Page 245 of Billionaire Temptations

“I’m sorry.” He looked down. “You are the spitting image of her.”

“You knew her?”

“Yes. A very long time ago. I apologize if I kept staring at you. You have her smile.”

“Thanks. What’s your name?”

“Gregory Davis.”

I held out my hand. “I’m Emily Wade. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Are you the owner of this store?”

“Yes, I am.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emily. One last question, and I hope it’s not too personal. May I ask how old you are?”

Why would he be asking me that? I thought to myself. That was an odd question to ask someone out of the clear blue.

“I’m twenty-seven,” I spoke with an odd tone in my voice.

“I figured as much. You’re very successful for your age. Good for you. I’d best be getting back to my wife.”

“Thank you. It was nice speaking with you, Gregory.”

“Likewise.” He gave a slight nod and headed back to the fitting room.

Jackson

“Good to see you, Jackson. It’s been far too long,” Leon spoke as he stood from his chair and shook my hand.

“Good to see you too. It has been a while, hasn’t it?”

“How’s your father?”

“He’s well. Off traveling the world.”

“Living the dream life.” He smiled. “So, what prompted this meeting?”

“You’re renting a shop to a friend of mine, Emily Wade.”

“Ah yes, lovely girl. Turned the space into a cute little clothing boutique. What about her?”

“The shop next to hers closed, and she was thinking about utilizing that space and expanding.”

“That other shop is the same size as hers.”

“She wants to knock down the wall in between the shops and make it one larger shop. She’s going to talk to you about it.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let her do that. I don’t like expansions. What if the business fails and I’m left with one oversized space? Plus, she’s only six months into the other lease. It’s too much of a risk and one I’m not willing to take.”

“Her shop is doing fantastic already, so I think an expansion would help her do even better.”

“I’d have to charge her triple the rent, plus I’d want a year upfront. Come on, Jackson, you know the business.”

“So, there’s no way you’d work with her?” I asked as I took a sip of my drink.

“No. I’m sorry. Those are two separate buildings and I want to keep it that way. Actually, I already have someone interested in the space. He wants to put in a nutrition shop.”

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