Page 34 of The Bride's Billionaire

“I’d like to have a conversation with you as well.”

She nodded, mortified that her emotions had gotten the better of her at a business meeting.

Tyler watched her a moment more, a strange sort of agony in his eyes, and then he shrugged and turned. “Of course.”

Kayla walked away as quickly as her legs would carry her. Tyler wasn’t doing any differently than she had been planning. She had thought about undercutting him. But waves of hurt washed through her anyway. She told herself she was not supposed to feel anything about this. But just as she had suspected all along, businesswaspersonal. Business with Tyler Sperring was the most personal of all, because the very man she’d just witnessed try to beat her out was the man who held her heart.

Her chest tightened where her heart should be, and she ached inside.

When she left the building, she determined to catch the first flight home. She told herself everything would be easier if she never saw or talked to Tyler Sperring again.

Chapter 14

When Kayla walked away, Tyler thought he’d never see her again.

The gentle voice of Mr. de Santos pulled him back into the office. There was work to be done and papers to sign, so he got back to it. Two hours later, he came out feeling better about some aspects of this week.

He’d left messages with Kayla, but she’d ignored all of them. He’d texted, but she’d not responded. Perhaps she had blocked him. He’d find her again. Even if he had to keep his hotel room door open and watch for her to return, he would speak to her. She just needed to understand what had really gone down in that meeting.

Perhaps once they cleared things up with Antar, she’d feel more kindly toward him. He could only hope.

He made his way back to his hotel room, hoping to see Kayla right then. But the maids were cleaning her room.

The sight sent alarm flaring through him. “Have you seen the woman who stays here?”

“She check out.”

Surprise twisted in unhappy knots. She’dleft. He heard her message loud and clear. Not interested anymore. Not in him. If she ever had been in the beginning. Who was he kidding? They’d known each other for a week. Perhaps his feeling of connection, his inability to do anything without thinking about her truly was one-sided. But for him, he’d seen something special in the connection they shared, and it grew each time they were together. She was nothing like anyone he knew. He was fascinated with every bit of her, first her fun spontaneity, then her kindness in helping him overcome his fear, her tenderness, the softness of her lips...all of it drew him in like he had never felt before, but when he saw her at their first Antar meeting, his mouth had gone dry. He fell hard. She was a natural: charming, smart and creative. And he had decided right then that he wanted her in his life.

But she still left.

And she wouldn’t answer his calls or texts.

* * *

Kayla moveddown to a first-floor room, away from Tyler. She needed space to think. Tyler kept trying to reach out, texting and calling, but she couldn’t talk to him, not until she figured out how she felt about him. Every time she saw him, she melted into soft, moldable clay. She couldn’t think or even see straight. He was too charming, too fun, too smart and capable; in truth, he was everything she’d ever wanted in a man, but she just couldn’t trust he was for real. And he’d been in the Antar offices, trying to make a deal. Cutting her out. Even that she could understand––it was just business, after all––but she couldn’t help the anger that rose inside at the thought of it. She’d been right. Ofcoursehe would do everything he could to win the bid. Of course, she should have too, and therefore they wouldn’t be able to finish the week still on good terms with each other.

Case in point: not on good terms.

Her treacherous heart ached for him. She missed him already and wanted to talk through her problems even though they dealt specifically with him. What a crazy situation to be in. Here she was hiding in a different hotel room, on her computer, trying to figure out a way for Finley bottlers to retain a portion of the business from Antar and to reach out to other, smaller, soft drink companies.

Unbidden, thoughts of Tyler crept so consistently into her thoughts that she had to pause and attempt to banish him from her conscious mind. No small feat.

She was having such a hard time of it that a call from her brother was a welcome interruption, even though his calls usually bore bad news.

“Kayla, it’s awful. You should come home. Leave Brazil. If we don’t intervene right now, we will lose North America as well.”

Her heart clenched as he explained a fire in their largest plant and the estimated cost to repair damages. When he hung up, she dropped her phone to the ground. Could anything be worse? Would she have to sit back and witness the fall of her company?

After sitting for a moment and staring blankly at the wall, she pulled up their financials, spreadsheet after spreadsheet, all the files and reports in front of her, but she couldn’t think of a way to consolidate enough to save them. What she needed now was a savior. Someone to buy her out. And then what? She didn’t know, but while the company was still worth something, she must get as many assets out of it as she could.

She fell asleep with her laptop on her legs, going over statistics, numbers whirling in her brain and through her dreams.

When she awoke, she gasped with a new idea and called Tyler.

He answered immediately, “Kayla.” His voice sounded tired, relieved.

“Yes. Can we talk? I need some help.”

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