Page 55 of My Billionaire Neighbor's Secret

I must talk to her before it’s too late,I thought.She deserves the truth.

Chapter 23

LEIGH

Wehitoursalestarget ahead of time. I was so ecstatic that I threw an impromptu party in my house to celebrate with the core team of my company.

I smiled at the sight of the executives and managers splashing around in the swimming pool, partying like teenagers.

But there was something missing. Or rather--- someone.

I checked my phone again for the nth time that evening. Carter hadn’t replied to my message yet. I had no idea where he was.

Come to think of it… Lately, he’d always been making excuses not to see me. I’ve stopped coming to his house altogether, but I still called and texted him almost every day. Was I being too pushy or clingy? Maybe that was it, but he should have said something instead of just ghosting me.

“Stop thinking about him,” Rasha said, suddenly coming up behind me and taking my phone. “Let’s go and have fun!”

“I’m not thinking about him,” I said, lying to her face.

She laughed, obviously not believing me. “Come on, Leigh… When was the last time he asked you out? When did you last have fun together?”

There was that one dinner at the restaurant when we did enjoy each other’s company. But then he told me he needed to get home early and sleep. I was getting mixed-up signals from him, and I didn’t know what to make of it.

“Honestly, I think he’s not ready to commit… or maybe he’s never going to be ready,” Rasha told me. “I heard he’s never had a real girlfriend ever. Just revel in the thought that you’re the only one he went out with for more than three times!”

“Yeah, I should be happy, right?” I said in a cheerful voice. But I didn’t really mean it. I was never one to play around or move from one date to another. He knew that, but he still somehow led me on.

Whose fault was it?Obviously still mine.I had hoped it would be different with me. I had hoped it would lead to something more meaningful and more lasting.

I sighed as I joined Rasha and the other women. I ended up drinking a lot of wine and beer that evening.

After a while, I was getting really tipsy. Almost drunk. The party was winding down and people were busy hanging out in little groups. Some of them have gone home already.

I couldn’t help it. Even in my current condition, I felt like crying. A message from Carter saying he wouldn’t be able to make it would have sufficed. Or if he’d even just congratulated me, that would have been enough too.

Maybe I’d been stupid. Again.

He probably didn’t give a shit about what happened to me. We were done.

I went out for some fresh air. The front yard was empty, so that was better instead of going to the poolside. I needed to clear my head. Or maybe I just felt like throwing up.

Actually, another reason I went out was to check if Carter’s car was there. It wasn’t.Where the fuck was he?

It was midnight on a Saturday. He could be anywhere. He could be out with someone else. I was history and I had to accept that.

Suddenly, a dark-tinted car parked across the street. It didn’t look familiar, so I squinted to check who it could be.

My head felt heavy. I took several steps forward but felt very dizzy. I paused and held on to a tree.

When I turned toward the car again, the image that greeted me shocked me. It was Drake, looking cool and handsome in his usual shirt, jeans, and leather jacket garb. Or was I just imagining things?

I rubbed my eyes. But when I opened them again, there he was, standing in front of me.

“Leigh, are you okay?” was the first thing he asked.

“What are you doing here?” I replied bitterly. At first, I felt so angry that I even pushed him. He staggered backwards but did not leave.

“I’m sorry for showing up, but I got this text from you, and I thought that…” he trailed off, showing me the message on his cellphone and looking quite confused and uncertain. “I thought maybe you wanted to make up, to put things behind us…”

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