My Billionaire Master

Finally

"This is your letter of dismiss from the CEO of Hotel Belle Epoque", Vera was caught off guard. What does he mean by my dismiss letter? What have I done. My God! Did the stranger tell them something but that can't be, I was just with him. Definitely not him. Vera somehow summoned courage to ask her reason behind the dismiss and all she was told was that it was from the head office and no one knew the reason for such notice too.

She was totally perplexed. Of course she has wanted to leave this place but not at this point. She had not even saved enough to go back to school. Where will she start from? Vera accepted her fate and made her way to the train station. She walks through the station, weighed down by sorrow. Every step echoes through the empty corridors, reminding her of her loss. The fluorescent lights hum above, highlighting her pain.

She sits on a bench, surrounded by silence. The occasional noise from strangers or newspapers only emphasizes her isolation. Her gaze drifts to the tracks, where the train's arrival will be a harsh reminder that life moves on without the one she loves.

Time stands still as she sits there, trapped in despair. The train's arrival will be a jolt back to reality, but for now, she's stuck in this limbo, where every moment feels like an eternity. After forever, she finally reached her crib. Vera trudged through her front door, dropping her bag on the floor. She couldn't hold back the tears as she collapsed onto the couch. The shock of her dismissal and the bizarre marriage proposal still lingered, making her feel like her world was crumbling.

Days blurred together as Vera struggled to find the motivation to do anything. She'd cry between meals, pouring out her sorrows to no one in particular. Her apartment became a mess, with dirty dishes and unwashed laundry piling up.

As she wandered aimlessly around her home, Vera couldn't shake off the feeling of defeat. She'd always been a strong, independent person, but now she felt lost and vulnerable.

She'd try to distract herself with TV or books, but nothing seemed to work. Her mind kept wandering back to the events that had led her here.

As the days turned into a week, Vera realized she needed to snap out of it. She couldn't change the past, but she could work towards a better future. She started small, cleaning up her apartment and taking long walks outside.

Just as she was starting to feel like herself again, a knock on the door broke the silence. Vera opened it to find her landlord, Mrs. Jenkins, holding a stern expression and a notice in her hand.

"Vera, I'm afraid I have some bad news," Mrs. Jenkins said, her voice firm but not unkind.

Vera's heart sank as she took the notice. What now?

Vera's eyes widened as she read the notice. She had 30 days to vacate the premises. The news hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt like she was being kicked while she was already down.

With a heavy heart, Vera packed her bags and moved to her best friend's house. Her friend welcomed her with open arms, offering a listening ear and a comforting shoulder.

As Vera settled into her new temporary home, she knew she had to start looking for a new apartment. She couldn't stay with her friend forever. But the thought of starting over again was daunting.

She spent the next few days scouring online listings and visiting potential apartments. Nothing seemed quite right. Either the rent was too high, the location was sketchy, or the place was just plain ugly.

Vera's frustration grew with each passing day. Why did everything have to be so hard? She just wanted a place to call her own, a place to start rebuilding her life.

As she walked back to her friend's house from another disappointing apartment viewing, Vera felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She was so tired of feeling lost and alone.

But as she opened the door to her friend's cozy living room, Vera saw a reminder on the fridge - a quote her friend had written in bold letters: "New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings."

Vera took a deep breath and let the words sink in. Maybe this was an opportunity for her to start fresh, to create a new life that was even better than before. With renewed determination, she sat down at her friend's kitchen table and began to make a plan.

Vera's search for an apartment proved to be a daunting task. She had enough savings to cover the deposit and first month's rent, but every landlord she met seemed to find a reason to reject her application. It was as if they could sense her desperation.

Meanwhile, her best friend's living situation was changing. Her friend's partner was moving in, and Vera knew she needed to give them space. But where would she go?

With a sense of urgency, Vera expanded her job search to include any opening, no matter how menial. She applied to cleaning jobs, retail positions, and even food service work. But every interview ended with a polite rejection.

It seemed like the whole town was conspiring against her. Vera couldn't shake the feeling that people knew about her past and were deliberately shutting her out. She felt like she was being punished for something she couldn't even remember doing.

As the days turned into weeks, Vera's savings began to dwindle. She was running out of options and time. She needed a break, but it seemed like the universe was determined to keep her down.

Vera trudged through the streets, her feet aching and her spirits low. She had been searching for a job for weeks, but every door she knocked on seemed to slam shut in her face. Nobody wanted to give her a chance, nobody wanted to talk to her. It was as if she was invisible.

The thought of leaving her best friend's house in a week added to her stress. She knew her friend was patient, but Vera couldn't shake the feeling that she was overstaying her welcome. She needed a job, and she needed it fast.

As she walked, Vera's mind raced with negative thoughts. Maybe she wasn't good enough, maybe she wasn't fit for any job. She saw people who seemed less qualified than her getting hired, and it made her feel even more frustrated.

Just as she was starting to lose hope, Vera saw a flyer advertising a job opening at a local store. She rushed to apply, but as she waited for a response, she couldn't shake the feeling of doubt. What if she didn't get it? What if she was stuck in this rut forever.

After two days, she got an email and just like the others, she didn't get this one too. She was so tired of her life. She was barely surviving and now she doesn't even know what to call it. She had totally lost hope. She just laid on the couch crying hopelessly and she eventually slept off.

She must have slept for so long because when she woke up it was already very dark which was strange. She's not known for sleeping deep. She managed to get up. But then she remembered sleeping on a couch and she's presently on a bed. She managed to look around and this wasn't even her best friend's house. She quickly stood up and made her way to the only door she could she around when a voice interrupted her. "Are ready to take my deal?"

"Oh no, it's not the stranger again", she thought too herself as she quickly recognized his voice. She slowly turned her head and saw it was him. How was he hear and she didn't even notice. He's such a weird person, this is the second time she's waking up in his presence and she did not notice. And why was she in here with him? This was definitely his idea. All this thought kept whirling through her head in a matter of seconds. After processing whatever was happening, she then heard his question. He was still on the marriage deal.

"Why me ?", She asked him. "I don't even know you, I can't marry someone I don't know", she added

"It's a marriage of convenience and not pleasure and no more questions", he replied. "Will you prefer to be squatting forever and having no job ?", he added. "You better take deal or I'll make living more unbearable than I have made it, and if you think you can go back to your parents, you'll have to go through some years in jail as my compensation for going"

"What kind of person are you? So you've been the one behind all this? I didn't see that coming", she shouted

"Just take the deal and you'll have your freedom and money in 2 years. I am a man of my words", he said. At this point Vera knew she had no option. After all what's there to loose, she has already lost it all. She knew such marriage were never to be consummated so she could survive and of course she really needed that money and couldn't continue to barely survive, and of course and contingency plan as been nullified, no way she was going to jail.

"Alright, not like I have a choice."

"Good girl", he said with a little grin

"But how did I get here ?", She asked. "You seem stubborn, I would not want to repeat myself again. No more questions miss", he said in a serious tone.

....

The door suddenly opened and some men dressed in security uniform came in. "Escort her to the car", he told them and I had no choice but to follow. It seemed I'll be getting used to not having a choice. I was led out of a gigantic mansion. I have no idea of how I got there and where I am going to but I knew I was in safe hands. I was led to a very fancy car. I only see such in movies. I knew he was rich the first time I saw him but I began to have a hint that I underrated him. When I got into the car, I saw two men. One of which was his assistant as I learnt from my earlier encounter with him and the other which I was yet to discover. Leon finally got into the car and the man who later addressed himself as a lawyer brought out some documents that I was to sign. To be very honest, I didn't even care about anything he was saying, I just wanted to sign the documents and see the 2 years quickly pass by. I didn't even bother reading the file, I just signed it, after all I didn't really have a choice or another option. So this is it, I was getting married in the weirdest way possible.