BILIONAIRE'S OBSESSION

***

10 years back…

"Listen up, Erika! You have to be with me until the end of time! Remember that, baby!" Paul's voice boomed through the car, and he was driving like he had a vendetta against the world. I was freaking out, praying like my life depended on it. And d*mn, it did.

"Paul, for the love of all things holy, stop! You're gonna get us both killed!" I was practically screaming my lungs out, but he was too far gone. “ I am too young to die!” 

He was out of his mind, and we were doomed. I tried reasoning with him, but it was like talking to a brick wall. Eventually, I just accepted my crappy fate.

Paul slammed the wheel over, and the tires wailed as the car went nuts. The door slammed into me, and I gasped for air. Before I could even scream, the headlights caught the massive trunk of an oak tree.

"This is where we belong, baby! Together in death!" Paul's words sent chills down my spine.

"You're outta your mind, Paul!" I screamed, pounding on the glass. I'd never felt so powerless in my life.

The noise was tremendous, like thunder, and then it was a terrible metal crunch. My head snapped forward, then back, stars exploding behind my eyelids. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, with just ringing in my ears, as if the world had gone silent.

I opened my eyes to see Paul, head on the wheel, with a cut on his forehead, and not moving. “Paul…?” My voice cracked. No answer. Only the engine hissed, puffing smoke in the dark.

Then I smelled it. Gasoline. Sharp, choking.

“Please, no...” My fingers struggled with the belt as I panicked. The buckle jammed, refusing to release me. I pulled, yanked, screamed, until finally it snapped free. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely grab the door handle.

The hood was on fire, and the flames were spreading quickly. The heat was intense, burning my skin. I choked on the awful smoke, coughing hard with tears streaming down my face.

I tried pushing the door, but it was crushed from the impact. Trapped. My heart was pounding, and I kicked the window as hard as I could, but it wouldn’t break.

“Help!” My voice was raw, desperate. Nobody was coming.

The flames were really loud, like a hungry beast eating the car, and getting closer. The fire got my arm, and I screamed because the pain was unlike anything I’d felt before. It was like my flesh was melting and ripping. My sleeve caught fire, and it spread up to my shoulder.

I tried everything to get rid of it, but it wouldn’t die. I was in so much pain that tears streamed down my face while I pounded on the glass. My skin blistered, peeling, until finally the window cracked under my frantic blows.

Cold night air rushed in, but so did more flames. I pulled myself through the sharp opening. The glass was cutting me, and it hurt like crazy with every inch.

I hit the grass and rolled away from the blaze, the fire’s scream following me as it engulfed Paul. My lungs burned with smoke, my skin with fire, but I was alive. Barely.

Seeing the car explode into flames, I understood that my life would never be the same again.

ERIKA

I swear, it felt like I couldn’t catch a wink of decent sleep for ages. That darn tagline was stuck in my head 24/7, and those freaking nightmares just wouldn’t let go. I figured maybe it was time to bite the bullet and see a therapist about it all.

But at that moment, work was just a whole other level of crazy. The company was hyping up this new shampoo, and the boss was breathing down my neck for a genius idea by noon tomorrow. And there I was, staring at my screen, drawing a total blank.

I mean, seriously, my mind was emptier than a ghost town on a Monday morning. Every idea I tried to come up with felt as lame as a three-legged racehorse. It was like my creativity had taken a vacation to the Bermuda Triangle.

I scrolled through endless pages of inspiration, hoping something, anything, would spark a lightbulb moment. But nope, nada. It was like trying to squeeze water from a stone.

Meanwhile, the clock was ticking louder than a drummer on caffeine. The deadline was creeping up on me like a storm, and I was trapped in the middle of it with only a sad cup of coffee for company.

I even considered resorting to some kind of voodoo magic to summon up a stroke of brilliance. But then I remembered I’m about as magical as a potato. So much for that idea.

Finally, I had to quickly put together the best pitch I could and pray it didn’t fail miserably. But man, talk about a rough day at the office. I was ready to call it quits and hit the nearest bar for a stiff drink.

All I wanted was to relax in a hot bath and get some much-needed rest. The phone woke me up from my crazy dream. I involuntarily twitched, stood up from the sofa, and lazily made my way down the hallway.

“Hello?”

“Erika, it’s your girl, Isabel! Did you get it done? You have to be. With your brilliant mind, you make everything possible. "

All I craved was to soak in a steaming hot tub and catch some Z’s. But nope, the continuous ringing of my phone rudely interrupted that bliss. I groggily stumbled off the couch, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and shuffled down the hallway like a zombie.

“Hello?” I mumbled into the phone, still half-asleep.

“Erika, girl, it’s your ride-or-die, Isabel! Did you nail it, or what? You’ve got that magic touch, you know.” Isabel’s voice chirped through the line, full of pep and enthusiasm.

“Uh, Isa, hate to break it to you, but I kinda dropped the ball,” I admitted, feeling the weight of disappointment settling in. “I thought we had until tomorrow afternoon to get it done. Did I screw up big time?”

Isabel let out a sympathetic sigh on the other end. “Nah, chica, you’re good. But the big cheese wants you to hustle for that meeting with the investors today. Can you at least throw together a rough sketch or something? They’re coming bright and early tomorrow, and we gotta keep the wheels turning. It’s all about that hustle, you know the drill. Sorry, hun!”

I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for letting Isabel down. She always had my back, and here I was, dropping the ball when it counted most. But hey, orders were orders, no room for excuses.

“Got it, Isa. I’ll whip something up real quick and have it ready for the morning grind,” I assured her, trying to shake off the grogginess and kick my brain into gear.

After hanging up, I scrambled to gather my thoughts and piece together a semblance of a plan. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces, but I wasn’t about to let a minor setback derail the entire show. Time to roll up my sleeves and get down to business.

I totally blanked out at the end of my friend’s speech. I quickly threw on some clothes and rushed to the office. That luxurious, steamy shower I was daydreaming about? Yeah, that ship had sailed. I dashed across the room, nearly ate it on the stairs, and muttered a string of curses under my breath. What the heck did I screw up this time?

I hustled into the bathroom and jumped into a quick, ice-cold shower. Did I forget to pay the water bill again? Who’s got time for those thoughts right now?

I mean, seriously, could this day get any more hectic? It was like every time I tried to catch a break, life threw another curveball my way. But hey, that’s just the way the cookie crumbled, right?

As I scrubbed away the sleep from my eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder what fresh hell awaited me at the office. Knowing my luck, the boss probably had some insane last-minute demand that required me to pull a rabbit out of my

hat.

But hey, bring it on! I’ve faced worse than a cranky boss and a cold shower. I would tackle whatever the day threw at me with all the grace of a bull in a china shop.

Besides, it was not like I had time to dwell on the bad stuff. I got a job to do, deadlines to meet, and bills to pay. No one’s got time for a pity party when there’s work to do.

So, I threw on my game face, chugged down a cup of coffee for good measure, and hit the road. Whatever chaos awaited me at the office, I was ready to tackle it head-on. 

My heart belonged to advertising. Even I was taken aback by the multitude of ideas I had. Why didn’t I come up with something for my shampoo just now? I was exhausted. Advertising was my jam, no doubt about it. I surprised even myself with the flood of ideas constantly swirling around in my head. So why the heck couldn’t I come up with a single decent one for this blasted shampoo? It drained me. And don’t even get me started on the boss. The dude had a knack for keeping me on edge 24/7. Sure, he knew I was valuable, but did valuable employees not deserve a break once in a while? Not that I was gonna let that thought drive me nuts or anything.

It was a solid idea and all, but taking a vacay was totally off the table at the moment. With deadlines looming and the boss breathing down my neck, I couldn’t afford to kick back and relax, even if I wanted to.

But d*mn, wouldn’t it be nice to just kick back on a beach somewhere with a cold drink in hand, without a care in the world? Ah, a girl can dream, right?

I shook off the fantasy and focused on the task at hand. Sure, I was wiped out and running on fumes, but I wasn’t about to throw in the towel just yet. I had a reputation to uphold, and slacking off wasn’t part of the plan.

So, taking a deep breath, I jumped back into the advertising world, determined to come up with some awesome ideas before the day ended. After all, ain’t no mountain high enough, right?

As the hours ticked by and the deadline drew closer, I could feel the pressure mounting like a pressure cooker about to blow its lid. But hey, pressure made diamonds, right? At least, that’s what I kept telling myself as I pounded away at my keyboard, fueled by nothing but sheer willpower and caffeine.

Even though I was tired and stressed, there was a crazy energy in the air, like I was about to do something huge. So yeah, maybe taking a vacation could wait. For now, I was right where I needed to be, doing what I did best. And nothing, not even the worst boss ever, was gonna hold me back.

It felt like light years away. I’ve whipped up a ton of ads in my day, but this time the boss was on my case for something fresh and simple. I couldn’t figure it out, even though it was so obvious.

I mean, come on! Haven’t I racked up enough experience by now?

Seriously, I was part of the cream of the crop advertising crew in the whole dang country, right here in the Big Apple. My team was like a well-oiled machine, cranking out brilliance left and right. What else could a girl want? And here I was, stuck in a rut with nothing to show.

I just had to get my head back in the game and figure this thing out. Because let’s face it, nobody’s gonna hand me the answer on a silver platter. It was up to me to roll up my sleeves and make it happen.

With the clock ticking and the pressure building, I could feel the weight of expectation on me like a ton of bricks. But pressure was just another word for opportunity, right? And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let this chance slip through my fingers.

ERIKA

“Yikes, it’s go time!” I blurted out, feeling the panic creep in. I dashed down the hallway, snatched my coat, and bolted out the door like my life depended on it.

The drive to the company felt like an eternity. Could this day drag on any longer? My mind was a total blank, and I had no clue what the heck I was gonna say to these investors. Talking about flying blind!

Then, out of the blue, it hit me. “Refresh your day. Every drop counts!” I blurted out, a grin spreading across my face before I even realized it was there. Suddenly, everything made sense, like a light turning on. That’s some serious genius right there!

Sure, it was a little cheesy, but sometimes you gotta embrace the cheese, right? And hey, if it put a smile on the investors’ faces, then I’d call it a win in my book.

As I pulled into the parking lot, nerves buzzing like a swarm of bees in my stomach, I couldn’t help but feel confident. I had my game plan; I h