The Virgin Secretary: A Billionaire Romance

by Cross, Veronica

  Janet had grown accustomed to the place but always felt slightly out of place. She never made any friends since the rich kids preferred to hang out with each other and Janet would feel like an outsider amongst them anyway. Plus, they weren’t exactly what she would call ‘nice.' Since none of them had any studying to do (courtesy of their future being set), they spent most of their time bullying and picking on the ‘lesser’ students. You’d think people grew up after high school. These children were worse. Up until her junior year, Janet had managed to stay out of their way. It wasn’t that she was scared; she wasn’t. She just wanted an uneventful university life, graduate quickly and move back home to reunite with her family. The loneliness at Georgia was purely based on her financial background, and she hated it. She was counting down the days until her graduation. Up until the middle of her junior year, it was all good. She was invisible and hence, no one bothered her.

  But one day, because of a spilled cup of coffee and a scared transfer student, Janet Price’s life was changed forever. She was no longer invisible. And eventually, she was no longer lonely either.

  Chapter One: The Big Day

  Normally, your big day would be your birthday. Or your graduation. Or your wedding. Any important event that can change your life forever and turn it around. Janet Price’s big day, however, was slightly different from a normal person’s.

  It started off like a normal, uneventful day. Janet woke up in her small, one room apartment and grudgingly dressed for classes. She had a packed schedule on Tuesday’s, so she wasn’t expecting any free time on her hands. After she had finished classes, she had to fulfill her duties as a part-time waitress at The Four Stars, a tiny but cozy coffee shop nearby her apartment. The only friend Janet had in the city was her colleague and fellow waitress, Marlene Brown. Slightly older than Janet, Marlene had already graduated. In the mornings, she worked at a small start-up with a friend. In the evenings, she worked as a waitress to help make ends meet. Marlene had no family except for a younger sister and had to look out for the both of them.

  And so Janet planned on meeting Marlene after work and unwinding. But how different can life turn out to be from the way we plan it. Or even a single day. And how much influence can a single day have on our whole life? Janet was only just about to find out.

  A canceled class led to a bit of free time opening up in her packed schedule and so Janet found herself in the library as she often did when she had free time. She preferred to avoid the general population of Georgia. It was during her time at the library that she stumbled across the first aspect that would change her life forever: a transfer student.

  Aveline Rousseau was a blonde, French girl who had transferred to Georgia from a university in Paris. Regarding classifying her within the student body, Aveline didn’t fit in anywhere, much like Janet. But unlike Janet, it had nothing to do with Aveline’s financial background. Aveline, like most other students, was rich and well off. However, being a transfer student in the middle of her junior year had left her lonely as well. And so Janet found her clumsily stumbling through the library, trying to find some book or another.

  “Need some help?” Janet asked as Aveline walked through the shelves looking flustered and clutching a piece of paper with some book names scribbled on it.

  “Oh yes, thank you!” Aveline eagerly handed her the paper.

  “Hmm,” Janet glanced down at the paper. “Looks like you’re in the wrong section…”

  After they had located Aveline’s books, Janet offered to share her table with her to which Aveline happily agreed.

  “You’re Janet,” Aveline remarked after settling down which was surprising because Janet wasn’t the kind of person most students knew of. She was in fact, quite the opposite. “We have Advanced Calculus II together.”

  “Yeah I know,” Janet replied. “I didn’t think you would notice me, though.”

  “You’re the one who always sits in front of the class and answers all of Professor Pakpen’s questions. Who wouldn’t know you?”

  “That’s not really what people are known for here in Georgia.”

  “True,” Aveline nodded understandingly. “But I’m observant about such things.”

  Janet discovered many things about Aveline that day, including the fact that she lived in a big and fancy house which was a ten-minute drive from Georgia. Having your own houses was the norm at Georgia, for the rich students. There was a small town next to Georgia called Efe Tur, where all the rich kids had big villas and mansions. The café where Janet worked was located inside this little town too, so she had experienced her share of elite arrogance. Aveline didn’t seem to care that Janet was a scholarship student for which Janet was grateful; it was rare to find someone in Georgia who didn’t care. Sometimes, Janet thought that Georgia was a magnet for arrogant brats from the elite class.

  And this is how Janet became acquainted with the transfer student.

  They decided to get lunch together and headed for the Kale Café, named after Kale Conner, the mother of a student (Kan Conner) who built the café. Ever since Kale’s generous donation, Kan had become somewhat of a hero for the university administration.

  While they had lunch, Janet silently observed a rowdy group of boys dominating the hall with their jokes and laughter. In the center was Ethan Reed, one of the richest students in Georgia. His father was running for senator, and his mother was the owner of Dostlar which was a bus company providing services in over 15 countries and reaping more money than Janet could imagine. Though Janet had never spoken to Ethan, she had leveled him from a distance quite often and decided that she did not like him. Ethan Reed was a senior at Georgia. He was often found bullying other students, making rude comments and laughing at things beyond people’s controls. He did this for his entertainment since he had way too much free time on his hands. Along with him were George Gamez, Kan Conner, and Jih Beton. George Gamez was the son of a rich businessman though Janet wasn’t sure what the business was. Kan Conner’s mother was the owner of a chain of hotels, restaurants, and cafes based in several countries. Jih Baton was Japanese American, with rich Japanese diplomats as parents. Of the four, Jih Baton was the quiet and mysterious one. Though he never stopped his fellow friends from bullying the ‘lesser’ students, he never took part in it either, usually standing by the side, looking bored. Jih Baton had mysterious gray eyes, hair that fell to his shoulders and a tall demeanor. The strange Japanese exoticness made him even more alluring. Janet frequently observed him from a distance, admiring his good looks.

  Ethan Reed was your tall, dark and handsome typical American boy. He had an extremely charming smile which had girls swooning over him. He wasn’t usually interested, preferring to stick with his other three friends though frequently, you could find him extremely intimate with one girl or another, with no respect for privacy. Ethan was also extremely brilliant, doing well in classes despite all his indifference.

  Kan Conner and George Gamez weren’t too brilliant or too good looking, but you would always find them with a couple of girls at their arms, courtesy of their money, Janet supposed.

  Aveline saw Janet observing the group as Ethan cracked a joke, raising laughter from the onlookers.

  “Like what you see?” Aveline asked.

  “Ethan?” Janet was surprised. “Who would like Ethan?”

  “He’s gorgeous.”

  “And a terrible person.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I’m observant.”

  Aveline shrugged. “He’s beautiful, though.”

  Janet rolled her eyes. “Try not to get in his bad books then.”

  “What do you mean?” Aveline seemed genuinely ignorant to Ethan and his friends’ horrible acts on people who failed to enter their good books.

  “They’re terrible to people who… piss them off,” Janet tried to explain. “This one time, a boy accidently stepped on Ethan’s shoes. Since Ethan was bored, he made a big deal out of it. Insulted him in front of everyone.
Nobody talked to the poor boy for weeks. If you’re in Ethan’s bad books, you’re in the whole university’s bad books.”

  “Why didn’t the boy try to do something?”

  “What could he do?”

  “Report him for bullying.”

  “Ethan’s father is on the board of advisors of Georgia. Any complaint will fall on deaf ears. Plus, I think the boy just wanted to go back to being invisible. His name is Yalova by the way.”

  “Going back to being invisible?”

  “Yeah,” Janet replied. “You’re either invisible or rich at Georgia.”

  “Why didn’t this Yalova answer him back?”

  “Everyone is scared of Ethan. He’s too influential. And too rich. He can do anything; to your family. Or to your job.”

  “Has he ever done that?”

  “From what I’ve heard, yes. A boy once stood up against him, and the next day, he had lost his job which was the only thing helping him stay in Georgia.”

  “That’s terrible,” Aveline said, sounding shocked.

  “You really haven’t heard of Ethan, Kan, George and Jih? You’ve been here for quite some time now.”

  “Three months,” Aveline replied glumly.

  “Don’t worry,” Janet comforted her. “You don’t have to be invisible. You have money.”

  “I don’t care about that,” Aveline replied at once. “I don’t want to befriend people like these. I like you. You’re different.”

  Janet was touched by her words. It was rare to hear something like that here.

  “But Janet,” Aveline continued. “I’m scared now. What if he does something to me?”

  “He won’t. Just stay out of his way.”

  However, as fate would have it, Aveline couldn’t stay out of his way. As they walked out of lunch, they had the misfortune of passing right next to Ethan’s table. Just as they passed his table, Ethan pushed his chair back to stand up. He turned and bumped right into Aveline, who panicked and spilled the coffee she was holding- on Ethan’s shirt. The laughter erupting from the table suddenly died out as everyone watched for his reaction.

  Aveline looked scared as she stammered to apologize. “I-I’m s-so s-sorry. Didn’t see you there.” She grabbed a tissue from the table and tried to wipe Ethan’s shirt, but he stepped out of her reach.

  “Your sorry isn’t going to un-spill your coffee,” he said, maliciously.

  “Let her go, Ethan,” George said. “She’s cute,” he added with a wink at Aveline.

  “I will decide who I let go,” Ethan deadpanned, but George looked unperturbed. Ethan turned back to Aveline. “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

  “I d-didn’t s-see you,” Aveline was sobbing now. Janet was beginning to think it wasn’t such a good idea to tell Janet about Ethan’s past acts.

  “Clearly. Why don’t you wear another pair of glasses, four eyes?” Ethan said.

  Janet was torn between defending her friend and staying invisible and out of Ethan’s bad books. Aveline had been extremely sweet. But Janet couldn’t afford to lose her job or her mental peace as those were the two things getting her through university. Ethan would ruin them both if she spoke up.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Ethan demanded.

  “I-I’m sorry-” Aveline stammered again.

  “This is the tenth tim-”

  Janet made up her mind as she watched Aveline sobbing. “Leave her alone, Ethan. You heard her. It was a mistake.”

  Ethan paused and turned to look at her, sizing her up.

  “Well, well,” he began. “What do we have here?”

  Janet stood her ground. “Leave her alone,” she repeated.

  “And you are?” Ethan replied.

  “She’s the teacher’s pet,” Kan Conner drawled. “The one with all the answers.”

  Janet was surprised once again. She didn’t think any of them knew her.

  “Well then, answer this. What am I to do with this spilled coffee?”

  “Buy a new shirt, Ethan,” Janet replied, rolling her eyes. She knew the repercussions would be tough so she might as well get everything out. The other boys hooted and clapped at her answer.

  “What’s your name?” Ethan asked. His voice was quiet, but his eyes were lit with fire.

  “That’s irrelevant,” Janet replied.

  “She works at The Four Stars,” George added.

  “Scared of telling me your name?” Ethan smirked at her.

  Janet shook her head. “I’m not scared of your idiocy, Ethan. I’m Janet.”

  “Well, Janet. I’ll make sure you’re scared soon.” His voice was deadly as he said it. With a last glance at Janet and Aveline, Ethan left the hall.

  Janet sighed and took Aveline by the arm, guiding her outside. Aveline was hysterical by now. “He’ll ruin my life,” she wailed.

  Janet wasn’t sure why Aveline was so worried. It was Janet who needed to be worried. She was the one who had spoken up, and she was the one with a job that she needed to complete her degree. Aveline had just cried and apologized. Plus, she had rich parents too. There was not much Ethan could do to her.

  “He won’t ruin your life, Aveline,” Janet said patiently.

  “You said he ruins everyone’s lives. I should have stayed out of his way.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  But Aveline kept crying. After half an hour, Janet escorted Aveline to her car which had a driver waiting. Aveline was relatively calm by now. As Aveline was driven away, Janet waved, only half attentive. It was she who should be worried. Ethan wasn’t likely to forget this.

  Chapter Two: The Repercussions

  Janet walked into university the next day, and the first thing she noticed was a group of giggling girls throwing her furtive glances and whispering. That was normal; every time Ethan deemed someone unworthy of human behavior, his fangirl group decided to humiliate the person by their stingy comments. Ethan had been intimate with every one of these girls, or so rumor had it, and probably kept them all hanging on hopes of more which explained their obsession with him.

  “Hey Serving Girl!” one of the girls called. Janet figured they had seen her working at The Four Stars. Or maybe, everyone knew that now owing to her outburst the previous day.

  “Thought you could get away with answering Ethan back because you’re a girl?” another one called. “Have you forgotten Ethan has all of us? Even if he’s too gentlemanly to say anything to a girl, we’re still here.” They burst out laughing at that. Janet kept walking, too annoyed at their stupidity. It was very much like Ethan to set a few girls to torture her instead of doing it himself. He had never had an encounter with a girl before so no one knew how he would react.

  Janet continued hearing snide comments from several different girls throughout the day. It was almost like everyone knew of the events that had taken place there. She didn’t see Ethan, but he had done his job well. By the end, she was dying to get out of university and head back to her apartment. When she was finally done at school, she had work, so she headed straight to The Four Stars but what she found there made her wish the events of the previous day had never happened. Ethan was sitting with Madame Pamule, sharing a cup of coffee and chatting good-naturedly. Madame Pamule was the owner and manager of The Four Stars. When Madame Pamule spotted Janet, she waved her over.

  “Janet, your friend, has been waiting for you for ages,” she said. “And a charming young man he is. Don’t keep him waiting. You don’t have to work today.”

  “I’d rather work,” said Janet. She didn’t know what Ethan was up to, but it was nothing good, clearly. Madame Pamule, however, looked enamored by whatever charm he had used on her.

  “Don’t worry about it. I won’t cut your pay days. Ethan took care of that. You’re free.”

  “No, Madame Pamule-” Janet began, but she was already leaving. Janet turned to Ethan and frowned.

  “If you think you can threaten me by showing up here and talking to my manager, you’re mistaken,�
� Janet began.

  “Sit,” said Ethan, pointing to the chair in front of him.

  Janet thought of arguing, but there was no point. Madame Pamule had already dismissed her for the day, and she didn’t have much choice.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Just gathering some background information on you,” Ethan replied casually, stirring his coffee. Up close, he really was gorgeous. He had green eyes and light brown hair. Janet thought she should tell Aveline next time she saw her but that wasn’t really appropriate in this situation.

  “Pam told me everything.”

  “Pam?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you’re on a nickname basis with her now?”

  “I’m charming,” Ethan replied. “You’re a scholarship student, as was obvious by your clear disregard for manners yesterday. Clearly, no one taught you how to talk to others.”

  “How to talk to rich kids, you mean?” Janet knew she was pushing it, but she was furious now. There must be an upper limit to how arrogant a person could be.

  “You work here part-time to meet your tuition fee. Your mom is a junior accountant, and your dad is a cab driver. You need this job.”

  Suddenly, Janet was scared. If Ethan were planning on getting her fired, she would have to find a new job and quickly since the semester fee was due in a month. Her parents were already working hard to fill the gap between tuition and scholarship and Janet wanted to help them in any way that she could. She couldn’t afford to lose this job. It was the only way to complete her degree. What if he did get her fired and she was unable to pay her tuition? She would be kicked out then and jobless, with no degree. Now she was really scared.