The Billionaire's Seductress ✔

3. Good Villains Have Pizzazz

"I don't pay attention 
to the world ending. 

It has ended for me many times,
and begun again in the morning."

~ Nayyirah Waheed

Mrs. Grace Vanderpool was the fine wine of people.

She aged as gracefully as she dressed and always carried herself like she was a duchess. Her surroundings and dress made her constantly look like she was on the silver screen.

Though she was in her early seventies, her white hair was always styled, her nails manicured and her water aerobics classes made sure that she maintained her trim figure. She was the envy of all the widows at the club.

That particular evening, she sat in her lounge, going through her old photo albums, when she was graced with a visit from one of her favorite people in the world.

"What are we looking at?" Scarlett asked, flopping down on to the chaise lounge, next to Grace. She was her most relaxed with the widow.

"My early days with Vincent," Grace said, trailing fingers over the black and white photos of herself and her deceased husband that sat behind plastic film.

"He doesn't look that much older than you here," Scarlett said, tapping the pictures.

"Well, he really started to look his age after he really got down to his business after his father died," the older lady explained. She sighed. "I was a real lost cause. He saved me."

"You never needed to be saved," Scarlett said, leaning back.

"No woman needs to be saved," Grace said, shutting the album, "But I wanted him to save me. I was in love with him, you know."

"I know."

Grace turned to look at her young companion and raised her eyebrows. "You're dressed up," she commented.

Scarlett huffed. "Yeah, I have a new job."

"I'm going to assume you're not a secretary," she said, knowing about all of Scarlett's little jobs. She also knew Scarlett well enough to know that the girl was destined for greater things than being seated behind a desk her entire life.

"Not exactly," Scarlett said, "I have to get some information about this one businessman and give it to another."

"Explain."

"Well, there's these two businessmen who hired me, Dan and Terrence, and they want to find information about one of their business rivals," Scarlett explained, "But he's not the type you can get information from easily, so they need someone on the inside. So, I'm supposed to get close to him."

"So, like corporate espionage?" Grace asked and Scarlett nodded.

"Well, remember what I taught you," Grace said.