The Billionaire's Guide To Love: Breaking Down His Walls

It was a fine Saturday morning. The sun had just begun to peek from behind the dark clouds that looked like they were ladened with unshed rain. Like every other day in May, the weather could not, at all, be predicted.

Beneath the tall trees, tender sprouts of daffodils and lilies decorated the apartment block with so much colorful and heartwarming beauty that spread all over the compound.

Standing before the window of her small but cozy apartment on the third floor, was Vanessa with a cup of cold tea in her left hand and a piece of paper in her other hand. The paper was a letter of reminder of her rent that would be due in two weeks and three days. Yet, there was no idea how she would pay.

Her life was crumbling right before her eyes. There was little to nothing she could do about it. It has been over a month since she lost her job and since then, she was unable to get another. Her former job, even though it was as a mere waitress with peanuts for pay, it had been better than living off her friend, Stacie. Although Stacie never once complained, Vanessa thought it did not seem fair to her.

Vanessa 's mind was currently in confusion. Her thoughts were running around like noisy little toy trains, threatening to make her crazy. She hissed and placed the cup on the windowsill.

"How am I supposed to pull through this one?" She muttered, running her hand through her hair which was a strawberry blonde. "I can not possibly ask Stacie again, can I? That'd be too much."

With that said, she picked up the cup and headed to the kitchen, placing the letter on the small table by the side. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she poured the remains of the tea into the sink and rinsed the cup. Her actions were both slow and unsteady.

She knew that she most likely had no way out of her current predicament. If she didn't ask Stacie, then she would be homeless in a matter of weeks. After all, even if she successfully got a job, no one would pay her before she worked for them.

Stacie was her best friend and worked as a lawyer in her father's firm. Stacie's father, Mr. Lexington, was a renowned man with his own firm. As his only child and heir, Stacie had studied law, choosing to follow in her father's footsteps.

Meanwhile, Vanessa was just an orphan whose parents had died in a car explosion. As if that was not enough, everything that belonged to her family had been forcefully taken from her. As a result, she was not only rendered orphaned at the tender age of fourteen, but also homeless and without any promise for the future.

It was on one of those days when she was roaming the streets that she met Stacie, a young girl with bright blue eyes and her black hair, who had taken pity on her, a brown eyed orphan, and brought her to the Lexington mansion. From then, Vanessa stayed with them until Mr. Lexington divorced Stacie's mother and remarried a woman who thought Vanessa was a leech.

Not wanting to be tagged as a liability, she insisted on leaving the Lexington mansion under the excuse that she had found a new job that required her to move somewhere close to her workplace. Although reluctant, Mr. Lexington let her go, promising to be there when she needed him. He never knew what was happening, only Stacie did and Vanessa could not be anymore grateful for a friend like her.

A lone drop of tear slid out of the corner of Vanessa's eye. She sniffled and wiped it off with the back of her palm, reaching for the top shelf with the other hand where she placed the cup and left the kitchen.

She had to find a way out. Even if it meant selling some of the jewelleries she had inherited from her late mother. After all, it was not like she was ever going to use them.

Alas, they had lots of memories attached to them.

Exhaling sharply, she returned to the room and slumped on the bed, intending to sleep.

Sleep... it was all she could do as a jobless person.

Just as she laid on the bed and shut her eyes, the shrill cry of her ringing phone cut through the silence in the room, causing her to almost jump in fear.

With a deep sigh, Vanessa reached for the phone on the table and returned to the bed. She glanced at the caller ID; it was Stacie. Without a second thought, she clicked the receive button, placed the call on speaker and placed it on the bed near her head.

"Hey, Stacie. What's up?"

"Nessa, are you just waking up?" Stacie's voice echoed through the room.

"Nah, I've been up all night. Couldn't sleep." Vanessa's voice was low and heavy. "What's up? You called early."

Stacie never called early because she knew how much of a deep sleeper Vanessa was.

"Yeah," Stacie replied, there was a bit of eagerness in her voice that made Vanessa frown. "I need you to get dressed before nine o'clock."

Vanessa's frown lines deepened. "Why? Where are you taking me to? Don't you have work to go to?"

Stacie hissed. She responded in a less eager voice, "Do you need a job or not?"

"A job?" Vanessa sprang to a sitting position and snatched the phone. She held it in her hands. "Of course I need a job!" she almost yelled.

"Good! Dress up for the interview. I'll come pick you up by 8:30. Bye!" As soon as she replied, Stacie ended the call.

Meanwhile, Vanessa's mind was still processing what she had just heard.

"An interview?" she muttered, dropping the phone on the bed as her lips slowly stretched into a grin. She jumped off the bed, screaming as she ran to the bathroom.

In what seemed like a flash, Vanessa was set for the interview. She stood before the mirror one more time to cross-check her look.

"Lucky me," she stated, smiling at her reflection. "I still have you."

She was speaking about the black Palazzo pants she was wearing. She had found them at the bottom of her wardrobe and luckily, they had not squeezed into balls like her other clothes which looked like they had been crumpled over and over again.

Satisfied with how she looked, Vanessa tiptoed to reach the top of her wardrobe where her certificates and documents sat in a see through file, gathering dust. She dusted them all, not knowing which one she'd be needing.

When she had convinced herself that everything was set, she sank into the bed, waiting for Stacie to come. It was right at that time that there was a knock on her door.

Knowing who it was, Vanessa wasted no time and opened it. A grinning Stacie was standing there, glancing at her watch. Seeing Vanessa all dressed up, Stacie smiled.

"Let's go." She turned around to leave.

"Sure," Vanessa replied, dashing into the room to pick up the bag she had arranged and her file. She ran out, locked the door and followed Stacie into the elevator.

Inside the elevator, Stacie turned to Vanessa with a faint smile. She knew just how hard her friend was trying to find a job and she was gonna help her by all means.

"So, Nessa, dad talked to someone and luckily for you, they happen to be in need of a secretary. I don't know if you'll like the job bu-"

"I love it!" Vanessa interrupted, a smile on her face. She turned to her friend and smiled sincerely. "Thank you, Stacie. I don't mind working as a cleaner. I just need a job," she said in a small voice. "And a secretary is luxury compared to the restaurant I've worked at."

Worried for her friend, Stacie sighed. "Are you sure about this? We can always get another job."

Vanessa's mind was made up. She knew Stacie was only looking out for her but she was fine with a secretary's job. Anything was better than being jobless.

With a small nod, she replied reassuringly, "Yes, Stacie. I'm sure."