Beneath the Billionaire's Pride

chapter 2

I woke up very early today, I want to make sure to avoid being late today, and to do that, I have to beat traffic. The traffic here is no joke. I started getting ready as soon as I woke up, made my mum's breakfast, before the breakfast was ready it was already 6 am. I still have some time at hand, I had some from the food I made for my mum. 7:00 am on the dot, I hit the road and took a bus leading to my destination.

The drive did not take up to an hour to reach my bus stop. Climbed down from the bus and boarded a cab to take me to the estate. At exactly 8:00 am I am in Richard's mansion. Thank goodness I made it early.

I was greeted by Margaretta. So nice to see you again you look good. Thank you ma I said with a smile plastered on my face, you don't look bad either. Stop flattering me Leah, she said smiling. I am not ma, you really look good too. Oh well thanks, shall we get to know the others? Of course ma, behind you. She took me to the anteroom where the rest of the workers were gathered. Good morning all I said, in unison they replied morning to you. Ok let's get to business Mrs Margaretta said, come closer Leah, you all this is Leah, she will be replacing Mrs Grace as the chef, and I will like you all to give her your cooperation to make her work easier.

Leah this Mr Lucas, she pointed at a man who might be in his middle or late forties, he is the chief driver here, and this is James and Liam his assistant. Nice to meet you guys I said as I brought out my hands for a hand shake.

This is Jeffrey, Paul and Mark, they are the security men. This is Mary. She would be assisting you in the kitchen, although she won't be here all the time because she just gave birth. Hi Mary, nice to meet you, same she said. And for the cleaners, they usually do come early in the morning and go before 8:00 am, you would be able to meet them on Saturday because they stay for almost the whole day.

Alright ma looking forward to meeting them. That's all for now you all can go to your various stations, Leah follow me. In order to enjoy your work here, you must make sure to listen to whatever Mr Richard says, although he is not always here, but he comes back once in a while.

And for his son Xavier, just don't be on his way and you are good, he can be very harsh for no reason atimes so I advise you to stay clear to avoid unnecessary problems. Is he mad or something I said inwardly, Mrs Margaretta is he around now? No he is not, he is at his place now, but I think he lives here, yes he lives here partially, he loves staying here for some reason best known to him, but he has a house of his own which he barely stays, he comes and goes at any desired time of his, so expect him at any time, nobody knows when he is coming or leaving. Alright I will see to adhere to your advice. But Mrs Margaretta do I have a day off? We will see to that, but as for now we expect you to be here everyday and sleep over during weekends. Sleep over during weekends? I would like to disagree with that . Who will be with my sick mum during that period? I am the only one she has. I guess you would find a way to tackle that matter, but I promise you would be paid handsomely for staying over during weekends. I will think about it. Please do and get back to me. Today you will be making some dishes which will be put in the fridge in case Xavier decides to come over today. Okay ma, that won't be a problem.

I swung into action, making the dish as fast as possible. I just want to do this and leave before 7pm. I am having dinner with Hannah and I don't want to be late. I cleaned the kitchen when I was done cooking and called Margaretta to come and have a taste of it. She had a taste of all the dishes and confirmed it to be nice, thank God she likes it. You learnt from the best she said it is very good. Thank you ma I said. You are welcome . You can go and take your shower, sorry I forgot to show you the room you will be staying in anytime you come, you may as well have something to eat and then follow me to show you your room. Don't worry ma I'm good, I will just take my shower and leave. Are you sure you don't want to have something to eat? You have been working all day. I am okay ma thanks for asking. Well if you insist, follow me.

We entered a room just next to a room which I later learnt was one of the guest rooms. My room was nothing like I expected, it was a hundred times better than that of my room at home, it was so spacious and the decor in it was perfect and so cozy. You are staying here anytime you are around, I will leave you now, take your time Leah. Thank you Mrs Margaretta. I love the room. Glad that you like it, I will leave you to it, she said as she stepped out. I laid on my back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. I hope I will love it here. I prayed silently. I stayed in that position for sometime, looking at my watch I screamed, it is already past seven, silly me what was I thinking, Hannah will chopped off my ear today with her endless nagging. I quickly ran to the bathroom, had a quick bath, dried my body with the new towel Mrs Margaretta gave, put on my dress and left the house immediately. I have to reach home in order to wear something nice which is perfect for a dinner, I hope the traffic will not catch up with me.

Luckily I got home earlier than I expected. Hannah was already there waiting for me while chatting with my mom, hi mom i said as I approached her and placed a soft kiss on her cheeks. Welcome sweetheart, she said. How was work today? It was good, I hope it will be that way for the rest of my working days there(laughs) it will be honey my mom said. (Clears throat) Seems like someone doesn't care if I exist or not Hannah said with her mouth positioned on one side and hands wrapped around. Don't be silly Hannah I said as I gave her a hug. Good evening to you Hannah. What is good about the evening? Leah seems you have forgotten about our plan for tonight Leah. You kept me waiting. I am sorry Hannah it wasn't intentional to keep the queen waiting. I am still upset with you, she said, squeezing her face. Please please please forgive me Hannah it won't repeat itself. Have I been forgiven? Yes, I forgive you because of your mom. Thank you I jumped up and placed a light kiss on her cheeks. Now go inside and change. We don't have enough time on our side. I Will be back in a jiffy, I said as I hurried to my room. Hannah you should come give me a helping hand in selecting an outfit I shouted from my room. Alright on my way she said. Hannah can never go wrong in selecting an outfit for any occasion. She picked a black long slitted dress for me .

Leah looked resplendent as usual, in a gown that accentuated the porcelain skin.

The dress was definitely made for me ugh i love it so much, and an emerald earrings and shoe which match the color of my eyes. My hair was laid down. You look like a goddess Leah, I wish we can exchange looks. Don't say that Hannah you are so beautiful. I know, but not as beautiful as you are. Stop flattering, I said laughing, enough of the compliment we would be late, let's get going.

We arrived at the coolest restaurant in New York City. The restaurant looks so big and beautiful, it was my first time being there. I have heard about how beautiful and breathtaking the restaurant looks, with what I am seeing now, honestly no lie was detected. We were ushered to the VIP section. Omg Hannah, is this some surprise or what? I said with my heart swelling with joy. I want to congratulate you on your new job, although I don't like the job, but job is job. I'm so grateful, hanny, I said as we engulfed in a tight hug, you are really the best.

Ofcourse, I am the best, she said, and we both laughed. Let's get seated and place our orders, bills on me. We placed our order, and our meal was served to us with a twinkle of an eye. The food looked sumptuous, we both dug in immediately, of course I was very hungry, I haven't had a proper meal since morning.The dish was savory and slightly spicy, with a rich creamy sauce that lingered on the palate. The wine complimented it beautifully , being a smooth red with a hint of dark berry and oak. We definitely enjoyed everything about the dish and wine.

At this point I was very full, we chatted throughout the meal. Leah, I raised my face to Hannah who called my name all of a sudden. What I am going to show you right now, I want you to not make it obvious, now I want you to slightly turn back and look at that guy with a gray shirt.

You never cease to amaze me Hannah, you can never see a handsome man and remain sane again. Stop the cap Leah and do what I ask you to do, I bet you will forget to breathe for a moment. Okay if you say so. I turned my head to the guy's direction, at first I could not see his face because he turned his back towards our direction, but just judging from his back, I bet him to be a very hot guy. Still admiring his back, he turned, his eyes met mine . I felt my breath catch.Hannah did not lie when she said i would forget to breathe, because for some minutes, I totally forgot to breathe.

Feeling butterflies run amok in my stomach, even as heat sears me from head to toe, setting my pulse racing with the feeling i loathes to define, for that would mean admitting something terrible.

He is just like the Greek gods, I have seen a lot of handsome men, but this is a discovery.

He is a striking figure, standing tall with a strong and athletic build that exudes confidence and power. His chiseled features are impeccably handsome, drawing attention and turning heads wherever he goes. With a captivating gaze and a smile that lights up a room, he effortlessly commands presence and leaves a lasting impression on those around him.

His strong jawline and defined muscles showcase his dedication to fitness and health, radiating a sense of vitality and vitality. His incredible blue eyes remind me of someone I have seen, smoldering blue eyes i corrected. Although he is laughing at the moment, his beautiful eyes fail to hide the empty vibe it gives if you look closely. I noticed his eyes very well because I have been staring at him shamelessly for a long time. He is definitely my type of man, if I have to do anything to be with him now, I will surely do that. I want to be the one to fill that empty vacuum his eyes gives out, gosh I can't get enough of this beauty, the way he was holding a glass cup with his long calloused fingers made me wish I was the one he was holding that way.

Jeez, have I gone mad? Where are all these silly thoughts rushing in my head coming from?

Hello, are you still there? I heard Hannah say. I tore my gaze from his and reached for a glass of water, downing the cold liquid in one gulp. Look who I caught using her eye to devour a man she knows nothing about. Girl I thought I am the shameless one, but at this point you beat me at it, you look like a lion who is ready to pounce on its prey.

Omg was it obvious? What do you mean was it obvious? You were literally using your eyes to undress that dude and no human here with a good working sight will fail to notice that. I feel so ashamed right now. Girl you don't have to feel ashamed, I was also shamelessly staring, but I'm sure I didn't make it obvious. Girl we did nothing wrong we were just appreciating the Lord's creation. Lusting you mean. Let's put that aside and enjoy our remaining night here.

Seating absentmindedly, I felt a liquid soaking my panties, the coldness of the substance brought me back which made me jumped from my seat, loo and behold the guy I was admiring earlier was standing close to our table with a drink, which some of it was spilled on me. This is the best opportunity to get his attention to me, the heavens are definitely by my side.

Holy moly what is that, I said trying to use a piece of towel on the table to soak my already wet dress.

He totally ignored me as if he didn't just spill a drink on me. I was shocked, what type of act did he just display now, is he not aware of what he did? Hannah's mouth was open with confusion written all over her face, I was confused as she is, maybe he did not hear me talking or had no ii he spilled a drink on me.

Excuse me, I went up to him and tapped his back, he was just one table away from ours, he reluctantly turned his back now facing me. What? Sorry to disturb you, seems like you have no idea you just mistakenly spilled a drink on me.

He scanned me from head to toe with disgust written all over his face. Type of s**t he said. Huh, what do you mean by type of s**t? s**t does happen , he said.

His arrogance and words kept me speechless for a sec, you spilled a drink on me and all you could say is type of s**t? What type of person spills a drink on somebody and all he could say is type of s**t instead Of apologizing? Mistakenly spilled miss, and what do you have me do lay on your feet or pull off my designer clothes and give you to replace the cheap dress of yours?

In my entire life I have never been this shocked and surprised on how a person can be this rude.

Hey excuse me, I heard Hannah say, irritated by the strange guy's behavior, only the word sorry coming out of your mouth won't make you paralyzed nor will it remove a dime from your bank account. I won't sit down here and watch you talk to my friend in that manner.

And who the hell do you think you are to stand before me and open that gutter of a mouth b***h.

Omg I can't take this anymore this guy is mad, all the odd feelings I felt for him earlier were now replaced with unquenchable anger. He got me so furious, I heard myself scream “how dare you b***h”.

Excuse me, who are you referring to as a b***h? definitely not me.

Oh please hold it, you are obviously the one I am referring to as a b***h. Aren't you? Because you act like one, are you even a man? Sorry at first I mistook you as one i said with sarcasm. Hannah laughed out loud, girl he obviously does not deserve to be referred to as either. Don't go around making it obvious that you were not raised properly by your mum, you were obviously born b***h.

He looked as though I had just pulled a gun and aimed at his head. I bit my lips and regretted spilling the last word, but it was rather late to change. The damage has been done.

How dare you mention my mom he said coming closer to me, I was a bit scared, he looks as if he will shred me to pieces. I did the only thing my instincts asked me to do, that is picking a cup of drink from the table opposite us and spilling it on his face. That's what you get when you want to show how rude you are.

He stood there transfixed, one can tell he never ever expected me to spill a drink on him. I swear you will regret this he said ruffling his already disheveled hair and let me tell you don't ever look at me the way you were staring at me earlier, because I will have nothing to do with a riff raff like you. No man in his right sense will ever stoop so low to have anything to do with you b***h, you make me want to puke. Get out of my way he stomped out of the building angrily.

I let out a sigh of relief, all this while I have been holding my breath, I just put on a brave face so as not to be intimidated.

This is exactly what they meant by the saying don't judge a book by its cover. Because who will ever believe that someone like this might be running mad Hannah said. Hannah I am speechless,this guy just ruined this perfect night for us, I think it is time to head home, I don't like the eyes everybody here is giving us. Yes, let's leave. I promise to make it up to you. No need for that Hanny, I at least enjoyed half of the night here and it is very ok for me.