MJ Billings did not want to find herself in the company of the woman who made her life a living hell. After what happened at the restaurant, all she wanted to do was to shoot at something; it was a pity that she could not put a face to the man who had slurred at her.
She did not understand why some men had to be perverted. It was as if all they could muster was trampling all over women like dirt under their shoes. They refused to see a woman's worth; all they saw in a woman was a new set of bedding to cover their beds for the night. Just the thought of it made MJ hate the man even more.
Throughout the entire ride, her mind kept wandering off to the stranger. She wanted to know who he was so that the next time she saw him, she would smash the bottle on his stupid head.
Usually, she was good at containing her anger, but his resilience and Sonya Smith’s threats pushed her hand. Sonya had been sending her threats during the entire dinner. If anyone noticed her tension, they did not show it because anyone would have been suspicious at the rate her phone kept beeping in her purse.
She needed to calm down, so as soon as Liam dropped her off, she walked down the street to a nearby fast-food shop and bought burgers and chips for the both of them, she for one, needed the food if she was going to survive another hour in Sonya Smith’s presence.
After leaving the shop, she walked back to the apartment building and strode to Sonya’s apartment. She stood outside the door for a while, debating on whether to go in and confront her worst enemy or not.
Finally deciding what is best for the both of them; she turned around and went to the rooftop to calm her rage. She sauntered around the rooftop, scanning all around it. It was not the best-looking rooftop, but it was still a rooftop despite its filthy surface and the huge cell where the caretaker, Mr Brown, kept his pigeons and doves, as well as the boxes that were scattered all over the place.
MJ sighed and walked over to the edge of the rooftop where she could peacefully watch the beauty of the city at night and enjoy the fresh air.
She placed the paper bag and her clutch on the small bench, and then she ran a hand through her neatly styled hair and shook it into more loose strands, relaxing a bit after the simple gesture.
She took out a small tissue from her clutch and tried to wipe the bench, but gave up on her attempts to get rid of the dust that covered the old bench and sat down. At this point, she did not mind if she got dirty, the view was worth it.
From where she sat, she could appreciate the beauty of Cape Town. She watched as lights of different colours illuminated the night like fallen stars. The range of the buildings was mesmerizing and relaxing, it gave her a peace of mind.
She did not get to do this often, she could not even remember the last time she went outside just to watch the stars and wish on them because she was always working and traveling. At least she had gotten the chance to see something that she could relate to stars -something better than stars- HOME.
MJ was born and bred in South Africa, in none other than the infamous Cape Town, but moved to London at the age of fifteen. The move made a drastic change in her life and cost her a lot.
MJ’s train of thoughts was cut short when she heard shuffling sounds at the rooftop right where the boxes were. She turned around and watched as a small figure slumped down on one of the boxes. It was a homeless kid.
MJ took in a shaky breath and took slow, steady steps towards the intruder.
She reached the place, and as if the stranger could sense her, he looked up, and their eyes connected. There were no words muttered, but there was a mutual understanding. MJ walked back to where she was seated and took her clutch and the brown paper bag with food and then walked back to where the boy laid. "What's your name?" She asked.
The boy stared at her, briefly contemplating on whether to tell her his name or not. She looked like one of those mean rich women on TV who did not like poor people, especially homeless people; they saw them as criminals.
He gave her a small smile and said with a tiny voice, “Chad.” MJ gave a brief nod and gestured at the entrance. “Follow me.” She ordered and walked ahead of him.
Chad watched as she disappeared into the building. ‘What if she is one of those bad people who stole kids to sell them?’ He wondered as his eyes wandered around the rooftop.
It was cold and he was hungry as if on cue, his stomach grumbled. He sighed, got up, and ran after her. He was surprised to find her waiting for him inside; she did not look like someone who liked to be kept waiting.
Once he caught up, she continued walking, and he silently followed her, wondering where she was taking him.
She led him to one of the storage rooms where old pieces of furniture were stored, and placed the paper bag on a small table and ordered him to eat. When he did not budge, she turned to him and gave him a piercing glare that sent him scurrying off to the worn couch that sat adjacent to the old table. He sat down and started eating as if he had not eaten in years.
MJ took in his appearance. Chad could not be older than fifteen years. He was a short, skinny boy with dark skin- probably due to the dirt, and was wearing a rigged black T-shirt and jeans.
He was a good-looking boy, who would have been probably breaking hearts at school if things had been different. The boy had light brown eyes that looked almost like green and short jet-black curls.
She sighed and looked around the room, at least he had a roof over his head for the night and he could go to sleep with food in his stomach. "Chad." The boy looked up at the sound of her voice, his cheeks flushing at the awareness that she was watching him eat while he ate like a pig. "You can stay here for the night, but make sure that you leave as early as possible tomorrow morning before Mr Brown sees you. Understand?" She asked and he nodded before muttering a heart wrecking ‘thanks.'
MJ nodded and left him to go back to her apartment.
She arrived at the apartment to be greeted by silence and darkness. She closed the door and then she switched on the light, almost regretting it when Sonya’s sleepy eyes fluttered open.
"About time you came back," Sonya muttered sleepily, her voice barely hiding the sneer that accompanied the comment. "We need to talk." She said as she stood up and met MJ halfway across the room.
"We have nothing to talk about," MJ said sharply and gritted her teeth.
"Like hell, we don't!" Sonya snapped. "This doesn't have to be hard; the both of us are tired. You know what you have to do, you owe that much!" She hauled, her body shaking from the anger she had stored the whole day because of MJ.MJ was equally seething, but after all that she had seen since she left England, she had no fight left in her because either way, with or without a fight, she had no choice but to do whatever Sonya wanted her to do.
“I am MJ Billings and I am capable of anything, but I am not going to do what you asked of me.” She said and shook her head furiously.
“But, MJ, my boss is going to fire me if I don’t come up with a temporary PA tomorrow morning," Sonya said in a singsong voice and watched as MJ flinched at the demeaning title.
“Sonya, I don’t give a shit what happens to you!” MJ said coldly.
“But you give a shit about your damn secret and your brother!” Sonya snapped back, silencing MJ. “You know that if he finds out your little secret, it is going to crush him. He cares too damn much about you that it is almost sickening.” Sonya said bitterly, her hatred barely concealed. “It’s a pity really that you share his sentiments.” Sonya continued working on MJ’s weak points, tormenting her with everything she did not want to hear. “You know, MJ, for once, I thought you knew me better and that you were at least going to consider this.” She sighed as if feeling slightly guilty about her actions. “But you just had to be a bitch about it. Gosh, I hate you!” She seethed, shaking her head as if she could believe that she was associated with the woman standing before her.
"The feeling is mutual, Sonya Smith," MJ said coolly and strode past her to her bedroom.
She hated Sonya with every bone in her body and there was nothing she could do about it. Yet. She thought as she closed the door.She changed into grey sweatpants, and an oversized, black, long-sleeved T-shirt. She slipped under her covers and switched off the light the same time Sonya’s bedroom door closed, but she could not fall asleep after that heated conversation.
She sighed and turned on her bedside lamp before she got off the bed. She walked towards her closet and scanned through it to find something warm. She took out a navy blue hoodie and retrieved a few hundred rand notes from her purse.
She slipped her feet into her white fluffy sleepers and then quietly walked out of her bedroom. She took the small blanket that Sonya had left in the sitting room and left the apartment.
She quietly walked into the storage room where Chad was sleeping soundly and draped the blanket on his small form, and then she put the money in the hoodie pocket and placed the hoodie next to his head. She fixed the small blanket and planted a soft kiss on his head. “I am sorry, Chad.” She whispered, fixing a few strands on his head.
She finally left him and went back to the apartment. She arrived in her room, took out her laptop, and drowned herself in work.
The next morning, Sonya was shocked to find MJ working on her laptop. She looked like she had just taken a shower and was wearing a black gown, and her hair was wet. “Good morning.” Sonya greeted, letting her presence known. MJ ignored her and took a sip of her tea while she continued staring at her screen.Sonya snarled at her and walked to the kitchen island to prepare herself some cereal. She took her bowl, plopped down next to MJ, and then she threw her feet on the coffee table. MJ watched her from the corner of her eye. Sonya was wearing blue jeans, a pitch shirt, and her feet were covered in white socks. They sat there in silence; MJ sitting with her back facing Sonya while she sat Indian style on the couch with her laptop placed on the armrest.Sonya kept scowling at MJ’s back while annoyingly eating her cereal, making sure that the spoon clicked against the ceramic bowl. “We have to go and see my boss today before I leave.” She finally spoke up and gr
Walking into Billings' Cooperation, the man expected the place to be well organized and silent, but to his surprise, the place was as loud as a zoo during tourist hours as the people walked around freely, doing what they were paid to do.He took in a deep breath and sauntered to the reception desk where the blonde secretary was busy talking on the phone. David Botha was never the man to ask for favours, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and right now he was desperate.Having worked as a private detective for over twenty years, he had travelled the world and had a lot of connections worldwide. He was the best private detective ever known and worked for rich people.He had never been in this part of London before and had never stepped foot into a single building belonging to the Billings.“Hello, how may I help you?” The blonde woman asked, giving him a warm smile.“Hi, I am here to see Jorge Billings.” He sa
“What woman?” Sonya asked, confused by the sudden change in both their demeanours. They seemed to be getting along very earlier when they were busy insulting her, but right now they looked like all they wanted to do was to rip each other apart.“The woman who emptied an entire bottle of champagne on me last night.” Logan gritted angrily.MJ gave a sarcastic laugh and ran a tongue over her teeth at the confession. “So you are the bastard from last night, huh?” She said, gritting her teeth.Logan’s own temper flared and he narrowed his eyes at her. “What did you just call me?” He asked.“You heard me, bastard.” MJ mocked, and Sonya took this chance to intervene as she stood between them and placed her hand on Logan to stop him from lunging at MJ.The tension in the room was palpable that Sonya wished the floor could just swallow her up, it literally felt like being in a kraal with two bulls.“Guys, I’m sure there
“Hey, was that Sonya Smith’s lawyer?” A tall, dark-skinned Indian woman asked in awe as she barged into Logan’s office. Logan rolled his eyes as she threw herself on the black couch standing against the wall.Logan briefly looked up and narrowed his eyes at her as she laid flat with her feet on the couch while her shoes were still on. “She can’t even afford to pay her rent upfront, how the hell would she even afford a lawyer?” He scoffed before he turned to his laptop screen and continued to type.“Especially one as fancy as her, right?” The woman said dreamily, causing Logan to roll his eyes; a habit he had whenever she was around."She is not her lawyer; she is her sister," Logan said, and the woman threw her feet off the couch, stood up, and walked up to his desk before settling on the chair opposite him.“I didn’t know Sonya had a sister.” She said, a frown
“You can’t tell anyone about this.” Logan Parker warned the bubbly woman who had her hand slung over his as they walked into Parker’s Enterprises at 12.p.m.“I won’t tell anyone, I promise.” Natalia proclaimed loudly so that everyone could hear her, and then she shot Logan an innocent grin when he groaned. Logan walked her to her desk where the other two secretaries were packing their things, getting ready to leave for lunch. “Hey, it is lunchtime.” She said in mock shock when her partners walked around the desk.“Now this is not a sight Carmen would like to see.” One of the secretaries said as she stood in front of Logan and Natalia.Everyone knew they were close and were used to seeing them together, especially since Natalia was Logan’s secretary. She was supposed to work with him on the top floor; she even had her own office and a desk outside his office door. However, Natalia refused to work upstairs, claiming that the place was too quiet and
It was around 3 p.m. London's time when Anita Simmons arrived at Billings Corp., three hours before closing time. She was in her gym clothes and had obviously not planned on coming in today. "Good morning." Meryl greeted sarcastically, and Anita just rolled her eyes.“Good afternoon, Meryl, and how are you?” Anita retorted with a smile on her face.Meryl frowned and looked up from the file she had been pretending to be working on the moment Anita walked into the building. Anita was unusually sweet today, not that she was not sweet at all, but she and Meryl were always exchanging cheeky comments. "You look unusually happy today," Meryl commented, a small smile ghosting her face.Anita just chuckled and shook her head. "Is Mr Billings here?" She asked, and Meryl scoffed.“He left early in the morning, say…8a.m.? Some guy named David Botha came to see him, and they left the building together. He asked me to cancel all his meetings and app
"No woman in her right state of mind would speak to you the way those two women did unless you screwed them." Cameron Parker commented as he settled down on the couch in MJ's office. Cameron was a thirty-year-old man who still got into a lot of trouble. He looked like a troublemaker, and anyone who had eyes could never miss that fact about him. He was wearing black skinny jeans, a white silk shirt, white Timberland boots, and a long silver chain hanging around his neck. His dark black hair was a mess, and his lips were set into a pout. His grey orbs snapped to Jorge when he did not reply to his comment. "Shit! You screwed them both, didn't you?" He asked, but Jorge did not answer; he just sighed and plopped down on the couch. David Botha yawned and looked at his watch while standing on his feet. “I should probably get going. I have an early flight to Australia tomorrow morning, so I need all the rest I can get.” He said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s damn hard
MJ had just arrived home after touring around the city with Liam, trying different foods. She was calmer than she was earlier, and it was all thanks to her driver and bodyguard.By the time she got to the apartment, she was exhausted and did not want anything at all besides sleeping, but all that faded when she remembered the boy she had met last night. Chad. She wondered if he had found the jersey and the money she left him. She had totally forgotten about him and hoped that Mr Brown had not found him sleeping in the storeroom this morning.She took off her high heels and changed into white baggy sweatpants and a short-sleeved oversized T-shirt, and then she tied her hair into a messy bun. She left the apartment and walked to the storeroom, only to bump into Mr Brown who was just locking the door. " Mr Brown." MJ greeted in a firm voice."Missy! What is a young lady like you doing up here alone at this time of the night?" The old grey-haired m