Page 20 of The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

“If you keep this up, you might not get to be my boss any longer. I’ll send the information from Chan to you. Please, Mr. Burnes, do not do anything stupid again.”

“Yeah, I got it. You can go now, Anna,” I say, dismissing her.

“I’m the Donna to your Harvey,” she says with a glint in her eye. “And don’t you forget it.”

Chuckling, I wave her away. She gives me one last warning look before she leaves my office.

My phone buzzes. An email from Mr. Chan. He’s received more information than I have and has sent flagged correspondence between Emerald and dubious sources, most of which are encrypted. These files can’t be used as evidence, so they’re kind of pointless to have. But it’s still progress.

I shut my laptop for a while and lean back in my chair. For the duration of the party, till she started sending guests home, Melissa stuck beside me. It’s probably because she found me inside her master bedroom, but if she had been cautious, she would’ve just called the police. So, why didn’t she?

The door to my office opens again without a prompt. Anna walks in and shoots me a knowing look after seeing my closed laptop.

“You should learn this new thing, Anna. It’s called knocking.”

“I would keep up formalities if you did your job, Richard. I came in because I sent more files for approval, and you didn’t reply. Please, do so as soon as possible. I need to send some of those out.”

“Yes, yes. Now,Donna, would you be kind enough to order me lunch? I’m starving.”

A smile tugs at her lips. “I’ll order it right away, sir.”

She leaves. The view of downtown New York is visible from my office, providing a distracting view of several people going about their daily, mundane life. It’s one of the reasons I chose to keep this office; there’s something calming about people-watching. It’s therapeutic. I start approving the documents she talked about, and by the time I’m done, my lunch has already been delivered.

The traffic in the city is always horrible in the evenings, but when it’s closer to midnight, the roads are somewhat accessible. As I pull into the parking lot, I notice the lights in her apartment are on.

Picking my dinner and locking up my car, I make my way to my apartment, too embarrassed to face her. Before I can make it into my apartment, her words stop me in my tracks.

“Is that dinner for two, Neighbor?”

Halfway through unlocking my door, I turn around to face her. She’s standing in her doorway, leaning against the wall with her arms folded on her chest. Her hair’s pulled back in a ponytail, and she’s wearing a faded t-shirt on a pair of joggers. She looks so adorable, so young.

The urge to draw her into my arms hit me so swiftly that I have to take a step back.

“Unfortunately, it’s for one person. Pizza is easy to order around here, so you can always get that.”

“Pizza?” She pouts. “Are you trying to make me fat, Richard?”

“Of course not. I know a good place—”

“Is this the length you’d go to not to share your dinner?”

“Please, stop misinterpreting my words. I’m exhausted.”

“Fine. Why don’t you have your dinner, take a bath after, and come to my place for a glass of wine? It always works to relax after a stressful day at work. What do you say, Richard?”

My mouth falls open. Is she inviting me over? Getting a second invitation to her place after she caught me in an awkward position the last time isn’t on the list of things I expect. Is she gullible or trying to catch me in a lie?

She must’ve noticed my hesitation because a corner of her lips tilt, and she gives me a quick once-over.

“Don’t worry. I know how to keep these hands to myself.”

I blink. She’s brazen; no doubt about that.

Chuckling, I shake my head.

“I never doubted that. I guess I’ll take you up on your offer, then. See you later then, Melissa.”

She smiles as she returns to her apartment, shutting the door behind her. Entering my apartment, I take off my shoes and jacket and hang them up before placing my briefcase aside. Putting my dinner in the microwave, I fetch clean China and a glass of water while waiting for my dinner to be warm. I dial Anna’s number while I wait.

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