To marry a Billionaire

Amber's POV Around the pool tables sat men in suits and dress shirts. While some appeared upset about their losing streaks, others kept their cards close to their chests. The casino was bustling, as it was on most Friday nights. I steered clear of the group of males and their obscenely chatty girlfriends. "Hey, watch it!" One of them yelled, scarcely leaving anything to the imagination because of her sequin outfit. I headed to the table whose order I currently had on a tray, mumbling a short apology. I set the champagne inside the table's ice bucket. The men continued to play, with some of them becoming more animated when casting their lots. I was accustomed to the faces because I had worked at the casino for more than two years, but my gaze fell on an unknown man. He lifted his eyes at that very moment, and my breath stopped. They had the brightest blue color. They seemed to me like polar ice caps, and I knew he was no stranger to luring ladies down into their frigid depths. There was this really beautiful woman beside him, his arm around her waist. It was a brief moment, and I turned away at the same instant he did. A hard hand touched my buttocks as I turned to go take another order. The bile-inducing contact made me jolt. One balding man said, "Nice ass." The bile that rose in my throat I swallowed. Regardless of how often it occurred, I could never grow accustomed to it. This was not the first instance, nor the second or third. I wouldn't have to work here at all if I got a dime for every time it occurred. "Amber," called my manager. "Table sixteen." She informed me. I inhaled again and carried on working till my shift ended. _____________ My tummy rumbled as I opened my flat door to the smell of food. I was starving. My grandma was stirring something on the stove as I stalked into the tiny kitchen. I let go of my purse and gave her a back hug. Just the smell of her made me feel a little less stressed than I had been earlier. "Dear, welcome back." My grandma welcomed me. She laughed when I released her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How was your day?" As I sent her to get dressed in the kitchen, I inquired. "As usual," she answered. I cast aside my earlier attire and pulled on a light cotton shirt before returning to her. She was coughing into a tissue, and when she removed it from her mouth, it was stained with blood, which stopped me in my tracks. I willed my legs to stay upright beneath me. She had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis two months prior, but she had claimed that she was doing better these previous three weeks. She appeared to be lying. I felt uneasy once more as I considered the consequences of what I had witnessed. I could never pay for her treatment with my pitiful earnings from the casino. A sob caught in my throat, but I forced myself to swallow. I didn't go into the kitchen until my grandmother put the tissue in the trash can. We ate in silence as I pretended I had not seen anything because I knew she did not want me to worry about her on top of everything else. _______________ My heart skipped a beat when I got a call at midnight from an unknown number. At strange hours of the day, they enjoyed reminding me, and I knew better than to ignore them. For that, I had already paid. I took the call, my finger shaking a little. "Miss Leonard," Although the person on the other end of the call sounded friendly, I knew better than to relax. "Yes?" "You are two weeks beyond your deadline to return the loan." I swallowed and tried to come up with a reason. "Sir, I…" "Don't," I was interrupted by a man on the other line. We don't care about small-minded justifications. We shall have to take alternative measures if you do not pay promptly." His comments caused my mouth to dry. "Ugly things are about to happen. really hideous." To emphasize, he added. "I…" However, the man ended the phone before I could say anything. I was unable to sleep for the remainder of the night since my nightmares kept me from falling asleep. My grandmother's prescription was almost out of stock, so I had taken out a loan for it. It would take a miracle to repay a debt with such a high interest rate in such a short amount of time. I remained up, convincing myself it was worth it while I listened to my grandmother's breathing. For her, it would always be worthwhile. I could not lose her either since she was all I had left. ________________ My headache woke me and felt like it was coming from the bottom of my brain, but I had no time to relax. I arrived at the casino and got to work. "Amber," I looked over to Rosie, who typically had a smile on her face, but now had a troubled expression. "You okay?" She enquired. Instinctively, I nodded, not wanting to burden my closest buddy with my troubles. But she read me quickly, being my best friend. "Let's try that again, this time tell the truth." Her hand landed on her hip. I let out a deep sigh. "I am not fine." I acknowledged. "What's bugging you?" Concern softened her eyes. How would I even begin? "Everything." I stepped into Rosie's hug as she opened her arms. As we separated, she remarked ."You know if it's about money..." "Money is the main factor," I remarked with a sly smirk. "There is an opening somewhere that will pay better than this dump." She said. All of a sudden, I was intrigued. "Really?" Yes, it's located at the Diamondz fashion shop. They belong to the Diamondz group of enterprises as a subsidiary. They guarantee a big salary when you land a job." It had to be good if it was affiliated with the Diamonds group, the biggest corporation in the city. They would have a large number of applications to review; what were my chances of being selected? With complete confidence, Rosie responded, "I know you can get in. I'll forward the URL to you. Tell me you'll submit an application, please." "I'll apply." It wasn't as though I had an alternative.