Page 2 of My Orc Billionaire
Her eye roll told me she didn’t believe it. “Imeantabout the interview. This Abydos guy lives here on Eastshore?”
Ah. Well, this I could answer. I might not know much about himpersonally, but…
“Apparently not full time.” I turned back to my platter and began to lay out the brownies and other treats I’d selected. “I’ve had two calls with the guy’s assistant—” I sent Mom a smirk over my shoulder. “His name is Mr. Sylvik, and he sounds like he knows what he’s doing.”
“And what’d he say about the big shot?”
I carefully placed a chocolate-cherry ball beside a lime tart. “Mr. Abydos has a full-time residence in Colorado near his mine, and works remotely basicallyall the time.Buthis biggest stockholders all live here on Eastshore now, and Tarkhan talked him into building a house here on the island.”
Mom hummed; I could hear her chewing. “Does Sami have any insight?—?"
“She’s never evenmethim,” I interrupted, studying the tray. “Her husband’s best friend, and he’s never invited them over or anything. She says he’s really reclusive, and he’s not even usually here on Eastshore. Just built the house to get Tark off his back and to have someplace to meet with shareholders.”
With a little flourish, I tucked in a mini silk-mum-and-autumn-leaf embellishment and stared down at the tray critically. Then, deciding my dessert presentation was as good as I could make it, I turned and rested my hip against the counter, waggling my brows.
“And that’s where Mr. Sylvik got technical. Basically, Mr. Abydos’s Eastshore residence is a work space.Butsince it wasn’t zoned commercial, and the mayor has passed all those rules about permits for rental homes versus full-time residences…”
Mom’s eyes lit up as she understood. “He had to classify his new mansion as a full-time residence?”
I nodded. “Yep. Which means someone has to be living there, even when Mr. Abydos is in Colorado. Which apparently is likeallthe time. He’s just planning on being here for meetings, which he’ll need catered.”
“So you’ll be the live-in personal chef when he’s there, and when he’s not…” Mom clapped in excitement. “I’m going to come visit you in your new mansion, lovebug! A salary, a mansion, and health benefits for sitting around waiting for him to show up?”
I had to chuckle at her enthusiasm. “I still have to pass the final interview—the guy has to meet me andlikemy food, although Mr. Sylvik promised me he’ll approve of the sample menus I put together. I guess they’ve been working together for years, and he knows Mr. Abydos well.”
Mom shrugged. “Well, if he’s as reclusive as your cousin says, it makes sense that he has someone to help him interact with the world.” Her nose wrinkled in that adorable way she did whenever she was feeling Big Feelings. “I can’t imagine what kind of difficulty he must have overcome to go from joining our world to becoming a billionaire in a few short years. How did he evenmakethat much money?”
“Oh, actually, I do know that!” I reached for my phone in the back pocket of the chef pants I worebasicallyevery day these days and began to pull up some of the articles I’d found about Vengeance, Inc. “Apparently finding lithium in the Rockies was lucrative, but he didn’t start making a real profit until he began to process it. Up until then, manufacturers—especially for things like electric vehicles—had to deal with plants in Asia. Since his is not only here, but on the East Coast, he’s cornering the markets in this countryandmaking headway in Europe.”
Since Mom was nodding along, I figured she understood…right up until she—still nodding—said, “What?”
“What, what?” I raised one brow.
“I understood most of those words, lovebug, but not the order.”
Oh Lord. “What part didn’t make sense?”
“He made his money making electric cars? Like that musky guy?”
Did she evenhavethe internet? I hid my smirk by sliding my phone back into my pocket. “He makes batteries, Mom. Expensive batteries.”
“And you make delicious desserts!” With a big smile, Mom pushed away from the counter and crossed the kitchen, arms wide. “You’re going to utterly wow him, I know it.”
Honestly, as she enveloped me in a hug, Ididfeel pretty good. Not just because of the chocolate and the hug, although that helped—her vote of confidence in me was what I needed to psych myself up.
Ididmake delicious desserts, and amazing mains, and everything in between. Iknewthat. I knew how to work in a big commercial kitchen or on a yacht’s galley. I had lots of experience as a private chef, and I knew how to talk the talk and walk the walk.
In an hour, I would make myself look far more professional and put-together than I normally did, and I would march into that interview with my platter of desserts and all the confidence I could armor myself in…
And I would kick ass.
Iwouldget this job.
Not just because I loved the freedom of being a private chef, not just because it would mean not having to share my mom’s space…but because the salary was enough for me to start chipping away at my debt and the health benefits would cover my ass with all these follow-up appointments.
Opportunities like this were rare, and frankly, unheard of on small islands like this one. It was practically a miracle this one popped up right when I needed it, in the same small town where my family lived.
Yeah, I needed this job, and I was going to do everything in my power to get it.
