Introducing... CHARACTER PROFILES: document/d/1WDg0VT_CGOVcd1T7NBIp31sOZGt1m6zwwke31TiSMfU/edit?usp=sharing
This is where you'll find profiles on all the characters that will appear in this AU story, and also how I imagined them to look like in real-life. Keep in mind that you are still free to imagine their appearances differently! :) More will be added as the story progresses. Enjoy!
Elizabeta
Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub.
I feel my entire head pounding to the rhythm of my heartbeat - it's annoying, and it hurts. "Go back to sleep Eliza…" I will myself to fall back into the welcoming arms of deep sleep, but sleep refuses to receive me. "Screw it."
My eyes crack open slowly. Thankfully, the room is dim. I don't think I could have dealt with bright lights. I stare up at the ceiling for a bit, waiting for the pounding in my head to subside, when I think of a question I should have asked the moment I woke up: "Where the heck am I?"
My heart rate soars until it feels like my heart might break out of my chest.
Great, my headache is back.
The room is large, but cosy - everything is elegantly color coordinated, all the furniture is arranged artistically, and the moonlight from the window washes over everything beautifully. It's like this bedroom came straight out of a furniture catalog. There's a black door chest across the room that catches my eye. I get up on shaky legs to have a closer look, and a sudden spark of recognition hits me - it's a Henredon Jeena door chest from the Acquisitions Paris catalogue and just above it, there's a Hyde ebony square mirror from Mark D. Sikes. Henredon is one of the most expensive furniture brands in the world! Whoever owns this house must be loaded!
Okay, I know what you're thinking. What kind of nerd memorizes the names of furniture pieces from catalogues? First of all, there was a coffee shop giving these catalogues away for free, and when you're sad and broke, looking at pictures of pretty furniture and pretending like you're rich is a surprisingly good form of therapy.
I digress.
While I certainly am impressed by the Henredon pieces, I still have no clue whose house this is. My ankles crack with conviction every step I take, like I haven't walked or stood on my feet in ages. "How long was I asleep here?" I open the door as quietly as I can and peer out into the hallway. Looks like nobody's awake yet…or maybe nobody's home?
I make my way down the hall, grateful for the carpeted floors. It makes it much easier to sneak around. I hadn't gone too far when I find a door with a sign: Gilbert's Awesome Room - Losers not Welcome. "Gilbert?" Hm, maybe he's the owner of this house? Then again, this could just as easily be a child's room… judging from the signage.
I press my ear against the door, careful not to make a sound. I hear someone snoring. It's a deep snore - a man's snore, I conclude.
"Should I open the door?" I stare at it, scrunching my eyebrows. I am curious about who lives here. And I do want to make sure that they're not ax murderers or psychos. "If this guy looks like a psycho, I'm going to run away while I can," I decide.
I grip the doorknob and push down slowly. It's unlocked.
I crack the door open and scan the inside of the room. The first thing I notice is how tidy it is. Yeah, this guy is probably not a kid. There's a king sized bed in the center of the room and a mass of black and white checkers crumpled on top. The blanket moves steadily as Gilbert breathes, but I can't see him. Overall, everything is basically black, grey, or white. There's huge a Prussian flag hanging above the headboard of the bed. As my eyes sweep the room, I see a familiar pink and yellow lump on the desk: it's my wallet!
"What did he want? My money?" I almost burst out laughing.
I do want my wallet back though. It has my ID cards.
I take one step into the room and stand still, watching the bed. Nothing changes. I walk towards my wallet quietly, careful to avoid bumping into furniture. I'm almost there when the blanket suddenly starts moving. I become so focused on watching the bed that I run into the corner of the desk.
A loud cry escapes me before I can stop it.
Gilbert yells in response and leaps out of the bed.
Suddenly, I'm looking at one of the hottest guys I've ever laid eyes on. The only thing he's wearing are a pair of black boxers. His lithe body has muscle in all the right places. His hair is messy and fluffed up. In the intense moonlight, it looks almost like silver fire. but what that catches my attention the most are his eyes.
His amber eyes catch the light in a way that makes them a smouldering red. I'm entranced by them as they scan down body and flick back back up to search my face. They have an acuteness that slightly intimidates me.
"You're up," a german accent laces his English words. His voice is low and a little scratchy - just like you'd expect someone who just woke up to sound - but there's a purr to it that makes my legs weak.
I swallow. "Y-yeah," I say stupidly. My eyes flick down to his lips. I see the edge of his mouth twitch with amusement.
He doesn't say anything. He just runs his hand over his stubble, his eyes never leaving my face.
Everything about this man has a certain…intensity to it. His face is angular, with his cheekbones becoming even more prominent as his fingers run down to his chin. The muscle lines along his body are rigid.
"It's literally 3 in the morning Gilbert, why are you scre..." The voice behind me trails off.
I turn around to see another one of the most attractive guys I've ever seen. He almost seems like the opposite of Gilbert, but with just the same degree of intensity. He's bulkier and taller. His eyes are an icy blue that don't wander.
"Oh great, are there more hot guys in this house?" I say dubiously.
Crap, I just said that outloud.
The man who just walked in raises his eyebrow, but I can tell he's hiding a smile. Gilbert bursts out laughing.
"I didn't mean to say that outloud…" I mumble. I pray the room is dark enough to hide the fact that I'm blushing.
"So, I assume you broke into my room for your wallet?" Gilbert's voice lost all the seriousness it had before. His expression was softer, prompting me to relax.
"Maybe I did."
"Well, it obviously wasn't to visit me." He smirks. "But maybe you've changed your mind now." He winks at me as he hands me my wallet.
I roll my eyes. "Why did you have my wallet anyway?"
"I just wanted to figure out who you were. You are living in my house after all, Elizabeta." Strangely, I really like the way he says my name.
"It's mine too you know." The blue-eyed man leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "Also, don't you think we should introduce ourselves?"
"Whatever," Gilbert says. "But yeah, I suppose it would be helpful for you to know what to call us. Though I'm sure you've already heard of me. The name's Gilbert Beilschmidt, but you can call me sexy." He gives me another wink.
My eyes widen. Gilbert Beilschmidt? Co-CEO of BL Schmidt? My mind flashes back to several news and Buzzfeed headlines: "Gilbert Beilschmidt: Billionaire Bad Boy", "Gilbert Beilschmidt: Smash or Smash?", "Gilbert Beilschmidt Placed Number 1 in Forbes most Eligible Billionaires".
"Then you're… Ludwig?" I say, turning towards the man in the door.
He nods. "Ludwig Beilschmidt."
Oh. My. God.
"Ludwig Beilschmidt: Cold… or Smoking Hot?", "Ludwig Beilschmidt Nominated For People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive", "Ludwig Beilschmidt Voted For Gentleman of The Year".
These guys are billionaire CEOs...they're celebrities! How did I end up at their house?
"Um…" I say timidly. "How...How did I end up here?"
Ludwig and Gilbert look at each other.
"You really don't remember?" Ludwig asks.
I shake my head.
"You don't remember?" Gilbert looks almost excited when he says this, but Ludwig jabs him in the ribs, and his smile fades into a frown.
"It's a funny story." Gilbert rubs the back of his neck. "So I- well - um."
"He crashed into your car and took you here after the accident," Ludwig says.
"WHAT?" I scream.
"LUDWIG! I was getting there you fucker!"
"You were that asshole in that silver BL Schmidt Eagle?!" The memories came flooding back. I touch my head and feel a bandage. "How long was I asleep?"
"Three days." Gilbert makes a crooked smile.
"Three?!" I grab my head, gripping my hair. My last chance to pay all my overdue rent was due two days ago! My landlord would have already evicted me! I catch a glimpse of my clothes; they're cute maroon pyjamas… and they sure aren't mine. "Did one of you undress me?" I focus my gaze on Gilbert.
"N-Nein! No! Of course not! We got Lily, our maid, to do that…" Gilbert throws his hands up. "I know I'm a hoe, but I'm not that much of a hoe. Besides, unconscious girls aren't my thing."
There's a moment of awkward silence.
What am I going to do? My house is gone, my car is wrecked, my wallet is empty, my bank is empty, and even my freaking instant ramen is gone! My body feels hot from all the anger and panic bubbling inside me. Maybe I should steal some expensive stuff in this house and make a run for it? Aw what the hell, who am I kidding? I'm not that kind of person. I shatter the tense silence with a huge scream.
"Gilbert, you brought her here. She's all yours." Ludwig backs out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
"L-Ludwig get back here! What the hell man?" He looks at the door, then looks at me and sighs. "A-are you alright?"
"What kind of stupid question is that?" I retort. "I have nothing left! I was going to be alright you know! I was gonna pay my rent two days ago! I was gonna find a job, and get a new car, and find a new place, and fix my life! I was gonna be okay! Now my car and my house are gone thanks to you! I HAVE NOTHING!" I basically word vomit all over him, but I don't care. He's lucky I don't punch him in the face, or kick him in the family jewels.
He takes a deep breath. "Look, Liz I-"
"Don't you dare "Liz" me! Who gave you the right to give me a nick-"
"Elizabeta." He says my name so firmly it shuts me up. What is up with this guy? One moment he's an absolute doofus that I'd have no problem sassing, then another moment he's like my boss, and I'm afraid of getting fired. Well, I suppose he is the CEO of a powerful company.
"I know you're broke," he says, crossing his arms. His shoulders look bigger, making him seem more intimidating. "Your wallet is empty and your car was already a wreck before I hit it. I know you need a job. That's why I wanted to offer you a position. The salary is $100 000. With this attitude of yours, I was thinking of reconsidering. But, we need more feisty people around here, so I'll give you a shot at it… if you want it."
$100 000.
My jaw drops open. There's so much I can do with a salary like that. My head spins - I can afford everything I need with a salary like that! And probably everything I want too. There's no way I'll ever find another job that will offer me this much. Not anytime soon at least.
A smirk finds its way to his lips. He can tell he's got me.
"Play this smart Elizabeta." I can't just accept. This is too good to be true.
"What's the catch?"
"Catch?" He raises his eyebrow. "There is no catch. You work for me, I pay you. Very simple deal."
"What will I be doing exactly?" I narrow my eyes. People normally don't just offer six figure jobs to random people they get into a car crash with. Then again, nothing about getting hit by a luxury car and waking up in a billionaire's house is exactly what I'd call "normal".
"You'll be my personal assistant."
Oh no, I'll have to see this asshole everyday? I was hoping I'd get a nice office job somewhere far away from him. I knew there was a catch.
"Is this your way of apologizing for ruining my life?"
"It can be if you want it to be." He shrugs. "But let's be real, the life I'm offering you is much better than the one you used to have."
He's got a point.
"Do some research, think a little. I'll give you time to make your decision. And close the door behind you." He turns to go back to bed.
"I'll take it," I blurt.
"What?" Surprise lights up in his eyes.
"I have nothing. Nothing to lose and everything to gain," I say. "I'll take it."
A/N: This chapter was all Elizabeta; we'll see Gilbert's take on all this next chapter. Stay tuned for another exciting installment of Working for Gilbert Beilschmidt… Leave a review! Say what you thought, I really love hearing from you. And who knows, maybe you could influence the story somehow. ;)
Next chapter release date - Estimated: July 28th.