LOVING THE BILLIONAIRE ENGLISH

LTB— 8

I was smiling as I looked at the check, my first paycheck. It's been three days of hard work, and this is my commission. It's overwhelming because I never expected that three days of standing and sales talk would result in this much.

It's different from the province where you'd earn so little from all the rice planting and harvesting, and you'd almost end up with a hunchback.

I kissed the check before carefully putting it in the envelope inside my bag.

I'm more motivated to work now. I won't miss any job opportunity. I'll attend all the go-sees.

I want to work, save, get rich, and travel. I've dreamt of going to Manila since high school. And now that I'm here, I won't waste the chance to achieve my dream.

"Come on, Cecilia," Mimi called to me. She was going to accompany me to meet a professional photographer who gave me a calling card at an event before.

He said that the portfolio would help with my application to agencies looking for brand ambassadors or models.

Our meeting place is in a mall. He'll take a few shots there before we go to the condominium, which is just a walking distance from the mall.

He also mentioned taking photos of me in a swimsuit. I was really nervous, so I'm glad Mimi offered to come with me today.

"Thank you so much. You know I have no experience in these things."

"It's okay. I was the same when I was just starting out. I was really nervous too, but luckily, there were people who helped me who were experienced in this field. You'll get used to it," she replied.

I hope so. I want the day to come when I'm really skilled. If I'm lucky, I also want to become a runway model. But for now, I'll try my luck at events and car shows.

I had anxiety as Alex, the photographer, took pictures of me.

"You look stiff, be confident. Be bold and fierce," Mimi reminded me from the side, still posing herself. She was sitting on a sun lounger, watching me during my photo shoot.

She demonstrated the facial expression I should mimic. I took a deep breath. I can do this! I bolstered my confidence. I had watched some international videos last night and tried to imitate and project what I saw.

"Nice." I ran my fingers through my hair, with one hand resting on my hip.

"Good!" Alex praised as he changed his position while photographing me.

Next, I moved to the sun lounger. I sat down and placed both hands on either side of it. I leaned back and looked up at the sky, letting my long hair cascade. It was blinding, but I endured it to get a great shot.

"Sexy!" Mimi complimented. I struck several more poses before the photo shoot for my set card was finished.

Alex shook my hand and thanked me. I also expressed my gratitude to him. Professional photographers can be quite expensive, so I was grateful that he offered his services to me.

He left promptly, saying he would message me when the printed photos were ready.

As he walked away, I followed him with my gaze, but I was interrupted when I spotted Jetro in the far corner of the pool.

He was looking at me with a soft gaze. Hee had someone with him who kept talking, but her eyes were on me. My heart started beating faster. My lips curled into a slight smile. The night we shared a passionate kiss flashes to my memory. I swallowed hard, then averted my gaze.

I shrugged it off, realizing I was wearing a two-piece swimsuit. That might be why he was looking at me. Maybe he found it inappropriate.

Mimi handed me the dress I was wearing earlier, and I quickly put it on to cover my nearly bare body.

"You look so hot, Cecilia," Mimi praised me. "Seriously, the guys here can't take their eyes off you because of how sexy you look," she complimented.

I smiled modestly. I glanced at Jetro, who was sitting across from me, and our eyes met. His male companion also looked in my direction, grinning and shaking his head.

I turned away and smiled subtly. I'll forget you too, Jetro. Next time, I won't be affected by your presence.

Maybe I was just infatuated with his good looks, but eventually, I'll forget him like Almira says.

The days passed quickly, and I became busy with a new project. I was assigned to the department store. I didn't make it to the project my colleagues applied for.

I heard that Mimi's earnings were substantial there because their customers were wealthy. They sold imported and expensive alcohol, so they had duty at high-end clubs. I hope to join them in the next event. It's a bit lonely since I'm the only one in my current post.

My daily earnings are still decent, reaching three thousand in just one day. I stand and do sales talk for eight hours, handle inventory when needed, and enter and exit at eleven at night.

I need to promote baby products. The prices of the items are staggering, so at first, I didn't expect to reach my sales quota. But it's not as hard to sell as I thought.

I do meet my quota, but it's not like the commission I got from lotion sales during the first event.

Today is my last day at work, and I hope something miraculous happens, that I can make many sales.

"Hi, ma'am," I greeted the woman in formal attire passing by my station. I smiled and refocused my attention on counting items. I thought she was just passing through, but I felt her stop and stand behind me.

"Yes, ma'am, perhaps you'd like to try my product. It's perfect as a gift for your nieces or godchildren," I said with a smile.

She didn't look like she had children. I felt she was a few years older than me. She smiled and nodded.

I didn't expect her to be a customer, so I started my sales pitch.

"This product is hypoallergenic, ma'am, so it's very safe for babies."

I was about to continue when she said she wanted to buy thirty six pieces and the most expensive ones.

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. But eventually, I took thirty-six items from the shelf and placed them in a basket. Then I assisted her to the counter for payment.

"Oh, you're heaven-sent, ma'am. Thank you so much," I expressed my gratitude. She smiled and nodded.

"Don't thank me," she said, furrowing my brow, but I thanked her again as she left.

I felt like ma'am brought me good luck because I made several sales after she left.

Around six in the evening, Bjorn passed by.

"Hey, gorgeous. I just passed by to see you," he said. We texted, but this was the first time we had seen each other in a while. I gave a restrained smile, feeling a bit awkward, worried about what others might think about our interactions during work hours.

I cleared my throat and held my items. "Would you like to buy, sir?" I encouraged him.

"Give me one of each variant," he said. My eyes widened. I had acted coy with ma'am earlier, but now I immediately complied, grabbing a basket and filling it with items.

"Do you have a lot of nieces?" I asked, remembering he didn't have children.

"My nieces are abroad," he replied. I briefly glanced at him and thought for a moment.

"Who are you getting these for?" I asked again.

"I'll take them home. I'll save them for our future children," he joked, adding a wink.

I blushed at his remark and bit my lip to hold back my laughter because of his playful words. But no matter how much I tried to restrain myself, I couldn't help but chuckle. If we weren't at work, I might have playfully slapped his arm for his antics.

But why was I getting so flustered?

"You're quite the joker," I said while turning away from him. I counted the items in the basket to make sure I included all the variants.

"I'm not joking. Why does everything I say to you sound like a joke?" I cleared my throat and didn't reply. His playful remarks seemed to be working. Just a little more, Bjorn. I might just give in.

After properly organizing the products he was buying, I guided him to the counter for payment. His teasing had gone far enough.

"This way, sir," I gestured the path to the cashier and took a step forward with the basket. However, he quickly took it from my hands.

What a gentleman. I smiled again. After he paid, I thanked him.

"I want to take you out for dinner, but you still have work, and I have a flight at ten. Maybe next week, we can go out for lunch or dinner together?" I nodded, and he smiled sweetly.

"Take care, my love," he said before leaving. I couldn't help but watch him as he walked away.

"A few more dates and I think I'd fall for you," I whispered, trying to suppress my smile and excitement.

I shook my head. I felt like a fool. I turned to arrange the items, making sure not to bump into anything.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized to a customer, distracted by my thoughts.

"Tsk. Flirting while at work," a familiar baritone voice muttered. I straightened up and slowly looked up. He had a very serious expression, and his gaze was fixed on me without any love in his eyes.

I took a deep breath. The familiar scent reached my nose, and I briefly closed my eyes. But when I realized what I had done, I stepped back, avoiding his gaze and clearing my throat.

I hadn't forgotten the stolen kiss. It was meant for my future boyfriend, not for him.

I ignored him, walking to his side, as he was blocking the shelf where my items were displayed.

"What time will you finish today?" he asked after a few seconds. He still hadn't left.

Wait, did he ask me what time I'd finish so he could invite me to dinner?

"I can't right now. I have plans with my friends," I replied. I needed to play hard to get a bit. Since he was the one approaching me, he should put in some effort.

"What are you talking about? Adrian asked me to pick you up because you're staying at their place," he explained. I suddenly felt stupid.

"Okay, thank you. I get off at eleven. You can go home; I'll take a taxi to their place," I responded without looking at him.

Force me, I sneak into my thoughts. I waited for them to speak again, but all I heard are his arrogant footsteps moving away.

Wow, not even a goodbye! I couldn't help but shake my head at that rude person.

Adrian knows that his friend is so snobbish to me. Why did he ask him for a favor? He could have just texted me to let me know I could go home there.

I had a big smile on my face as I left work. My commission was bigger than my salary, so even though I was tired, it was replaced by joy.

The next day, I'm going to open a bank account to start saving there.

"Thank you, Lord," I whispered as I stepped out of the backdoor. Blessings have been pouring into my life lately.

I walked towards the front of the mall to catch a taxi. When I was close to the line, a sports car pulled up right next to me. My heart raced when I saw that Jetro was the owner of the car.

"Hop in," he ordered. I didn't play hard to get because I was tired and wanted to get to Ate Tasha's quickly. I wanted to eat and sleep.

I took the front seat and opened the door myself since he wasn't much of a gentleman. I got in quietly and fastened my seatbelt.

The trip to Tasha's took about thirty minutes. It was also thirty minutes that Jetro had to endure having me in his car. It was clear that he didn't want me to be with him and only did it because Adrian asked him to.