The Billionaire s Marriage Contract

Astrid Jones walked into the hallway, feeling all tired and drained. She checked her watch and it was almost one thirty five. She'd at about twenty to twenty five minutes before her afternoon shift at the restaurant begins and she couldn't afford to be late for work.

Knowing how difficult it'd been for her before she was able to get that job, it was very important to her, as much as her education was to her.

She pushed the door to her room open and was surprised her roommate, Sandra was still at home. She was lying on her bed, still in her pajamas and was scrolling through her laptop.

"Hey roomie, ya back so quick.

How was lecture?" She asked her,

"Exhaustedly fine." She mouthed tiredly, dropping her bag on her bed.

She needed to freshen up and change into her work uniform.

"That's bad." The girl mumbled absentmindedly and Astrid sighed.

She took off her clothes and sauntered into their small bathroom to freshen up as fast as she could.

When she came out few minutes later, Sandra wasn't inside the room again, so she guessed she must've gone to join her friends in the room.

Lucky them.

She hastily prepared for work, wearing her work uniform and after she'd finished, she brushed her golden blond hair, packed them in a ponytail and she scurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.

She'd less than ten minutes left to be at work and she can't afford to get on her boss's bad side.

Getting outside their apartment building, she flagged down a cab and got in, giving the driver her destination address.

   Ever since Astrid was a little girl, she'd always dreamt to be a writer and work in a publishing house and that was why she'd doubled her effort in English and literature classes, had joined her high school editorial board and had also worked hard to lead the school's writing leagues for two years straight.

After high school and she was accepted to UCSC, her parents had accepted her admission with mixed emotions, putting the family's financial status, but Blaire proved her worth.

Two weeks into her freshman year, she got herself a part time job at the prominent and expensive Queens Restaurant that was just five minutes drive from the school about ten minutes walk from her apartment building and she couldn't be any less fulfilled.

The manager, an unfriendly and overweight older woman named Lillian White gave her a cute work outfit; a white shirt and a short, solid blue cotton skirt. Her work outfit made her look more like a school girl than a waitress and it was super cute.

Sandra and her friends had told her that.

The payment at Queens was good, the customers tipped well and it her work hours rarely collide into her lectures periods.

Her first week, she'd worked three nights and with a salary of two bucks per hour and a tips that made her about eighty bucks. The second week, she made about a hundred bucks; the third week, she worked an extra two hours every night and she made a whooping one hundred and fifty bucks. Now, she's earning from one fifty to two hundred and fifty bucks every week, which is the most money she'd ever made for herself.

The cab stopped across the restaurant and she paid the driver, alighting the cab as fast as she could. She waited for the cab to drive away and immediately it did, she ran across the street, clutching her purse against her.

She pushed the double door open and greeted a few customers, before going across the counter to begin her shift.

"You're five minutes late." A deep female voice accused from behind her and she closed her eyes, tightening her brows.

She turned to the owner of the voice, opening her eyes.

There she was, staring at her like she was some errant child.

"I'm sorry, Mrs White, but lectures...."

"I don't want to hear it Astrid, I'm cutting off one hour salary from your pay." She stated authoritatively.

"I'm sorry and this won't happen again." Astrid pleaded with the woman, 

"We'd a pop quiz and it took more than the allotted time, but I promise this won't repeat itself again." She assured the woman, sounding as convincing as ever.