Page 1 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Maid

Chapter 1

NINA

The bus hissed to a stop, and I stepped onto the bustling sidewalk, the strap of my duffel bag clutched in my fist like a lifeline. Up above, the towering steel and glass skyscrapers of downtown Huntington Harbor swallowed me whole. I coughed as the air was thick with exhaust fumes and the scent of grilled onions from the street food carts along the sidewalk. The crowd moved at a frenetic pace, everybody looking straight ahead or at their phones. They parted around me like a rushing river, in a rhythm that was disorienting to my small-town bones. In the distance, car horns blared as if in a shouting contest.

This is it, I thought. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat. The city of dreams. Or at least, the city of second chances. The air of the bustling city was electric and overwhelming. It was alive in a way that my hometown could never be. I couldn't tell if the shiver running down my spine was from excitement or fear.

A man in a suit bumped into me, muttering an apology I barely heard. I clutched my bag tighter, my fingers digging into the worn fabric. You wanted this, I reminded myself.

In my jacket pocket, my phone rang. It was my sister, Maggie, whom I had been living with in Pine Falls while I arranged for a job in the city.

"You made it!" Maggie's voice crackled through the phone. "How's the big city treating you so far?"

"It's overwhelming," I admitted, craning my neck to look up at the buildings that seemed to touch the sky. "But amazing. I can't believe I'm actually here."

Maggie's chuckle was a comforting anchor. "You're going to kill it, Nina. Just don't let the city chew you up and spit you out." She paused. "Max drew you a superhero cape. Said you'll need it."

My chest ached as I thought of my little nephew. "Tell him I'm wearing it invisibly," I said. Blinking rapidly, I cleared the wetness in my eyes. "I'll call you later after the interview."

As I hung up, I glanced at the address on my phone. The Discreet Talent Connections Agency was just a few blocks away. It was the first step toward my dream. Even if it meant cleaning up after some grumpy billionaire.

The agency's sleek interior gleamed under the city's harsh light through endless rows of glass windows. Inside, the air was cool and sterile, carrying the faint scent of chemical disinfectant. The walls were a stark white, interrupted only by abstract art that looked like a monkey threw a bunch of paint at a canvas.

"Excuse me," I said. "I have an appointment with Gladys Harper."

The receptionist sat behind a polished steel desk, her nails clicking against the keyboard as she barely glanced up before jerking her chin to the right toward.

I wandered through the open office in the direction she indicated, past rows of cubicles. The sound of typing and ringing phones filled the office. Gladys sat behind a sleek desk, her sharp eyes narrowing as I entered. "Nina Sorenson," she said, gesturing to the chair across from her.

I perched on the edge of the seat, spine straight, trying to ignore the way my palms were sweating.

"Pine Falls, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She leaned back, arms folded. "Tell me, Nina. Why should I send you to someone like Dean Nightfang? Let's just say, he's not the easiest to work for."

The warning in her tone didn't scare me. "I'm not afraid of a challenge," I said, meeting her gaze. "And I've never met a mess I couldn't fix."

Gladys' lips twitched, like she was fighting a smile. "Fair enough." She leaned forward, her sharp eyes locking onto mine. "But you should know, Dean Nightfang's gone through more housekeepers than I can count. And trust me, I've been counting."

Her tone was light, but there was an edge to it that made me sit up straighter. "How bad can he be?" I asked, trying to sound braver than I felt.

"Let me put it this way," she said, her voice dry. "Mr. Nightfang is reclusive, messy, and has a temper that could scare off agrizzly bear. The last housekeeper we sent quit after he threw a coffee mug at the wall. Her head was inches away from where the cup landed. Don't worry. He missed her, but the wall wasn't so lucky."

I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting. "Why are you still working for him?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Because he pays triple what anyone else will. And because he's Dean Nightfang. You don't fire a client like him. You adapt and learn to survive."

Great. Just great.

As I stepped back onto the street, the keycard felt heavy in my hand, like it was weighted with more than just plastic and circuitry. A live-in job. No commuting. That's a good thing, right? It's just cleaning. How bad can it be?

But Gladys' warning words echoed in my mind as I waited for the bus to my new job and home. I squared my shoulders and gripped the keycard tighter. I'm not like the others. I'm not going to run. The city hummed around me, its energy pulsing through the pavement beneath my feet. This is my chance. I'm not going to blow it.

The penthouse door slid open before I could knock. "Welcome to the disaster zone," drawled a voice from the ceiling. Smooth, slightly sarcastic, and entirely too amused. "I'm Jenkins, Mr. Nightfang's autonomous butler. Also known as, the one who actually runs this place. Or should I say, the one who tries to prevent it from collapsing in on itself."

I stepped inside and nearly tripped over a rogue robotic arm. Standing there, I stared in shock at the mess I had gotten myself into. The penthouse was chaos incarnate, a stark contrast to thegleaming, modern exterior of the building. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the city skyline, but the glass was smudged with greasy fingerprints and dust. Half-finished tech gadgets littered every surface, their blinking lights and exposed wires giving the room a mad scientist's lab vibe. Towers of empty coffee cups teetered on the edges of minimalist designer furniture, their contents long since dried into sticky rings.

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