The Billionaire's Salvation

MEDIA FRENZY

The following evening, as she left the pharmacy where she had seen a vacancy posted for an accountant, Vanessa winced as she rotated her neck. She had only recently entered her second trimester and she felt fatigued. Thankfully, the severe nausea she’d experienced in the first trimester had significantly eased. She had been scared for a while that it would continue through the pregnancy as experienced by some women. She wasn’t sure she would have been able to survive that. Based on what she’d read, she was supposed to have gained a second wind this trimester. She should be feeling better overall. However, all she felt was listless. She was worried about how her emotional state would affect her baby. She was also worried because she had not been able to secure another job as yet.

She was trying to find a position in a small company for she didn’t think she could handle working in a large corporation again so soon.

The baby aside, she wasn’t sure she could cope with having too many people around her.

She needed a job and she needed one soon. If she was going to be able to take care of herself and her baby, she needed a steady income for the next couple of months because soon she wouldn’t be able to work for a while.

She was seriously giving working from home as a Virtual Assistant a thought. The only reason she hadn’t yet explored that option was the fear that if she started working from home she’d become an even bigger recluse and it would be hard to break out of that habit. She needed to consider what was best for her child, and having a mother who was afraid to go outside would not fit that bill.

Vanessa was mentally debating the pros and cons of working from home as she approached her apartment building when she saw a throng of reporters littered out front.

What on earth had happened to warrant such a media frenzy she wondered?

Hoping to avoid getting caught in the mob, Vanessa pulled her keys from her purse as she walked toward the entrance to the apartment building. Just as she neared the door, one reporter apparently recognized her as the person they were waiting for and the entire group descended upon her like the plague.

Taken aback, she froze.

“Miss Anderson! Miss Anderson!” they shouted, each pushing their microphones and cameras in her face.

The flashing lights blinded her; the noise disoriented her.

“Miss Anderson is it true you are getting married to the elusive Nicklaus Ramirez?”

 Miss Anderson, how did you two meet?”

“When is the wedding?”

“Why were you two keeping the relationship a secret?”

“Are you pregnant?”  “Are you trying to trap him in marriage?”

“Will you sign a prenuptial agreement?”

“Mr Ramirez just buried his father. Isn’t it too soon to be planning a wedding?”

“Is this a love match?”

“Nicklaus Ramirez has sworn he would never marry, how did you manage to change his mind?”

The endless questions overwhelmed her and soon began to merge into one. She could not tell who was asking what or why.

The only thing she understood from the swarm of reporters was that they somehow thought she was getting married and to Nicklaus Ramirez of all people! Where they got that ridiculous notion from was beyond her, but she didn’t stick around to find out.

 Clutching her purse tightly to her body, Vanessa willed her frozen body into movement and made her way through the reporters with the help of two men who appeared out of nowhere but seemed to be going out of their way to assist her.

She was grateful for the help and felt bad she did not stick around to thank her good Samaritans properly. Self-preservation was the order of the day and so she ran into the building. Rather than wait for the elevator, she decided to use the stairs and made her way up the three flights to her floor and apartment.

Gripping her keys tightly in her hand, her hand trembled as she inserted it into the locks to open the door. Finally, behind closed doors, Vanessa slid to the floor and exhaled the breath she had no idea she was holding.

Good God! She didn’t know how celebrities and famous people coped with the media attention. Those reporters are vultures, she thought unkindly.

She couldn’t comprehend why the reporters were after her. Why would they think she was getting married to Nicklaus?

 She knew the only person who would be able to answer her question was the man himself.

She shuddered with the thought of having to call him…to hear his voice. But it couldn’t be helped. She needed answers.

Taking her cell phone out and fortifying her emotions, she dialled his personal number, he’d given her.

He answered on the second ring. “Ramirez here,” came the crisp voice.

 “Can you tell me why people think we are getting married and why reporters are circling my apartment building like vultures trying to get an interview?”

“Vanessa? – ”

 “Do you have any other fake engagements with a fake fiancé?” she snapped. “I thought you wanted to keep all of this under wraps. Why do people think we are getting married?” she whispered once more.

“Vanessa calm down. Are you at your apartment?”

Taking her silence as confirmation, he continued “don’t leave the apartment and don’t open the door for anyone. I am on my way.”

With that, he disconnected the call.

Taking another deep breath, Vanessa got off the floor and walked to her kitchen and straight to the refrigerator. She opened it and began taking out the ingredients she needed to make a sundae. When she was upset, she ate sweets and lots of sweets. Her pregnancy had only magnified that.

Armed with a huge bowl of sundae and a spoon, she made her way back to her sofa and sat with her feet curled under her, as she contemplated her options.

Maybe she should move out of town. Go to a town that was less expensive to live in. It’s not like if she had any familial ties here or any friends she would miss or who would miss her. Besides, she didn’t have a job right now so there wasn’t anything stopping her from moving. It seemed like a very good idea. The only thing that gave her pause was the notion of being surrounded by strangers after she had her baby and having to acclimatize to a new environment while pregnant. The very thought of having to do that unsettled her. She did not do well in new environments. It took her a while to settle in and she really wasn't looking forward to uprooting herself and having to start all over again. But perhaps, that is what she needed to start her healing process – a change of environment, one where she could put down roots and create a warm home for her baby.

She mulled over a dozen different options as she worked on polishing off her sundae. Not coming to any conclusive decision as to what she wanted to do, she deciding to drown out her endless thoughts.

Vanessa turned on the television to watch the latest episode of LAW AND ORDER: Special Victims Unit. She loved police procedurals and she especially loved the lead character – Olivia Benson played by Mariska Hargitay. Since her ordeal, she'd grown even closer to the show because then she was able to pretend there was someone out there who cared enough about her to want to fight for her to receive justice.