Page 11 of Off Limits Billionaire

“This is different!” I told them. “I don’t have any expectations outside of getting the job done. Besides, the fact that every generation seems to try and patch this rift means that every Adler generation is deserving of a shot. Why can’t you letmetrust Marcus?”

The sound of my phone chiming distracted me. When I looked at the alert, I didn’t need to say anything else. I opened the screen and held it up for them both to see.

“That looks pretty trustworthy to me,” I told them as they stared in disbelief. Marcus had already deposited money into my account for the consultation. “He has access to clientele in tax brackets we don’t get to mingle with often. Why are you thinking about this like he’s the one using me? Don’t you think I have some plans of connecting with people at this auction? It’s going to be at Montclair’s in London. Imagine Priceless Pierce being the shop they call for their horology needs?!”

“Our Anabella is right,” Gran-gran finally spoke. “You have to give her a chance to see for herself that the Adlers are crooks.”

“Gran.” My shoulders slumped. This discussion wasn’t going anywhere.

Gran-gran nodded toward my phone. “Don’t spend any of that money until the bank clears it.”

“I know,” I replied. “It’s the business account we’ve been using to hold our client fees. I’m going to be gone for a few days, so Paul, you and Hunter will have to step up to man the register.”

“How do you know I didn’t have plans?”

I narrowed my gaze, “Don’t do that. If we had the income for me to tell Marcus to go fu- fudge himself, I would, but clearly we don’t have fudge you money.” I’ll curse like a sailor anywhere else except in front of my grandparents.

“Paul, just help out. I don’t know why you guys are so against this. There’s no way for me to get taken advantage of in this situation when I helped dictate the terms of the contract. He’s not going to risk getting taken to court over this. The Godschalk—”

Grandpa Augie gasped. “You? You’re going to see a Godschalk?”

“It’s going on auction from a private collector and it will need restoration. I’m hoping he’ll let me get some decent content of me fixing the thing up. It will be great marketing for the shop.”

Paul practically growled, on the brink of throwing a fit. “Fine, so long as you’re not getting taken advantage of. He knows me and Hunter will kill him and grind him into bits to turn him into a clock if he hurts you, right?”

I waved him off. “That is very detailed and morbid, but we’re not getting married, Paul. I’m literally going to fix a clock.”

Once I’d smoothed things over with my family, the next two days passed by quickly. Nina stood in the doorway of my room as I continued to pull items out of my closet. I had a few things I wanted to bring, but I tried to keep it as simple as possible.

“I can’t believe you’re flying private,” Nina gushed as she casually tossed a pair of lace panties into my suitcase.

“You fly private all the time. Didn’t some tech billionaire fly you out to restore a Picasso or something?”

She giggled softly. “It was a piano and that’s not all the time. That’s one time in the last six months. Every other flight for me has been coach, commercial.”

My phone chimed, alerting me to the car’s arrival downstairs. A text came through shortly after.

Marcus:Broken clocks are rarely on time.

I smiled and put the phone away as I slammed my suitcase shut and wrapped my arms around Nina.

“I’ll catch up on my share of the rent and everything else around here,” I promised her.

Nina hugged me a little tighter. “I told you not to worry about that. I know you’ll take care of it as soon as you have it. Have fun and be safe. Most importantly, don’t let him make you fall head over heels in love so that you marry him and become a billionaire’s wife and then introduce me to his billionaire friends so thatIcan become a billionaire housewife.”

I couldn't help but laugh. Pushing away from her, I said one last goodbye before hitting the friendly skies with the supposedly friendly Marcus Adler. When I got into the car, I was surprised to see him already inside.

Marcus was on his best behavior as we drove through the city and up the Boulevard to a private airport. The staff greeted us and the flight crew stood outside a jet with smiles across their faces.

The inside of the plane seemed massive for just the two of us. There were enough seats for about a dozen people. As we got comfortable, some of the airport workers came onto the plane to fold and convert some of the seats to empty the space.

Marcus burst into laughter as he watched me watch them. “It’s to make room for the clock. The seats will be put back once we return.”

I nodded, sat down, and tossed my bag into the empty seat beside me when Marcus moved it to sit there instead. He pulled out his phone and began showing me pictures of the clock. My heart skipped a beat as he continued to scroll and tell me about its different features and how much he appreciated the details of the design.

The slight jolt of the aircraft as we took off distracted me for a moment, and I ended up wrapping my hand around his as we took off.

“Come here,” his voice was deep, commanding, forcing me to look at him while my nerves reacted to the power of the aircraft, which was essentially a slingshot of maximum proportions. Marcus tipped my chin slightly upward so that his mouth met mine, distracting me from the bumpy takeoff.

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