All Chapters of DIVORCED BY THE BILLIONAIRE: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

AURORA I decided I was going to sell the land which was the only thing my parents left for me I managed to protect.Although it was a small plot, ten acres on the outskirts of Sacramento, purchased in my name when I turned eighteen, it was enough to move me to a new place. My father called it my "rainy day fund" during the signing, winking at me over the lawyer's shoulder.“You never know what life will throw at you, sweetheart. Always keep something that's just yours.”Well, this was my rainy day. I wanted nothing to do with Sacramento and leaving that land here would only bring me back.I had smiled and hugged him and promptly forgot about the paperwork. I was eighteen, newly rich in my own right, about to start college. What did I need with ten acres of nothing?Now that nothing was worth a couple grand.After calling the man who handled the business between my father and the previous owner of the land, the sale took two days. The first day during the process, I walked into a rea

AURORA The bus pulled into Oak City at six in the morning.I was the only passenger remaining in the bus and the only one who got off. The driver helped me with my suitcase, nodded toward a flickering motel sign two blocks away, and then the bus pulled back onto the highway and disappeared into the dark.The town was small. A lot smaller than I expected, honestly. One main street lined with shops that was, their windows dark, their signs creaking in the wind. There was a diner on the corner with a neon coffee cup that buzzed and flickered, a grocery store with a single light burning in the back near the road, and the motel, a two-story building painted a pale yellow.I dragged my bags in and quickly booked a room for four nights. The woman at the front desk pulled her grey hair into a bun and wore her reading glasses before grabbing the book to put down my name. Once she was done checking me into the system, I paid her from the money Lydia gifted me and she slid a key across the coun

AURORA The next morning I put on the same black slacks and the same white button-down as I had nothing else as appropriate as it, besides I wasn't going to the same company.The first interview was at a small marketing firm called Crest Communications, which I found tucked at the back of a largely visited bookstore. I stopped by to grab a business book and spent my time reading it while waiting for my turn.The waiting area was small, just four chairs and a coffee table covered in magazines from three years ago. Beside me was a man sitting in the chair nearest the window, his leg bouncing like he was nervous. As nervous as I was but covered it with a business book when I had no business.He looked up at me and smiled like we've known each other for years."Are you here for the admin position?" he asked, turning to face me."Uh…yes," I replied, moving a bit farther from him."Me too, I hope we get it." He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I'm Theo, by the way. I applied fo

   AURORA   I was still staring out the window at the empty street when my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I already knew who it was before I pulled it out. Only one person called me. With no family, I doubt someone out there other than Lydia thinks about me. "Hey," I said, trying not to disturb the elderly couple behind me talking. "Hey yourself," she scoffed. There was a little shuffle from the other end. She was moving around wherever she was, probably her kitchen, or pouring wine into a glass she would drink alone. "How's the job hunt going? Any luck?" I pressed my free hand against my forehead and closed my eyes. "I had an interview today at a marketing firm. It went okay. Better than the others. But they said they'd call by the end of the week if I'm shortlisted, which means probably they won't call at all, because tha

     AURORA   I woke up before my alarm that Saturday morning, pulled on a clean pair of jeans and took a taxi to the only furniture store on my side of Oak City. Henderson's Home Supply smelled like sawdust and had a dusty grandfather clock standing guard by the front door. The man behind the counter was old enough to be my grandfather, bald on top with a white beard that made him look like Santa Claus on vacation.  I gave him the list of what I wanted, one I made after hours of research, and wrote down the delivery address for the restaurant. Once I was done selecting the colors of furniture I liked, he promised everything would arrive Monday morning before the store even opened. Which was what I wanted. The last I needed was for the whole city to see me moving into a restaurant's basement.