Billionaire Revived: A Sweet Billionaire Romance: Love's Redemption Series, #1

By Johanna Carole

She's running from a sketchy past. He's a billionaire business tycoon.

Struggling to make ends meet and living a life she hates, when Gail Samuels is offered an opportunity to work at Peace Mountain Ranch she jumps at the opportunity. She's overjoyed to escape her old life and start afresh with her daughter, but upon meeting the obnoxious ranch owner, she begins to reconsider her decision.

Billionaire businessman Xavier Richards enjoys a successful career, but his cutting-edge business sense failed to translate over to relationships. Heartbroken after his fiancé cheated on him, he returns to Peace Mountain Ranch to heal – but he didn't expect to meet the feisty Gail, who challenges everything he thought he knew about life… and love.

As a series of crazy events brings together two people from completely different worlds, Gail might just find the new life she's been looking for…

If you like wholesome Christian romance with a few twists, you'll love this billionaire love story adventure. Grab your copy today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Johanna Carole
• Release date: Jan 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393949275

Book preview

1

Spring was a good time to start again: as she witnessed the buds bloom and felt the earth energized. She was convinced the season was significant for her life and sometimes tried to align things in her surroundings accordingly. She was ready for a new phase: to experience the newness the season ushered in.

Mom, I'm glad we are going to a ranch; I can't wait to have my dog, Ariel said excitedly, hugging her mother that morning as they packed all their little possession into the different boxes soon to be transported to their destination by a U-Haul trailer.

The child was excited, and that was what mattered to her. She had been having a hard time in school in recent times. A change of environment would do so much for them.

She had quit her former job as an exotic dancer, what some other people are quick to call ‘a stripper.’ She always had a smirk on her face when people asked her where she worked, always feeling they had an idea already, but just wanted to rub their disdain of what they perceived was the inglorious lifestyle she lived. She found out in her short life that people were quick to judge but not quick to help. No one would offer to assist but would frown at other’s means of income. She had developed a thick skin to such, as long as what she did was not criminal. Statistics proved that her line of business was estimated at billions of dollars. In her belief, she was contributing to the country's GDP and paying her taxes as a good citizen should. No one had a right to frown on the way she made money; someone had to pay the bills. 

Ariel, her precious little girl, was enough incentive to work at any job to ensure she was adequately taken care of. She deserved a life better than she had at that age. Gail made up her mind when the tiny little child was placed into her hands, although a teenager then, that she would do all to defend her. She was very much aware that a lot of money would be involved. The numerous jobs she worked barely catered for their needs or gave her enough time with her daughter. It was vital for her to be available. 

When Trudy suggested stripping, she was initially aghast, but when she explained to her what it entailed and how it was not different from dancing, which she loved, she put her mind to rest. She grew from the timid beginner to a master in pole dancing, being one of the most sought after in the private room. She had also graced the presence of wealthy and well-meaning patrons at a couple of events. People always found it hard to separate it from being a sex worker. It was understandable, as many of the girls got personally involved with clients; which was against the rule. She had maintained a standard from her first day. She never did nude no matter how much was flashed at her. Sometimes it reduced her income because other aggressive girls were ready to do anything. Some even went on social media to offer exclusive entertainment for patrons who subscribed to their pages. She could never try that; her fear had always been trying to explain what she did to her little girl, who was a church freak at an early age, thanks to Mrs. Dion, her babysitter.

She had barraged her with questions like, Mom, why don't you like going to church with Mrs. Dion and me?

Mom, are you a Christian or a pagan?

Mom, do you love Jesus?

Mom, are you sure whether you're going to heaven or hell?

Then some of her questions had to do with her job.

Mom, why do you go to work only at night? Ariel had questioned many times.

I do the night shift in an organization darling, she would always respond.

Can I follow you to your office, one of these nights when I finish my homework early?

I would rather you sleep so that you can be awake early, she would explain.

Some of the parents of the other children were already whispering things she didn't want her child to know. Ariel could never understand now what she did, but she planned to let her know when she was a teenager and would be able to think objectively.

She remembered the expression of the other girls when she told them she was quitting and taking up a job at a ranch. She wished she could have taken their pictures at the first look they all gave her, with their scrunched-up noses. 

One of them had expressly asked if Gail thought she would make as much as she did at the club; the truth was she wouldn't but she didn't care. Another girl had asked whether she was drunk or had started on drugs. She understood their shock. Trudy, her best friend, told her she was suffering from post-traumatic stress. She was right in a way, she would never forget the day things got rough in one of the private rooms and she was held captive, with a gun pointed at her by a drunken client, who when she refused to open for him, got mad and shoved a gun at her throat. That split seconds before she could reach for the buzzer felt like forever. It was a life-defining moment for her. That day her whole life passed in front of her. They were generally safe as they were heavily monitored, and it was very rare for such to occur, but she couldn't shake herself out of it.

This is the most outrageous thing I've seen you do Gail; a gun could have been pointed to you anywhere, a mall, church, anywhere. And it doesn't have to be a night thing either, she had tried to persuade her to rethink her decision.

I know, buddy, I just want to try something new. She made a puppy face at Trudy.

I understand that. I just feel you're taking it too far. Is there anything you're not telling me?

Trudy believed there was something else propelling her movement. She didn't know how else to convince her; she just had a gut feeling that it was going to be a good move. 

I have told you everything, you've met Liam once or twice and he offered me a job on the ranch.

His ranch?

He oversees it for his cousin, who is a mogul and hardly ever there.

She looked at her mischievously and gave her a sly smile. She giggled and slapped her on the back, Naughty, naughty you. You and Liam are thinking of…

No, Trudy, Liam is just a friend, she cut her off. 

Same Liam, who was interested in you, when, 'Clydy Devil' came into the picture?

She spluttered into laughter. Trudy could kill Clyde, Ariel's father, if she came across him without blinking. Gail didn't feel any animosity towards Clyde. She got the most precious gift she could see through him. Initially, it was difficult trying to sort out her emotions; the bittersweet experience of having an unplanned baby, uncertainty, confusion, despair with no support system; not even from her mother. 

Huh? Clydy Devil, how do you make up these names?

He was one anyway, so back to Liam.

You know the story, he was interested in me years ago, we became friends over the years.

What's going to happen to Jeff?

She shrugs, Jeff and I never connected like that, besides he talks too much. Anyone who wants me must accept Ariel, and I don't think he's got that capacity.

Girl, you have such a stringent condition. Not every man can accept another person's child like theirs; that's like ten out of every hundred.

You know I'm not keen on looking for a man, Trudy; I have Ariel.

Ariel is your daughter, what do you do for a companion when you need them?

Ariel's happiness is crucial to me, and you know why.

More like she helps make your decision, Peter didn't like Ariel she had to go, Ariel didn't like Dexter, so he had to go. I hope you don't send all the men away.

She burst out into laughter, I remember Louis saying Ariel was my version of the Holy Spirit.

You treated Louis bad.

You think so? He was just a sissy; he couldn't hold his own.

You need a male company. How long are you going to remain celibate, girl?

Never mind, I'm going to have loads of male company on the ranch.

Promise me you will come back if things get tough and you don't like it there, her eyes misted with tears.

I promise. She put her hand on her chest in a mock display.

She overheard some of the girl's gossip about her on her last day, When hunger kicks in, she will be back.

One of the older ladies, Khera, had snickered, Once a stripper, always a stripper, what else you gonna do with no degree? Just wait for it, she's gonna get her whipped behind back here in days.

She intended to prove her wrong. The offer from the ranch didn't seem fantastic, but she found that it held a more compelling attraction for her than staying back here. It came with free accommodation and probably fresher food. Ariel was a foodie and she was looking forward to some new recipes to savour.

She picked up her phone to call her mother, she had dealt with the idea of not letting her know about her planned trip. She hadn't been much of a mother to her. She hadn't asked about her in years, never asked about her granddaughter either. The few times she had called was to ask her for money or come to get her out of the cell after being involved in one issue or another. She had told her several times she needed to check herself into rehab for her addiction problem. The last time she saw her, she looked like a bag of bones; her face shrunken, and her pale skin made worse by the flaky patches on her body. Valerie Samuels was a walking corpse. Sometimes Gail felt bad that she wasn't sending her money, but she didn't think it was a good idea. She always spent it on crack. She was sure to get her groceries occasionally though she didn't seem grateful or anything. Gail felt her mother had a sense of entitlement and she didn’t think she deserved anything from her.

The phone rang on for a while. She had planned to drop it when she heard the toneless voice of her mother interspaced by her coughing.

Hello, Mom, are you okay? It was just begging the question; she knew her mother had never been okay. She had wondered many times why the social service hadn't come to rescue her from her and put her in a foster home or something. 

What do you want, Gail? To check whether I'm dead? NO… I am alive. Shame on you, she drawled.

Anger knotted her throat; she regretted calling because sincerely, it wouldn't have made any difference. Nonetheless, she continued, I'm leaving LA.

Got tired of shaking your flat behind to the highest bidder or got a man who needs permanent services somewhere else?

I will not dignify that with an answer. I don't know why I called.

You shouldn't have bothered, just send a number where you can be reached when I die, you owe me that.

I owe you nothing, Mom.

Then lose my number and stop calling me.

The phone went dead. Tears burned the back of her eyelids, but she sucked it in. She always had her way of sucking up her pain and blocking her heart from feeling. Her mom had hurt her so many times. They couldn't have a decent conversation, no matter how hard she tried. 

Gail loved her mother but was hurt about the way she treated her like scum. Growing up was tough. She made all the major decisions about her life without any motherly advice.

She wasn't going to feel guilty no matter how her mother wanted her to. Getting her mother cleaned up had always been a daunting task. So many times, Valerie had flunked it. Even with giving money to her, all had gone into feeding her drug problem; confused at what to do, she stopped giving her money. 

Valerie was the only family she had, she never got to know who her father was. It had never been mentioned to her hearing. When her mother was younger, she had flocks of men coming over to stay in their house until they became homeless and had to move to Skid Row. At times, Gail felt she got horrible because the men stopped coming. Her mother took her through some emotional roller-coaster rides,

Reviews for Billionaire Revived

[DaNella Auten · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ehh. Good story concept. I love the redemption arc. However being a grammar nazi, the language syntax drove me crazy. Crazy enough I stopped reading. Perhaps English isn’t the writer’s first language.

[carolyn · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The writing was just so unedited and poor that I couldn’t get into what story there was.