Page 10 of The Billionaire's Game

“Sorry, I was going to say something to the effect that I left you there, and you could come up to my room as another attempt to flirt with you, but, as that is all in bad taste, I was refraining from saying anything, except I just revealed all of that to you now, so…” he trailed off.

“Oh, funny,” she chuckled. It was way too late for awkward talk. “Um, is there a reason you called?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. I got distracted. I called because I was thinking about our last conversation, you know—your debt problem, and I think that I might have found a solution that would help you solve that,” he said anxiously.

“No way. What did you figure out?” she asked enthusiastically.

“Yeah, I remembered a personal banker who might be able to loan you the money for your debt.”

“You know, I don’t want to go through the bank. I was trying to avoid that. How is this any new information that could help me?”

“Just listen, okay? I know him on a personal level, and he would lend you his own personal money. It wouldn’t be coming from the bank or anything.”

“Oh, has he helped people in my situation before? I mean there have got to be other people who have gotten themselves into this position before. I can’t be the only one, and I know for a fact that the whole Principality of Monaco does not want to put everyone in prison that owes them money.”

“Yes, he has helped people in your situation before, except that it has been a while. He kind of has retired, and that’s why I didn’t think of him until a little bit ago.”

“That’s great if he comes out of retirement,” she said. “Just my luck, but he wouldn’t want to help me or anything, even though he does understand my dilemma and might even be empathetic towards it.”

“I know for a fact he would come out of retirement for you.”

“Well, that is great news. So, when can we call him?” she asked.

“Before we get into all that. There are some stipulations that I should address with you before we go any further.”

“Okay,” she said. “But I do have one question, though. What are his interest rates? Because I don’t want to have to pay back double my money, just to get out of debt, even though that really shouldn’t even matter at this point. I mean, who am I kidding? I would probably pay triple if I knew that I would stay out of prison. Anyway, here I go babbling all over again.”

“His interest rates are actually very reasonable because he doesn’t charge interest at all. To be honest, it’s more than likely you wouldn’t have to pay back the loan at all. He would probably gift you the money because he would see it as an investment.”

“An investment? An investment in what? Why would he give me the money for free? This is starting to sound stranger by the minute. Matt, what’s really going on?”

“He would be investing in you because all you have to do is one small, simple favor, something that would help both of you in the long run. You get yourself out of debt, and it helps get him out of a bind. What do you say?”

“What do you mean what do I say? How would we know what the favor would be? We haven’t even asked him yet!” Now, she was getting more anxious. It was like Matt was talking in circles. She wished he would get right to the point and tell her what he knew or wait until the morning when they could call his friend and see if he would even do it. Why were they even discussing favors right now?

“I know what the favor would be because I’m the friend. I would be the person gifting you this money to pay back your debt to the casino.”

Now, Jessica was really shocked. “Oh, why didn’t you think of that before?”

“Well, as I said, this is not something I have done in a really long time, and I had to look over my finances to make sure I could even afford to do it before I suggested it.” He knew he was lying. He could totally afford to give her the money. He was swimming in it, but he couldn’t let her know that right now. “So, after careful consideration, which only took me an hour, I have decided that I could gift you the money.”

“Well, thank you, but what made you come to the conclusion that you could gift me the money instead of loaning it to me? Either way, it would be an investment, especially if you charge me interest. I mean, I really appreciate the fact that you would like to gift it to me, but you don’t know me that well. Something must have happened for you to put that much trust in me. I guess what I am trying to ask you is, what is the favor?”

She heard Matt sigh on the other end of the phone. “It’s nothing too crazy. I’m not going to ask you to kill anyone or anything. I was just going to ask you if you would give me the pleasure of becoming my wife. In other words, Jessica, would you marry me?”

11

The room was empty, except for the minimal furniture and a flower vase on top of the center table. Jessica sat on the expensive-looking sofa across from it, staring blankly at the single flower inside the vase. The door was closed, and she heard faint voices from the outside but couldn’t make out what they were saying, not that she was trying to, anyway. She was occupied, trying to recall the events of the last few hours. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She contemplated how she ended up where she was. She couldn’t believe the turn her life had taken in a single day.

Was it just this morning that she was on her way to getting married to what she believed was the man of her dreams. She had believed she was going to make it, that she was finally going to settle down and live out a long and happy life.

Sure, she felt the nerves every bride feels on the big day, but she was looking forward to it, and that’s why nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. She was left at the altar by the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Jessica wondered which was more humiliating, the fact that her tragic life was out on display for all the guests to witness, or that she was the only one who seemed genuinely shocked. Looking at the people who gave her looks of pity and sympathy, she found not a single face filled with the same horror that she wore on her face.

Had she been that clueless? Was everyone in that church aware of Spencer’s disloyalties but her? She couldn’t take the crushing humiliation any longer, so she ran away where her feet took her. Their honeymoon was already planned and paid for, part of it was her hard-earned money. Maybe it’s not that big of a deal for her ex to throw it away, but Jessica hated wasting what she could have used for a better cause. In a moment of impulsive insanity, she decided that she would go on this honeymoon by herself. She deserved the luxury hotels, the beds, and the spas she paid for. Without letting herself think better of it, she took the flight to Monte Carlo. She found a bar and got drunk like she had never done before. After all, it’s not every day you get dumped at the altar like Ted Mosby.

What a classic,she thought as she chugged down another glass of vodka. The casino in Monte Carlo was as grand as she had always imagined it to be, with gamblers bustling at every table. The night air was electric, and she was drunk out of her mind. She tried to gamble her problems away. At first, she thought she was off to a good start, but eventually, she racked up quite a bit of debt. She got even drunker. Her opponent seemed to win all the rounds at her cost, and he was mighty pleased about it. She almost hooked up with him, and, to top it all off, that professional gambler offered to pay off her debt in exchange for her hand in marriage. Jessica had experienced a lot of crazy things in her life, but these last two days take the cake of being over the top.

She had piled up a staggering $50,000 debt to the casino and had no idea how to pay it off. She had to pay it back within 24 hours or get arrested. Of course, she didn’t have that much money and was starting to panic when the professional gambler, her opponent, came to the rescue. He proposed to her, right then and there in the casino. He offered to pay off her debt if she agreed to marry him. Of course, she had laughed at his face and told him to get the hell out with his bluffing, but then 24 hours were over, and here she was, locked up in a hotel room.

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