Chapter 2

Lila sat at her desk, just like she had done every day for the last ten years. But this was different. Now sitting across from her was a billionaire who was going to save her business.

The stables Lila ran was not one for the wealthy. They were nice and simple but not having a wealthy clientele meant that sometimes people didn’t pay their bills on time. Or at all. And after ten years of struggling Lila was about to give up.

That’s when Vanessa entered the picture.

“I was taking a drive in your area and as I passed by, I simply fell in love with it’s quaint charm,” she told Lila over the phone. Now 48 hours later here she was in the flesh, ready to be a 50/50 partner in the business.

Standing behind her was the very handsome Danny. Lila couldn’t take her eyes off him and it was mutual. He had a charming smile and liked to flash it at Lila. Danny was dressed in a sharp grey three piece suit. And not that she was trying to notice, but Danny seemed to be packing some serious heat in those Italian slacks he was hearing.

Vanessa handed the contract to Lila, flipped to the last page and handed her a pen.

Suddenly the door burst open.

Lila’s 6 year old niece Kat flew inside the small office.

“Hey Auntie Lila!” she nearly shouted.

Kat walked up next to Vanessa, who was still sitting. She had reddish hair, freckles, and wore overalls and sneakers.

“Oooh what a pretty dress,” Kat said feeling the silky material covering Vanessa.

“No Kat!” Lila said and Kat quickly jerked her hand away. A dirty hand print now appeared in its place.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Lila said. “Kat! Say you’re sorry.”

“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” Kat said, frowning.

Vanessa smiled sweetly. “Nonsense. That’s what dry cleaners are for, now let’s get back to business.”

Lila was relieved. So relieved that she grabbed the pen out of Vanessa’s hand and signed the contract.

“There! All done,” she said.

“Perfect!” Vanessa said beaming. “So glad we could get this done quickly,”

Shortly thereafter Vanessa and Danny left, signed contract in hand. But before they left as they were saying their goodbye’s Danny said to Lila, “Hope to see you soon.”

Hope to see you soon? Oh my, more like hope to see you swoon! Lila was thrilled to be getting out of debt, to have some upgrades done, and to be able to stop worrying about her business going under. It was a great day.

If only she had looked closer at the contract she signed.