Chapter 3

Beauty waited till most of the customers were gone before she came out of the restaurant. Her loan was due in five days and she just got fired from her well paying job. What was she going to do? Her mind quicky went to her high school friend, who was into escort. She had tried to persuade her into doing it but Beauty was not easily swayed.

“ You'll die a virgin. " Her friend would always mock her.

“ Here goes nothing." She whispered as she dialed her line.

“ Beauty, what's up?" Tonia said. There was a heavy noise in the background.

“ Hey. I need your help. " Beauty said.

“ My help?"

“ I just got fired and my loans are due. "

“ You need a guy. Alright meet me at Saltos hotel in two hours. We'll discuss. " Tonia said and hung up.

“ Great, Beauty. You're going to fuck a stranger for money. Great! “ She muttered as she crossed the road absentmindedly. She heard a loud screech and she quickly jumped off the road.

“ Hey!" She exclaimed.

...

Mason went straight to his office when he arrived at the office. He wanted to avoid his father, he wasn't ready to exchange words with him. He rescheduled all his meetings and just sat in his office. When it was almost his closing hours, he quickly left so as not to ran into his father but unfortunately he met him in the garage waiting.

“ Did you really think you could run from me? Do you how much work I put into matching you with that girl. Yet you choose to ruin it everytime. “ Mr Alaric said and Mason scoffed.

" I don't like her. “ Mason said bluntly.

" You've never liked a woman. You're going on another date with Celeste tomorrow. “

" What? I'm not doing that! “

" It's my decision. I'm trying to clean up the mess you made. Celeste is a beautiful woman and she's from a wealthy family. What is there not to like in her? “

" Dad, you're not gonna choose who I want to be with. “

" I am. “

" What if I say I like someone else? “

" You don't. "

“ What if I do?"

“ Then I'll like to see her. If she doesn't match my standard you'll still marry Celeste. " Mr Alaric said and he groaned.

“ What is it with you and Celeste? She's not the only rich girl. " Mason said in anger as he entered his car and zoomed off to nowhere in annoyance.

He was driving and muttering words to himself that he didn't even notice someone was on the road.

“ Hey!" A shrill voice brought him back. He quickly tried to use the brake but he couldn't since he was on high speed. He lost control of the car and luckily he ran into a pole which was firm as a rock.

Beauty wanted to walk away but when she saw no movements in the car, she quickly went over there before the others around would call an ambulance.

“ Hey! " She knocked on the window. She saw a man struggling to come out. She saw a stone nearby and she used it to break the window. She opened the car door from outside and helped him out.

“ Thank you. " Mason said as she helped him out.

“ Are you drunk?" Beauty asked pissed off.

“ I was distracted. " He muttered.

“ I need to call the ambulance. " She said and he held her hand.

“ No don't. I don't want an ambulance. " He coughed. “ It's just slight cuts, take me to your place. I hate hospitals. " Mason said making an irritating face.

“ But....."

“ Please. " He pouted.

“ Fine." She said. Her place wasn't too far from from the restaurant so she boarded a cab and helped him in. The cab took them to her apartment and she helped him in. She quickly got her first aid kit and cleaned his wounds.

“ Why don't you want to go to the hospital really? " She asked after she finished disinfecting his wounds.

“ I don't want my father to find out. " He scoffed. “ Thanks for your help. I'll pay you back I promise. "

“ You don't have to. " Beauty shrugged. “ Just lthank God you're alive. If you had hit that pole harder, maybe it would have been another story. “ Beauty smirked and he chuckled.

" You're right. I'm Mason. “

" Beauty. “ She smiled widely.

" Nice name. “ He said and stared at her directly. He had been looking at corners since feeling guilty. But now that he saw her face well, God he could no longer take his eyes off her.

" Damn you're beauty indeed. “ He said licking his lips and she chuckled.

" You can stop licking your lips. “ She said as she went into the kitchen. She came back with two cups of coffee and gave him one.

“ Where were going to?" Mason asked as she sat beside him. She looked at him for a while before answering. " Maybe he could be of some help. “ She said to herself.

“ I just go fired from my job and I was on my way to the hotel. “

" Hotel? “

" I wanted to meet with a friend. She was going to introduce me to some guy. “

" So you wanted to sleep with a stranger for money? “

" Anything to clear my debts. “ She shrugged. " It wasn't my first option, believe me. “

" You don't look like it. “ He said and she chuckled.

" Really? " She asked and he nodded.

“ You live alone?" He asked as he looked around. Small and neat.

“ Yes. For now. My sister would be back during the holidays. She studies in California. “

“ Where did you study?"

“ California. "

“ So you lived in Cali?"

“ For a short while until my studies were over. I moved back after I graduated. “

" And you work at a restaurant? “

" Worked. It's the only place I found a job. “ She shrugged. " Why am I telling you this? I don't even know if you're a kidnapper. “ She said and he laughed.

" Strangers become friends. “ He smiled. He has smiled so much in the few minutes he's spent with her. He hasn't smiled this much in his whole life, maybe when he was a child but since he became a teenager, he barely smiled.

" What's your story, Mason? “ She asked and his heart skipped a beat with the way she called him.

" Frustrated. I'm being forced into an arranged marriage with someone I don't like. “

“ So you're the rich kid huh?"

“ Not that rich. " He winked.

“ So you got angry and punched the wheels thereby almost killing me and yourself. " She said and he chuckled.

“ Is that way it happened? Nah, I don't think so." He shrugged. “ You just weren't watching. "

“ I wasn't..... You were the one who drove recklessly. " She snapped.

“ I don't know. "

“ Your legs bleeding. I didn't see that spot earlier. " Beauty said and stood up to get the first aid.

She bent to clean his woumds and his next words shocked her. “Marry me!"

" Are you high? Why would I marry a stranger?" She snapped.

" Then spend ninety days with me. In return I'll pay you a billion dollars. " He said and she gasped.

" You're kidding right? “ She asked but his face was serious. " Why would you want to spend ninety days with me? “

" It would get my parents off my back. Besides you need the money too. “

" So you want me to date you for a billion dollars. Isn't it too much? “

" Nothing is too much for you. It would help you clear your debts. “ He said and she sighed.

" You don't care if I'm a criminal? “

" No. You're too innocent to be one. And if you are I'll hand you over to the cops once our deal is done. “ He said and she shrugged.

She cleaned the wound quietly and she wne t into her room. She didn't want to do this but she needed the money. " But one billion dollars too much. I wouldn't know what to do with the money. I only owe ten million debt. “ She muttered. " Okay I know what to do.“

" I'm back. “ She said with a serious face. " You ssid you're not that rich, where woukd you get a billion dollars from? “

" I don't know. Anything to get my parents off my back. Is too cheap? “

" God I can't take that much money. “

" Why not? “

" It's too much. Look I'll agree to do this with you for thirty million dollars. “ She said and he looked at her like she was mad.

" Why? “

" Coz thirty million is enough for me. I don't need that much money. I just need to clear my loans till I get another job. And the thirty million is more than enough. “ She said and he gasped.

" Where are you from? “ He whsipered. A lot of girls wouldn't reject that offer. He knew a billion dollars was much money but he didn't expect her to reject it.

" I'll pretend to date you for ninety days but there must be rules. “ She said and he nodded.

" I'll send my secretary to you tomorrow morning with the contract. “ He said.

“ So we have a deal?"

“ Deal. " He said and she smiled.

“ You've just delivered me from doing something stupid today. " She said and he shrugged.

“ No problem. My driver would be here soon. Thanks for everything. I'll see you tomorrow. "

“ You're welcome. "She smiled as he went out.

" Your number. “ He said before entering his car and she quickly exchanged numbers with him. " My driver would be here to pick you up tomorrow. “ He said and the driver drove off.

Beauty ran back into the house and jumped happily. “ Loan cleared. Warehouse beginning. " She cheered happily. The remaining twenty million would be more than enough for her to start a business.