Page 13 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” he said. “And real smart and fun and everything else.”

“So what happened?” I asked.

He had just finished his first beer and was drinking the next one. Meanwhile, I hadn’t even downed half of mine.

“She was my fiancée,” Drake explained.

I was surprised. I actually never thought he’d be that type. Just like me, he’d always been afraid of commitment. I always assumed we were both meant to be single for life.

“Wow, I’ve really got to meet this girl,” I said. “I can’t believe she made you propose to her. How long were you together?”

“Two years,” he answered.

“Hhmm… That’s too long for you,” I said with a grin. “But you’re using the past tense. Let me guess… You chickened out at the last minute, and she ended up leaving you, and now you want her back.”

He groaned. “You got me, bro.”

“But still, she’s that special…” I said with amazement, still finding it hard to believe that he dated this girl for two years and then proposed marriage. That would probably never happen to me. I’ve never even gone out with anyone steadily for more than three dates.

“Yes, she is,” he admitted. “I want her back and you have to help me. But first, before I even show myself to her, I need to find a stable job and an apartment.”

“I can help you with that,” I said at once. I trusted Drake, and I owed him, despite his former ways.

He’d always been my protector and confidante in the orphanage, especially when I would get bullied. In my first foster home, he would often sneak in and bring me food and toys to cheer me up. And after I’d get beaten up, he would help me with my wounds.

Even when he’d already gotten adopted and had moved to the next town, we kept in touch. He was the one who came back and helped me escape from my second foster home. After that, his family had to move to Ohio, so we couldn’t hang out anymore. I learned to live in the streets and take care of myself until a rich old man took me in and trained me in business. That was the beginning of my life transformation.

“Email me your CV and I’ll see which position would suit you,” I told him. “And I have an apartment where the tenant just left, so you can live there while you’re still starting out here.”

“Wow, thanks, man!” he said, giving me a friendly slap on the shoulder.

“Anytime,” I said. After all that he had done for me before, these favors seemed so little.

He then asked if there was someone special in my life at the moment. I shook my head, laughing.

“You’re working too hard, Carter,” he said. “Maybe you need to loosen up. Maybe it’s time you take someone seriously, date someone who’d give you true happiness.”

I couldn’t believe I was hearing those words from him. “Hey, what did you do to the real Drake, huh?” I asked as I finally finished my beer.

Drake chuckled before he gulped down his second beer. “I don’t know… I never figured I’d fall for someone. But this woman is something else! And she’s also successful, so I need to make something of myself in order to win her back.”

“Well, it’s good that you have motivation, at least,” I noted.

“Yeah…” he agreed, his eyes taking on a faraway look as if he was already imagining the future.

I was certainly very happy for him. At least one of us had already found true love and was considering settling down.

“So you own this hotel?” Drake asked. “How many hotels and casinos do you have now in Las Vegas?”

I smiled but did not give him the figure. “Never mind that. Let’s just have fun, shall we?”

“Well, you better give me the names of the places you own around here so I’ll be sure to go there instead of others,” Drake said jokingly. “That way, I can always get a free meal and free drinks and stuff like that.”

I laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Drake. Pretty soon, you won’t need free stuff. With your wit and skills, you’ll rise fast.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, man.”

“Of course,” I said.

---