The Billionaires(#1)

15 ||

Chad did not know what to say. He just stared down at his plate and played with his food. If she was once a street kid, then how did she end up here? He wanted to ask but instead, he said, "Your place is nice." He looked around the sitting room.

"It was about 13 years ago. I was 15 then and had just started my grade 10." MJ said with a faraway look, and Chad paid all the attention to what she was saying. "Everything was going fine; I was happy and felt like nothing could ruin my happiness. I was madly in love with this guy. He was a tutor at our school, and was one of my brother's friends." She said with a blank look and swallowed a lump in her throat, but the softness in her voice gave her away. "Everything was perfect until that day when everything turned upside down." She shook her head and sighed heavily. "After that, it was one problem after another and running seemed to be a better option at the time because I couldn't handle that life anymore."

It was for the first time ever that MJ opened up about that part of her past even though she left out some details; at least she had opened up. There was just something about sharing her burdens with someone; they seemed to become less heavy. Chad might have been a small boy, but he knew better, and MJ did not regret sharing this bit of information with him. "Do you ever regret it?" Chad asked.

"Sometimes life throws us into life-changing situations. Bad and good. Those situations can either break you or build you, my situation built me. I don't think I would be where I am today if that did not happen to me, I am who I am today because of my past. But no..." She shook her head briefly and held his gaze. "I hate what happened to me, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone else, not even my worst enemy. When life throws you a ball, you have to catch it, and once you have caught it, it is up to you to decide what to do with it- throw it away or hold on to it for dear life. Life threw a fireball at me, and I chose to run away." She said in a firm voice and sighed deeply. "I don't regret running away because if I had stayed, I would have killed myself. But I regret the damage I caused my loved ones; not only did my departure leave scars on me but on my loved ones too..." She trailed off and massaged her temples. "After I left home, an old friend of mine helped me get a passport and a ticket to London. I'm not sure what I was hoping to achieve there, but it was the only place I could think of where no one would find me. I'd always dreamt of going to London, and it was a dream come true then...I had enough money to keep me going for the first three months, but eventually, it ran out and before I knew it; I was in the streets begging for food." She shook her head and sighed deeply as she thought about the dreaded past. "I stayed in the streets for about five months until someone came to rescue me." She said with an emotionless face. "I stayed at an orphanage for another month, and then he finally adopted me. He sent me to school and here I am today. I hate to admit it, but I owe that man my life." MJ concluded and looked at Chad with a tight smile, only to find that the boy was fast asleep on the couch.

MJ fetched a blanket and draped it over him, turned off the light and went to bed with the last thought in mind being the situation she put herself in. Logan Parker.

***

The next day came in a rush and it was business as usual. MJ woke up and took a shower, and then she told Chad to take shower too before they had cereal for breakfast. The sudden change was overwhelming for Chad, but he decided not to dwell on it, and he chose to enjoy whatever this was while it lasted. MJ was not yet dressed; she was in her peach nightgown and sleepers, and a white towel was wrapped around her head. After eating her cereal, she dumped her empty bowl in the sink and went to her room to change.

She scanned through her business attires and threw them a wary look. They all looked so complicated, there was nothing to help her keep a low profile, or fake her terrible personality. After long hours of staring and scowling, she finally settled for a black suit, a white blouse, and black short heels that did not give away too much. She looked in the mirror and frowned at her reflection; her hair was a wet curly mess, and there was no time to straighten it. She sighed and just brushed it, allowing the dark curls adorn her beautiful face, and then she applied light makeup and a red lipstick.

She took one last glance at herself in the mirror before she grabbed her handbag and hurried into the sitting room where Chad had just finished washing their bowls. She picked her phone from the coffee table and checked the screen before throwing it into her handbag. "Let's go." She said to Chad, and together, they dashed out of the apartment.

At Parker's Enterprises, Logan Parker was losing his mind. He was busy pacing up and down in his office, waiting for his new PA to show up. It was already 10a.am.but there was no sign of May Smith, and work had started about two hours ago. "Who the hell does she think she is?" He barked, his face turning red.

It was not even halfway into the day and he was already worked up.

Logan was a neat freak. He would walk into the office at seven in the morning and leave at seven in the evening without a single hair out of place, or a tiny crease on his shirt. However, that was not the case now; his hair was a mess, his tie was loosened, and his sleeves were folded until mid-arm.

"But this is good, right?" Natalia asked, creases soiling her forehead. "I mean, look at the bright side..." She sighed and leaned forward, placing her hands on the desk. Logan narrowed his eyes at her; what was bright about May Smith disrespecting him? He pinched the bridge of his nose and stood behind his chair. "You want to get rid of her sister through her, so why not take advantage of this opportunity?" She suggested, and Logan frowned, so she continued, "on the other hand, you also want to get your revenge on her for humiliating you...?" Natalia said hesitantly, and Logan's eyes hardened at the memory. "What a better way to get your revenge than to slam her pretty face with a written warning? Look at this as the first step to your revenge and getting rid of Sonya Smith; two birds, one stone." She said as she pushed back her chair and stood up.

Logan smirked. "Where would I be without you?" He asked.

"Nowhere, Parker, Nowhere." She smirked knowingly and pushed the chair back in. "Just imagine the look on her pretty face when you hand her the written warning." She grinned.

Logan scowled. "She is not pretty." He said.

Natalia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Exactly, she is not pretty." She said with a sigh. "She is smoking hot." Natalia deadpanned.

Logan's eyes narrowed to a fraction. "Get back to work." He ordered, obviously annoyed by her comments, but Natalia just gave him a smug smile.

"You are welcome." She smirked and swayed her hips as she walked out of the office.

Logan sighed and took his seat. He opened his laptop and started to type, a devious smirk on his face. A few seconds later, he got up and walked to where his printer was and retrieved a paper he had just printed. "I can't wait to see the look on your pretty face, May Smith."