Page 85 of The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

“Can you call him for me, Anna?”

“Sure thing. Excuse me, everyone.”

“Thank you.”

Once Anna leaves, Alex clears his throat. “I need to ask you a question, ‘Lissa.”

I sit up slowly, my right hand going over his.

“Yes. But first, I’m glad you’re here.”

Celine gets up to leave. “I’ll leave you two siblings to each other. Think I’ll get myself a snack or something. Good to have you back, girl.”

“I was so worried,” Alex says, after the door shuts. “When I got to the scene, it was worse than I imagined, and I feared I’d lose you. I don’t know what I’d do if that happened. To my relief, due to some sort of miracle or something, you only suffered a deep cut in the head, a concussion, and other wounds that didn't affect any major organs. Also, the bleeding was stopped on time."

“See? You’re not losing me, Alex. Not in a long while.”

“I’m very sorry, Melissa. I’m sorry I couldn’t handle things with our aunt better. I’m sorry I couldn’t try better. I’m sorry for everything after that. Please, don’t ever leave me.”

I wipe the lone tear on his face. “I’m not. I understand everything. I’m sorry as well. I’ll admit I was a bit blinded by my love for my aunt. I should have given you a chance.”

“We have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”

“We sure do, ‘Lissa.”

We hold each other in a tight embrace, staying that way for a while.

“You wanted to ask me something?” I ask as he goes back to his seat.

“Why do you want to see Richard so bad?”

“I need to talk to him.”

“About what?”

I smirk. “Look at you acting like my big brother. Well, it’s something important.”

“Iamyour big brother. This is about getting back with Richard, isn’t it?”

There’s nothing to hide at this point. “Yes.”

“Did you find out something about him that changed your mind?”

“Yeah. An agent I work with on the Emerald investigation informed me yesterday the case is as good as solved. Richard stayed true to his word, and that made me want to talk to him.”

“You want to give him another chance because of that? That doesn’t change the fact that he wasn’t open to you. To us. He acted like the board he so much wanted to pin down, even if he had good intentions.”

“Yes, but everyone makes mistakes. You’ve made mistakes with me as well, and I just forgave you. Why can’t I give Richard that chance?”

Alex leaves his seat and walks to the window. “I’m not sure I can accept your relationship with Richard.”

“I love you, but at this point, I don’t care if you approve of it or not. I know now that Richard cares for me, and I’m giving him a chance.”

He turns to me, eyes wide. Someone walks in, pausing our conversation. My chest flutters and I sit up, but it's Anna. Crestfallen, I rest on the bed as before. The door is still open, and another person walks in.

“Melissa.”

The sound of that rich baritone voice, one I’ve grown familiar with, is low and soothing, like the evening breeze on my skin. Richard, coming into view, walks to my bedside but keeps his hands in his pockets.

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