Page 28 of A Billionaire's Secret

“I wanna know the worst-case scenario. What happens if this blows up and people find out?” I asked, reluctant to hear the painful truth.

“This horse business is all new to me, I’ll be honest,” Will informed me. “I’ll look into it.”

“That’s all I ask. I’m telling you, I’ve been sleeping with one eye open since. I need to know what I’m dealing with.” I confided.

“I bet,” Will shook his head.

He had seen it all, yet I still managed to surprise him.

“So, did you get into horses too?” William tried to change the subject. “Did I tell you I have a friend who moved back to England to breed and trade horses? I should introduce you next time he comes back.”

“Oh?” My interest was piqued, and Victoria’s face appeared before me. She’d be so happy to meet someone like that. “I’m not into that whole thing yet, but I know someone who might be,” I smirked playfully.

We wrapped up our conversation, and I found it hard to concentrate toward the end. An idea had pooped up and completely taken over my mind. All I could think about was what calls to make in order to materialize it.

“Whitney, can you arrange my jet to fly out from Louisville to London Heathrow on Friday evening,” I ordered my assistant over the phone as soon as Will walked away, leaving me his friend’s number and address in England.

While I had planned to spend some time with Victoria next week, a trip to England sounded way more fun than my other surprise ideas.

13

Victoria

“Vicky,mayIcomein,” my sister knocked on my door and poked her head in, then pushed it open, and her eyes bulged at the sight of me packing a suitcase. “Wait, where are you going?”

“I don’t know,” I responded, a mischievous smile spreading on my face. “I’ve been told it’s a surprise.”

“By whom?” Lizzie placed her hands on her hips and raised her brows. “Mr. Business Dinner?”

“Will you stop with that dumb name?” I scoffed. “Yeah, him.”

“I’m a bit confused. How did it go from business to pleasure so quickly? You don’t even know him, but you’re going away with him,” my sister anxiously quizzed me.

“That’s the point, maybe I’ll get to know him better now,” I answered bluntly, shoving a black dress in my suitcase.

“Do you trust him? What if he’s a weirdo? You need to tell us where you’ll be so we know your location.” Lizzie continued her safety spiel.

I dropped the clothes I was holding and walked over to her, sat her down on my bed, and sat next to her.

“Listen, kiddo,” I began calmly. “Please don’t feel responsible for taking care of me. At some point in my life, I need to start thinking about more than just horses. Not everyone is as lucky as you and your high school soulmate Adrian. I have to go out there, meet people and make an effort. Or I’ll end up old and alone...”

Lizzie looked at me with concern and understanding. “Just be safe, that’s all I ask.”

“I know. And I will. I promise I’ll text you my location and every little detail.” I assured her.

“Ok, not every little detail, please,” she smiled shyly. “By the way, I researched him. I doubt you ever typed his name in Google, so I did.”

“Oh yeah? So, what’s the tea?” I quizzed her, holding in the fact that I had spent unusual for me long hours on my phone reading about him as well.

“Divorced about six years ago after a cheating scandal,” Lizzie looked at me with concern, emphasizing the word ‘cheating’. “Has one daughter, comes from a rich family of bankers in Nashville, and the occasional eye candy on his arm. Pretty standard for a man like him, I guess.”

“See? Nothing to worry about,” I joked. “And, of course, I’ve also read all that. No one’s life is squeaky clean. Especially someone of that stature.”

“I hope you’re right about him,” Lizzie exhaled, staring to understand that my mind had been made up. “He is totally handsome, I’ll give him that. I see how you might be swooning.”

I poked her ribs at the comment and finished packing my suitcase while she voiced her opinions about my style choices.

Christian had called me the night before, and at the end of our conversation, he had simply said, “Pack a suitcase, you’ll love where I’m taking you.” I tried to get more information from him, but he insisted on keeping it a surprise.

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