The Billionaire & I

Scarlett Evans shifted uncomfortably in the hard seat, she could feel the numbness that had settled in the lower part of her body. She grunted in discomfort, pushing the stranger's head off her shoulders for the umpteenth time. A TV played silently in the corner, making the atmosphere slightly less tense. Across the room, an old lady let out heavy, wheezing coughs piercing the silence in the room at intervals. Hospitals always creeped out Scarlett, from the ever present pungent smell of antiseptic to the gloomy feeling that hung heavily in the room.

Scarlett swivelled her head across the waiting room, accessing each person and guessing what could have possibly brought them to the hospital.

"Miss Evans!" Scarlett whipped her head in the direction of the voice. She released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding when she saw Amber standing at the door, with Luke's hand in hers. Glad she was finally leaving the weirdly tense waiting room, she got up and walked to them.

"How is he?" She asked, hoping to hear something different this time.

"Not better" Scarlett bent her head in disappointment, silently scolding herself for hoping too soon. "He needs to go through treatment soon...Very soon." Amber continued.

Scarlett sighed, her fingers tightened on the strap of her bag. Life had been so unfair to her. As if her parents passing away in a fatal accident wasn't enough, Luke, her younger brother was diagnosed with cancer, which only got worse over time. After their parents' demise, Scarlett had dropped out of college as she couldn't afford the tuition fees. She worked several shifts to sort out the piled up bills and put food on the table. Sadly, her miserly salary could only pay for so much, leaving her with very little to save. They basically lived from hand to mouth.

"How long does he have?" She blurted out.

"...Not long." Amber replied, tugging gently at the white coat she wore. Scarlett could hear the worry in her voice as she spoke. "The sooner the treatment start, the better." There was a glint of pity in her eyes.

Scarlett nodded. Her lips curved up into an hopeful smile. She looked down at Luke as he innocently fiddled with the candy he probably got from one of the hospital vending machines. She wondered why an eleven year old had to go through such pain. Letting out a gentle sigh, she raised her head to look at the doctor.

"Okay. Thanks Doc." She said.

The doctor smiled lightly and nodded. "I'll go check up on my other patients now...take care." She said, releasing her grip on Luke's hand.

"Yeah. We'll be on our way."

"Bye" Amber said and turned to leave.

"Scarlett, am I dying?"

She looked down at him, his big brown eyes searched her face for answers. A tight knot formed in her chest, thinking how the poor little soul must've been feeling knowing he was dying. She let out a deep breath and wore a wide smile.

She squatted so she could look him straight in the eyes. "Of course not." She reassured, unsure of her own words, but she smiled, putting up a brave front. "I'll get the money for your treatment and you'll be just fine. Okay?" She continued, stroking the strands of his brown hair with her hands. He smiled back and nodded.

"Good boy. Let's go home. I'll get you some ice cream" She said, hoping to distract him from thinking about it any further.

"Yayyy, ice cream." He cheered, beaming with excitement. It brought joy to her heart to see him smile.

With her fingers wrapped firmly around Luke's wrist, they turned and headed for the exit.

Unsure of how she was possibly going to achieve what she had said at that moment, she had a renewed hope that she was going to do it somehow. She was determined to not watch her brother die. She was going to get the money for his treatment.

**********

Scarlett looked up at the clock hung on the wall. It was a few minutes past six, meaning her shift for the day had ended. She worked a four hour shift as a cashier at a grocery store, among other jobs. She walked away from the counter, opening a door that led to the store room the staff used as a changing room. She pulled the apron over her head and hung it on a hanger. As she packed her stuff into her bag, she heard a voice.

"Hey, Scarlett."

She looked up to see Peter, the guy who was supposed to take her place at the counter.

"Hi, peter." She slurred tiredly in reply. Throwing him a light smile, she slung her bag over her shoulder and proceeded to walk out of the changing room.

"Bye, Peter"

They'd never really interacted much. The only time they met was in the changing room when her shift ends and his starts.

When she stepped out of the store, she paused, turning her face away from the cold, biting wind. She shoved her hands deep into her jeans pockets and walked into the street. She let her thoughts wander to what Amber told her a few days back. Luke didn't have much time left, and she still hadn't gotten up to a quarter of the money needed for his treatment. She let out a deep breath, saying a little prayer in her heart.

On her way down the street, her phone rang. She dug her hand in her bag, wondering who could be calling her at that time of the day. Seeing her roommate's ID, she clicked the answer button and moved the phone up to her ear.

"Hello"

"Babesss!!!" Claire screamed into the phone. On impulse, Scarlett instantly moved the phone a distance away from her ear.

Typical Claire.

Claire was Scarlett's roommate and only friend. They'd been best friends since high school. Claire had been a total pain in the ass, but Scarlett loved her nevertheless. She was hard to not love. She was bubbly and full of life and she had a charismatic mature that attracted people to her. Claire and Scarlett were the complete opposite, and that was what seemed to make it easier for them to be friends.

"Sheesh, Do you wanna blow my eardrums?" Scarlett protested. She heard Claire giggle. She scoffed, wondering what was amusing her so much.

"Don't be silly" Claire said. "I saw a job vacancy advert and I thought you'd be interested." She announced.

Her face lit up. "Really, where?"

"The job is for a secretary at Reynold's Jewelry company."

There was a pause, and she found herself holding her breath. All the excitement she felt disappeared into thin air. Reynold's jewelry company was the biggest Jewelry company in the United States. Only professionals were employed and the qualifications to get a job at the company could be pretty demanding. She was a college dropout. There was no way she could get employed in a company was big as Reynolds Jewelry.

"Scarlett..." Claire called, jerking her out of her thoughts.

"Are you being serious, right now?, What makes you think I'm fit for the job. Hello, it's Reynolds Jewelry we're talking about here" Scarlett half screamed into the phone.

"So? They'd totally pick you. Just apply. Don't be a pessimist."

"Whatever. There's no chance I'm getting the job." She slurred, looking down at her feet as she strolled on.

"Apply for the job, please. I have a good feeling about this. Plus, you need the money. The pay would be pretty attractive."

What could possibly go wrong? There's no harm in trying, she thought. "Yeah, right."

"I'll send the link to you." She said.

"Okay, thanks." Before she finished her statement, she heard a beep sound. Claire had ended the call.

She blew out a long sigh of relief. It was a good start, even though she was unsure she was going to get the job. There'd probably be thousands of other people applying for the job _ thousands of people better than her. People who graduated from college, unlike her. She waved off the bleak thoughts, replacing them with a renewed optimism. Positive thoughts only, she told herself.

Her phone made a loud 'ding' sound. A new notification popped up. Claire had sent the link to apply for the job at Reynold's jewelry company. With a hopeful heart, she clicked the link.

"Positive thoughts only" she muttered to herself.