Page 115 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

I paused, then sighed. I did have more, but I wasn’t sure if I should even mention it. I never intended to. But he gave me no choice. “Full disclosure? I’ve got a theory on that.”

“Shoot.” He made an impatient hand motion, urging me to go on.

“My theory is that my former assistant was a spy sent through Ecclestone, channeled in to provoke agitation.”

I’d never thought I’d see Damon drop his poker face. Tonight was the night. Surprised disbelief was written all over his face. He shook his head, mumbling, “Ace.”

I continued, undeterred. “A real spy, a trained fucking rat. Goal: cause disarray, rumors, and scandal inside and outside my firm. She has disappeared from the face of the earth. Ecclestone hired her, I’m sure. The timing. The onslaught of errors. The lies. When I fired her, I saw a caller ID on her phone displaying ‘E.E.’ I believe he set his eyes on my firm. A merger wasn’t in his interest, for obvious reasons: He didn’t need another king on the chess board. As far as I was concerned, I had other motives, but the only way to save my company was to push the acquisition through with the giant he knew he’d never get his hands on: Humphries Properties. It’s in his best interest to do anything to make sure the acquisition goes south. I can’t prove anything, of course. The only way to get out of his line of fire was by letting him lose interest and being clear that no matter what shady attempts he tried to dish out, he wasn’t going to crowbar himself into our business—in short: letting him know that he can go fuck himself.”

Damon’s brows were still furrowed, but his expression had lost some of the earlier disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell us that?”

“Because it’s atheory, man.”

“How am I supposed to believe a word you say?” he huffed, shaking his head and stepping closer to me. “You’ve been dishonest as a business partner when I asked you about Ecclestone, and dishonest as a friend when I asked you if you were sleeping with my sister—and now you’ve changed the course of my sister’s life forever. Do you fucking know what she’s going through?”

I stared at him. The beast inside me narrowed his piercing eyes, mutated into a black predator, puffed his large wings, opened his beak, and unleashed a loud screeching noise.

A single angry tear ran down my cheek.

All the frustration I’d bundled up inside of me evaporated like mist.

“For fuck’s sake, Damon. Do you know whatI’mgoing through?” I demanded. “I love her, you fuckingasshole. I love her more than life itself. I didn’t fucking want anybody in my life, and she hit me like a freight train—but turns out, she doesn’t want me. She left me because I fucked up, lost her trust, and because of this fucking merger. Fuck this merger. And fuck all of you who doubted me and thought I was in cahoots with that Ecclestone bastard.”

I ran a hand through my hair, and slid my sleeves up my arms, enraged. “You know what? I don’t want this merger, I couldn’t care less anymore. I wanther.” I moved away from him.

Damon followed me. “So that’s it? The merger is done?”

“Yeah. Done, over.Fuck it.”

I went and grabbed the thick envelope that included the merger files Damon, and Humphries, and the board were waiting for, switched on the fireplace, waited a few agonizing moments, and threw it into the burning heat.

Satisfied, I turned, but stopped in my tracks when I noticed Damon’s expression.

Was that a fucking smile creeping up his face?

He put his hand on my shoulder and sympathetically nodded. “Buddy. I’m sorry I riled you up, but that’s what I wanted to hear. I didn’t think I’d get the truth out of you unless I pissed you off.”

What?

He rushed to grab the file out of the glowing coals. The envelope and its contents were already on fire, but Damon managed to put it out.

I sank to the floor and rested my back against the wall. “You played me?”

He placed the burned papers next to the fireplace and retrieved a handkerchief to wipe his fingers. “Kind of, but I know you have the emotional capacity of an eggplant. So, I had to. I needed to know that you love my sister. You should have told me right away.”

“I thought you’d bemad. Miles and Oliver were all over my ass because of the whole thing.”

“Well, next time talk to me instead of them. We’re both fucking adults, not immature dickheads with hormones up our asses. Sure, I’m mad that you didn’t tell me the truth, but I’m not proud of what I did myself. I guess we’re even.”

He offered me a bro-fist, and I bumped it, still trying to wrap my head around what had just happened.

“What?” he asked. “You seem disappointed. You wanted me to beat you up? Jesus, I’m not twenty—but Ican. If that’ll make you feel better.”

I chuckled. “You’re good.”

“You should see her,” he said. “She’s terrified and fragile. She’s going to need you. No more of that ‘I’m not ready for a relationship’ bullshit. You fucking be ready.”

“I am.”

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