The Billionaire and His Intern (A Christian Romance)

Prologue

Arielle Burnes waited patiently for her name to be called. Her best friend, Julia, sat beside her squealing in excitement as her boyfriend crossed the stage.

"Go, Ben!" Julia yelled.

Ben threw his hands up and blew a kiss to her as he grabbed his diploma and came back around to his friend and girlfriend. His tight blond curls peeked out from under his blue graduation cap almost perfectly matching his golden eyes. Arielle smiled at the goofy young man who had been her friend throughout college.

They were finally graduating and she would be done with this place. This college was amazing and hard to get into, but it was all the hard work she expected and more. It felt nice to be done with this chapter in her life.

As Ben got near their seats, Arielle's name was called.

"Whoo!" Julia screamed directly in her ear causing Arielle to flinch.

"Julia, I barely moved from my seat." She groaned as she peeled herself away from the plastic graduation chair and walked up to the stage. The claps and cheers were louder than the ones Ben received when he walked across the stage, but it wasn't because Arielle held more popularity than Ben. Oh no, if only. Instead, it was because she took too much on her plate. She was in too many extracurricular activities, so much so, that they outweighed the number of classes that she took. So everyone practically knew who she was, whether it was in passing or by working with her.

The counselors and the dean smiled at her. All of them recognized her rather easily. She grabbed the rolled-up diploma and made her way to the bottom of the stage. She threw her hands up in excitement and happily cheered along with the "whoos" she received.

She laughed and met up with her friends once more. They sat and "whoo hoo'ed" everyone who went across the stage, so that no one felt left out. This went on for the next two hours. It was a large college.

Arielle waved goodbye to Julia and Ben after being dropped off at her home.

"Bye guys!"

"Bye Ari! We love you!" Julia yelled as Ben drove off in his blue Jeep.

Arielle sighed with a smile on her face. She walked forward towards her near tiny home that only had two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. All in all, it barely reached 700 square feet, She didn't come back here often as it was just outside of NYC, but because she graduated college, she was finally out of those dorms.

She had applied to be an intern at one of the most successful companies in NYC.

AMI.

The AMI building had stood tall in the middle of NYC and always held a daunting aura around it. It greeted her whenever she decided to roam and explore a little of what NYC had for her. As time went on she realized just how badly she wanted to work there for herself. She had literally spent hours and hours just praying to get the perfect job to help her mom.

Please be here. Please be here. She thought.

The large mailbox held only two white envelopes. Quickly she grabbed them both. Scanning the first one had only left her with a frown on her face. It was a utility bill under her mother's name. She swapped envelopes and perked up immediately when she saw that the next envelope was sent out under her name.

Ripping open the thin envelope she pulled out the letter. A loud squeal escaped her mouth as she practically danced in front of her home.

"Arielle?" A soft woman's voice called out to her.

She looked up and saw the face of the woman who always cared for her. Her brown, tired eyes were identical to Arielle's and her wavy hair hung just above her tailbone. It was a reminder of her Latin heritage. Arielle's own hair was tighter than her mom's as it was split between her mom and Jamaican dad. A split between two cultures with the tastiest foods. Maybe she was a little bias.

"Mom! I got the job! I got the job!" Her mother began to smile with great joy for her daughter. She never wanted her daughter to face the life she did. The life of wondering where one would get their next meal or how to cover each bill, but God always made a way. Whether it was by the kindness of a stranger or a bill being paid on it's own.

"Oh, come here honey. I am so proud of you. You worked so hard for this and you deserve it more than anyone I've ever known." Her mom congratulated her and it made it all so worth it. All of the years of studying , praying, and busting her butt in extracurricular plans and projects brought her to this moment. They both stood there and smiled and cried tears of joy while hugging each other tightly.

"We'll be out of here soon, mom. I promise."

Arielle's mother worked two jobs to keep their home afloat and she paid for the parts of Arielle's education that hadn't been covered by scholarships and financial aid. Arielle's dad had passed away when she turned ten. The bills became mountains as her mom tried to keep up with them all and so Arielle told herself that she would do anything she could to make her mom's life easier. Although this was an average paying internship, it was a start.

"Oh don't worry about me, mi hija. I'm okay." Her mom reassured her.

"Yes, you're okay, mama. I want you to be more than okay. I will make your life perfect." Arielle promised and so they hugged and cried tears of joy for their future.

Alexander Marquee stared at his childhood home that had become rubble overnight. The news crew caught wind and were already here to make their next story. A story of tragedy that had become of his memories.

The quaint white house had blackened from the fire and the center had completely collapsed onto it's foundation. Fire fighters were still on the seen, but sadly they never made it on time to save the home he grew up in. With a lone tear and a tug at his suit, he walked through the crowd of people watching. His ability to conceal his emotions was failing on him. Whoever did this wanted to see him break, but he would break them first.