Heartfelt - An Arranged Marriage with a Billionaire

Chapter 1 - Routine

This chapter is dedicated to That_One_Pirate for being the first to vote! Thank you and happy reading! :)

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Naomi pov: [name means beautiful]

The loud ring of the alarm woke me with a start. I snapped my eyes open, though remained dazed for the first few seconds the alarm continued to ring. Shutting my eyes with a groan, I pulled my pillow over my head to muffle out the loud noise in vain. With a soft sigh a few moments later, I sat up and reached for my phone to turn off the alarm, knowing that I couldn't be lazy for any longer.

It was five thirty in the morning – the usual time I woke up every day no matter how late I slept the previous night – and it left me with just enough time to wash up for the day, fill my grumbling belly with food to hold out until lunch break and head out for my first part time job in my typical weekday routine. I stifled a yawn and gave my body a much needed stretch before standing up, rolling up my mattress and stacking it neatly on one side of my room. I then pulled the two rickety chairs propped up against the wall on to either side the two seater sofa – I remember receiving them for free from a kind neighbor when she vacated her room a few months ago. Looking around once, I nodded my head in approval at the decent appearance of the living room side of my room.

I kept a kettle of water to boil on the single burner stove I had on the kitchenette counter on the other side of the room and headed for my bath. I showered quickly and slipped into a casual t-shirt and jeans before walking out of the bathroom and hanging the towel to dry on a small clothes stand. I hurriedly brushed my mid back length brown hair while looking in the small mirror on the wall and set it properly over my shoulders with a hair clip holding part of the fringe out of my eyes. Having got dressed for the day, I got out a cup of instant noodles and poured the hot water from the kettle into it. I waited for exactly three minutes before opening the lid of the cup and poking though the soggy noodles to mix and even out the spices. Blowing on it a few times, I wolfed it down quickly while occasionally opening my mouth and waving air into it to cool the noodles.

By the time I headed out for work, it was six fifteen. I had to run to the cafe where I worked for two hours every morning before university and till three in the afternoon on Saturdays. The morning office crowd had already begun to pour in and I hurried to the room behind the counter to get into the café's signature apron before starting my shift. I greeted the others working at the café – a plump lady in her late thirties who owned the café and as I saw as a mother figure, her nephew who was a university student like me but a year older and a sweet lady in her mid twenties who never seemed to get tired of smiling.

It was a lively café amongst many others around it competing for customers. The business was small though and, unfortunately, so was the pay. I had tried to find work at bigger cafés so I could get a higher pay – one that would reduce the restraint I had on spending money for things besides university tuition fee and basic necessities. But most places refused to hire university students and morning part timers so I accepted Reiko san's generosity and I've been working at her café for the past three years now.

"Alright, Dearie! You can leave the dish washing to us – you should leave for class unless you want to be late." Reiko san said over the noise of the running water in the sink.

"Oh no, Reiko san, this is my job. I'll finish up quickly before I leave." I said with a smile as I looked over my shoulder while scrubbing one of the soiled plates.

"As much as I appreciate your hardworking nature, Nao chan, I want you to let us give you special treatment sometimes. I'll have Sho kun do the dishes today so get dressed and hurry along to the University!" She said while forcefully tugging me away from the sink.