Page 11 of “Not” Engaged to the Grumpy Billionaire

I exhale, feeling a little lighter knowing they’re on the case.

“I owe you both. This thing’s been eating away at me all day.”

“Forget about it, man,” Bryan says.

“That’s what we’re here for. Besides, we all hate Kirk. If I could take that guy down myself, I would.”

I chuckle, despite everything. “You’re not the only one.”

There’s a brief silence before Liam changes the subject, his voice lighter now.

“By the way, I have some good news on my end. My firm recently got named in the top ten of auditing company in the U.S. this year.”

“Congrats, man,” I say, genuinely happy for him.

“That’s huge.”

Bryan laughs.

“Damn, Liam. Always showing us up. I guess that means you’re buying the first round when we hit up our spot again.”

“Hell yeah, I’ll buy the first round,” Liam agrees.

“We’ll need to celebrate properly when we’re all back in town.”

“You better believe it,” I reply, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. For a moment, it feels like old times again, the Three Kings as the town people fondly called us, unstoppable.

It started as a joke back in high school, but it stuck. The three of us ruled everything back then sports, grades, girls, whatever we wanted, we got. And even now, in business, we’ve made our mark. But now, I'm like the king whose throne is being threatened from within.

We finish up the call, and as I drive into the parking lot of my office, a sense of calm settles over me. With Bryan and Liam on the case, I know we’ll get to the bottom of it. As for Liz… well, that’s a different problem altogether, one I’m not sure how to handle yet.

But that’s for another day.

As I pull up into my office building parking lot, my phone buzzes again. It’s Sue, updating me on Max like she always does. I open the message and read the usual details. Then, without meaning to, my fingers hover over the keyboard, tempted to ask about Liz. But I stop myself. There’s no point in asking questions I shouldn’t be asking.

Instead, I fire off a simple response.Thanks for the update.

My mind drifts back to Liz. I don’t know how she managed to grow into this beautiful, confident woman. She’s no longer just Bryan’s little sister. Hell, she’s not even the Liz I remember. But as much as I want to push her out of my mind, I can’t.

Focus, Nate. You’ve got bigger problems right now.

I park outside the office, the evening settling in, but my mind is still racing. I need to deal with the betrayal in my company. Bryan and Liam are helping, but the thought of someone so close stabbing me in the back eats at me. No matter what happens, I won’t let this go.

Chapter three

Liz

I’m sprawled out on the couch, savoring the quiet of the morning, when my phone buzzes in my lap. I glance at the screen and smile at the familiar name: Bryan.

“Hey, bro!” I answer, settling back into the cushions. It’s been a week since I came back to Ocean Bay. Despite Nate’s constant grumpiness, things have been surprisingly better than I imagined.

“Well, look who’s finally answering my calls,” Bryan’s teasing tone comes through the line, and I can’t help but roll my eyes.

“Oh, come on. I’ve been busy.” My tone is playful, but there’s truth behind it. With adjusting to living with Nate, bonding with Max and Boomer, and the ever-present tension in the house, my life’s been anything but calm.

“Busy, huh? How’s the ‘temporary stay’ going? Nate hasn’t kicked you out yet, has he?”

I laugh. “Not yet. Max and Boomer are my saving grace. And they keep Nate in check.”

---