The Billionaire's Bride

Beginnings

RYAN's POV
The shrill sound of the alarm jolted him awake and he stretched an arm to turn it off, knocking it down in the process. He placed a pillow over his head and groaned. The damn thing was so loud. He rolled off his bed, picked it up and removed its batteries. He was never going to use it again. He looked around and saw his clothes scattered around the floor. He made a mental note to inform one of the maids to clean his room and walked slowly into his adjoining bathroom. He turned on the shower and thought about the day he was going to have. He had been to his father's company a few times and was used to the way things worked around there. Daniel had offered to pick him up on his way to work but he had declined. He didn't want to start his first day at work looking like the little brother.
He dried himself off and got dressed in a black shirt and black tailored pants. He left the two top buttons on his shirt open and rolled his sleeves up. He put on his shoes and admired his reflection in the mirror.
He walked out of his room and down the stairs. He heard his mum and sister laughing in the kitchen and walked towards their voices. They both sat down on the counter stools, a cup of coffee in their hands. His mum beamed when she saw him.
"Good morning baby"
"Good morning mum"
He walked towards the coffee pot to pour himself a cup and rested against the kitchen island. Aubrey raised an eyebrow
"That's what you're wearing?"
He frowned. He had thought he looked really good
"Yeah? Why"
"You're going to work Ryan, not to seduce the ladies. You're going to distract them"
His mother snorted and he knew she was trying not to laugh. He raised his cup to his lips so he could blame the redness on his face on the heat from the cup.
"I'm late" he said and quickly left the two women.
"Have a great first day darling!" He heard his mother yell.
He walked out and found Edward, their driver leaning against the car. His mother must've informed him about his decision. He opened the door for him and bowed. Ryan had told him a multiple times not to do that but he wouldn't listen. He had eventually given up.
As they slowly drove through the long driveway, Ryan settled back and closed his eyes. The day had barely begun and he already wanted it to end.
.................................................
MARIA's POV
She'd worked late last night and she was back at work again this morning, so it was safe to say she was a bit cranky. She plastered a smile on her face as an angry customer complained about her food. Her smile didn't waver as her boss scolded her for not working fast enough. Soon it was time to go home and she couldn't get out of there fast enough. She walked out of the cafe to find Kurt standing outside, his hands in his pocket. She hadn't seen him since the day they'd run into Ryan and his friend and she'd even tried calling him.
"Kurt? What are you doing here?"
He rolled his eyes
"Hello to you too dear friend." He answered sarcastically.
He grabbed her arm and dragged her into the sidewalk. They walked in silence for a few minutes and Maria was beginning to get worried. Kurt was never silent. She was about to comment on this but he beat her to it.
"I'm sorry I missed your calls. I've been...... busy" He ran a hand through his blond hair. The action made her more worried, Kurt was never nervous and he never kept anything from her. She didn't want to push but she also needed to know if he was okay.
"What's going on Kurt? You don't keep things from me"
He gave her a small smile and a side hug.
"Let's have an early dinner and I'll tell you everything"
She felt relieved. It felt weird seeing Kurt nervous, she was always the anxious one. Kurt decided he was craving Chinese and they walked into the Chinese restaurant closest to her house. She let Kurt order for her as she was too nervous to go through the menu herself.
She was glad when the waitress finally left. She raised an eyebrow when Kurt stayed silent.
"Kurt if you killed somebody, I'm not going to help you hide the body"
He laughed and the tension seemed to dissolve.
"Yes you will" he smirked.
She rolled her eyes.
"Tell me what's going on"
He placed his hands on the table and picked at his nails.
"I met someone" he said so silently that she wouldn't have heard if she hadn't been concentrating on him.
"Kurt that's great! Why are you so nervous about that" she was so happy for him. Even though Kurt was always nagging her to get a boyfriend, he had never really had one himself.
"He doesn't know if he wants to start a relationship yet. His family doesn't know he's gay" he said sadly.
Her heart went out to him and she placed her hands over his. She gave him a reassuring smile
"Just give it time Kurt. He'll come around"
He squeezed her hand lightly and smiled. The waitress returned with their food and they immediately dug in.
She filled him in on what he'd missed and he did the same.
"So he really asked you to come to New York?" Kurt asked as he sipped on his juice.
"He did."
"So"
"So? Kurt there's nothing for me there"
"You know it's going to take forever to save up for a restaurant with the little salary that you get paid here"
She sighed.
"What do you think I should do"
"You said he told you he invests in profitable businesses right?"
"Yeah?" She was confused.
"Get him to invest in your dream Maria!"
He looked so excited, it was almost contagious.
"Kurt don't be stupid. Like you said, it's still just a dream. He wouldn't invest in just a dream"
"Then it's up to you to convince him. Cmon Maria, this is a chance to do something you truly love"
It was her turn to be silent. Kurt didn't say anything else about it.
They left the restaurant, both lost in different thoughts. She gave him a small hug and thanked him for dinner. She walked into her building, gave the security a small smile and climbed the stairs to her apartment. Her neighbor was playing loud music again but she didn't seem to notice today.
She walked in, hung her scarf by the door, and dropped her keys on her counter. She walked straight into her bedroom and undressed.
She sighed as the warm water poured down her body. She closed her eyes and stood under the shower, just letting her mind wander.
She dried herself off and got into her pajamas. She quickly brushed her teeth and walked back into her bedroom.
She was so tired but she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Kurt's voice still sounded in her head. This seemed like the golden opportunity she'd been waiting for. She finally fell asleep, her dream restaurant the last thing in her head.