Page 4 of Battle with a Billionaire

“Is there a problem?” Another problem was the last thing he needed right now.

“Not in so many words, but there are some…rumblings. I just want to be sure we’re not going to be blindsided by anything.”

“That doesn’t sound good at all.”

“Like I said, there’s nothing concrete, but I do think we need to make sure we’re prepared before something blows up in our faces. Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to use those words given your recent…experience.”

“It’s fine,” he said as his stomach clenched both over the memory of the explosion and what it had almost cost him and the worrying information from Kathryn.

“Given your history, I want to make sure we have our bases covered. When can you meet?”

“How’s tomorrow morning? Nine?”

“Perfect. See you then.”

As the call ended, Grant twisted to stare out the window. The leaves rustled in the gusty breeze. His mind, a match to the tumultuous wind, swirled from Sierra’s warning to Kyle’s cold accusation when it finally centered on his campaign. Whatever Kathryn had meant, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was on the cusp of a crisis that could unravel everything he’d worked for–both politically and personally.

CHAPTER 2

JULIA

Julia drummed her fingers against the desk as she chewed her lower lip, her gaze naturally falling to the framed wedding photo next to her monitor. The late morning sun glinted off the silver frame, making it sparkle as much as the moment that lay captured inside it: their bright smiles frozen in time from almost exactly one year ago.

Julia traced the edge of the frame before she pulled it closer. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she thought she’d leave this life behind.

That was before the shocking twist that landed her back in Harrington House just as unexpectedly as she had the first time.

She set the frame on the polished wood of the desk before she shifted her gaze to her glowing screen. A list of emails from Harrington Global filled her inbox already.

She paused, her gaze lingering on the screen at her email signature. The title CEO next to her name seemed both empowering and intimidating. Could she really fill such enormous shoes? Each email in her inbox represented not just a task but a test.

Her stomach clenched as she considered her new role as CEO. It was a part she had never expected to play. And one she still wasn’t sure she’d fill easily.

She fluttered her eyelashes as she considered the growing list of tasks she’d be tackling tomorrow, on her first day in the office.

With her fingers tented, she leaned back in the chair, wondering if she should add a meeting with Alexander Knight to her to-do list.

The man seemed to hold some unknown connection to DG Industries. Was he behind the string of attacks on the Harringtons and their holdings? Or was he merely another pawn in the nearly deadly chess match?

A shrill ringing interrupted her thoughts, and she pulled her gaze from the air, focusing on the name on her caller ID. Alicia.

Julia swiped to accept the call, pressing the phone to her ear. “Hey, sis.”

“Hey, Juju. How are things?”

“Interesting, as always. I’ve got a new project brewing.” Her lips curled at the edges as she realized her sister would assume the project was a new manuscript. She’d had no idea she’d become the newly minted CEO of a multinational corporation. That news wouldn’t have made it to the far-flung town of Harbor Cove.

“Oh, do tell,” Alicia said.

“Uh, it’s a…corporate espionage thriller.”

“Really?” The surprise in her sister’s voice was apparent. “I did not see this coming. It seems like you’re just a well of ideas lately.”

“When inspiration strikes…” Her eyes fell on the wedding photo, smile broadening.

“You gotta listen when your muses are speaking.”

A moment of silence stretched between them before Alicia spoke again. “So, umm, I know I’ve been a little quiet the past few days but I feel kind of…bad about that bombshell I dropped on you, and then the whole thing I said after about Luke.”

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