved seeing what was happening in the country and was always thrilled to see her son Julian featured on the screen. She beamed with pride, thinking about how he had built his wealth through hard work, becoming the youngest billionaire in New York.

Just then, the TV showed a segment about the charity he had opened for homeless kids, and Carol's face lit up with a smile.

"Oh, look at that!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly, Lilly, her daughter, appeared at the top of the stairs, clicking down in her nurse's heels.

"Mom, don't tell me you're still watching this news," she said with a chuckle.

"What else do I have to do? I'll be leaving for my perfume store soon, but I just love seeing Julian's face on the screen. You don't know how much joy it brings me." Carol chuckled and said.

"I know, Mom, but you need to get out more! Come with me to the hospital and see the impact Julian's charity is having on people's lives." Lilly said, lingering by the door.

"I'd love to, dear, but I have a project in mind that I want to tackle today. I'm thinking of redecorating the living room." Carol smiled and shook her head.

"That sounds like a great idea, Mom! What kind of changes are you thinking of making?"Lilly's eyes lit up.

"Actually, dear, I was thinking of a nice shade of blue for the walls, What do you think? Would it be too overpowering?" Carol replied, putting down her coffee cup and standing up and Lilly laughed.

"Mom, you know I'm not exactly a decorating expert! But I'm sure whatever you choose will look lovely. Can I help you pick out some colors?" She walked over to her mother and gave her a hug.

"That would be wonderful, dear. Let's look at some swatches together after I get back from my store. I'll bring home some fabric samples, and we can decide together."Carol smiled, hugging her back.

Lilly nodded and pulled away, grabbing her bag and heading out the door.

"I'll see you later, Mom!"

"Have a great day, dear!" Carol called out, watching her daughter leave before heading out to her store.

_THE PIZZA PALOR_

Emilia pushed open the door, taking a deep breath as she stepped into the bustling pizza shop. The aroma of freshly baked dough and melting cheese enveloped her, immediately lifting her spirits.

The kitchen was already buzzing with activity as her colleagues prepped for their deliveries.

"Good day, Madam Jenkins!" Emilia greeted her supervisor, who was busy sorting orders.

"Oh, Emilia, you're here!" Madam Jenkins exclaimed, as she scanned Emilia's eager face.

"Yes, I'm here for my shift and ready to fill orders!" Emilia replied.

Madam Jenkins nodded, with a Serious expression.

"Alright, there's an order at 'Beautiful Models' agency. They need five pizzas and soda. Can you handle it?"

"Absolutely, ma'am! I'll take care of it!"Emilia nodded enthusiastically.

She hurried into the changing room, swiftly swapping her casual clothes for the Pizza Parlor uniform. As she came out of it, she bumped into Logan, a colleague who was also gearing up for deliveries.

"Hey, Emilia!" Logan called out, with a friendly smile and welcome sight.

"Hey Logan! How's it going?"Emilia replied, smiling back at him. "Emilia replied, smiling back at him.

"Not bad, just getting ready for the lunch rush, You know how it is."Logan said, tucking a stray strand of hair under his hat.

Emilia nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I do. So, what's the plan for today?"

"Just the usual. Deliveries, pickups, the occasional crazy customer... you know the drill."Logan shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm familiar with that drill. Well, let's get to it then!"Emilia laughed.

With that, the two of them set off on their delivery route, chatting and joking as they went. Emilia felt a sense of relief wash over her as she settled into the familiar rhythm of the job. This was what she needed – a distraction from her worries, and a chance to make some money.

“This is my stop,” Logan said standing in at a junction.

“Alright then. I will have to keep walking. See you soon.” she waved at him as she continued her walk.

*BEAUTIFUL MODEL AGENCY*

The model agency was bustling with activity, with ladies posing for photos and chatting. Ava Morales, a stunning model, sat with her clique, surrounded by the hustle and bustle. Her boyfriend, Julian Winston, was a influential figure in the industry, and with him by her side, Ava got everything she wanted without even asking.

As they sat together, discussing the latest fashion trends, their superior, Mrs. Smith, approached them.

"Ladies, I need to discuss the upcoming shoot with you," she began.

"Okay, let's get started!" one of the models replied.

But Ava was distracted, glancing at the door every few seconds.

"Where is the pizza I ordered? I'm starving!" she muttered under her breath.

"What's wrong, Ava?" Mrs. Smith asked, noticing her frustration.

"The pizza I ordered 20 minutes ago still hasn't arrived, How hard is it to deliver a simple pizza?" Ava replied, rising her voice.

"Well, maybe they're just busy," another model suggested.

"Busy? They're always busy, That's no excuse. I'm going to call them and give them a piece of my mind." Ava snapped.

"Just calm down, Ava, I'm sure it'll arrive soon. Let's focus on the shoot for now." Mrs. Smith said soothingly.

But Ava was beyond consolation.

"This is ridiculous, I demand better service than this." she fumed.

She pulled out her phone and began dialing, her eyes fixed on the door as if willing the pizza to arrive. The other models exchanged nervous glances, sensing the tension building up.

****

*DOWNSTAIRS*

Emilia arrived at the Beautiful Model Agency, as her eyes widened with wonder. She had always dreamed of being a model, but with family debts and her mom's illness, that was the last thing on her mind right now. She pushed the thought aside and rushed into the building, noticing she was already late due to the traffic she was caught in.

"Hey, I've got a delivery for Beautiful Model Agency?" she asked, out of breath.

As she entered, she slowed down, taking in the sights and sounds of the agency. She noticed a group of models chatting and laughing, and her eyes landed on a lady, who was standing apart from the group, typing on her phone.

Emilia approached her, still carrying the soda and boxes of pizza.

"Excuse me, is this the right place for the delivery?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's us. Just set it down over there." Ava looked up, a little distracted.

Emilia nodded and began to walk towards the designated area, but her feet tangled in the rug. The soda she carried flew out of her hands and poured all over Ava's stunning silk dress.

"Oh my God! My dress! It's ruined!"Ava exclaimed, her eyes widening in horror.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am! I'm such a clumsy i***t!"Emilia gasped, feeling embarrassed

Ava's face turned red with rage.

"How dare you! Do you know how much this dress cost? Do you?" she yelled, slapping Emilia across the face.

"I... I'm sorry, ma'am..." Emilia pleaded, holding her face in tears.

"You delayed my order and now you've ruined my dress! I needed this for a photoshoot today!" Ava yelled.

“I’m ma’am..I was trying to get the order ready as fast as I could but I was held up in traffic ..." Emilia pleaded.

"You're just a pathetic delivery girl! You can't even get an order right!"

Emilia took a step back, her eyes wide with fear, as Ava's slaps grew more intense, each one landing with a loud smack that made Emilia's face burn.

The other models in the room gasped, their eyes were wide with shock. But no one dared to speak up, intimidated by Ava's influence.

Ava poured the remaining soda on Emilia's hair, the liquid dripping down her face.

"You dirty-looking swan! You're going to pay for this!"she exclaimed with rage.

"Please, ma'am, please... I need this job to support my family. I can't lose it..."Emilia knelt down, as tears streamed down her face.

Ava sneered, her voice cold and detached.

"You're nothing but a pathetic delivery girl. I'll make sure you're fired. I'll call the owner of that pizza store right now and have you terminated." she said.

Emilia's eyes widened in terror as Ava pulled out her phone and dialed the number, her heart began to race with fear.

"No, please, ma'am. Have mercy..." She begged. But Ava just smiled coldly.

"You should have thought of that before you ruined my dress." she said, her words dripping with ice.

The room fell silent, the only sound Emilia's sniffling. The other models exchanged nervous glances, but no one dared to intervene.

Ava pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Mrs. Jenkins? It's Ava Morales. From beauty model agency, I need you to fire one of your delivery girls. Emilia. She's incompetent and ruined my dress."

"No, please, ma'am! Don't do this!" Emilia's eyes widened in terror.

"Yes, Mrs. Jenkins. That's right. Emilia. Fire her now." Ava just walked away, not minding Emilia.

Emilia stood up, her eyes streaming with tears. She knew she was done for. She slowly walked out of the room, her head hung low in shame.

As soon as Emilia left, one of the models hurried over to the pizza box lying on the floor and picked it up.

"We can't let it go to waste, Ava already paid for it! Duh!" she rolled her eyes.

The other models dug in, savoring the flavorful slices.

"Mmm, this is so good!" one of them exclaimed.

Just then, Mrs. Smith, their superior, called out to the cleaners to come and clean up the place.

"Alright, girls, let's get back to work. We have a lot to do today!" she said.

The models quickly scattered, leaving the pizza box and trash behind. The cleaners arrived and began to tidy up the room, shaking their heads at the mess.

As they swept and mopped, one of the cleaners muttered under her breath,

"Those models are always making a mess. They think they're so much better than everyone else just because they're pretty."

"Tell me about it. I'm so sick of cleaning up after them. They don't even appreciate it." The other cleaner nodded in agreement.