Billionaire's Perfect Revenge [18+]

SIX

"Thank you for doing this on such short notice, Brandon. I don't know what more to say."

Nicholas Samuel fired me almost three months ago. And my life has been a living horror ever since. I'm not sure who to blame for this dreadful run of bad luck that doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

I don't know what to do.

For starters, I haven't been able to land a single decent job in the entire city. Forget about the local place. I was even willing to go three hours (one way, via metro) to this four-star hotel that had expressed interest in my résumé. But before my hopes could see the light of day through the black clouds that had been floating over my head since the day I lost my home, like a personal reminder of hell, they hired someone else while I kept waiting for their call.

For the following three months, this continued, and I'll be honest with you: I've become hopeless and depressed.

I'm not sure where my life is going. How am I expected to get out of this hellhole?

Right now, my mother is the only bright spot in my life. She has been incredibly supportive. She says it's just a terrible phase, that it'll pass. But I'm not sure. Sitting in a rented room and not able to do anything to afford it, I've been going crazy.

And just when I thought things couldn't get much worse, our last source of income, Mom's floral boutique on the corner of the street, was forced to shut down due to legal issues. If our finances hadn't been so shoddy, I would have taken the ridiculous claim to court. But right now, we can't even afford one proper meal. Hiring a lawyer felt like a gaudy fantasy.

Alas, they left me with the only choice that I never wanted to go for.

Ask for help.

I cannot even explain how much courage it took for me to pick up the phone and scroll down the phonebook, my hands were literally shaking.

We never had a luxurious lifestyle, but mum and I were happy. We had no plans to move anywhere.

That house had been more than just a house after my jerk of a father abandoned my mother for another woman. It was comforting. It was the only place we could go when everyone turned their backs on us, where mom learned to live without a man who should have been there to support her, love her, and help her get through when she was seven months pregnant with me. Instead, he fled at the face of responsibilities.

I made a call to Brandon.

A childhood friend.

My best friend.

We've only communicated via phone and video chats since he moved to New York to expand his own startup business. When I told him what had happened, he simply dropped everything, booked our flights, and asked us to stay at his house for as long as we wanted.

Tears literally burst from my eyes.

"Shit," he says, making a funny yet concerned face before lowering his head to meet my gaze. "Are you really crying? You do understand I have no idea how to comfort a crying woman, right?" As usual, his deep voice was full of humour. He tenderly added while wiping my tears with his thumbs. "God spare me from this woman's ugly sobs. I'm not sure my heart can take it. Please have mercy."