My One Night Stand Turned CEO.

Today had been stressful, but I hope my stress gets rewarded. I hope some of the enterprises I took my resume to at Garden city give a favorable reply. I dashed into my house and since it was dark, I turned on the lights. I was on my way to the room I share with my younger sister when I suddenly noticed low sobering coming from my mom's room. I hastily walked towards her room and the first thing I saw was the white powder on my mother’s nightstand. Beer were bottles littered the floor, some empty, some tipped over like they’d given up halfway. My chest tightened as I took another step inside the room. Her frame was leaning on her bed, hair spilling over her face and her lips moving in a slow, drunken mumble. “No,” I whispered. I told myself it wasn’t what it looked like. That a year of rehab couldn’t just disappear overnight. But when my foot brushed against a folded sheet of paper on the floor, my body already knew the truth. I picked it up and smelled it. Cocaine. My vision blurred. I leaned closer to inhale near her mouth and the sharp smell of alcohol confirmed it. My mother had relapsed. “Mom?” My voice cracked despite my effort to keep it steady. “Say something.” I begged, with my tears pouring. She didn’t respond. Just kept mumbling with her eyes half-lidded and unfocused. I stepped back. My throat was burning, my body shaking and a thousand thoughts going through my head. A year ago, we’d sworn never to return to this life. We’d survived it together. And for that promise, I had sacrificed everything—my plans, my goals, my dream. “Cora… is that you?” She slurred, and this made me more angry. “Yes,” I said quietly. “And you won’t remember this tomorrow.” I didn’t wait for her reply. I walked out of the house before the tears could fall. I remembered how the year she decided to go for her Rehab was the year I made the biggest decision of my life. I had declined my admission to Cambridge giving up on my aspirations and dreams of becoming a doctor in order to take care of the kids in her absence. And most of all...everything happening made me remember the day everything started. The day the Langley family lost its power. The day my father's pharmaceutical company got sued for producing defective drugs by the state and hospitals which led our bankruptcy and later on, his death. That was how our life’s turned to this. From royalties, we turned to peasants. The streets of downtown Savannah were alive music spilling into the night, laughter echoing down sidewalks, bodies moving without care. It felt cruel how alive the world was when mine had just cracked open. When I pass by 'the Hoopla club,' the loud music pumping and the lighting make my steps come to a halt. It's known to be one of the best clubs here in Downtown Savannah. The thought of going in to dance away my sorrows dawns on me. Why not? Normal girls danced their pain away on Fridays. Normal girls didn’t carry so much burdens on their shoulders. Tonight, I wanted to be normal. What welcomed me is the smell of alcohol and the sight of people wriggling their bodies to the DJ's music. This gave me a sense of freedom that I haven’t felt in years. I let myself move. I didn’t dance to impress anyone. I danced to forget; to drown out my mother’s face and the pain I was feeling. New songs came and went as I kept dancing, but when I get tired, I head for the bar. I arrived at the bar area sitting on one of the empty leather stools. “Two shots of tequila. Salt and lime. Then a beer.” I ordered. I could feel a piercing gaze so I looked by my side. My eyes came in contact with a pair of blue impenetrable eyes and I blinked. He resembled a LA runway model. You hardly see a guy dressed this exorbitant around my area— a very handsome one at that. After gazing at him for a while, I returned my attention to the drink in front of me. "What?" I asked dismissively. The last I wanted was company, especially that of a male horny stranger. If he needed a girl, he could have most of them here since nearly all of them have been ogling at him. That's what money and good looks can achieve. As for me, that was the least on my mind. Instead of relationships, guys, and s*x, what I think about is how to survive, my family, and staying strong. "You danced well and some people couldn't get their eyes off you. One of this kind is in front of you." He said and his voice was so deep and confident, that my heart skipped a beat. I guess everything about him is intimidating, but that won’t change my mind. "I'll pass," I replied flatly. From his cold eyes and straight face, I could tell that he was a nonchalant and heartless type of guy, so apart from the fact that I'm not in a good mood, he wasn’t my type of guy. Instead of moving away, he shifted closer. "I can see you’re here to disappear," He said and I blinked. That caught me off guard. “That’s the idea,” I replied, managing to stop my voice from cracking. A slow smirk curved on his lips— a sharp and dangerous one. "Two more shots of that might not end well. And from what I hear, getting drunk in this type of place is pretty bad,” He said. That's when I finally gave him the attention that he's been craving. "And are you offering to give me a better place to get reckless?" I raised a brow at him. I was already tipsy. His smirk grew wider. "Hm. If I do, your night will be more rough.” He replied menacingly and a small smile curved up in my lip. I placed my glass on the table with a new motive: getting to know this guy in front of me. He was too handsome, too confident to ignore— the kind of men that mothers would warn you about, but tonight, I don't care. I took my time to study him. I knew I was already drunk so I just hoped that I wasn't looking at him the way I imagined. I brought my hand to the beer grabbing with a naughty smile on my face. "Another cup for him," I called out, then I returned my attention to the guy in front of me. His flirtatious gaze was going over my body, but I didn't mind this time. He leaned closer as the bartender passed us the drink, and placed his right arm on my lap, making chills run down my spine. Maybe this would help me tonight.