Page 42 of The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

I shake my head. I shouldn’t be thinking of her that way.

Melissa is a pretty captivating woman, from her long, dark hair, through the curves of her body and down to her legs. But it’s not just her looks. Her confidence and outspokenness also appeal to me.

No doubt about it, Melissa is a woman that could stand up to anyone. She’s so much like Alex.

I grip the wheel. Alex.

I didn’t even consider my best friend. What will Alex think if I tell him I’m interested in his sister? Or if he finds out?

One thing is for sure. That’ll damage our longstanding friendship.

I have no business fraternizing with Melissa in the first place. My only aim is the acquisition of Emerald Inc., and Melissa is just another thing in my way.

Either that or a means to that end.

Why am I so stupid to even try getting close to Melissa after all this?

Pulling up at my office, I leave my car to security personnel. Anna is already on her laptop, with a cup of latte when I get in.

“Good morning sir. Busy morning?”

I check the time. A minute left till eleven a.m.

“Good morning, Anna. I was at the gym.”

Anna flashes a witty smile, before turning to her laptop.

“While you were away building those muscles, I ordered some latte, and got a new lead. Oh, and call Alex later – he’s been trying to reach you all morning.”

I groan. “I forgot my phone at home.”

She turns to me, both eyebrows raised. “How? Why?”

“Let’s just say there’s a lot on my mind.”

Her eyes narrow. “Mr. Burnes. Did something happen? By any chance, at the fundraising event last Friday? I couldn’t make it because of personal reasons, but I’m sure something must have happened.”

“Don’t bite yourself, okay? The event happened normally, as expected. Nothing of note happened.”

She keeps her gaze on me. “I doubt. You did go with Melissa, after all, didn’t you?”

“How did you know?”

That sly smile appears once again. “I have my sources. Did something happen between you two?”

My fingers ball so hard they ache. “Nothing happened.”

“Your hand is a fist, Mr. Burnes. Just saying. ”

I glance at them. Gritting my teeth, I unclench my fingers.

“Didn’t you say you had a new lead?”

“Right, that. But before I get to it, do you remember the cyber attack on Bluebell Tech more than a month ago? Well, that wasn’t the only cybercrime going on at the time. Around that time, numerous companies experienced cyber-attacks. What do they all have in common? At one point or the other, they did business with Emerald.”

My eyebrows wrinkle. “And where’s this leading?”

“Technically, Mr. Burnes, if nothing is done about that, Vibrant Corp might be hit herself. That’s just a thought. So, whatever we’re doing, we have to prevent that.”

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