Page 7 of Battle with a Billionaire

“Stop, stop, stop,” Julia said with a raise of her hand. “You have to stop doing this. Stop looking for your gotcha moment. Please. The only thing you’re doing is making yourself miserable.”

“I’m sorry, Julia, but I am miserable. Especially with what’s going on. I hate this. I hate that you’re stuck with this.”

“I’m not stuck. I agreed to it.”

“Is it everything you thought it would be, Julia?”

“It’s done and over, okay? I’m not leaving, I’m not moving out of New Orleans. You should be happy. You weren’t pleased with the idea that I might leave, and now I’m not.”

“But you’re stuck with a man who treats you like property. This is beyond standard abuse, Julia, and you deserve so much more. You deserve someone who cherishes you.”

Julia pressed her lips together, trying desperately to come up with a response to the latest attack on Grant and her relationship with him.

“Julia,” he called, his voice softening as he clasped her hand between both of his.

She did not need to be treated like a child and have him explain a list of why she could do better. She flicked her gaze to him. Something clouded his icy blue eyes, but she couldn’t read the emotion. “Kyle–”

“No, I have to be honest.”

“But–”

“No, I can’t hide this anymore. I care about you…deeply. More than a friend. Julia…I love you.”

She clicked her tongue at the revelation, flicking her gaze away from him.A bevy of emotions rolled through her from disbelief to disappointment.

“Don’t do that. I’m being serious. I’ve fallen for you…hard. And I hate this because I could give you so much better than he does. Maybe not the random trips to Paris or the multiple massive houses, but I can guarantee that I’d never treat you the way he does.”

“Kyle, you need to stop.” She tried to tug her hand from his, but he held it firmly.

“No. You should hear this. You should know that you have other options. Don’t waste your time with him.”

Julia paused, in search of the right words for the situation, straddling between a firm response and an empathetic one. “Kyle–”

“Julia, you don’t need to answer now. Think about it.”

“No, I do need to answer now,” she insisted. “Because the answer is very simple. I’m married to Grant.”

“But you shouldn’t be,” he tried, his desperation to convince her growing.

“That’s neither here nor there. The fact is, I am. I need you to respect that.”

He slid his eyes closed, his eyebrows pinching.

“I know that’s not what you want to hear–”

“No, it’s not,” he answered, rising from his chair to pace the floor.

“But it’s the truth,” Julia answered as she stood and stopped him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do any better than that.”

Kyle grabbed her hand again, pressing closer to her. “Julia, I just–”

“Kyle, stop.” She yanked her hand away. Her empathetic approach had only made him more intent on convincing her. “This conversation is over.”

She skirted past him and stormed into the hall.

He rushed after her. “No, Julia, it’s not. Not until I can make you see how wrong this is for you. You don’t have to go through with this second contract. Sure, take CEO if you want, but don’t stay married to him.”

“Kyle, that’s enough,” she called over her shoulder. “Let it go.”

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