Page 21 of “Not” Engaged to the Grumpy Billionaire

The meeting ends, and as the board members begin to leave, Nate stands, exchanging a few brief words with some of them. His eyes flick over to me, catching my gaze for a brief second, before he turns his attention back to the remaining members.

As the last of the board files out, I gather my notes and approach him.

“You handled that well,” I say, my voice light. “Peter seemed... difficult.”

Nate shrugs, his hands in his pockets now.

“He’s always been that way. He is not the only one who didn’t think I could handle running this company when I took over after my father died. They all doubted me at first.”

I raise an eyebrow, surprised by his candidness.

“Really? I find that hard to believe.”

Nate chuckles, but it’s a short, humorless sound.

“Trust me, Liz. They didn’t think I had what it takes. I was too young, too inexperienced, in their eyes. But I proved them wrong.”

I can see the edge of pride in his expression as he speaks, and I can’t help but be impressed.

“Well, I’m glad you proved them wrong. It’s clear how far you’ve come. I mean, look at this place—headquarters to the nth degree, right?”

“Yeah,” he says, his tone softer now.

“Ocean Bay will always be home. This company started here. My father built it from the ground up, and no matter how much we’ve expanded, Ocean Bay will always be where it belongs.”

I nod, understanding the sentiment. There is something about this town, something grounding. Despite all Nate's achievements, he is still tied to this place.

“I guess that makes sense,” I say, smiling.

“It’s home, and it's where I belong.”

Nate’s expression shifts. He's more serious now.

“Yeah, and now I've got bigger problems. Bryan called earlier—turns out, my secretary wasn’t only responsible for selling out the deal. She was also stealing from the company. Liam’s working on transferring back the money she siphoned off to an offshore account. And Bryan’s still digging to see how deep the damage goes. Right now, we believe the damage is contained in her alone, but he will continue to watch for any other involvement.”

I blink, taken aback.

“Wow. That’s... I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

Nate sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“If the board catches wind of this, it’s going to be fire and brimstone.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask, genuinely wanting to ease his burden.

He glances at me, surprised.

“You’d really want to help with something like this?”

I nod. “Why not? I mean, I am here to work, right? Besides, I’d rather help you than sit around doing nothing.”

Nate looks at me for a long moment, like he’s considering something.

“I don’t get it. Why aren’t you working for Bryan? You graduated at the top of your class in accounting, and I know he’s offered you any position in one of his firms.”

I freeze. “You... you know that?”

Nate’s eyes flicker with something I cannot quite place, and his lips curve into the barest hint of a smile.

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