Page 8 of The Billionaire's Masquerade Ball

Xander tried not to fidget in his seat. He had to work hard to keep his voice level and willed himself not to start sweating. The last thing he needed was to have sweat dripping down his face in this room, which he kept at practically arctic levels. He felt like the cold kept people on their toes. No one was ever really comfortable. He was surprised that Olivia wasn’t shivering. That wasn’t good that she hadn’t noticed—she was too focused on the story. He didn’t want her focused.

“She was a friend of family friends. My family knew her. Why is this relevant? To be honest, I thought people would give more if there was a person attached to it.”

Xander forced himself to shrug. The words he was saying felt so wrong. Even though it was true about the name thing. People responded more to personal. But his forced casualness was the opposite of how he felt about this. He was torn. Whatever Olivia wrote, he wanted it to help, not hurt he foundation. But he also didn’t want her looking into this so deeply. Or at all. Xander wished he had never gotten roped into a date with her.

Judy was right. Maybe it was time to change. Not that he was going to ever find someone to love. He had his love. He didn’t feel like it would ever come again. But it was time to stop pretending. He just couldn’t keep up the playboy image anymore. It was too exhausting.

His phone buzzed on the conference table. Even though he knew it was Judy, Xander held up a finger to Olivia and answered. “Hello?”

“Time’s up. Need me to come drag your lady friend out? Your morning appointment is waiting.”

Xander coughed to hide a snort of laughter at the mental picture he had of Judy dragging Olivia out of the building. “Be right there.” He stood. “Sorry, Liv. I’ve got to go.”

To his surprise, she didn’t protest. “I think I’ve got what I need.”

She went back toward the lobby and Xander followed. “Good,” he said. He hadn’t said much, so maybe she would be leaving this part of the story alone. Attention on the foundation was good, but the direction she had chosen was the last thing he wanted getting into the news.

Sarah Ryder was a great name for people to latch onto so they’d give more, but he didn’t want people looking too deeply. They’d quickly find out that Sarah Ryder didn’t exist. Or, at least, the fictional Sarah Ryder on the website didn’t. The photo was from a stock photography site. If Liv kept digging … He shook his head. It sounded like she had moved on.

Xander lifted a hand to Gail, the head of the event company he’d hired to take care of the gala. She stood, smoothing her hands over her hair. She seemed competent enough, but cold. Xander fully expected that she would do a great job with the event, but he couldn’t wait until he didn’t have to talk with her again.

“See you tomorrow, Xander,” Olivia said, stepping up again to kiss his cheeks. Quicker this time, thankfully. She didn’t look back as she headed for the door.

“Gail,” Xander said, stepping forward. Though he had just kissed Olivia’s cheeks right in front of him, he could tell that this was not the right kind of greeting for Gail. He held out a hand instead and she shook it.

“Need any coffee? Tea? Water?” Judy asked.

Gail shook her head. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Come on back to my office,” Xander said. “Judy, I’d love a coffee if you don’t mind.” He winked at her before he followed Gail into his office, leaving the door open.

“I just wanted to touch base with you about the details and get a rundown of everything for tomorrow,” Gail said. She pushed a folder across his desk. “You’ll find an itinerary for tomorrow, plus the vendor list and their timeline.” She folded her hands carefully in her lap, waiting.

Xander wanted things to run smoothly, but didn’t care as much for being involved to this level. He wanted to simply trust that the company would handle these details, but Gail had insisted on keeping him the loop. He had almost immediately regretted hiring Looking Glass. The boutique company had come highly recommended, but from what he understood, it had just changed ownership. Maybe that explained it. Gail made him feel uncomfortable for some reason, but he couldn’t pick out exactly why. She was professional, but overly cool. Even her smiles were icy.

With a sudden jolt he realized what it was. Though they looked nothing alike, Gail called to mind the mother in the last foster home he’d lived in. Mrs. Torres hadn’t just been cold, but cruel, demanding perfection. Now that he’d made that connection, Xander couldn’t wait to get this meeting with Gail over with. He hated thinking about his past, back when he was Alexander Smith, a foster kid bouncing from house to house.

He tried not to show any frustration as he scanned the timeline. Everything looked good, but this wasn’t his wheelhouse to know if something was off. That’s why he hired their company.

Judy arrived and set a mug of coffee next to Xander. She smiled but didn’t say anything. Xander snapped the folder closed and pushed it back across the desk toward Gail.

“Looks perfect,” he said.

“You can keep that,” Gail said. “We’ve got our own copies for tomorrow.”

“Great,” Xander said. “Was there … anything else?”

Gail smiled and it chilled him. Xander wished he’d thought to have Judy interrupt this meeting with some kind of fake appointment. Once he saw the shared resemblance between Gail and Mrs. Torres, Xander couldn’t stop the images and memories from flooding his mind. When he turned eighteen and left foster care, he never wanted to look back. It wasn’t quite realistic, but he could sometimes go weeks without a memory of his youth. Now, with Gail in front of him, things he hadn’t thought about in a long time were rushing back.

“Is there any other way that we can serve you tomorrow? I have three other staff who will be there as well to make sure things run perfectly. No bumps. No surprises.”

“I can’t think of anything right now, but if I do, I can message you,” Xander said.

“Of course,” Gail said. “I’ll make sure I introduce you to the rest of my staff tomorrow. That way if you can’t find me, you’ll know where they are. We’re all at your service and wish the best for the launch of your foundation.”

Gail stood and held out a hand across the desk. Xander stood, relieved that she was going. He couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that Gail gave him as he shook her hand.

Judy caught his eye as he walked Gail out, glad when the elevator doors closed behind her. “Everything okay?” Judy asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Xander grimaced and then looked at his watch. “I’m going out for an hour.”

“Should I forward your calls?”

“No. Just take a message. If there’s anything immediate, you can handle it. Or it can wait an hour.”

Judy’s gaze softened as she smiled at him. She couldn’t know where he was going, but Xander felt like she knew a lot more than she ever let on. Maybe one day he should just tell her more of his story. It would be nice for at least one person in his present to know about his past.

No, he thought as he stepped into the elevator. Maybe the past was better fully closed off. He didn’t need anyone’s pity or sorrow. He had enough of his own. His past needed to stay exactly where it was: fully and firmly behind him.

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