Hiding from Mr. Billionaire

39 Walking on Eggshells

"Women.. ah...women. I love my woman, but man, sometimes I want to the slap her over the head so bad. She doesn't understand where money comes from, she doesn't understand how hard I work to put food on the table. And yet, I still get treated poorly a couple times a week!"

The entire night was filled with booze and cigars. The smoke clogged her lungs, making her want to to throw up and puke. Men talked inappropriately about their wives and make the best business deals with their head in the clouds. Granted, with years of experience, it became a genetic trait to pull out a great deal of information whenever they wanted too- even under the influence.

"So," Mr. William slapped her knee and she jolted. "Got any woman in your life?"

"No sir," Vivian croaked. "I'm indeed, very much single."

"Well would you look at that," he turned to Jasper. "You've found your match!"

"Knock it off!" Jasper spat.

Vivian's stomach churned at the thought of it. Granted she wished to never think about it.

"So why no lady?" Mr. William cornered her with a mischievous glare. "Are you considering getting married on day?"

"Er- why yes, I do.."

"And you are considerable wealthy, is that correct?"

She was confused, there had been no pay check given to her in the past few months. Other than that of Jasper's horrible temper. Vivian glanced quickly over at Jasper, who gave a slight. His eyes riddled with guilt.

"Yes," Vivian hesitantly replied.

"Silly me. Of course you are, you are a close friend of the Wrights!"

"Sure."

"Perfect! I have a seventeen year old daughter. Single, beautiful, well mannered. I will set you two up for tea next weekend, at my place, how does that sound?"

Vivian felt a heatwave pass over her instantly. Clearly this man wanted his daughter out of the house as soon as possible. The older women got, the less of a chance it was to get married. Oh, if only they knew. As much as she wanted to say no she felt the wrath of Jasper's pressuring glare.

"Sounds great," she practically choked. "I'm going to get some water to freshen up some. I'll be back."

"Water? why water? why not bourbon!" He raised his glass toward all the other men and they reciprocated with a hurrah.

"Where's Reuben?" she leaned over to Jasper in a whisper.

Jasper shrugged. "He's just not coming."

She sighed and saw Mr. William laughing hysterically with all the other men.

Vivian only laughed nervously as she walked out. Hoping that went she came back she'd find an empty room filled with no one. A gasped escaped her lips as she bumped into a small figure and wobbled back. To her shock it was Ruby, her sister, with a scowl on her face. Ruby looked quite different now. She wore a worn down dress. Her ginger hair put up in a chignon of curls.

From the looks of it, Vivian was prepared to die right then and there.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" Ruby yelled at her almost instantly.

"ShhH!" Vivian jolted upright, looked around, and pulled her into a corner where they could not be heard. "Please be quiet, if they hear us I'm going to get in big trouble."

"Are you toying with me? Your father, mother, and I have been looking for you all over town. For a little over three months! how could you do this to us. You said you were getting a job. I can't fathom having to tell our parents that you're now a man! it would kill them if they ever found out. I thought you trusted me!"

"I do, I do! I just couldn't go back home to tell you. Because then you'd be mad at me."

"To hell I go then!" Ruby exclaimed. "Of course I'm mad, but now it's even worse! I feel absolutely betrayed now."

"But they would've found me out!"

"Who? the Wrights?" she scoffed.

Vivian stayed silent.

"Why in the bloody hell are you working for the Wrights! and of all of them, Jasper! do you know what he did to our father?"

"YES, I do. But I have no where else to go-"

"That's a lie, you have home. You will dress back into the woman that you are and we will tell them you ran away. We'll pretend that this little experiment never happened."

"I can't, Father would die if he found out what became of me."

"He's already dying Vivian!"

Her face paled. "What?"

"He came down with god knows what, maybe the flu. The doctors came but nobody knows what it is. He thinks he caught it while walking outside. Mother is going insane. Father keeps mumbling your name in his sleep, and he won't eat or drink. Sometimes I catch him trying to go outside and find you. So to keep him off his feet I plastered your face across every building I knew in town. But it won't help anything, the doctor thinks he's going to die. And when he does, it'll be all your fault!"

In a fit up tears Ruby turned and strutted out the door, leaving Vivian feeling hollow.