Page 25 of The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

What the hell were you thinking, Melissa?

I stand there for a while, muttering under my breath and fighting the urge to kick myself. How will I face him after that awkward…whatever that was?

“Melissa? Are you okay?”

I clear my throat and straighten. “Um, yes. Yeah. I just … One moment.”

“I need to go home.” He laughs. “I think I drank a bit too much.”

“It’s … it’s fine! Do you need help?”

“No, I don’t. Thank you for the wine and … I’m sorry.”

His heavy footsteps become more distant as he saunters to the door. Hearing the door click shut, I slide to the ground. Instead of slowing down, my heartbeat increases.

Why did he apologize? Did he really want to kiss me, or was he just drunk, going with the flow? Did I unintentionally lead him on?

I don’t know how long I remained on the floor in the kitchen.

I shouldn’t have invited him over.

My goal was to find out why he did what he did, to know what he was looking for, and figure out the puzzle I’d been mulling over. Instead, I end up almost kissing my neighbor.

And oh, I really wanted to.

Why did he even accept my invitation anyway?

“Get over it, Melissa,” I mumble, rising from the floor.

There’s no point thinking about this further. I’ll report this to Chad and have him run up a profile on Richard. I can get my answers then.

But as I walk back to the living room, a small portion of my brain assumes that maybe, just maybe, Richard Burnes is into me.

Chapter 9

Richard

“Andyou’resureyousaw a picture of him in her apartment?”

I pace, staring past the view my office provides as Anna sits nearby, questioning me like a detective.

All morning, Anna and I were going through this new development. Even as lunchtime is nearing, I still have no clue as to how Alex, my best friend, is related to Melissa, Emerald’s CEO.

However they’re related, it’s of utmost importance.

“Positive. I’d recognize Alex from a mile away. When I asked her about it, she didn’t seem so eager to answer. She decided it couldn’t be the same person, which is weird because she doesn’t know if that was the Alex I know. She then changed the subject.”

How did I miss that?

“Lemme get this straight, Mr. Burnes. You saw a framed picture of your best friend, Alex, in Melissa’s apartment, and now you’re confused as to what that has to do with everything else. But you think he must be somebody important to her, which is a crazy coincidence, and you probably want me to do some digging to find out. Missing the point in the nail?”

She can’t be closer to my thoughts.

“He is. His was the only framed picture I saw, which means he is someone to her. The question is, who?” I ask rhetorically.

Anna remains silent. Then, “Why not just call him or text him to ask or something?”

I consider the suggestion for a while, before shaking my head.

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