Chapter 1: The Bribe

"Order up!" Cana Alberona said as she picked on the diner bell signalling that the order was already done. I skipped from the cashier to the kitchen and picked up the tray from the table.

It was Tuesday in September and the cool breeze was roaming Magnolia's air. The same scent of everyday lives linger in the same diner, I've worked on for a decade now.

I wore a smile as I skipped to table 12, the same table where the wisest man on Magnolia sat at along with the binding rays of the sun and framed him like a portrait. "Master," at his acknowledgement, he sashayed his head to my direction and gave me a smile. "A stack of flapjacks, a slice of strawberry cheesecake and a glass of the freshly squeezed OJ."

Master gave me a cheeky laugh as his eyes formed into a wrinkly fold and his mouth twitched into a hearty smile. "You know my favorites."

I laughed at that and placed his order down the table. "Eat up." I said and stood straight while my hands were at my back.

He shook his little head. "I can't eat this all by myself, so why don't you help me with it?"

I gave him a cheeky smile. "Please, Master, I've seen you eat that stuff for almost ten years, what's stopping you now?"

He laughed. "Ah, you know me too well. Come," he took my hand. "..eat with me."
I genuinely apologized since I was still at working hours. "Don't you worry, if ever you would get in trouble, I'll be the one they'll facing." He said with another hearty laugh.

I laughed and sat on the other side of the of the table. He gave me a smile and got the newspaper from his seat and shook his head.

I took a look from what he's reading and it was him on the cover, with an unusual looking boy. Unusual, because I've never seen him before, not even with Master.

"Who is he?" I said as I put my chin on my hand. "He doesn't look quite familiar,"

Master sighed. "He's my son."

My eyes widened. "I know you have a son, Master but him?"

I pointed to the boy who was looking like a serious gambler. His hair all disheveled and he has that weird getup. His clothes I mean.

Master chuckled. "I know. I know. He isn't the ideal son, I hoped to have but he's the oldest. I still have to give my company over to him."

"What about your girls?"

"I cannot burden my women for such a hearty task," he took a sip from the orange juice. "That's the same reason why I had the company on my shoulders." He smirked.

I felt sorry for Master. He has been the CEO company for quite a long time now-49 years? It isn't a joke and I bet that he's having a hard time by now.

"So, why so glum?" I asked, his story perking my interest.

Master tapped his cup before continuing. "Well, its kinda hard and too complicated because, Gray? Isn't much of a workaholic. He is, only when money is involved." He said with a roll of his eyes.

I just shrugged off a laugh. "I'm sorry to hear that." I said. "...but I'm sure he'll come around."

Master examined my face for a moment then broke his face into a huge smile. "You know, Lucy," he said with still a huge smile. "...I adore your optimistic side so much."

I laughed at his compliment. "Thank you, Master."

He chuckled and stood up from his seat and opened up his wallet for a $100 dollar bill. "Thanks for chatting with me, Lucy. Hope you have a great day."

xoxo

I was cleaning up some dishes at the back when I heard Cana bickering her head off for some other customer, I might have guessed.

I shook my head with a frown. Do I have to close the shop with this facade? I sprinkled my hands over the sink and dried them with my apron. I skipped out to the front with my Chucks making a little squeaky noise.

"...I will have to ask you to leave!" Cana said almost not politely if it wasn't for the 'asking' part.

I noticed Cana was wailing and her hands up in the air while a man who had knitted eyebrows threw the same fit. I shook my head and tapped Cana's shoulder. Her once knitted eyebrows and vigorous frown was skaken off her face and was replaced with a sigh before she went in our cabin to change I think.

"Do you have some kind of amulet that relaxes the devil inside of that woman?!" The man notoriously, vigilantly and impolitely yelled at me.

So much for a handsome face. I turned to face the man and realization hit me like a mad truck. I was surprised to find the billionaire's son in a local diner where he's out to the public and on a Tuesday night!

He must be doing some kind of work, or some errand to do. He wouldn't be out in the open like this, if it wasn't for something, right?

"How may I help you?" I asked as calmly as possible. He was my high school dream crush! His name stuck at the back of my notebook with some swirly swirls and hearts all over it. He's a teen model for some magazines that why I also have tons of his posters pasted on my wall back at my old house but when I stepped into college, I realized that my fandom won't get me anywhere, so I stopped being a crazed fan girl and started life.

He cleared his throat a bit. "I'm sorry for fighting with your co-worker." He said with a slight bitterness in his words but he didn't actually seem sorry about anything at all. "But I came here with a preposition with you, Ms. Heartfilia."

Surprised, he knew my name. Shocked, because he's asking me for something when he can actually buy most of everything in the world and embarrassed, ugh. If any day, why now? I still have some errands to do and it'll be totally embarrassing to keep the billionaire's son waiting.

"What may that be?" I crossed my arms and led him to one of the tables on the diner.

He slid on one of the chairs and he placed down a folder. "It's all in here."

I looked at him curiously, trying to plot out what's in his mind because from the stories I've heard about him, he may be the billionaire's son but he has a total grip on the authorities and is responsible for some gambling happening around here.

I flipped the material open as felt his eyes fiercely on mine. I shrugged off the feeling and tried my best not to question him about it.

I gazed my eyes on the stack of papers which are folded with a paperclip and noticed it was a contract.

"A contract?"

"A Marriage contract." He corrected.

My eyes went wide as hell. He didn't even let me finish. "My dad wants me to take the company in my own hands and make money for my own. He said, in exchange for my 'work' he'll give up 5 billion dollars for a year."

I didn't speak even though the five billion dollars sounded so highly tentative.

"What's in it for me?"

He paused for a moment. "I wanted the money but dad wouldn't give it to me even if I wanted the company and responsibility altogether," he said. "I need to marry a woman for it and last with her for a year so, I could get the 5 billion dollars."

I was kinda hurt because all he wanted a woman for is money. In my melancholy, I stood dignified.

"Now, I would gladly give you half of the money for personal uses and such that if you'd like to marry me for a year, Ms. Heartfilia." He said it in a tone that says 'I know you can't resist me!'. Maybe that will work when I was fourteen! But I'm seventeen now and I've gotten over my crazed fandom about him. "Sooo.." He slurred. "What would be it?"

Fairly amused by the offer because surely I will admit, I'm in need for money but I can work for it myself, I said:

"No thank you."

Hello! This is CelestialIcePrincess, yes, you have officially seen it. :) Fifty Shades of Gray (GrayLu) is also and was originally published by me, at Wattpad :) So, you can check out the full story there, still under this username though :)