Page 32 of Battle with a Billionaire

Her phone rang, startling her as it cut through the silence. She answered it, finding Mike Donovan on the other end.

“We’re ready.”

“Thanks, Mike. With any luck, we should have some information in the next twenty-four hours.”

“You’ll have it as soon as I do.”

With a satisfied smile, she hung up the phone and delivered both sets of folders back to Evie. “Everything looks perfect. Please get those to Mr. Metcalfe.”

“He will have them in the next ten minutes,” Evie assured her.

With a smile and a nod, Julia returned to her office, settling into the supple leather of the high-backed executive chair. Her plan was in motion, now it only remained to see if it led her to anything. If he was indeed a mole for DG Industries, the consequences could ripple far beyond the boardroom.

She settled into her tasks until her phone buzzed across her desk again. She glanced over at it, expecting to see Kyle’s name again, but was pleasantly surprised to see Grant’s.

“Hey,” she said as she answered the call, “how’s the campaign looking?”

“Much better after that press conference,” he answered her. “Are you busy?”

“Always, but never too busy if you need something.”

“Lunch. I need lunch. What do you say?”

She glanced at the growing list of emails in her inbox before she clicked off the screen. “Absolutely.”

They made plans to meet at one of their usual spots, and she collected her purse and headed out the door.

After they’d settled into their table and placed their order, Grant leaned closer to her. “I’m starting to think you’re better at my job than I was.”

“Hardly,” she said with a laugh. “I almost hope you don’t win this race so you can take over again.”

He winced as he studied her. “Do you hate it?”

“No, I don’t hate it, but I’m fairly certain after running this company for decades, you’re far better at managing it.”

“I don’t know about that, Julia. You’re dispatching tasks like you’ve been doing this for years, and you still managed to squeeze in lunch with your needy spouse.”

She chuckled at him again. “You’re right. I am better at it.”

This time, they both laughed. “So, are your numbers looking better? Is Kathryn happy with the results?”

“Kathryn is, as always, on the hunt for the next problem to stave off or opportunity to seize.” He hesitated, flicking his gaze sideways before he returned it to her. “You know, I wasn’t questioning you last night at dinner about Metcalfe. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“So was I, but if I was wrong, then I can admit it. We’ll see how he works out.”

“You keeping him on a short leash?”

“Yes. I didn’t say I trusted him. In fact, I don’t, but this seems really important to Sierra.”

Grant screwed up his face as he shook his head. “I can’t figure out why. I asked her if she was seeing him, and she said no. Of course, that was before I knew she was seeing James.”

Julia tried to stop the amused smile from spreading across her face, but she couldn’t. “You’re still not happy about that, huh?”

The faint crease of his brow betrayed his feelings, a subtle but noticeable sign after over a year spent with him.

“No, I am not. But it’s not my business.” He held his hands up in defeat.

As she sipped her water, a moment of silence hung between them. The tense expression on his face hinted at something weighing heavily on his mind. “Is there something else that you think isn’t your business but you’d like to bring up anyway?”

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