Chapter 3

Sophia’s POV

I had to act fast, or else I’d end up wandering the streets without a place to stay.

I made it back to my tiny one-room apartment and collapsed onto the edge of the bed.

My boyfriend had betrayed me by sleeping with my best friend. Now I was unemployed, completely broke, and on the verge of becoming homeless. Tears streamed down my face without any control.

What on earth had I done to deserve all of this?

It seemed like the entire world was collapsing around me, and I simply didn’t have the strength left to push back against it.

So, I huddled up on the bed, grabbed my phone, and began scrolling through LinkedIn in search of any job openings. Most of them offered a basic pay scale ranging from four hundred to five hundred dollars a day. But then, one particular posting caught my eye.

‘Live-in tutor for a billionaire’s daughter.’

The compensation was listed as a thousand dollars per hour. I quickly sat up straighter and submitted my application for that position, along with a few others just to cover my bases.

After that, I drifted off to sleep.

A sudden knock on the door snapped me out of my slumber.

I let out an irritated sigh, then glanced at the clock. It was 8:47 p.m.

I wasn’t anticipating any visitors. It better not be my former best friend, Emily, and heaven forbid if it turned out to be Alex, because I’d seriously consider chopping off his balls and selling them for some decent cash.

I shuffled over to the door. I attempted to peek through the peephole, but it was pitch black outside, so I cautiously opened the door just a crack.

It was him.

The guy from the bar.

Even under the faint lighting, he looked incredibly attractive. He was tall with broad shoulders, and his jawline was perfectly chiseled. His gaze met mine directly; it was hard to decipher, but oddly reassuring. He had on a white button-up shirt and black suit pants, exactly like he had worn the previous night.

“How…” I swallowed hard.

“How did you manage to track me down?”

I never imagined that a one-night stand would show up at my doorstep the very next day.

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he took a second to observe me closely, noticing my exhausted eyes and the cluttered space behind me.

“I mentioned that we’d cross paths again. The reality is…” he finally said, locking eyes with me. “You’re mine now.”

I just stared at him blankly. Then, I couldn’t help but erupt into laughter.

He didn’t join in the laughing; instead, he simply looked at me with a slight grin spreading across his face.

“I don’t even know your name. For goodness’ sake, I don’t know anything about you,” I said, crossing my arms defensively.

He moved a step nearer, tenderly tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s not an issue at all. I’m aware that you’ve just been fired from your job, and you’re facing eviction soon. You put in an application to be my daughter’s nanny. I’ve come here to conduct the interview, and consider yourself hired.”

I stepped back a little. “So, do you make a habit of offering jobs to every woman you’ve had a one-night stand with? And besides, is this really the way you interview someone who’s supposed to look after your child?”

He handed over his business card to me. “The salary is a thousand dollars an hour, and you’ll get your own private room. Take some time to mull it over, accept the offer, and reach out to me before they kick you out of this apartment.”

My eyes grew wide at the generous pay he was proposing just for taking care of his daughter.

He strolled over to the Ferrari that was parked right in front of my yard, slid into the driver’s seat, and sped away.

I shut the door behind me and slid down to sit with my back leaning against it. I’d never felt this level of confusion about anything before, just like I was experiencing right now; a flood of thoughts and questions surged through my mind.

I examined the blue business card clutched in my hands: Mr. Blackwell, CEO of Blackwell Cars and Autos.

Quite impressive.

He was the elusive billionaire bachelor that everyone in town had been buzzing about. I’d heard rumors that he was extremely private and kept to himself, so it was surprising to learn he had a daughter. I couldn’t help but wonder about her age.

I decided to go online and look him up. But there wasn’t a whole lot of information available. No clear photos of him existed, and in the few images that popped up, he was always wearing sunglasses and a face mask.

If I went ahead and took this job, I’d be earning around fifty thousand dollars in no time, plus I’d have a room provided, which would cut down on my living expenses and help me build up some savings. I figured I’d only need to stick with it for about three months, and that would be sufficient.

That amount of money could easily fund a move to another country where I could begin a fresh life. But on the flip side, living there might feel incredibly awkward. What if the child’s mother didn’t approve of me being around?

What would happen next?

I woke up at 5 a.m., though I hadn’t really gotten much sleep during the night. I reached for my phone and stared at the business card. I turned it over repeatedly in my hands, and then I made the decision to take the courageous leap.

He answered the call on the second ring.

“Hello, Sophia. Good morning. I’m assuming you’ve thought about my proposal.” His voice was velvety and rich, sounding as though he’d only just woken up a short while ago.

“Good morning. I’ve made up my mind to take the job, but only for a few months.”

I began nibbling on the skin around my pinky finger, a habit I only fell into when I was feeling particularly anxious or overwhelmed by stress.

“Alright. I’ll send some men to collect you by seven this morning. Make sure you’re prepared by then.” The call ended abruptly.

I chose to wear a pink polo shirt paired with blue jeans and white sneakers. Then, I began gathering up my limited belongings. My parents had abandoned me at an orphanage when I was only two years old. The sole memento I had from them was a silver necklace that I rarely put on. I’d stopped holding out hope for a reunion by the time I turned fifteen. If they had truly loved me, they wouldn’t have left me there in the first place, or at the very least, they might have returned to check on me or visit, but they never did.

I first encountered Emily during college; she was my classmate in the same major. She served as the captain of the cheerleading squad and maintained excellent grades. She had a gentle yet well-defined oval face, surrounded by her blonde hair and striking hazel eyes, along with her slim hourglass figure, which made her the ideal girl that every guy dreamed of having on his arm.

When I began dating Alex, she seemed upset at first. But then she warmed up to the idea. She’d sneak off with him occasionally, and whenever I questioned what was happening, she’d claim they were either organizing a surprise for me or that he was assisting her with a school assignment. I expressed to Alex that I wasn’t comfortable with how much time they spent together, but he reassured me that there was nothing to worry about.

I feel so foolish now for buying into that.

She ignored all the other guys who were pursuing her, just so she could end up with my boyfriend. It dawned on me that our entire friendship had been nothing but a pretense—the affection she pretended to show me, every little thing she did was solely to snag Alex.

I hope the two of them suffer miserably, I thought, rolling my eyes in sheer disgust.

A knock at the door interrupted my reverie. Standing there were two men dressed in black suits and wearing dark sunglasses, with two sleek black Prada cars parked along the roadside.

They inclined their heads in a bow. “Good morning, Miss Langley. King Blackwell has sent us to escort you,” they stated simultaneously.

“Good morning. My name is Sophia. Feel free to call me Sophia. Let me just grab my stuff.” I hurried back inside to retrieve my bags and my small storage box.

I inhaled deeply, forced a smi

le onto my face, and carried my belongings out to them.