Page 31 of Faking it With A Grumpy Billionaire

“Hmmm,” I said as I flipped through the rest of the pages, already knowing what to do.

“I would like for you to set up a meeting with everyone who has a place of decision-making in your business. It is time for us to make more strategic decisions, analyzing your target market, where they are located, how to reach them, and the like.”

“Well, umm . . . for now, I’m the only one making the decisions around here.”

I watched her say softly, and for reasons unknown to me, I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Oh, umm . . . that’s fine then. You have me now.”

I could see the surprise on her face despite her hurried attempt to hide it.

“Thank you very much,” she said.

“My pleasure.”

We remained silent for a few seconds before she broke the silence, “Have you always been like this?”

“Like how?” I asked, confused as to what she meant.

“Good at business? Word has it that any business you touch turns to gold.”

I chuckled a bit at her latter statement. Wasn’t gold a bit too much?

“Well, umm . . . to an extent, yes. Although at first, I began burying myself in work to . . . umm . . .” I paused as I realized I was about to share a part of myself that I had yet to share with anyone.

“To do what?”

I looked at Elizabeth, and at that moment, I knew I could tell her. “To get away from family drama.”

“Oh . . .”

“Yeah, it all started when I turned eighteen. Lydia was still quite young, just entering her teenage years. You remember that phase,” I said.

“Oh yes, I remember it all so well. We were both obsessed with K-pop boy groups.” Elizabeth chuckled as she recalled those days when all they ever thought of was good food, fun, and boys.

“And worried that a guy didn’t like you,” I said, chuckling slightly as I recalled one of those times when I overheard them crying and comforting each other because they didn’t have boyfriends. “Well, you all barely knew what was happening. Our parents were at their necks at that period, and it was the period that then led to their divorce. At first, I began working just to learn the scope of the business as my dad wanted, so I took it seriously. Gradually, as I realized how good I was at what I did, I decided to face it even more. I worked while attending school, took courses, and gained the necessary certifications.”

I paused as I looked at her paying attention to each word I uttered.

“Gradually, what started as a distraction began to pour in money. So, I set up my own business and began to pay more attention to it. Today, I have what you all see.”

“Wow, who would have thought?” she remarked.

“Right, no one,” I said as it occurred to me that I had just opened up a part of me that I had never shared with anyone before. Not that I had close friends anyway, but this was a huge step for me.

“But it’s all right. I mean, it all ended up for the good, right?” she asked.

“Right,” I replied.

Looking at her again, with our gaze fixed on each other, I felt my heart doing it again—skipping beats and racing even faster, with my hands getting tensed up. I could barely explain what it was that I was feeling.

“Umm, let me get you something to drink. You must be parched by now.” I quickly rose from the couch, not so much for the drink but to distract myself from whatever was happening to me.

The moment I got into the kitchen, the first thing I did was pour myself a cold glass of water. I needed my insides to cool down from whatever heat it was experiencing. Once I was certain my body had returned to normal, I brought her a glass of orange juice.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you very much,” Elizabeth said as she took the glass from me, taking a sip before putting the glass down.

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