Page 10 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

“I didn’t saythat.” Kinsley rolled her eyes. “I just said he was easy on the eyes.”

“So, he is hot then.” Brienne sought confirmation.

“Without a doubt.” Kinsley’s mind drifted back to Daegan’s playful smile during her interview. The way it had turned into a smirk at his own idea of a joke.

Brienne's voice was serious when she said, “Kins, just be careful, okay? Sometimes, the most charming men turn out to be the biggest heartbreakers.” She paused momentarily before uttering an almost silent, “I should know.”

Kinsley twirled a strand of hair around her finger, her own nervous habit, as she listened. “I know, Brie. I will. But it's not like that with Mr. Westerhouse. We’re just working together. That’s all it is, and that’s all it will be. We don’t even know each other.”

“For now,” Brienne cautioned. “Kins, I had a coworker who got involved with her boss—it seemed perfect at first, but when things went south, she was the one who had to leave. Don’t let charm cloud your judgment, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt or lose even more. You’re going through enough as is.”

Kinsley sighed. She appreciated her friend's concern, but the implication that she couldn't handle herself left her feeling frustrated. “I promise I'll be careful. But honestly, I don't even know if he sees me that way. It's probably all in my head. We only saw each other once. Besides, I doubt he would ever cross those lines with me. It could risk his business. Heismy boss, after all.”

“Maybe,” Brienne conceded. “But just remember, if he's anything like Oscar, he might just be using his charm to get whathe wants. And in your case, that could be a lot more than just some playoff tickets.”

Kinsley felt a warmth in her chest at the words of advice. Brienne was just looking out for her; it reminded her how much she valued their friendship, which she needed now more than ever. “I hear you, Brie. And I promise I'll be careful. But I don't think this is anything like that.”

Brienne sighed, but Kinsley could hear the smile in her voice. “Alright, Kins. I trust your judgment. Just remember, I'm here for you no matter what. And if this Mr. Westerhouse guy turns out to be a Prince Charming instead of a frog, I call dibs on being your maid of honor.”

Kinsley laughed, the tension easing from her shoulders. “You may have competition for that position. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, I'm just excited to focus on this job and get these renovations going.”

“And I'm excited foryou,” Brienne said sincerely. “You deserve all the happiness in the world, Kins. Just promise you won't forget about me when you're a big-shot executive.”

Kinsley grinned, twirling the tassel on the pillow. “Never. You're stuck with me for life, Brie. No matter what happens with Mr. Westerhouse or this job.”

As she hung up the phone, Kinsley shook her head. After all, she barely knew her boss. She’d only just met him. Though she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt toward him.

That night, as she drifted off to sleep, one thought lingered: this job was the fresh start she needed. She couldn’t let her attraction toward Mr. Westerhouse ruin it. She had already lost so much—her family, her old life, her sense of direction. This job was going to be a new lifeline, not another way to drown.

As the eveningsunset trickled in through the windows, Daegan settled into his leather armchair, a glass of whiskey in hand. The amber liquid swirled as he absently rotated the glass, his thoughts a million miles away. His house was quiet—too quiet. The flat silence was a stark reminder of all he had lost.

He closed his eyes, going back to a time when he would come home after a long day at work to someone other than just Stewart. He would slump down into this very chair as Megan brought him a glass of whiskey, handing it to him with a glittering smile. “You need to relax a little,” she’d say before giving him a kiss. Her laughter used to fill this room, echoing off the high ceilings. In those moments, his house had felt alive and full of warmth. The scent of her vanilla perfume would wrap around him like a comforting embrace, cutting through the sharpness of his drink. Her gentle touch on his shoulder would be brief, but it always grounded him more than she ever knew. But that was before everything had fallen apart. The cracks in his heart had only spread deeper since.

Was I gone too much? Did I not put her first?

Daegan brought the glass to his lips and took a slow sip of whiskey, relishing in the warm, burning sensation down his throat. It had been three long years since Megan had walked away, but the pain still lingered. He had thrown himself into his work, pouring all his energy into chasing success. But no matter how many deals he closed or how much money he made, the emptiness remained, a constant companion in his solitary journey.

From a small compartment in the end table, Daegan pulled out the letter Megan had written to him when she’d left. It wasfolded up with a printed news article that Daegan wished he could part with. The weight of those bits of paper settled over him, pushing his shoulders down into the forgiving leather.

The quiet clawed at him, wrapping around his chest like a vise. He clenched his jaw, tight with unspoken words, as he stared into the amber depths of his whiskey. Every moment of stillness felt like a weight pulling him further down. Sorrow lay like a stalking shadow of the life he could have had.A life I unknowingly messed up.

His fingers traced the edges of the letter, just as they had every night for the past three years. The old stock had worn soft from years of being unfolded and refolded. He despised it, but Daegan couldn’t bring himself to let it go. Not yet. With a long, lingering breath, he put them both back into the drawer.

He took another sip of his drink, and the seductive burn of it pulled his thoughts straight to Kinsley, the new hire. There was something about her, a warmth and authenticity that drew him in. A part of him wanted to reach out, to feel that warmth again, but the contents of those papers held him back. Kinsley was a temptation that he knew better than to give in to. People like him didn’t get second chances. They just learned to live with their first mistakes.

He stood up and admired the peaceful night through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He had wealth. Power. Success. Yet it all felt hollow. What would his father think of the man he’d become?

The man had built Westerhouse Investments from the ground up. He had been a true visionary, a man of integrity and compassion. Daegan had always looked up to him, had always wanted to make him proud. But now, standing alone in his empty house, he wondered if he had lost sight of what truly mattered.

Daegan finished his whiskey in one gulp and set the empty glass down. Tomorrow was a new day, a chance to start fresh. He would focus on his work, on building his empire, saving Trueport while there was still something left to save.

As he climbed into bed, Daegan couldn't shake the feeling that he knew exactly what was missing. But he pushed the thought away, burying it deep down where it couldn't hurt him. He had learned the hard way to survive on his own, and that was how it would stay. No matter how tempting it might be to let someone in again.

Loneliness was safer; it didn’t leave scars. But as sleep finally claimed him, Kinsley's smile flickered through his thoughts like a half-remembered dream. For the first time in three years, the silence in his house felt less like protection, and more like a prison.

4

Kinsley'sfirst week as Mr. Westerhouse's personal assistant had been a whirlwind of learning new systems, remembering names, and trying to anticipate his needs before he voiced them. But nothing had prepared her for the way her heart would race every time he called her into his office.

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