Trapped by the Cold Billionaire

Eliana Brown

~•~

I was certain most people were delighted when their business trip was cut short, but not me, because not only did I have to arrive home early in the morning, I still had to go to work because it was a Monday. I couldn't even dare take the day off because it would determine my future.

However, I carried on with a smile on my face even if I was very sleepy and could crash at any moment. The only thing keeping me awake was the constant chatter in my ear. I had accompanied the assistant manager on this trip, and boy, was she talkative.

None of that mattered, though. I was going to get promoted at work, and that kept me going. My friends and I had made plans already. After today, I wouldn't be just a sales associate. I would take over the position of the woman beside me.

It was her last day at work. I didn't know what she planned for her life after this, but I didn't dare ask. Knowing her, she would say everything, including the details I didn't want to know.

I was more than delighted when the cab came to a stop in front of my apartment complex. I smiled at the woman beside me. "I'll be on my way. See you when I see you."

She laughed. "Good luck, Eliana. You'll need it."

My smile turned to a grin. The fact that she believed in me made me confident in myself. "Bye." I was more enthusiastic after she wished me luck, and the smile stayed on my face as I exited the cab and went to the trunk to get my suitcase. It was already bright out, which meant I had to rush to shower and get ready for work.

Releasing a breath, I walked inside the building, not surprised to see that the elevator was out of service as usual. I worked two days per week, and by now, I was used to climbing the stairs.

I made my way up the stairs, humming a familiar tune. I was exhausted from work, but I was in high spirits. Getting a promotion meant getting better pay. Bills were beginning to pile up ever since my boyfriend quit his job.

I couldn't even blame him for quitting. He was being bullied at work, and he complained about it every single day. I expected it to happen. I just didn't expect it to happen when it did. I thought he was going to hold out for a while until he got a new job.

I let out a relieved sigh when I was finally on our floor. Dragging my legs, I reached the front door in no time. By now, he'd still be sleeping. Since he lost his job, he'd been sleeping for longer hours, only waking up after I was off to work.

When I opened the front door, I was surprised to hear noises inside, specifically from the kitchen, especially because his keychain wasn't in the key holder I'd bought a few months ago. It was supposed to let me know if he was back home or not, and it was cute since our key holders were halves of a home, but he thought it was stupid and didn't take it seriously.

"Don't worry about her." I heard Harry say and made my way to the kitchen. For once, he was awake as early as seven. "I'll take care of her."

He must be on the phone. I stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt his conversation, and walked into the kitchen.

I came to an abrupt stop when I realized it wasn't just Harry in there. There was another person, a woman, dressed in just a shirt. The shirt was familiar. I got it for him on his last birthday, but another girl was wearing it.

Too preoccupied with each other, they didn't hear me come in. I closed my eyes briefly. Maybe I was seeing things out of exhaustion, but when I opened them again, the girl was still behind the stove, and Harry was still behind her with his hands wrapped around her.

"When?" Her voice was whiny, and it sounded like fingernails being scraped against a chalkboard. "You say this all the time."

"Be patient, baby." He kissed her cheek as she continued cooking. "She's about to get promoted, and I'm sure she has some savings. I'll tell her I need some money. She'll give it to me."

Me. They were talking about me. I didn't even know how to react. I couldn't say I didn't see it coming, but I didn't expect him to be shameless enough to bring his mistress into our house. Our relationship was slowly coming to an end, but that didn't stop the dull ache in my chest.

I wasn't just hurt. I was embarrassed.

He wasn't just cheating on me. He was planning to take advantage of me as though he hadn't been living off of me already.

When he started kissing her neck, I figured it was time to announce my presence. "I'm going to shower." They sprung apart at the sound of my voice. Harry's face resembled that of a deer caught in headlights. "By the time I come out, I hope she's gone."

"It's not what you think, Anna." He started with the typical line as he approached me.

I held out a hand, making him halt. "No need to deny it. I already heard everything." I smiled at the girl, but there was nothing nice about it. "I'll speed up the separation process so both of you can be together sooner. Would you like that?"

She didn't respond. She couldn't. She also looked embarrassed.

Good. She should be.

"Baby–"

"Don't." I spat out the word. He just called her baby and he wanted to use the same nickname for me. How could a person be so shameless? "Don't bother. We'll talk when I get back from work."

I didn't wait for either of their responses before I walked out of the kitchen, dragging my suitcase behind me.

I went into the room, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek when I saw their clothes scattered around as well as condom wrappers. It was a bed we shared, but he brought in another woman. How long had he been cheating on me? Did she arrive as soon as I vacated for work? There were lots of questions running through my head, but I ignored them and took off my clothes, grabbing a fresh towel from the wardrobe.

When I exited the room, I could still hear their voices in the kitchen. I let out a bitter laugh. I had sent him a text, letting him know I'd be back this morning, yet he still kept her in the house. If he was done with me, he could have just said it instead of cheating.

I tried to tell myself that I still had one good thing to look forward to this morning, but when I entered the bathroom, I couldn't stop myself from crying in the shower. The hot water had run out already, which meant they had used it this morning.

As the cold water ran down my body and tears streamed down my face, I couldn't help but wonder what I was going to do after work.

Eliana Brown

~•~

"What the hell, James?" I spat out, feeling even worse than I felt when I left the house this morning. "You said you were certain I'd get it." Everyone was sure it'd be me. I'd gotten congratulations this morning, and it made me take my mind off the fact that Harry was cheating.

James, our department manager, winced. He felt guilty, but that wasn't good enough. I was still a sales associate, and a random person was the assistant manager. "I know, Anna, but this was out of my control as well. She knows our boss."

I gritted my teeth. James wasn't a bad person. In fact, he was friendly with us all, but I'd been looking forward to this promotion for months. I'd been working harder than ever to make sure the spot was mine. Everyone else thought I deserved it, apart from the said boss, apparently.

I had never seen the boss. With a department store as big as the one I was currently working in, it was only natural she had other business that required more of her attention, but I instantly hated her.

"Don't worry, Anna." He placed a hand on my arm, trying to calm me down. "You are still young. You will have a lot of opportunities in the future."

I took several deep breaths, trying not to cry. I was at work, and I still needed to maintain professionalism anyway.

"I'll tell you whenever the spot opens up again, okay?"

"You better do." At that moment, I didn't care that it came out rude. It wasn't fair. Just because I was young didn't mean I didn't deserve it. I had the best sales this year. I even went on a business trip to sell our cosmetics. I came back this morning and still came to work early. I did all that for nothing.

"Put on a smile and get back to work."

I inhaled and exhaled. The most important part of my work was smiling. Even if everything was falling apart in my life, I had to smile through work. Some customers were snobby enough to scold you for frowning even if it had nothing to do with them.

James started to speak again, but I was already gone.

I went to replace my colleague at the counter, and she gave me a sad smile. "From your expression, I'm guessing you didn't get it."

I hated the reminder. "The position was given to a newbie."

"That's tough. Sorry about that."

"It's fine." I forced out the smile James told me to. "You can go back to work. I'll stay here."

Thankfully, it wasn't a busy day, and since I was at the register, I didn't have to socialize much. I was not in the mood for it. Every few seconds, my mind drifted to the way Harry was holding the other girl in my kitchen. How long had they been together? How long had he been tired of me? Why couldn't he just leave if he was tired? The relationship was already falling apart, but it still hurt. Most of all, it was embarrassing to get cheated on.

From my peripheral, I watched as a woman put one of the lip glosses from the shelf into her bag. I frowned. Most people that came here were wealthy. They wouldn't need to steal.

I was wondering if I merely saw it wrongly when she placed another one in her bag. I gasped. One of my colleagues was with her, but she was distracted and didn't see her stealing.

Not wanting to make a scene, I decided to watch for a while. Maybe she was going to pay for everything after she finished picking what she wanted.

To no one's surprise, she tapped my colleague and said something with a smile before she started walking toward the door.

Oh no, she doesn't!

The products were expensive, and if something went missing, it would be deducted from my salary. I doubted I'd have a penny this month if she managed to walk out that door.

I didn't waste time leaving my post and running up to her. "Ma'am," I said with a tight smile. She continued walking, pretending like she couldn't see me, but I wasn't about to allow her to leave with my salary in her bag. I went in front of her and she screeched to a stop. "Are you done shopping? Did you see anything you like?"

She frowned, as though I was a nuisance. "I didn't. I'll come back another day."

She tried to step around me, but I didn't let her. I couldn't be rude but I also couldn't let her leave! I was at a crossroads. Just because I didn't get the promotion I wanted didn't mean I could afford to lose my job. Jobs were hard to find in New York. "Uh, I'm sorry for getting in your way, but..." My gaze traveled to her bag.

"What?" She asked impatiently.

"I don't know if it was a mistake, but a few products may have fallen into your bag, Ma'am."

"What?"

"It's open, so it's possible."

"Are you saying I'm stealing?"

I exhaled. I already had too much sh*t to deal with. "Even if you want to claim I'm lying, there are cameras in the store, and they recorded you putting them in your bag."

Our conversation was getting long, and by now, people had stopped to stare. It was embarrassing for her which was why I wasn't surprised when she continued to deny it. "You're crazy. I can afford the whole store. Why would I steal a few lip glosses?"

I arched an eyebrow at her. She just shot herself in the foot. "I didn't say what you stole, Ma'am."

Her face was red as she looked down at me in anger and embarrassment. She was already taller than I was, and she had six-inch heels on, making her even taller. She could crush me with her heels, but I wasn't backing down. "Get out of my way." She glared at me.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Ma'am."

"Where's your manager?"

I snorted. She was such a Karen. "You can meet my manager after you return the glosses." I reached for her bag, but she pulled it away.

All my colleagues watched wide-eyed as we engaged in a push-and-pull with her handbag. She was squealing like I was harassing her, but she was the one who couldn't let me have a regular work day, especially after what had just happened to me.

Eventually, her bag fell on the floor, and the contents of it spilled, revealing the two lip glosses I saw her put in the bag. Passersby gasped, and a new face wearing our uniform walked toward us. She was wearing a black tie, so it meant she was the new assistant manager. I immediately hated her too because she stole my job from me.

I hated her even more when she reached us and gave me a dirty look. "What's going on here, and what do you think you're doing by fighting with a customer?"

Our store had a "the customer is always right" policy, but my salary was on the line. "I was retrieving our goods."

The lady scoffed. "You were harassing me! Is this how you treat your customers? Are you the manager?" She asked the newbie.

The newbie planted a smile on her face. "I'm the assistant, but I can help you. Tell me what happened."

Eliana Brown

~•~

I wasn't at fault. I was the one who had stopped a crime, but as I stood in my manager's office with Karen and Newbie, it felt like everyone was against me.

She had twisted the story to make it look like she accidentally put the products in her bag and I ambushed her without saying anything first.

"Anna," James started. "I know you've had a rough morning, but–"

"I don't care if she had a rough morning or a rough life.

Projecting it onto me just says a lot about her professional ethics!" Karen emphasized.

My mouth fell open. "How is this my fault when you're the one that stole?"

"Anna–"

Karen cut him off with a scoff and brought out her phone. She walked outside the room to make the call, then came back in with a smug look on her face. "I've informed your boss about the situation, so if you do not want this to escalate, you might as well apologize and get it over with."

"Anna, just apologize and let it go."

"But she stole!"

"And she's a customer we can't afford to lose." Newbie gave her two cents like anybody asked. "So do what she's telling you before it gets worse."

Frustration clawed at my chest, threatening to break through. I couldn't recall if I'd done anything bad recently, but today must be my karma. There was no way all these bad things were happening to me in one day. Somehow, I was at fault for stopping a theft. If I didn't, I was likely to not get paid.

"There are cameras..." I trailed off.

"Except you want to turn in your uniform and never come back, you're at fault, and you'll take responsibility for it."

My eyes cut across to Newbie. I was still mad at her for taking my spot. Unlike James, she wasn't even trying to be understanding. She was licking the *ss of a thief. I didn't understand them. I didn't understand this job. I didn't understand why I still worked here.

Every day, I had to deal with rich, snobby people who couldn't just shop without creating a scene. Now, I had to apologize for someone else's crime. I couldn't make it make sense.

The door suddenly opened, and our general manager burst in. From his fast breathing, it seemed like he had been rushing to get here. His eyes traveled from me to Karen, to Newbie, and then to James. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before he spoke. "What's going on? I got a call from the boss telling me an employee is harassing her friend."

I closed my eyes briefly. No wonder she was so audacious.

"Is this her?" He asked Karen, pointing to me.

She nodded.

"I'm sorry about the inconvenience, Miss March. You're fired."

My eyes widened. Fired? Just like that? For being a good employee? Was someone up there playing tricks on me?

"Oh, no. You don't need to go that far. She just has to apologize, and she's all good." She sounded patronizing. I was certain she thought she held my life in her hand at that moment.

James nudged me. "Anna." He gritted out, sounding like he was pleading with me. He felt bad for me, and I knew it, but this was out of his control as well.

"I'm sorry." I forced the words out.

The general manager scoffed, having more attitude than the Karen in front of us. "Apologize properly and thank her for being able to keep your job."

They had to be kidding me. I'd been working for them for years and, they were going to fire me just because of a petty thief? If she had so many connections then why did she steal? Was this a rich person's problem or was she just problematic? The cameras clearly caught her stealing but somehow I was in the wrong.

I wasn't normally a violent person but I had the strongest urge to break something. However, I swallowed the last bit of dignity I had. "I'm sorry, ma'am. And thank you for letting me keep my job."

"Don't people usually go down on their knees when they are begging for forgiveness?"

I stared at Karen or Miss March, whatever her name was and she stared right back at me looking smug, knowing she held all the power at the moment.

My gaze traveled between the Newbie, James, and our general manager. They were all waiting for me to get down on my knees and get it over with. How many more of this was I going to deal with if I continued to stay here? Would I ever get promoted? They were going to use the excuse that I was young to snatch everything from me.

I was young and that was a good enough reason to be reckless. I had more years ahead of me. I could start a new life.

"What are you doing?" The GM asked. "Get on your knees and apologize."

"No." I spat out. I may have been desperate to get a job but I wasn't that desperate to kneel and beg for it. If I was at fault, that would have been different. I wouldn't have hesitated to apologize but I did no wrong. I knew the world had no place for the poor but I still had some pride left in me. I was a hard worker. Any store would be happy to have me. I wasn't going to give myself up just because this was one of the biggest department stores in New York.

"No?" He was confused.

"No," I repeated. "F*ck you and f*ck your boss. I quit." I hated cursing but I just couldn't help it.

"Anna–"

"I'm done here. The uniform will be in my locker."

I would hit Karen if it wouldn't get me arrested, which was why I didn't wait for anybody's response before I turned on my heels and left the office, slamming the door harder than necessary. My coworkers standing in front of the door seemed taken aback when I came out and all of them watched me, gauging my reaction but I didn't look at any of them.

I went to the locker room, got changed, and left the building with my belongings.

When I was outside, I was finally able to breathe again but that just reminded me of the shitty day I had. It started with getting cheated on, finding out my fiancé wanted to scam me of my little savings, not getting the promotion I deserved, and then getting scolded for what wasn't my fault.

I found a nearby coffee shop and got some coffee, hoping to feel better after it. The side of the road was less busy so I decided to take a walk instead of waiting for the bus. I was jobless now so I couldn't afford a taxi.

It was a bad day and I didn't think it could get any worse. Apparently, I spoke too soon because, in the next second, I ran into a wall that was over six feet high. My nose hit his chest and everything fell from my hand.

I stepped back, ready to mutter an apology, and was absolutely mortified to see that my coffee was everywhere on his white shirt and my phone was lying face down on the ground. I picked it up immediately and from the day I was already having, I wasn't surprised to see that the screen was destroyed and it couldn't turn on anymore.

I stared at the man, then at my phone, and back at the man. I felt my bottom lip wobble.

"You spilled your coffee on me." He pointed out, standing as still as a rock as though the cold coffee running down his shirt didn't affect him much. "How come you're the one about to cry?"

I didn't know what it was about his question that triggered me but the next thing I knew, uncontrollable tears were rolling down my face.