Page 67 of The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

Alex stares into his cup for a while, before sipping its contents.

“Brandy. Always works.”

“Alex –”

“You want to know about Richard, right? Let me guess – he’s been lying to you all this time, and you want to know the truth.”

“Ye…yes. I do.”

He twirls his cup. “Why do you want to know? If you need assurance that Richard isn’t with the underground syndicates or part of this big conspiracy, I can vouch for him.”

He’s not a bad guy. That’s enough good news. Still, why would he lie? I have to know. No one lies without a reason.

“I know he’s not a bad guy. All I want to know is why he would lie to me. That’s why I want you to tell me what you know about him.”

He meets my eyes with his blue ones behind his glasses. “You didn’t answer my question. Why do you want to know? Why is it so important to know about him that you came here this late?”

“Are you going to tell me or not?”

“I just want to know.”

“Ah, forget it! Why did I even bother coming here anyways? I’ll find out myself. Thanks for the drink.” I slam the cup on the table and walk to the door.

“Wait. Don’t go. It’s late. I’ll tell you. But you have to promise me you’ll remain calm,” Alex says, already on his feet.

I let go of the door handle. “Alright. I’m all ears.”

“Sit down, Melissa.”

Dragging my feet back to the couch, I sit at the edge.

“Drink your milk.” His tone is gentle, yet with authority. I lift the cup of milk, downing the rest of its contents.

“Now, are you gonna tell me, or – ”

“Richard is Vibrant Corporation’s CEO.”

“What? No. No, it can’t be. Richard cannot...”

“That’s the truth. Richard is one of the richest men in New York. Not only is he the CEO of Vibrant Corp, but also its major shareholder. This means he’s virtually the owner of Vibrant Corp and the person running it.”

“Then, the acquisition –”

“All his idea. He got tired of all the corruption and shady deals taking place in the shadows and decided to take matters into his hands. He’s been processing a takeover for months now, although he's been rejected more than once, or so I’m told by his assistant, Anna.”

I sit back, placing my back against the couch as the words sink in. Richard is the owner of Vibrant Corp.

It all clicks, fitting into place like a jigsaw. The fancy apartment he lives in; the housewarming party, when he was sneaking around; the excuse about his freelance firm – it all makes sense now.

“Why would he lie to me?”

“I don’t know what’s between you two, but I can imagine he didn’t tell you because you’re the CEO of the company he wants to take over. If anything, I think it was to keep you safe – ”

I cut him short. “That’s not a fucking excuse!”

“ – from his plans. He intends to bring down the administration running Emerald, ‘Lissa. Anna hinted subtly at that, but it's clear to see. There’s no other reason to buy Emerald. You’re not in the criminal dealings, but youarepart of the administration.”

“Or maybe he didn’t tell me because he’s a fucking coward!” My brain is so clouded by rage that I can’t think.

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