Page 1 of The Grumpy Billionaire

ChapterOne

Stella

My new roommate,Kelsey, comes to my bedroom door while I’m unpacking my socks-and-ceramic-owls box.

“If you’re in a place to take a break, some of us are going for a picnic in the park. Just food truck stuff. You can meet everyone!”

Kelsey’s loud and fun and she wears the biggest earrings of anybody I’ve ever met.

“I would love to, but I need to finish,” I tell her. This is mostly a lie.

“There might be hula hoop dancers,” she tries.

“Tempting,” I say.

“No, I get it. You just moved and you have a big day tomorrow.” She picks up a small ceramic owl with big retro eyes. “You sure love owls.”

“That’s Chester, one of my first.”

“Love.” She puts him back on the shelf. “Next time!” With that, she’s off.

I sink to the floor amidst the chaos of my new bedroom and silently freak out.

Yesterday while the movers were hauling in the last of my boxes, Kelsey confessed to me how relieved she is to have found a subletter with a decent job who she actually likes. She said it three times—“Somebody gainfully employed who I actually like! And is fun and sane!”

Like she hit the jackpot with me. She was so impressed that I moved here for my dream job…which fell through not fifteen minutes ago.

They called me—on a Sunday—to inform me of this.

I don’t know how I’m going to tell her.

Landing my dream job was this big bright spot in my life after my fiancé crushed my heart. It was terrifying to move to New York all by myself, to sublet a room in an apartment with a perfect stranger, but I closed my eyes and took the leap.

“There’s been a change in direction with the position.” –That’s all the HR person at Zevin Media would say.

Translation: I can’t tell you.

I’ve been in the business world long enough to know that it’s bizarre to pay for somebody to move hundreds of miles only to fire them—on a Sunday—the day before they start.

How could they do this to me? How am I supposed to pay my rent now?

Supposedly they were impressed by my award-winning work. The team and I had amazing chemistry over endless Zoom interviews. Everybody was excited.

Something big changed.

What?

I sit there feverishly thinking through my social media history. Too many owls? Too much Taylor Swift? Do they hate Team Jacob? But shitty social media is a rookie mistake I’d never make.

I do some self-pep-talking.

You’re okay.

You have a few weeks to figure out rent.

You’ve been through hard things before.

It’s probably not even about you!

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