Page 23 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

“Well, you’ll have to finish those pancakes first and then tell me what happened last night,” she said, leaning forward and giving me a meaningful look.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered. “What else did I send in that message?”

“Well… you said that your gorgeous neighbor came.” She wiggled her eyebrows, making me laugh. “So what happened?”

I was feeling so confused and shaken up that I gave in and told her everything. She listened with great interest.

“I’m not sure whether to feel happy or disappointed that he’s such a gentleman!” she exclaimed, laughing.

I laughed too. “Well, it was all for the best. He’s our client, for Christ’s sake. I might have already ruined the deal.”

“No, no, no!” she disagreed with a grin. “You sweetened it further!”

We both laughed again, though I was still feeling quite tense. At least I had someone to share it with now. That sort of eased the feeling.

“So wait…” she suddenly quipped. “Why were you drinking in the first place?”

“Drake called me again,” I explained. “That’s why I got so pissed off. He’s been so persistent, calling and sending messages… And I feel like he’s been stalking me because I ran into him twice in one day! Two different places! What are the chances of that happening?”

“Well, you seem to still be affected by him,” Rasha said thoughtfully. “Don’t you still have feelings for him?”

“Feelings of hatred, I guess,” I admitted.

“It’s hard to move on when you’re still angry and affected,” she reminded me.

“I know,” I said. “But he wasn’t even supposed to show up here! I’m just so furious that he’s ruining my fresh start here. The reason I left Ohio was to be away from him and to start a new life without him. And now he’s here to rub salt in my wound!”

“Yes, but think about it this way…” she said. “This is the ultimate challenge. You have to choose to live your new life even when he’s around and not get affected by his presence. The more you push him away and get angry at him, the more he’ll think he still has a chance.”

“He doesn’t,” I said firmly.

“How about Carter?” she asked.

“Maybe,” I answered, though I could tell I was greatly attracted to him. But clients are supposed to be off-limits, especially the owner of the hotel, who has been our loyal customer for years. And besides, he’s weird.

Weird but intriguing,a voice in my head added. I ignored it and instead devoured the pancakes.

As I ate, I changed the topic. I did not want to talk about Carter anymore for now. Rasha got busy chattering about her love life and our other friends from the office. Meanwhile, Carter was still impinging on my thoughts.

Before showering, I asked Rasha about my schedule in the afternoon, which I could not recall. “By the way, what’s my engagement for this afternoon?”

“You’re going to an orphanage on the outskirts of Las Vegas,” she replied. “It’s part of the company’s outreach program, so the CEO has to be there for photo ops.”

“Oh, I see,” I said, suddenly feeling a little rattled and unsure. I loved kids, but now they reminded me of that conversation I had with Drake before our wedding. We talked about how many kids we wanted to have.

But then again, this was another chance for me to prove to myself that I was over it. And I wasn’t fully recovered yet; then this could be good for me. I had to face my demons, after all.

For instance, I’ve noticed lately that I was getting less perturbed by the chapels and wedding stores I passed by in Las Vegas. Maybe soon, the usual triggers of my pain and sadness would also not work anymore.

“Are you sure you’re in the condition to go, though?” asked Rasha.

“Of course,” I answered smoothly. “It’s all good. I’m looking forward to it.”

When I went back up to my bedroom, I couldn’t help peeking out the window and checking Carter’s office window. He wasn’t there. But some noise made me shift to the poolside. He was there with the showgirls and thugs and drag queens. They were all carrying and arranging some boxes.

It looked kind of fishy to me, but I had to remind myself that it wasn’t good to jump to conclusions. It could mean anything.

Were they smuggling something through the hotel? I could see the logo of The Haven on some of the boxes. The other boxes had logos of other famous hotels and casinos in the city.

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