THE BILLIONAIRE’S BARGAIN

CHAPTER 2

“Thank goodness you finally made it,” Sebastian said with an exaggerated eye-roll as he helped Nora out of the truck when she reached the gallery’s parking lot. Nora couldn’t help but laugh nervously.

“I’m sorry, Sebastine." She apologized. It has been a long day for me, and what's funny is that it's only midday.” She said sarcastically while looking at her wristwatch.

It was 2:30 in the afternoon, but

Nora felt like time was slowing down. She felt disoriented, and the call from the Strange number she just received made it a lot worse. Who could it have been? She kept wondering.

“How are you holding up, sweetie?” Sebastian asked her as they made their way into the gallery.

“Well, some days are better than the rest,” Nora told him vaguely in an attempt to avoid the subject of her mother’s health.

“No, I want to know Nora. I consider myself your friend, and I want to be there for you in any way I can” Sabastine told her while holding her hands.

“So please tell me. How is your mother doing? What are the doctors saying?”

“Right now, they are asking for more money to continue treatment. Some days, she seems to be getting better. On other days, she looks like she’s fighting to stay alive.” Nora sighed heavily as she leaned on the table in Sabastine’s small office.

“The doctor also said that she needs a bone marrow transplant soon,” Nora told him honestly. “Where am I going to get money for that, Astine? Where?” She fought back tears.

She was trying so hard to stay strong. It was days like this that had her wishing she had Angela around. They had been childhood friends since middle school. However, Angela was away on a one-year internship for her fashion career. It made Nora feel so alone.

“Here, take this envelope. It should be about eight hundred dollars,” He handed her an envelope from the drawer he had opened.

“It's from selling one of your art pieces - the phoenix.” He said, walking away from the drawer to lean on the table beside her.

“An elderly couple couldn’t stop looking at it. They said their grandson was a lover of art, and they recently lost him a few months after he was deployed. They wanted something to remember him by.” He smiled proudly at her.

Nora cried and hugged him “Thank you so much, Sabastine. This means a lot to me.”

“No problem, darling girl.” The blonde man said to Nora. “Do you have more art pieces you could display at an exhibition? I got a friend to reserve a spot for me at an all-exclusive viewing. Some big shots are going to be there.” Sabastine said casually.

“What? You are giving me your spot?” Nora asked him in surprise.

“Well, I didn’t particularly put in the word for myself. I asked for a slot so I could give it to you.” He sighed and continued.

“Nora, I know you like to do things on your own, but life was never meant to be lived like that. I may not be able to solve all your problems, but if you need help in any way, please reach out okay?.” He told her truthfully.

Nora could no longer hold back her tears. She did not think the day could get any better. Even though the money from the sale was not so much, it would go a long way to help her mother.

And now, he was letting her display more work and probably make another sale. She hugged him tightly, trying to convey her gratitude to him.

“I know sweetheart” He chuckled. You don’t have to thank me so much. I’m not sure I came with a bag to pack them home,” he teased her in a friendly manner.

Nora playfully hit him on his back. “Stop making fun of me.” She told him, wiping the tears off her cheeks. “I cannot thank you enough, Sabastine.” She said, smiling warmly at him.

“You are always welcome, darling.” He chuckled. “ Now hurry back to your mother. I didn’t intend to keep you for too long. And you also need to get ready for the exhibition tomorrow.”

“That’s right. I’ll head home now. You’ll be there tomorrow, right?” She asked him as they headed out the door together.

“Sure!I’ve got a few things to handle there before the main event begins. It has been a crazy week for me” Sabastine said.

Nora noticed how tired he looked as he ran his hand through his blond hair. “You have to rest. Don’t be too busy that you forget to rest Astine”

“Ditto” He replied and rolled his eyes. “Now, off you go, young lady” He closed the door of her truck and waited for her to drive out before returning inside the gallery. She smiled. He was always so thoughtful.

Nora wanted to return to the hospital to stay with her mother. She barely left her side since the incident, but she knew she couldn’t miss this opportunity at the exhibition.

The fact that Sabastine got the spot for her was another reason she had to show up.

But the most important reason was money. She was not going to miss an opportunity to make any sale if there was any chance she could. Her mother needed the money.

“Hello Nurse Lana,” Nora said to the person on the other end of the line.

She called the hospital to check up on her mother and to let them know that she would not return that evening as usual.

“Hey, Nora.” Came the response “Everything is good over here. No need to worry okay” Nora could hear the warmth in her voice.

Nora sighed in relief “ Thank goodness. I was calling to inform you that I won’t be coming back tonight. I have to be somewhere tomorrow morning and will be out most of the day”. Naura paused.

“Can I please trouble you to look out for my mother and keep me posted? I will come in as soon as I am done tomorrow” Nora finished nervously.

She did not know when she would be done with the exhibition, and she did not want to be a bother, but there was no other choice.

“It’s okay, darling. Just take your time and do what you need to. If there’s a reason to call you, we will” Lana reassured her.

“Thank you so much. I appreciate your help, Nurse Lana,” Nora said before turning off her earbuds and pulling into the entrance of her apartment.

Suddenly, a dark figure caught her attention as she slowly made her way to the door. She walked cautiously, holding the strap of her handbag tight.

“Good evening, Miss Brooks. I see you’re back. I’ve been waiting here for quite a while”

She heard the familiar voice of her landlord, who certainly looked like he had been standing there for a long time, judging by the frown on his face. Can this day get any more crazy? Nora said to herself.

She sighed in relief. She was relieved it was not an intruder. It was certainly not a good time to be robbed, but she was also worried. No one wanted to see their landlord at odd hours, especially if he looked like hers- angry.

She had asked for a grace period of 2 months for her overdue rent, but it was not time yet. Why was he even here so late in the evening? Nora wondered as she walked towards him.

“Good evening, Mr Cody” Nora greeted him. “ Sorry to have kept you waiting. I was out trying to get my mother’s—”

“I didn’t come here for all that story, Miss Brooks.” He interrupted her “I am here to serve you this notice. You need to move out by the end of this month. I think I have been liberal enough.” He finished in a single breath.

“This month? Mr Cody, but we agreed that I had until the end of next month to move out. This is a notice for two weeks. How do you expect me to move out on such short notice?”

Nora asked him, alarmed and confused. She suddenly began to feel lightheaded, as if she was in a dark and stuffy room.

“I didn’t agree with anything young lady,” the landlord said in a calm yet threatening voice.

“ You only asked for time, I did not make you any promise.” Nora saw an even deeper frown on his face as he continued.

“The next time I come here, I won’t be alone. I’ll come with the movers to help pack your things to the nearest dump site” Mr Cody told her, as he walked out of the premises.

Nora did not know how she opened the door to her apartment after her encounter with the landlord. She was still in shock from her encounter with him.

She had a very sick mother at the hospital whose life was hanging on a balance. And now, she had two weeks to move out of her apartment with no money and no stable job.

The universe was certainly having fun at her expense. Nora could do nothing else but lay on her bed still fully clothed in her work outfit. Exhaustion did not even begin to describe the state she was in. She felt like she was fighting a battle she could never win.

Nora couldn’t stop herself from crying. She was tired of the tears, but that seemed to be all she had been doing lately. The tears grew from quiet sobs to loud wails as she let all her frustrations out.

Even though she was drained, she struggled so hard to fall asleep. She continued turning and tossing on the couch and was so restless. Her mind was filled with pictures of her mother in that hospital bed, fighting to stay alive.

Her mother had not opened her eyes in days, and Nora clung to the hope that their last conversation three months ago wouldn’t be the final one.

A tiny rustling sound outside her window broke the quiet of her apartment while she battled with her thoughts. Nora's breath caught in her throat, and she froze in fear.

It wasn’t the wind. The environment was too quiet for it to have been the wind.

The sound came again—closer this time. Someone was there.

She jumped up from her bed, feeling more alert from the sound, her eyes darting toward the darkened window. For a moment, everything was still, but as she turned on her light, a shadow moved. Nora was beyond scared. First, it was the phone call, now this. Who was it? Was she being followed?