Groomed For The Billionaire

She Needed Space

Sophia dressed slowly that morning, moving around the small bedroom with a quiet calm that didn’t match the heaviness in her chest. She folded her work clothes neatly into her bag. She zipped the bag shut, checked the time, it was barely past ten.

She still had over six hours before her shift at Club Mirage.

Normally she would’ve stayed in, cleaned a little, maybe watched something on her phone until it was time to leave. But not today. The apartment felt tense after everything that happened earlier, the argument with Jasmine, the uncomfortable tension still clinging to the air.

Sophia needed space.

She grabbed her bag, locked the door quietly, and stepped out into the bright New York morning.

The public library wasn’t far, just two blocks from their apartment. A tall, older building with wide stone steps and big windows that always made her feel like she was stepping into another world. A quieter world.

Sophia took her usual corner seat on the second floor, near the window overlooking the street. The table was old and scratched, but she loved it. She set her bag down, pulled out one of the law books she had been reading for the past week, and exhaled.

Something she had wanted since she was eighteen. Something she had wanted long before the Casagrande family became her nightmare.

Something she still wanted, desperately, even if money and life kept pushing it further away.

She flipped open the book and tried to focus on the chapter, case precedents in domestic violence protections but her mind drifted.

She imagined herself in a courtroom, speaking confidently. She imagined defending someone who had no voice. Someone like her younger self.

It wasn’t impossible, she was still trying to gather the money to go back to school. The quiet buzz of the library made it easy to drown in her thoughts.

Her phone buzzed.

She frowned at the screen, then blinked.

Scott, she answered.

“Hello, Scott,” she said softly, stepping outside the reading area so she wouldn’t disturb anyone.

“Oh, wow,” Scott replied immediately, teasing. “You beat me to it this time. Normally you start with ‘I was about to call you.’ ”

Sophia laughed quietly. “Okay, fine, you caught me. I actually was going to call you.”

“Oh, I know,” he said, chuckling. “You’re always about to call me.”

She rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. “Whatever.”

“How was your night?” he asked.

“It was… okay,” she said, leaning against the wall in the hallway.

He hummed like he already knew there was more. “You sound tired.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“No, you’re not,” Scott said gently. “And that’s okay.”

Sophia exhaled slowly before she even realized she was doing it. Something about his voice just made her loosen up a little. Maybe because he didn’t push. He just listened.

She found herself telling him everything this morning, how Jasmine had brought Denzel back to their apartment, how she didn’t expect Jasmine to be that naïve.

Scott didn’t interrupt. Not once.

When she finished, he said calmly, “Sophia… you need to take it easy. Jasmine is an adult. She’s responsible for her decisions. If she wants to make reckless choices, let her. And if the consequences come, let her deal with them.”

“But she’s my friend,” Sophia whispered.

“And you can care about her without carrying her,” he replied. “That girl will not learn a thing if you keep shielding her. Let her make her mistakes.”

She swallowed. “You’re right. I just hate seeing her do stupid things.”

“I know,” he said. “But you can’t live her life for her.”

She nodded even though he couldn’t see it. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For… always telling me the truth. I appreciate that.”

There was a pause.

“You deserve people who look out for you too, Sophia. Not just the other way around.”

Her heart tightened.

“By the way,” she said, suddenly remembering, “Thank you for what you did for Jasmine. The job. Marcusl called her back. That means a lot.”

“Oh, don’t thank me,” he said lightly. “I did it because of you.”

She blinked. “Because of me?”

“You’re always looking out for other people,” Scott said, voice softer than before. “I didn’t want her unemployment to end up affecting you, emotionally or financially. You’d feel responsible for helping her. And I didn’t want that extra weight on you. I always want you to be okay.”

Sophia went still.

She had never been around a man who spoke like that. Who considered her feelings before making decisions. Who thought about her long-term stress. Who cared about how her life was affected by other people.

It warmed something deep in her chest.

“That’s really sweet,” she whispered.

“It’s not sweet,” he replied. “It’s basic respect.”

She smiled without meaning to. She felt herself beginning to see him differently. Not romantically, no. She wasn’t ready for that. But as a friend? A real one? Someone safe.

“So where are you?” he asked.

“The library,” she said. “I stepped out to take your call.”

“The library?” he repeated, surprised. “What are you reading today?”

“A book on law,” she replied.

“Law?” His voice brightened. “That’s impressive. Why do you like law?”

She took a breath.

Because of the Casagrandes. Because of the nightmare she survived. Because she had no one to protect her. Because she wanted to protect girls like her. Because power looked different when it was in your hands.

But she didn’t say all that.

She only said, “I want to help women. Women who’ve been abused. Women who don’t have a voice. Women who can’t fight for themselves.”

There was silence, a respectful one.

“You’d be incredible at that,” Scott finally said. “And you should go for it. Seriously. Take the form. Apply.”

“I don’t have the money,” she said faintly.

“That’s not a problem,” he said. “I know someone who can help. I can pull a few strings for you, I have the money.”

She shook her head instantly. “No. No, Scott. I don’t want that. I don’t want favors or hand-me-downs.”

“It’s not that deep…”

“It is to me,” she insisted softly. “I want to do this on my own.”

He paused.

Then said, very gently, “Okay. I respect that.”

Her chest loosened.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The conversation lingered a little longer until they finally hung up.

For the first time in a while, she believed she could still have the life she wanted.

………

Hours passed before she finally looked up and realized it was time to go. She packed her things and made her way to the club.

The city was cooling down, streetlights flickering on one after another. By the time she arrived at Club Mirage, the sun had dipped behind the buildings, leaving the sky dim and tinted blue.

Inside, the club was still quiet. It wasn't peak time yet. The music was soft, only staff moving around.

Sophia walked to the dressing room first, changed into her uniform, fixed her makeup, then stepped out to the main floor.

She saw Jasmine immediately, Jasmine saw her too. Their eyes met and Sophia looked away.

Jasmine’s steps faltered. She opened her mouth to say something, but Sophia walked past her without slowing down.

She wasn’t angry anymore, she just didn't want to talk about that here.

“Jasmine.” The voice cut through the space, it was Marcus.

Their manager stood at the entrance of his office, door open, eyes locked on Jasmine.

Her heart jumped.

“Yes?” Jasmine said, startled.

“My office,” Marcus said simply.