Being Mr. CEO's Fake Fiancée (Book 1) [COMPLETED]

(1) That Four Letter Word

EDITED!

Zoey's POV

What is love?

I snort at the question, every so often those four letters would pop up in my mind mentally inflicting pain and stripping away the old faded scars branded on my heart.
I thought I held the answer to that over a few months ago, I couldn't be more wrong.

I actually did believe in love at some point, funny how quickly that can all crumple into nothing. I've learned from it and that's the greatest part.

"Zoey you're needed at table five." Emma bumps my shoulder on her way to the stifling kitchen.

"I'll be right there." I sigh trying to inhale the strong bleach wafting to my nostrils. Throwing down the wet cloth on the stained counter I headed over to the recommended table.

The cloth ironically reminded me of my sad, pathetic, dirty life. I worked at La Joyce's Diner for almost a year now, it's conveniently a stone's throw away from my decrepit apartment. The diner's red chipped walls and stained table tops always reel in a multitude of loyal customers despite the urgent need for new decoration.

"Good morning, welcome to Joyce's diner." I greeted the lone woman occupying the empty table. "What can I get for you?"

It's very telling that she is at least in her mid-fifties seeing as several streaks of white hair ran wildly on her head. I can not help but wonder if that's how I'll be in the future- alone with no one to share life with, no one to love, no one to love me. I purse my lips slightly, I am probably just assuming things. She might be married and blessed with children for all I know.

"I'll have the sweet iced tea and bacon with toast," the lady finish off her order, her lips twisting in a brief smile.

I scribble the light order on my notepad repeating it as I go along. "Okay so sweet tea, bacon and toast."

She confirm with a short nod, with that I left the table to place the order behind the counter.

I return to the booth a few minutes later gently placing the glass dinnerware in front of her with a warm smile. "Please enjoy,"

"Thank you, darling." Looking up from her smartphone she mirrored my expression.

"You're welcome, I'll bring the bill in a moment." Excusing myself from the table I head over to seat a customer who just walked in.

××××

I fasten the bolt making sure the lock is secure behind me.

I have always hated the rundown apartment ever since I stepped foot into it, it helps zero that we live in the worst possible part of town. Every other night it's something different, if it's not the raging hormonal couple being loud next door, it's the gunshots constantly echoing outside my chipped bedroom window.

The only pro that comes with the purchase is the limited but enough spacing for two.

Kat and I both contributed towards paying for it. We got a major discount from our cheap landlords- I'm not even surprise.

"Hello, hello." Throwing the shared apartment key on the mahogany coffee table I walk into the kitchen area where Kat was slaving over the stove, conjuring up something that is probably unhealthy or hazardous or both.

"Whatcha doin'?" I climb up onto one of the high bar stools.

Katherine has been my favourite person, feels like we go way back. She's the first person I met since I up and left New York, she must have seen something in me that day when she offered to pay for a box of milk and a couple of biscuits I was about to shoplift from a local supermarket. I'm not proud of my actions whatsoever, I was a poor and lost soul.

Kat is undeniably a sex magnet, maybe it has something to do with her pin straight brown hair that always cascaded down her back and vibrant blue eyes, but, whatever it was, guys always seemed to be hypnotized just being 6 feet away from her.

"Hey Z, I'm just reheating the pizza and re frying a box of cold chicken breast I grabbed on my way from work. Speaking of work, how was yours?"

She placed the pizza into the microwave and turned off the stove before climbing up on the stool beside mine.

"Same old same old." I sighed. "You?"

"Mine was great. I actually got a new boss," she said, blushing and putting her hair behind her ear. All obvious signs pointing out that her 'new' boss was a guy.

"A guy, I see," I said teasingly.

"How-" she began but dismissed it. "I'm not even gonna ask"

I looked up at the clock that hung from a rusty nail above the kitchen sink.

5:00 p.m. I need a shower.

"I'm gonna take a shower." I hopped off the stool. "I'll be back with some old movies, save me a chicken breast and a slice of pizza."

"Yep." I heard her reply just as I shut my bedroom door.

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Kellisa 16