Marry Your Billionaire: A Modern Cinderella

by C. J. Anaya

  Brody’s dazzling smile nearly stopped her in her tracks.

  “I’m not worried,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve caught you before, and I’ll catch you again.”

  “Prove it, Brody Prescott!” She tapped him lightly on the shoulder and sprinted away. “Tag, you’re it.”

  Brody sprang into action and easily caught up with her. He wrapped his arms around her and spun her in circles.

  “I suppose I should consider myself good and caught,” she murmured after their laughter died down.

  He turned her to face him and dove his fingers into the soft curls at the nape of her neck.

  “It’s about time,” he said before taking her lips with his and sealing their happily ever after with kiss after kiss after kiss.

  Her freckles were next on his list.

  Author's Notes

  I hope you enjoyed Marry Your Billionaire. Plenty of love, sweat, and tears went into its creation. Not to mention an enormous amount of chocolate consumption. Inevitable, really.

  Madelyn and Brody’s love story wouldn’t be the success that it has become without supportive readers like you who share the love by leaving reviews. Whether short or long, positive or filled with constructive criticism, I am happy to receive them. Please make my day by leaving a review here.

  Do you love free romances?

  Are you looking for a new book boyfriend?

  I’m giving away the first book in The Healer Series and a short story entitled My Fair Assassin absolutely free. Find out how you can download your free romances here!

  Other books by C.J. Anaya

  The Healer Series

  The Healer

  The Black Blossom

  The Grass Cutter Sword

  Double Booked

  My Fair Assassin

  Music From The Book

  I lived in Brazil for a while and quickly became obsessed with the music there. I loved groups like Revelaçao and LS Jack, but the artist who struck the biggest emotional chord with me was Djavan. I invite you to become as enamored with his music as I am.

  Faltando Um Pedaço

  Se…

  Charities From The Book

  Brody Prescott isn’t the only one who loves a good cause. The charities mentioned in this book, Children International and Smile Train, are fabulous causes I’m proud to be a part of. Find out how you can sponsor a child’s education or fund a much needed surgery for young children by visiting their websites below.

  Children International

  Smile Train

  Dates From The Book

  I received some great inspiration and dating ideas from The Dating Divas. If you are interested in spicing up your relationship with your significant other, I highly recommend you head on over to their website and give these ladies a visit.

  The Dating Divas

  About Reality TV

  I just know there are going to be some savvy reality TV experts out there who will read this book and note several inaccuracies. This is due in large part to the way reality TV is really filmed and my need to stay true to the story I envisioned. While some things are accurate, there are other items like laptops and cell phones being allowed on set, mics being turned off, and private conversations between contestants taking place that aren’t filmed by the crew, which may cause some questions to arise.

  Contestants on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are not generally allowed cell phones and laptops, and they can only turn their mics off when they are going to the bathroom. Every conversation and interaction between contestants and the bachelor or the bachelorette are fair game. As you can imagine, sticking strictly to reality TV rules would have made some of those important conversations between Midge and Brody impossible to negotiate. Some plot points would have taken a very different turn.

  I figured I could employ a little creative license in that department and create my own reality TV rules since this is a work of fiction meant to entertain rather than to be taken too seriously. While I hope this book touches your heart and inspires you to hold more tightly to your significant other, I also hope you’ll simply have fun with it.

  If you would like to learn about reality TV and what shooting The Bachelor is really like, I highly recommend you pick up a book called For The Right Reasons by Sean Lowe. Sean was a contestant on The Bachelorette and starred on season seventeen of The Bachelor. I didn’t read it until after I wrote my story, because I didn’t want it to color the vision I’d already created for Marry Your Billionaire. When I did get the chance to read it, I found it to be insightful, inspiring, and heartwarming. A really stellar book. If you want to go behind the scenes of reality TV and understand the challenges Sean faced while navigating that world, you should grab this book.

  For The Right Reasons

  The Healer

  Chapter One

  It was annoying, really, this feeling of being watched, wondering if I was going crazy or if the strange presence I’d felt over the past two weeks was more than just a figment of my imagination. I guess it was possible I was imagining the whole thing. Considering the level of paranoia my father operated under on a daily basis, and the fact I had a tendency to absorb other people’s emotions as if they were my own, there was a distinct possibility I was losing it.

  I wasn’t afraid of my watcher, even though fear would have been a healthy response. I simply understood I was capable of the impossible, possessing skills that were valuable to people both good and bad. The thought of someone spying on me seemed inevitable at this point.

  My father did everything he could to keep my particular skill set a secret. For all intents and purposes I was your average seventeen-year-old who lived her life just like any other teenager. I dealt with normal teenage problems and had normal teenage experiences.

  Oh yeah, I’m totally normal.

  I think I was just ready for something to finally happen. I was also sick of hiding who I was and what I was capable of. Instead of ignoring my stalker, I was tempted to turn around and confront this faceless observer.

  That’s it! That’s exactly what I would do. I would turn around, throw my hands up in the air and scream, “Okay, you got me. You’ve finally figured it out. Take me to whatever freaky government lab you want and start dissecting my brain for answers. Then maybe you will be able to tell me why I do what I do.”

  It wasn’t that I didn’t understand my powers. I just couldn’t figure out why I was the only person who had them; the only person on this planet capable of healing illnesses and injuries in ten seconds or less.

  I almost laughed at that last thought. Ten seconds or less…it could have been a catchy business slogan if miraculous healings were something the general public accepted as totally within the realm of normal.

  I was so not normal.

  I’d been pondering the “why” for years, but had never been able to find any answers. My father refused to dig deeper and tended to avoid the topic whenever I brought it up. I couldn’t tell if this was some form of denial or maybe some kind of coping mechanism for raising a daughter with supernatural abilities. On the other hand, I always felt like he knew more than he was willing to discuss, and I never pushed him to open up about it because I was scared he might actually tell me. I wanted answers, and I was afraid of what those answers might reveal.

  Back to my strange stalker issue; I couldn’t say the presence I felt was malicious or threatening in any way. It felt more watchful. I had no way of knowing if this was good or bad; hence my irritation. I decided the best thing to do was to continue on my way to the hospital and think about it later. I had more important things on my mind.

  My father had called me not five minutes before to let me know he needed me at the hospital. Needed me! Those were his exact words. My father rarely called me back to the hospital after I’d finished a shift. He didn’t like to encourage my natural propensity for healing anything broken. He didn’t give me any more details, and I knew better than to ask. We never talked about my powers over the pho
ne.

  I had the errant thought that I should’ve grabbed my truck and driven the two blocks over there, but I was so used to my routine I hadn’t even considered it. I entered the hospital through a side entrance and ran up the stairs rather than taking the elevator. I wanted to avoid as many people as I possibly could. My father met me in the stairwell on the second floor.

  He looked awful. My stomach clenched at the thought that someone was injured.

  “Dad, what’s happened?”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door. In a lowered voice he stated, “A little girl; eight years old. Ambulance brought her in about fifteen minutes ago. She was in an awful car accident and has suffered some major head trauma.”

  “Head trauma?” My eyes shot to his face. “Dad, you know if her brain is too damaged to communicate with— ”

  My father glanced around, agitation written all over his face.

  “Hope, lower your voice. It’s bad enough I’ve brought you back here. I’ve already cleared out everyone in the ICU. As long as she’s unconscious there’s really nothing they can do, which is convenient for both of us.”

  I stared at him in amazement. “Nothing they can do? I find it hard to believe your team of doctors and nurses aren’t running any more tests just because she’s unconscious.”

  “I did the preliminary exam and told them she was dealing with a minor concussion and a broken arm.”

  I nearly stopped dead in my tracks.

  “If I can’t heal her your preliminary exam is going to have several holes in it. How could they have possibly bought that?”

  My father’s jaw tightened momentarily, a sign he was about to tell me something he was uncomfortable with. “I may have lied and stated any other tests were strictly against the parent’s religion.”

  Now I did stop dead in my tracks, trying to shake off the anxiety I was beginning to feel. “You could lose your job. If her brain is beyond repair you could-”

  My father’s grip tightened on my arm, and he continued pulling me forward. “I know, Hope. Just take a look at her, okay?”

  I couldn’t understand this. My father was no risk taker, especially when it came to my powers. This was terribly out of character for him.

  We were almost there. A few feet later we reached the entrance and rushed inside. I sucked in some air and let it out slowly, recognizing the little girl lying in the hospital bed. It all made sense now.

  “Eve?” I spun around in a panic. “You didn’t tell me it was Eve.”

  “You know I couldn’t talk about this over the phone considering how high-profile she is.”

  “Forget the fact she’s the mayor’s daughter, she’s a family friend.” I wasn’t sure I could do this. I’d babysat Eve on numerous occasions, and it was always harder to heal people I cared about. I was so afraid I’d fail. There was also the possibility Eve was supposed to die. If it was her time to go, I wouldn’t be able to heal anything, and my father would most likely be called into question for not reporting the severity of Eve’s injuries.

  “Hope, we can’t let her die. Her father would never survive it.”

  His voice was beginning to shake, and I realized he was just as upset about this as I was. Now I understood. My father would never risk discovery if it were anyone else but Eve. He’d never put me under this kind of pressure, either. He wanted my life to be just as normal as I did. If I failed to do this it would devastate me more than he could possibly imagine, and he knew it, but Eve’s parents had been close to mine since before either she or I had been born. We had to save her. I had to save her.

  “Is she meant to die, Hope?”

  I blinked; startled he’d spoken those words out loud. He was slipping. He wasn’t being as careful or as guarded as he usually was. I pushed those thoughts from my mind and turned around to face my sweet little Eve.

  I studied her for a moment and waited for that sinking feeling to settle in, but it didn’t. That was a good sign, but there was only one way to be sure.

  I walked over to her bed and reached out, gently holding her head between my hands. I closed my eyes and searched for her life force, connecting with it instantly. It was strong and welcoming, ready to receive instructions.

  “She’s not supposed to die,” I whispered.

  I could hear my father’s heavy sigh of relief echoing my own. I was pretty sure, however, that the injuries she’d sustained would most likely take her life if I didn’t concentrate and proceed with great care. The process of healing was something I never treated lightly. It required complete focus and careful attention to detail; otherwise, I could actually make things worse.

  Each healing was, after all, very different from the other, and a person’s life force was as “one of a kind” as a fingerprint. Not to mention the fact a life force could sometimes be difficult to connect with.

  Not this one, though.

  Eve possessed a spirit that was pure, innocent, and incredibly trusting. Connecting to a person’s life force was imperative in determining what was happening within their body, and if I couldn’t do that I wouldn’t be able to save her.

  I cringed inwardly and felt grateful she wasn’t conscious enough to feel the pain I was sensing. The first injuries I encountered were damage to her skull and brain tissue. I choked back a small sob. I’d spent so many hours with Eve and her vibrant personality. She was a spunky little eight-year-old, and I loved her. I did not like seeing her injuries or feeling her pain.

  I found damage to the cerebral cortex, severe swelling in the brain, and a blood clot in the anterior cerebral artery. My worry was beginning to escalate. The anterior cerebral artery supplied blood to the inner regions of the brain. There was a chance she’d have a stroke, or worse, if I didn’t dissolve the blood clot as soon as possible, but if the head trauma was any worse than this, her life force wouldn’t be able to send healing instructions to the brain, at least, none that it would be able to recognize or understand.

  I took two deep breaths to calm my emotions and focused on the blood clot, showing Eve’s life force what had to be done. I wanted the blood clot to dissipate slowly and morph into a very thin line. I offered up images from my mind and visualized this rather complex process, giving mental pictures and step-by-step instructions with as much detail as I possibly could. I saw the intelligences within the blood cells begin to respond as her life force relayed my instructions to the brain. It was more responsive than I thought it would be; a very good sign. The blood clot thinned out gradually and disappeared.

  I wanted to hold her in my arms and cry happy tears of relief. Instead, I let out a shaky sigh and moved on to the next injury.

  The brain tissue and veins surrounding the cerebral artery needed repairing, as well as the fracture to her skull. I continued relaying instructions which were received and implemented with quick efficiency. Turning my attention to the rest of her body, I was alarmed to discover a kidney had been punctured, causing severe internal bleeding. I felt certain she was supposed to live, but it was amazing the poor child had lasted this long. I gently stroked her cheek and sent images of healing, knowing they’d be followed and obeyed.

  Once I was satisfied with the condition of her kidney I focused on the rest of the damage. She had a broken arm and some superficial injuries, but they were in no way life threatening. I reluctantly left those injuries alone, knowing her body would take care of them on its own without my help. After all, it wouldn’t do for the girl to have nothing wrong with her after being in such a terrible car accident.

  I couldn’t raise suspicion or bring unwanted attention to the hospital. My father reminded me of this on a daily basis.

  I left the cuts, bruises, and broken arm alone despite an overwhelming desire to do the exact opposite. I settled for teaching Eve’s body how to speed up the healing process, instructing her life force to send certain signals to her sensory nerves, mainly the nociceptors, that no injuries had been sustained. If the signals could prevent her nerves from rec
ognizing the remaining injuries, she wouldn’t feel any pain while her body healed.

  I knew pain was an important and crucial part of healing, but with me there to monitor the healing taking place, there was simply no need for it. I wanted her body to be well rested from her ordeal, and easing her pain was the one last kindness I could give her.

  Exhausted, I gently released Eve’s small head, severing my connection with the sweet little girl. She no longer had to fight for her life. I felt a kind of tired happiness engulf my being.

  “Hope,” my dad whispered. He laid a warm, supportive hand on my shoulder and rubbed it gently.

  I’d been so absorbed in the healing, I’d completely forgotten my father was sitting in the room with us. I glanced up at him and was struck by how tired he looked.

  “Will she make it?” His voice was laced with worry and concern.

  I gave him an encouraging smile.

  “She’ll make it. She had a blood clot in her brain and some internal bleeding due to a damaged kidney, but that’s all better now.” I rubbed my tired eyes and felt the residue of the little girl’s life force slowly ebbing away from me.

  My father still looked worried even though Eve was fine. His graying sideburns and the shadows under his eyes made him look much older than his forty-three years.

  “I healed her easily,” I continued, hoping he’d stop looking so somber. I turned to watch the even rise and fall of Eve’s chest as she slumbered on; unfettered by the very serious condition her body had been in not ten minutes earlier. “She was very receptive.”

  Children were always easier to connect with. They had less baggage and a more trusting nature, unless of course their parents were monsters. Connecting with the life force of a child who’d dealt with years of abuse was nearly impossible. Fortunately, I hadn’t had much experience in that department.