Captivating The Brutish Billionaire

~Agathe~

"Seduce an old codger with heaps of money so that you can, at long last, fund your mother's surgery."

Settling down the emptied platter of highball glasses on the countertop, I glanced at Grazie to show her my baffled expression.

"You are in desperate need of cold cash, aren't you? It's all over your pretty face."

I looked down, choking sorrow radiating from my sapphire eyes. Grazie must have detected that something was rattling me ever since this morning.

My mind is in utter shambles. I received a call from the sole hospital in our village.

The chief doctor told me that my mother's condition had gotten worse. Her medications aren't working anymore and she needed to have her surgery as soon as possible.

And, it must transpire tonight or it would be too late for my poor mother. The sole complication was, I still don't have the ready money.

"I don't know what else to do, Graz." I muttered, and a lone tear fell from my eye. I hastily wiped it.

Working in a teensy restaurant like this in Snowflake Village and being paid below minimum wage couldn't magically provide me with the amount that I needed.

Being one of the underprivileged is both a torment and a pain in the rear.

"Agathe." Grazie doesn't know how to comfort me. Words are not enough to justify how heartbroken I was at the jiffy. My mother means the world to me.

"Just take my advice. Remember that old codger who always strived to talk to you?"

"Mr. Schneider? God. Hell, no."

The indignation in my tone was evident. That old codger was one of my admirers.

He is kind of well-off and has lived in Stonewood City all his life. Stonewood City is the sparkling city where every affluent clan in this country resides. It only stood beside our village.

Amidst all that, I wouldn't dare seduce him because he is already sixty nine, for Pete's sake! Way older to be my great grandfather!

"Why not, Agathe?" Grazie's voice woke me up from my chain of thoughts.

"You are beautiful. Use that. Have sex with the old codger once and for all then ask him a hundred million greenbacks for it."

My eyes widened in sheer embarrassment. Needless to say, sex is a taboo subject matter for me.

Everyone in our village is aware that I hadn't been touched or kissed by anyone. Though certainly, every man here fantasizes about me.

In spite of that, no one, forsooth, had captured my heart. Not that I am a hopeless romantic or something.

Or that I believed in one true love and a charming prince would sweep me off of my feet. No. Absolutely not.

I don't believe in love merely because I know it isn't for the likes of me. Who has nothing but my pride and dignity alone?

I learned the hard way that stinking rich people are only for stinking rich people.

Most importantly, I had been busy juggling my time to work and study. I have been providing for my mother since I was twelve after my father died in an avalanche.

Since then, I assumed his role in taking care of my mother. She is my lifeline. The only substantial reason I kept enduring this harsh world every single, excruciating day.

"Grazie, I would not trade my self worth just for the sake of acquiring dirty money from a dirty old codger."

"It wouldn't be called dirty if you worked hard for it. You know what I mean."

Grazie winked at me. I almost puked as censored images invaded my mind. Can't believe she managed to make me picture that scenario.

I don't know how she became one of my closest friends. Her words always baffle me and catch me off guard.

"No, thank you. I am waiting for the approval call from Silvestri Medical Hospital. They must sponsor my mother's surgery no matter what happens."

Grazie shook her head as I filled another batch of glasses with water to be served on tables four and six.

"Do you still hope that will happen? Agathe, it's been months. Besides, your mother never made it to their list."

My jaw clenched. I don't understand. I never will. Stonewood City was ruled by the Silvestri's for centuries. They are the most loaded and well-heeled clan in that city.

Their chains of hospitals had been sponsoring poor patients from every village around the city. Unluckily, my mother wasn't chosen to be their beneficiary.

I did everything to convince them that my mother deserved their sponsorship. However, they kept rejecting my mother's application for some unknown reason.

Something that had me loathing the surname 'Silvestri' for eternity.