Page 23 of Owned By a Billionaire

“Tell me anyway,” the detective said.

I took a breath and crossed my hands, observing how his eagle eyes followed my every gesture. “Alice had been drinking.” I put on a shy smile. “She thought I was flirting with her fiancé.”

“That would be Henry Lovechilde?”

I nodded.

He closed his notebook and turned off his recorder.

“You’re close with Reynard Crisp, I believe.”

My heart shifted slightly. “Um… yes.”

“That’s all. You’re free to go. But if you’re planning on travelling far, you must tell us.”

“Am I a suspect?”

“Everyone from that party’s a suspect, Miss…” He looked down at his notes again. “Lamb.”

It ended there. The police didn’t question me again, and I was relieved, despite still wondering why the detective had mentioned Reynard.

“Did you stick to the story?” Rey asked as he sat in my Notting Hill living room, which was in sad want of knickknacks, paintings, and all those personal touches that made a home warm and inviting.

I hadn’t been sleeping well, so going shopping for home décor was the farthest thing from my mind. When I did manage to sleep, I saw Alice glaring at me, pointing into my face, screaming all kinds of gut-wrenching abuse.

“What did you do with her?” I’d lost count of how many times I’d asked. Each time, Rey sidestepped the question.

Alice’s parents had contacted me multiple times after someone had told them I was the last to see her that night. I even had to ask the police to intervene, worried they’d continue to hassle me.

“Everyone thinks I had something to do with it.” I walked the length of the room and looked out the windows onto a street busy with people who, going by their relaxed demeanor, weren’t being haunted by a ghost.

“Stick to your story, Caroline. They have nothing on you.”

“So, are you going to tell me? I’m losing my mind.” In contrast to his nonchalance, I continued to pace about, wringing my hands.

He sipped the whisky I’d poured him and grimaced. “You really need to upgrade your liquor.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rey.”

He went from blank to disdain in the blink of an eye. “Lower your voice.”

I fell onto the couch and buried my face in my hands.

“Needless to say, I cleaned up your mess.” He took another sip of liquor, lit a cigarette, and leaned back like a man without a worry in the world. “Now you owe me something.”

I dropped my hands and locked eyes with him. “What do I owe you?”

“First, you marry Harry Lovechilde, and then we’ll discuss it.”

I pushed aside the deluge of questions surrounding my debt to him and asked, “How am I to do that? It’s up to him, isn’t it? And when I saw him that one time recently, he was shattered over Alice’s mysterious disappearance.”

Rey nodded, appearing lost in thought. “Hang out at his favorite bars and be there for him. Hold his hand. Seduce him.”

“He may not even be into women in that way. After all, he hadn’t consummated his relationship with Alice.”

“I know he’s a family man. He admitted that much to me one night. He needs an heir. That’s how these dynasties work. They marry, have a family, and play on the side.”

I pursed my lips. “Is anyone good in your world?”

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