The Billionaire's Prodigy

TYLER RIVER

Tyler stepped out of the hotel with a big smile and a small suitcase that might as well be big because of the worth of papers that he now carried in there. The Blue Moon Resort was his, now that the owner had signed them over to him.

Tyler had been waiting a long time so that he could jump and get on the deal. Now that the owner was beyond any help with his gambling debt all he could do was plead and take whatever offer Tyler had offered them. This was the first success he's had in over a year since he overtook the business from his father.

He only had one more year before he could get his company back to its position. He had a deadline after all. A deadline that for the rest of his life bound him to a woman whom he didn't want to marry.

Taking the car that he had rented for his stay in Paris, he rushed through the traffic and made it to the Four Seasons hotel that he was staying over for the past two days.

He handed the keys to the valet and then froze mid step right outside the hotel.

He wanted to celebrate. He wanted to celebrate and he couldn't remember the last time he did that. When he was in college, he had spent the majority of his time studying and then working part time under his father. He knew more about running a company by the age of 23 then about partying.

Tyler didn't know what it meant to spend his time dancing or bopping his head to the beat that echoed off the dark walls that shone with the disco lights and drink cheap punch. His first alcohol was with his father when he was 20 and getting his graduate degree in management because one he had achieved a score of 93% and his father had also signed a merger on the same day.

His first alcohol had been a single malt scotch whiskey. And not some cheap alcohol that the teenagers used to spike a punch that was just as cheap.

The victory was short lived since he realized he had no one to celebrate it with.

Sure he had two brothers but then Sean, his brother who was three years younger to him and also the CFO of their company was in London trying to see if they can open up their chain of hotels in the upcoming two years. His youngest brother, Daniel, who was seven years younger to him, had chosen archaeology. Even though they were close when they were kids, somehow they had lost their connection of being brothers. Even now when Tyler and Sean, worked side by side, Tyler couldn't remember a time when he had spent time discussing about their life outside of the company.

He didn't even remember the last time he talked to Daniel. Maybe they exchanged hellos and how-are-you's when Daniel came for the monthly get together their mother hosted.

Once all these thoughts passed his mind, all Tyler wanted to do was drown his now pathetic sorrows in alcohol and because he had developed a taste for it, he couldn't even bring himself to choose beer over a single malt scotch whiskey.

He pulled his jacket and slung it over his arm and then loosened his tie. Rather than making his way to the lift that would take him up to his room he decided to make his way to the hotel bar to have his pity party by himself at that.

He didn't even notice anyone in the bar. He didn't notice the lights that were dimed and that few people were scattered around. He didn't notice that the tables that were occupied by a couple of gentlemen laughing and chatting puffing their cigars. He didn't notice that the tables at the back were taken up by couples getting a little too cozy enjoying the shadows. All he could see was the bar that held the solution to his sorrows. Making his way to the bar he slid on one of the stool and ordered vodka shots because for once he wanted to not just savor his alcohol but get sh*t-faced drunk. He slid a couple of bills of 2000 and ordered him to "Keep it coming" The bartender who seemed to have sensed his vibe, didn't miss a beat.

After over 5 shots, it seemed to him that alcohol had not just made his vision go a little woozy but that his sense of smell and his sense of hearing had heightened especially when someone that smelled deliciously like peaches and the sound of her voice was like those of wind chimes.

Okay so he might have been exaggerating at that point but she sure as hell made him crave some peaches.

He looked beside him to see a woman. A woman whose face was covered by the curtain of black hair that fell down her shoulders, the green sleeveless dress accentuating her curves. He took her in from that beautiful dark hair to the strappy five inch stilettos that encased her feet. Her toned legs that were visible from the side sl*t of the dress, her skin looked so soft that all Tyler could think of was letting his hand run up her calves and up and up...

He fidgeted in his seat, because of the very reason sitting on a stool beside him, his blood had rushed south and his trousers were getting awfully uncomfortable.

"Miss, you..."

"Oh my god, will you guys just let me be...” she said in an exasperated tone as she directed an angry glare at him

He couldn't help but smile. He bent down and picked up her clutch purse that had fallen down.

"All I wanted to say was that you dropped this."

he muttered as he dropped the purse on the bar counter and slid it to her.

She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry.” She said as she placed a hand on her purse.

"I'm tired of getting hit on every ten minutes.”

"Can you blame them?" he asked as he downed another shot.

"I'd have appreciated if at least one of them said it to my face rather than to my chest"

He laughed. "You do look s*xy in that dress” he said as he tipped his shot glass at her.

“Kudos,” she tipped her glass back at him "You actually said it to my face.”

They both laughed at that.

Tyler switched to water soon enough. The woman was amazing. She did have a dark sense of humor but well it was so very rare that he appreciated it.

They talked all night, by 4 they were making their way to their suite. Tyler let his new found nerves let take control of him and let his lips crash on hers. When she raised a hand to his chest he waited and gave her a chance to push him back but instead they trailed up and wound around his neck.

You just wring Sydney's neck. That voice of hers..."

"She's sweet you know. She's almost human." "An almost human who's trying to go after your dream"

"I gotta give you that”

Lexi was reluctant on stepping out of her office but Tess guided her out the door and down the stairs to the mock room where all the models had gathered.

‘Don't worry a thing. Just get them to walk right and you'll be alright."

Lexi nodded her head. She was sure that with Tess beside her, she would definitely be al right.

ELAINE REID

Alexis was on the brink of tearing her hair from her scalp. To say her day had gone bad was an understatement. To begin with she had slept last night on the couch in her office. Well she had been doing that for over three nights in a row now all because people were running amok doing their own thing in a fashion house that was owned by her.

It kind of hurt her that even though she wasn't some bigshot MBA degree holder, she was a fashion designer, dammit. And if it weren't for her, Mirage, her very own fashion house, wouldn't be as famous as it was now. She had given her all to the company and she could run it just fine. Mirage was her blood, sweat and tears. It was her present and her future. A dream that she had dreamt since she was 15 years old.

To top it all off she was fucked up big time, just a week away from her show. A show that was going to be the biggest success for Mirage and for her as a fashion designer. That would put Mirage