Page 30 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

“Hi, Mr. Croft,” I said in a formal, polite voice. “Thanks so much for the invitation.”

“It’s our pleasure to have you here, Miss Andrews,” he replied with a mysterious smile. There was a playful glint in his eyes, though. “We value all our long-time suppliers, of course. Luxe Linen is very much appreciated and has played a big role in our development throughout our seven years.”

He looked too young to have built this empire already. Even though it’s only been seven years, he already had four major hotels and casinos in Las Vegas and two in neighboring cities. It was quite impressive.

“Thank you for trusting our company,” I said, my eyes meeting his in an intent gaze. He was wearing contacts instead of glasses, so I could clearly see the deep gray with green speckles in his captivating eyes. “A big congratulation to you and to the entire hotel group.”

To my shock, he took my hand and brought it gently to his lips. He planted a soft, lingering kiss on the top of my fingers while his eyes seemed to drill a hole into mine. That simple gesture definitely triggered my libido into overdrive.Fuck!

Suddenly, a very attractive woman who looked slightly older than him linked her arm with his and began sweeping him away.

He untangled his arm as his eyes narrowed slightly. “Darla,” he said politely. “I’m glad you made it. But kindly wait for a while as I am still speaking with Miss Andrews.”

The woman named Darla frowned at him and stomped away without another word. Carter turned back to me with a smile. “I’m sorry about that…” he said.

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” I quickly replied. In my mind, I was wondering who the hell that woman was and if they used to date each other or something like that. She appeared to be too physically comfortable with him. That thought bothered me a lot.

A server in uniform passed us by then and offered us glasses of wine. Carter took two and handed one to me. Our fingers brushed against each other, causing an electric current to shoot up my hand and arm.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Miss Andrews,” Carter expressed again. The way he was looking at me made me feel as if I was the only guest in that huge ballroom.

I smiled, but I wasn’t sure how to react. I had a feeling he was just a sweet talker, and then after this night, he won’t be contacting me anymore, just like before.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to find Rasha now,” I told him. “She’s my assistant and my plus one for tonight. She just sent me a message that she’s already here. And I’m sure a lot of other people here would love to meet you now.”

“Okay…” he said. A look of disappointment passed through his eyes, but I could have just imagined it. “You’re quite right about that… I’ll see you around, Miss Andrews. Have fun.”

As soon as he turned around, I saw that woman again link her arm with his, batting her eyelashes and obviously flirting with him. I suddenly regretted playing it cool. In all honesty, I just wanted to be with him the entire night.

Rasha and I found each other soon and enjoyed some cocktails before we took our seats at our designated table, along with some other hotel suppliers. I was glad to meet and network with these important people in my industry. I’d made the right choice coming here.

The house lights dimmed soon and the stage came alive with spotlights. There was a live orchestra beside it that was playing lovely instrumental music. They paused for a while as the master of ceremonies took charge and welcomed all the guests.

A video was played on the screen to exhibit the company's timeline, showcasing the hotels and casinos that were part of the group. Carter appeared in a lot of the activities and was apparently hands-on. He was the President/CEO of the entire hotel group and had recently taken over The Haven too. He was definitely a busy person. It was mentioned too that he’d been awarded for being an outstanding businessman and the hotel group was also recognized as the fastest rising company in the industry.

“Amazing,” I whispered. All around us, I could also hear the words of awe and praise from other guests.

“I wonder how old he is,” someone said from my back. I was actually wondering the same thing.

“Mr. Croft is so secretive,” someone else remarked. “The media doesn’t even talk about him. The public doesn’t know him.”

I agreed with that comment. Perhaps it was the reason he was staying in my neighborhood and was a mystery to many there.

“I heard he lives a simple life even though he’s a billionaire,” the one sitting on my right shared with me.

“He’s a billionaire?” I asked incredulously.

“Of course,” the man beside me answered. “I saw his name on the recently released list.”

To think that, at one point, I thought he was a porn filmmaker or a mafia head—shame on me.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s all give a warm round of applause to the man of the hour--- the Founder and President of The Croft Hotel Group --- Mr. Carter Croft himself!” the emcee introduced with much fervor.

Everyone stood up and clapped, so I followed suit. My eyes followed him as he went up the stage and took his place at the podium. I couldn’t believe this successful billionaire had rushed to my house and put me in bed while I was drunk and wet in my swimsuit. I suddenly felt even more embarrassed about that incident.

He began delivering his speech with great composure. It was my first time to hear him address a huge crowd, and it seemed like, despite his geeky appearance (which was not his look tonight), he had a way with people. Everyone seemed to love him. From start to finish, he had all of our attention.

Rasha grinned and gave me a meaningful look. Then she leaned closer and whispered, “You guys would make the most awesome couple.”

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