Page 27 of The Billionaire's Housekeeper

Abbi wore her stretchable pencil skirt and a cotton blouse. This was her second day off since she began her contract. She hoped she would get to spend it with Chad again.

"You’re not scheduled to work today, are you?" she asked as she sat on the brown leather stool around the marble-counter breakfast bar. In front of her was an enticing plate of scrambled eggs seasoned with chopped green peppers and sprinkled with mozzarella and cheddar cheese and three juicy strips of bacon. Eduardo had never cooked for her before. This was such a delight. Chad was a really thoughtful and caring man. He thought of every little thing. He didn’t have to make her breakfast this morning, yet she appreciated that he did. Just an ordinary working-class guy with a lot of class. Each day, Abbi admired him more and more and everything that he stood for.

"I have to go over to the main lodge and review some work orders."

"Is something wrong?"

Chase sat beside her taking in her beautiful scent and trying hard to contain himself. But it was so hard to not get aroused around Abbi. There was something about her that really connected with him. But he had to put a stop to this. Last night they got carried away. He really needed to take things slow or they’d both end up getting hurt.

"Actually, Abbi, there’s something I need to tell you," his said softly, his tone serious.

She dropped her fork on the plate. "What is it?"

"I-"

There was a loud knock on the door and Chad got up defiantly. "Who the hell would be knocking like that on your door at this time of the morning?"

He thought for a moment and knew he shouldn't really be in her cabin. But then again, he didn't care at that moment. He went to answer the door for her.

When he opened it he was stunned to see Brandon. The look on his face was not good.

"Sorry… Chad. But we need to talk to right now."

"Can't it wait?" Chase was aware that Abbi could see both of them at the door and could hear everything. He hoped that Brandon would be careful what he said.

Brandon looked at him. "I think you’d better come now. Jake Jackson is here. He's over at the lunch room at the main large." Brandon had anger in his voice. But it was nothing compared to the way Chase was feeling.

"No way in hell!"

Chapter 16

Later, Chase and Brandon walked over to the dining lounge at the main lodge to confront Jake Jackson. “That low-down son of a bitch! He has some nerve showing up here on our property,” Chase said, furious as he walked briskly toward the main lodge.

“Tell me about it. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it myself. The guy has a lot of nerve—and a lot of explaining to do.”

When they arrived in the dining room, the place was practically empty. Many of the guests had already had their breakfasts and left to do their own fun activities for the day. Jake Jackson sat in a corner table by the window near the fireplace and the log wall, reading a magazine, Hotel Industry Guide.

Chase’s jaw was clenched. Heat rushed through his blood. He was so sorry he had to leave Abbi so suddenly, but he had to deal with Jake. He really wanted to finish his discussion with her, but maybe it was for the best for now. She seemed genuinely concerned and asked who this Jake Jackson was. Of course, he never got into it with her.

Chase stood in front of Jake who barely acknowledged him. He had a young woman by his side. Arm candy, Chase guessed. Jake was in his early thirties but he was a sly businessman, if Chase had ever known one. He ran the Jackson’s motels back east and some land around the country.

“Nice of you two to welcome me in person. Is this how you greet all your guests, Chase?” he said with a cocky grin. Bold as brass, he was.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Chase’s tone was flat and void of emotion. The Jacksons had caused nothing but trouble for the Belmonts from as long as he could remember.

There had been bad blood between the two families and Jake knew the deal. He knew to keep his distance and nobody would get hurt. Chase’s gaze burned into the unwelcomed guest.

Jake put down his magazine with a smirk on his face. Chase really wanted to know what he was up to.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Jake parroted. "That's not exactly hospitable now, is it?"

"Just what the hell are you doing here, Jake?" Brandon chimed in.

Jake's eyes widened when he saw Brandon. Brandon was six foot five, tall and muscular and looked pretty menacing to those who didn’t know him. Perhaps Jake wasn't aware that Brandon was now a Belmont and Chase’s half-brother. But at the moment, Chase had other things on his mind.

Jake tilted up his head to sip his drink then casually placed the glass back on the table. "You know you could probably do with serving much better wine to your guests. Just a suggestion, though.”

Chase ignored his rude comment.

“Oh, and I'm here because of the land my family owns, as you are aware of," Jake continued.

The woman beside him seemed to shift uncomfortably. She looked at Chase then down at her plate. Probably trying to ignore what was going on. Poor thing, she probably wanted to be any place but there.

"You still haven't answered my question." Chase ignored his remark. He was way too thick-skinned to let snide comments get under his skin.

"Like I said, that land out there by the west side near the ranch belongs to the Jackson family and you know that," he said, his tone cool and dangerously low.

"The matter was already resolved in court. You should learn to respect the justice system."

"Respect the justice system? Well, that's a laugh. You guys seem to think you can buy everyone, including the justice system. Well, I don’t really care what that judgment said. Seems like the Belmonts just take everything they want."

"You don't really believe all that crap, do you?"

"Have you told your friend there beside you about the Belmont family’s dark secret?” Jake scowled, looking over to Brandon then back to Chase.

It was obvious Jake didn't realize that Brandon was Chase’s half-brother and already knew about most of the family history.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Chase snapped at him.

"Oh really? Seems like your old man hasn't exactly told you everything. Your family wouldn’t even have their fortune and fame if it wasn't for my family."

"You know that's not true. There’re two sides to every story. What happened a long time ago in the past was already cleared."

"Not exactly. This piece of land here meant a lot to my family. And now that my grandfather's no longer with us, I want to make sure I get back what's rightfully his.”

"Seems like somebody hasn't been told the truth in your family. But either way, if you are here to start trouble, you’d better do yourself a favor and skip while you can."

“Here to start trouble?” Jake smirked. He looked at Brandon then he looked at Chase again. "Actually, I think I will leave now. I’ve had enough of this place. But make no mistake, you'd better sort things out with your old man before it's too late. Make sure he does the right thing, or future generations of Belmonts will never rest."

With that, Jake and his mistress got up from the table and shoved past Brandon and Chase and out of the main lodge.

Chase clenched his jaw. He could feel his heart muscles pull hard.

"You okay, bro?” Brandon asked.

Chase didn't answer at first. He was too angry. He took out his cell phone and placed a long-distance call to Ontario to the Belmont Palace. He called his brother Cole’s private line at the estate.

"Well, it looks like we’ve found the source of those vicious rumors." Brandon folded his arms across his chest pacing. He looked just as pissed off as Chase felt.

Cole picked up the phone on the other end. "Hey, Chase. How’s it going out there?" his brother cheerfully answered the phone.

"Not very good, bro. I just had a few words with Jake Jackson.”

"Jake Jackson? Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately, yes, I am. I'm really pissed off. I think it's about time Dad opened up about some things. How is he doing?"

"He's actually having a pretty good day. Why? What do you need to know?"

"Actually, on second thought, I want him to continue to have good days. But I’ll need to speak to Aunt Maya as soon as I get back to Belmont. Right now, I want you to send out a press release to the media."

"What kind of PR?"

"I’ll be working on something with Brandon here. And we’re going to put these rumors to rest once and for all.”

Chapter 17

Later that afternoon, Abbi went by the pool to get some restful relaxation. She noticed a little boy playing nearby but his apparent guardian was busy reading on her tablet.

She never really liked to get too close to the water because of something that happened during childhood. At least she never liked to be alone near water. She didn't mind being in the pool if there was someone close to her. She'd almost drowned once. That experience was enough to terrify her for the rest of her life.

Abbi’s breathing became shallow because she was suddenly full of fear for the child. She just didn't know why.

Suddenly, the boy went under the water and Abbi sprung to her feet. "Oh, my God!”

She sprinted over to the pool.

Just then, security came by. They saw what she was looking at. One of them proceeded to go into the pool.

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