THE BILLIONER I COULDN'T STAND

Chapter Two — The Unexpected Meeting The next morning, Lucy Bennett woke up thinking about one person she had absolutely no desire to think about. Adrian Cross. She groaned and pulled her pillow over her face. "Why am I still thinking about that arrogant man?" The memory of yesterday came rushing back. The Rolex boutique. The argument. The card holder. And the way Adrian had looked at her as if she were a suspect in a crime. Lucy sat up. "Forget him." She had more important things to worry about. Her university tuition was due soon, her part-time job wasn't paying as much as she needed, and her mother had already reminded her that she needed to slow down and take better care of herself. Adrian Cross was not on her list of problems. At least, he shouldn't have been. After getting dressed, Lucy grabbed her handbag and headed to university. She spent the morning attending lectures and taking notes. By lunchtime, she was sitting with her friend, Sophie, in the university café. "So," Sophie said, stirring her drink, "you've been strangely quiet today." Lucy looked up. "I'm tired." "No. Something happened." "Nothing happened." Sophie narrowed her eyes. "You have that face." "What face?" "The face you make when someone annoys you." Lucy sighed. "I met someone yesterday." Sophie immediately leaned forward. "A guy?" "Unfortunately." "Was he handsome?" Lucy hesitated. "Yes." Sophie smiled. "I knew it." "But he was arrogant." "Rich?" Lucy looked at her. "Very." "How rich?" "Billionaire rich." Sophie nearly dropped her spoon. "Lucy!" "Keep your voice down." "You met a billionaire at a Rolex store?" "Yes." "And you didn't get his number?" "Why would I?" Sophie laughed. "Because he's a billionaire!" Lucy rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make him less annoying." Before Sophie could answer, Lucy's phone rang. It was an unknown number. "Hello?" "Is this Miss Lucy Bennett?" "Yes." "Good afternoon. I'm calling from Cross Enterprises." Lucy sat straighter. "Cross Enterprises?" "Yes. We received your application for the summer business internship." Lucy frowned. "I applied months ago." "We know. You've been shortlisted." Her eyes widened. "Really?" "Yes. Your interview is tomorrow at ten in the morning." Lucy smiled. "Thank you." She wrote down the details. After ending the call, Sophie stared at her. "What happened?" "I got an interview." "Where?" Lucy looked at the paper. "Cross Enterprises." Sophie's mouth fell open. "You're joking." "I'm not." "Lucy..." "What?" "That's Adrian Cross's company." Lucy froze. She looked at the phone. Then at Sophie. "No." "Yes." Lucy closed her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." The following morning, Lucy stood outside the headquarters of Cross Enterprises. The building was enormous. Glass walls stretched several stories into the sky, with the company's silver logo displayed above the entrance. Lucy took a deep breath. "This is just an interview." She walked inside. A receptionist checked her name. "Miss Bennett?" "Yes." "Mr. Cross is expecting you." Lucy nearly stopped walking. "Mr. Cross?" "Yes." "He's conducting the interview?" The receptionist nodded. Lucy swallowed. Of course he was. Why wouldn't he be? She followed an assistant into a private elevator. As the doors closed, Lucy whispered to herself. "Stay calm. Answer the questions. Don't argue with him." The elevator stopped on the top floor. The assistant opened the doors. "His office is at the end of the hall." Lucy thanked her and walked forward. She knocked. "Come in." Lucy opened the door. And there he was. Adrian Cross. He was wearing a dark suit, his black hair perfectly styled, and his expression was as serious as she remembered. His eyes met hers. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Adrian leaned back in his chair. "You." Lucy folded her arms. "Unfortunately." His eyebrow lifted. "I wasn't expecting you." "Neither was I." He looked down at the file in front of him. "Lucy Bennett." "That's me." "You applied for an internship." "Yes." "You didn't mention yesterday that you were looking for one." Lucy frowned. "You didn't ask." Adrian almost smiled. Almost. "Sit." Lucy sat across from him. He opened her application. "University student." "Yes." "Good academic record." "Thank you." "Part-time employment." "Yes." "Why do you want to work here?" Lucy thought for a moment. "Because I want experience." "That's a common answer." "It's the truth." "What else?" Lucy looked directly at him. "I want to prove that I can build something for myself." Adrian studied her. "Even though you come from a comfortable family?" Lucy frowned. "My family is middle-class. We're comfortable, but we don't have everything." He nodded. "Understood." He turned another page. "You've never worked in a corporate environment." "No." "Why should I hire you?" Lucy smiled slightly. "Because I work hard." "I've heard that before." "And because I don't give up easily." "Even when things become difficult?" "Especially then." Adrian stopped reading. Something about her answer caught his attention. He remembered her from the boutique. She hadn't been intimidated by him then. She wasn't intimidated now. "You seem very confident." "I'm not always confident." "What are you, then?" Lucy paused. "Determined." For the first time, Adrian smiled. It was small, but genuine. Lucy noticed. She had expected him to look cold all the time. She quickly looked away. Adrian closed the file. "You start Monday." Lucy blinked. "Wait. What?" "You got the internship." She stared at him. "You're serious?" "Yes." "Why?" "You're qualified." Lucy remembered hearing those words before. She smiled. "That's the second time you've hired me." Adrian's expression changed. "The second time?" "Yesterday you hired yourself as a judge and decided I was suspicious." He gave her a look. "You were carrying my card holder." "Accidentally." "So you admit it?" "I admitted it yesterday." Adrian leaned back. "Fine." Lucy stood. "Thank you for the opportunity." She turned toward the door. "Lucy." She looked back. "Yes?" "Don't be late on Monday." She smiled. "I won't." "And don't argue with me." Lucy laughed. "I can't promise that." Adrian shook his head. "Of course you can't." Lucy left the office. The moment the door closed, Adrian looked down at her application again. For some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about her. She was different from everyone he usually met. She didn't care about his money. She didn't flatter him. She didn't seem impressed by his name. And somehow, that made him curious. Meanwhile, Lucy stepped into the elevator and smiled to herself. She had just gotten the internship she desperately wanted. There was only one problem. Her new boss was Adrian Cross. The same billionaire she had promised herself she would never see again. Lucy sighed. "This is going to be a long summer."