Page 11 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

When one of the thugs turned around and faced the window, I gasped. He was holding a gun! I didn’t know if it was fake or real, but I hoped it was the first one.

My heart began to beat wildly with fear as I watched on. But there didn’t seem to be any problem. They eventually left.

I sighed with relief. I was probably overthinking everything. Carter was certainly becoming more mysterious and captivating as days went by.

Then my doorbell rang, making me jump. I had to tear myself away from the beguiling scenes unfolding from my window view.

It turned out to be my neighbor from the other side of my house. I forgot her name, but she always smiled and waved at me every morning as I got into my car.

“Hi, Leigh!” she greeted with enthusiasm. She looked as if she’d just taken a shower, while I probably looked like the cat dragged me. Her perfect long blonde hair matched her impeccable white dress and boots.

“Oh, hey, uh…” I hesitated.

“It’s Ellie,” she put in for me. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Hi, Ellie,” I said sheepishly. “Thanks. Come in, come in.”

She handed me a paper bag with a box of doughnuts from a famous bakery downtown.

“Wow, thank you,” I said politely as we sat down in the living room. “There was no need to……”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure,” she answered. “And don’t worry… My cousin’s the one who owns that bakery, so it’s no trouble at all.”

“Oh, wow, nice!” I commented. “I’ve tried some of their bread, and they are really good.”

She did not waste any time. I wasn’t sure what her actual purpose was for visiting, but she immediately launched into the latest gossip in the neighborhood. She talked about the old man who lived with about five dogs down the street. She mentioned the sixteen-year-old girl nearby who would often bring home different boys. She also told me about the married couple in the neighborhood who were known for being religious but were on the verge of divorce now.

I nodded and tried to look interested. But honestly, gossiping wasn’t my thing. I just wanted to be a good neighbor, especially since this woman seemed to be always bored. She did not have kids and her husband was always out of town for a business trip. She probably had nothing better to do than observe and chat with the neighbors.

But then she began to talk about Carter. That was when my ears perked up.

“He’s been living there for a few years now, but no one here knows anything about him,” Ellie shared with me. “Can you believe that?”

“Hhhmmm…” I simply said as my thoughts returned to what I had witnessed earlier.

“Have you noticed anything weird about him, since you’re the one who lives next door?” she asked, leaning forward and widening her eyes.

I hesitated. But eventually, I spilled out what I had seen.

She gasped. “OMG!” What do you think does he do?” she exclaimed.

I shrugged. “I’ve no idea, honestly.”

Before she could say anything further, we heard a furor outside that made us look through the living area window.

A limousine had just arrived and parked outside of Carter’s house. To our astonishment, five gorgeous ladies came out wearing skimpy clothes and high heels. They were dolled up very well and walked like models as they went to the front porch.

“And now these ladies…” Ellie commented with her suspicious tone. “Maybe he’s a pimp or a club owner!”

I chuckled. Here I was, a well-respected and highly esteemed CEO, gossiping about the next-door neighbor and playing “spy”. I had to admit, though, that it was an unexpected source of amusement on my otherwise drab Saturday.

“We’ll find out someday,” I assumed.

She looked excited. “I certainly hope it’s something thrilling!”

I laughed. “I’ll let you know when I observe something more.” I was actually discreetly dismissing her because I still had a lot to do.

As expected, she did not take the hint. On the contrary, she even hurried upstairs without my permission and then tried to check out Carter’s house from the windows in the open rooms.

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