Yours Truly, Mr. Andrew Carter's Property.

“Julius said we might have the wedding on his yacht.” Evelyn giggled like a child. The four girls in Martha Carter’s spa, having their manis and pedis, squealed at their soon-to-be bride friend’s words—well, except Sasha, who drew a dumb breath. “What are you, a sea animal?” she drawled nonchalantly. The manicurists nearly burst into cackles. Evelyn threw them a look, and they quickly looked away. What was funny? Sasha's words, or the fact that her voice was so tiny for her size? Sasha caught the glare of her friends and shrugged. She was never the type to shut her mouth when she didn’t like something. “Come on, babes, there are way more sexy places to get married than a yacht. What if a shark jumps on the yacht when you’re about to say ‘I do’?” “Stop being pessimistic, Sasha.” Sasha leaned over and grabbed her milkshake. In here, she looked halfway close to being one of those wealthy women who, for some reason, always had their chest up. But as soon as she was out of here, she was just like the many struggling citizens. “Sometimes we just have to think—what’s the worst that can happen?” She faced Evelyn and smirked. “Imagine a wedding at the beach. The sun smiling down on both of you as he kisses you. It’d add a ton more heat to it and, you know, there might be some PG-18 moments.” Evelyn and the rest of the ladies burst into laughter. There’s no event with Sasha in it where there isn’t some good laughter. “They’re gonna have to send the kids away,” Jade added, making Evelyn blush harder. She pushed out her hands, trying her best to sound playfully serious. “I and my baby aren’t uncivilized, okay? I bet Sasha’s wedding is what’s gonna happen.” Now the ladies turned their attention toward Sasha, who was already too flustered from laughing. She was so glad she’d agreed to a girls’ day out hosted by Evelyn. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled like this—at least not in the past three months since she lost her job at the mart. Applying for jobs had been hell. Rejections flooded her emails. Even when she got so close, she still failed to land the job. The most ridiculous was when she’d tried her luck applying for a job as Andrew Carter’s sales clerk. Of course, she wasn’t even surprised when he didn’t have the courtesy to respond to her mail. This afternoon felt like a weight had lifted from her shoulders. Maybe she should just give up and accept Jade’s offer to work in her flower shop, even though the money wouldn’t even be able to cover just her taxes and utility bills. “I had so many heat rashes when Sasha was still in a relationship,” Jade inserted, cackling. “Remember movie night during Christmas in college, when Carl kissed her cheek and the very next moment we could barely hear the movie over their moaning?” “Jade, we are in public!” Sasha gasped, blushing hard. The manicurists didn’t mind—after all, they were in for some good entertainment. “So were we when you both nearly got naked on the Ferris wheel.” Paula snickered. If not for her nail polish still being wet, Sasha would have covered her face in embarrassment. God, she actually missed Justin, even though he was still a big douche who’d left their four-year relationship to further his hockey career. She couldn’t blame him. She’d always been an advocate for people chasing their passion. Well, that’s by the way—she’d cried, drank, and gotten depressed. It’s been a year now; she’s gotten over it and learned to stop turning on the sports channel just to throw curses at him. Snapping her back to reality, her phone beeped. Sasha debated mentally whether to look at her screen. It was either she was being emailed to pay up her bills again, her brother thought it better to message her through mail after she’d ignored his w******p messages, or worse—she got rejected on her last application. “Aren’t you going to check that out, Sash?” Rainy raised a sympathetic brow. “Maybe you’ll get accepted this time,” Jade added. Sasha shook her head. “I’m not ready to get my mood ruined.” Evelyn wasn’t having it. She snatched the phone from the table. Sasha gasped. “Evelyn—” “Don’t ‘Evelyn’ me. If it’s a rejection again, I’m going to send them a mail that they—” Her remaining words came out as a bewildered scream as her gaze locked on the words on the screen. ‘Congratulations, you’ve been selected to come for an interview at Andrew’s Industries.’ “What. Is. It?” The girls looked at her, equally surprised even though they didn’t yet know what had happened. Sasha was frozen like a Popsicle. Evelyn’s gaze met theirs. “She got selected for an interview with Andrew!” The people in the spa nearly made a run for it as all of them jerked up screaming. Their nails were ruined, but who gave a damn? Sasha quickly snatched the phone from Evelyn and clicked the mail. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d been approved for an interview with Andrew? She blinked, making sure she wasn’t seeing triple. This is real. It. Is. Real. She blinked back tears, and as she read the email, they poured down freely, but the last words drew a gasp from her lips. 2:30 PM, July 26th sharp, make sure to be punctual! That was today—and it was freaking 2:17 PM already! Sasha was already racing toward the door. “Where the hell are you going, babe?” She stopped and turned around, eyes wide. “The interview is in thirteen minutes!” The girls exchanged looks with each other. First surprise, then realization that there was no time to waste before mentally making plans on how to make this happen. Jade spoke first. “She’s gonna have to go dressed like that.” “Yes, of course!” “I’ll call a nearby Uber—” “Evelyn! No time for Uber. We know you hate taxis, but she’s going to have to take one.” Evelyn sighed in defeat. “We’ll fix her face in the taxi! Come on, babes, let’s go!” Evelyn threw a bundle of cash at the manicurists and joined as they hurled out of the spa. They skipped the escalator and ran down the stairs. Immediately outside, Jade jumped in front of the road, making a taxi come to a screeching halt. Evelyn spoke quickly to the driver. He put up a fuss, but she bargained harder before he agreed. They all got into the taxi, and by the time they were pulling up in front of the large skyscraper with the logo of Andrew’s Industries firmly fixed on it, Sasha’s makeup was as good as new. 2:29 “Kick some butts, baby girl!” they all yelled as Sasha ran toward the glass sliding doors. Sasha’s heart raced as she ran. Never had she believed she’d get approved for an interview. A part of her felt like turning back. She was already late, she wasn’t even dressed well, she hadn’t prepared her words, and she didn’t have her files. What was the use? If she’d failed interviews from companies that weren’t even a third the height of this building, then what hope did she— Sasha gasped as she ran into someone. He quickly turned around, and she looked at the man she’d bumped into as he bent over to pick up his briefcase. “I… I’m so sorry,” she apologized quickly. “I would have helped with your briefcase, but I’m late for an interview now.” She was already back to running before he could lift his head and glance at her. The man, firmly fitted in a high-breasted black suit, oxfords shining under the afternoon sun, hid black pairs of stockings beneath. His sharp looks and commanding demeanor drew the attention of everyone passing by. They gasped and straightened their posture at the sight of the handsome man standing before them. Everything about him—from his thick lashes to his dimple—was meticulous. His gaze was fixed on the shining blonde hair running off. He’d never heard such an intoxicating voice before. “Mr. Andrew!” His bodyguard stopped beside him. “Should I get her for you?” Andrew finally shifted his gaze from her. He’d been staring too long. He barely acknowledged the man next to him as he began walking into his dynasty.