Page 2 of A Bride for the Billionaire

As I'm putting my clothes into two suitcases I have, Louisa walks in. I can hear her shouting at the landlord. "You're a fucking prick? You could have asked her to pay in installments or something, you don't need to throw her out. She has nowhere to go."

"I don't care. This is my apartment. She didn't pay for one month so I have someone who is moving in today who has paid six months in advance. That's business."

"Well, you're an asshole and I hope they burn the place down and you have to pay the money back to them." She storms into my room. He's an asshole. She sits down on the bed, "Right what do we need to do?"

"I've packed most of my clothes and put them in the suitcases. I need the toiletries and then my food and crockery that I bought myself. Thank you for doing this, Louisa. I can't thank you enough." I hug her and she hugs me back. Our arms tightly wrapped around both of us.

"What about work? Did you ring them to tell them you need the day off or just a few hours?" she asks as she grabs some more clothes and stuffs them in the suitcase.

"I'm going to do that next."

I pick up my cell and dial the number for my boss, Georgina. She is a bitch, but hopefully she will let me off with just talking down.

"Hey Georgina, it's Cora. Look, I've been thrown out of my apartment and I have three hours to pack up or he is throwing everything I own out on the street. I need a few hours to get organized, or if I can have the day that would be great. I can be back tomorrow, no problem."

"Cora, you think that calling me on a Monday morning and telling me that you are being evicted is going to let me give you the time off. You know that no one is allowed to call in sick on a Monday."

"But Georgina, I'm not calling in sick. I can be there in a few hours, I just can't be there on time this morning. Do you understand what is happening right now?"

"How do I know that you are telling the truth, Cora? This could just be a plan to stay home and nurse a hangover."

"I don't drink on Sundays because I have to go to work. I'm being evicted, right now, Georgina. Please."

She's quiet for a moment and I think I've wormed my way into her heart. But then she says, "Cora, if you are not in work on time this morning, then you're fired." She hangs up.

I slip down the wall to the floor. What is happening to my life? I cry, big sobs and I feel the moment Louisa comes into the room and sits on the floor next to me.

"I take it that didn't go well either?"

"You're right there. If I don't get into work on time then I'm fired."

She hugs me. "I can finish packing everything up if you want to go into work."

"I'm not going to make it on time now. It's too late." I work on the other side of town and it can take up to two hours to get to work and get home again. Shit, that means I am now homeless AND unemployed. "What am I going to do, Louisa?"

"Look, you can stay with me as long as you need to. We can look for jobs later today and see what is out there. Come on, let's pack up and get out of this place." She hugs me again and gets up off the floor, holding out her hand to help me up. I take it and then we finish packing the apartment up.

"Fuck you and your stupid apartment," I shout at the landlord who is just sitting on the couch smiling. I turn to Louisa. "Come on, let's get out of this hell hole."

We turn and grab suitcases, boxes and anything we can carry down to Louisa's car.

We get in the car and I don't look back. Life is for living and nothing else.

We unpack everything at Louisa's. She has plenty of storage in the garage and then I take my two suitcases to the spare room. "Thanks Louisa, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't in my life."

"Come on, don't think about that, we are in this together. I will be there for you all the way."

She helps me hang everything up and when the suitcases are empty she smiles. Come on, let's take you out for lunch."

"I can't afford to eat out, Louisa."

"It's my treat. You deserve it, it's been a bitch of a day. Let's have a few margaritas and let down our hair."

"Only if you're sure."

"Of course I am. Get changed and then I'll get Thomas to take us." Thomas is her driver. Did I say she is rich? Not her husband, Neil, but her. He works hard at his job, he doesn't want to give it up, even though she told him that she will provide for him.

"See you in twenty." I close the door and throw myself on the bed. I don't want to think about what has happened today, or what will happen in the next few days. I'm just going to take each day as it comes and hopefully I'll come out smelling of roses.

---