Page 2 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

Just then, I heard a dog barking. I turned toward the sound and saw an adorable little Maltese running from the next-door neighbor’s house and coming toward me to greet me.

I bent down and patted its head. “Hi, there. Thanks for welcoming me to the neighborhood.”

It then went to greet Rasha too, its furry tail wagging like crazy.

A short whistle made it turn back and start running toward the intimidating gray house beside mine. My eyes followed it to its master--- a tall, handsome, and enigmatic man with broad shoulders and slightly long, wavy black hair. He had a pair of eyeglasses on and was giving me a strange look.

Though he looked like a GQ model, I couldn’t help noticing his somber appearance. I gave him a faint smile, but he just ignored me and went inside.

“Gorgeous, but weird and unfriendly,” Rasha remarked, laughing.

“Exactly,” I said, cracking up along with her.

“I think you better stay away from that guy…” Rasha said thoughtfully.

“You bet,” I agreed with a chuckle.

I caught sight of my reflection in the car before we headed toward the main door. My clothes weren’t wrinkled at least. I hadn’t brushed my hair since before boarding the plane, but thanks to my recent hair treatment, it still looked soft and shiny. The strands were all in place and the chocolate brown color with the highlights was just perfect. As for my makeup, most of it wasn’t there anymore, but it didn’t matter. I’ll just be celebrating this new home with my new assistant, probably.

Rasha led me to the double front door. She handed me the keys. “Do the honors, Miss Andrews,” she said. “You deserve it. Congratulations!”

I gave her a huge smile and took the keys. After only two tries, I was able to figure out at once which was for the main door.

As soon as I stepped inside, all the lights turned on, revealing a high-ceiling living room and the wooden winding stairs that led to the second floor.

“Congratulations, Miss Leigh Andrews!” about ten or so people shouted in unison, truly shocking me.

For a while there, I thought I had stepped into the wrong house. I couldn’t recognize any of them. Well, of course, I did not know anyone living in Las Vegas.

But then, a familiar face came to light. It was Andie Clark, the former CEO of Luxe Linen whom I was going to replace starting this week. She was about seven years my senior and had a commanding presence but a friendly face. We’ve met several times online only.

“Welcome to Las Vegas, Leigh,” she greeted with an encouraging smile. Even though I was not prepared for the surprise, I was greatly flattered. The friendly faces around me certainly helped too. As I had been told, the immediate team I’d be working with was made up of bright, talented, and friendly people. It was definitely a huge plus.

“Oh, my gosh, Andie!” I exclaimed. “You guys shouldn’t have! I’m just… I wasn’t expecting it… Thank you, thank you so much, everyone!”

“I’m sorry if this was unexpected,” Andie said. “To be honest, we only planned it a few days earlier. We wanted to give you a surprise welcome party, though I know you’re probably feeling like you just want to jump into bed already.”

“No, no, not at all…” I said at once. “I’m really excited and even though I do feel tired, I’m not in the mood to sleep yet. And oh my gosh, this is such an amazing house! Thank you!”

I quickly glanced at the elevated ceiling with the lovely chandelier, the crackling flames in the fireplace beside the sofa set, and the dining and kitchen area on the other side. I was suddenly feeling quite overwhelmed.

“Don’t worry, we haven’t gone upstairs, though I had personally chosen this house for you as part of your CEO promotion package,” Andie said.

“Thank you, really!” I gushed. “This is a big blessing to me.”

“Oh, and do enjoy this time because starting on Monday at work, you’re going to be swamped!” she said with a laugh. That remark caused the others to chortle as well.

“Wow, yeah, I’m ready for that!” I said.

Andie then began to introduce everyone to me. The people who had been invited to this small get-together were the executive officers and department heads from Luxe Linen’s headquarters. I was yet to meet more colleagues that coming Monday.

“Be ready for another welcome party on Monday,” Rasha said with a grin.

“Oh!” I said in surprise, smiling. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”

As our small party came into full swing, I immediately felt at home. So far, I seemed to be getting along well with everyone. This was going to be an amazing year, I could tell. I was right in accepting the offer.

New job. New city. Fresh start.

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