Page 13 of My Forbidden Billionaire

“Miss Andrews!” a voice interrupts us. We both turn to see who it is.

Josephine straightens up and composes herself. “Yes, Ms. Abadie?”

“I hope you’re finished here, Miss Andrews. I need to have a word with you, immediately.”

Josephine’s face turns white with worry as she nods. “Yes, of course.”

Ms. Abadie leads Josephine away and I watch as they disappear down a dim hallway. I can’t help but wonder what could be so urgent that Ms. Abadie had to pull her away so suddenly.

Hopefully, Josephine isn’t in trouble.

As I walk out of the literature hall, I spot Clementine talking animatedly to some kids her age. She sees me and runs over to give me a hug. I pat her on the head and smile down at her. “Have a great first day of school, baby girl.”

She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I will. Daddy, can we get ice cream tonight?”

I chuckle, ruffling her hair. “We’ll see, kiddo. Now, go have fun in class.”

As I watch her run off, my thoughts go back to Josephine. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something between us.

I don’t know what it is, but I want to find out.

“You’re late! You know we have a meeting with the shareholders today.”

“My apologies, Theo. It’s Clementine’s first day of school today. I had to go to the meet-and-greet with the other parents.”

“Ah yes, that’s right! I had planned to call little Clem myself this morning and wish her good luck on her first day, but I got caught up with some Excel sheets. Give her a kiss tonight from her Uncle Theo, will you?”

“Of course, and don’t worry, she was so excited to be back at school, she was almost buzzing,” I reply, sitting at my desk and opening my emails.

“So, how did it go?”

“The meet-and-greet? The same as every year, honestly…” Without warning, the image of Josephine Andrews pops into my head—and what a gorgeous, ravishing image it is. Her piercing eyes are as green and enigmatic as the depths of the ocean, and her sunny blonde hair practically sparkles beneath the autumn sun.

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts, but it’s no use. Josephine’s presence lingers in my mind like a sweet perfume, and I can’t help but feel drawn to her.

“Jacob? Is everything alright?” Theo’s voice breaks me out of my thoughts.

I clear my throat. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just thinking about something.”

“The shareholders’ meeting?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s … you know that woman I told you about who bumped into me in the street a few months ago?”

Theo raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, what about her?”

“Turns out, she’s the literature instructor at Clementine’s school,” I say, a flush creeping up my neck. “And we ran into each other again today. There was something about her ... I can’t explain it. I just feel drawn to her.”

He chuckles, a knowing look in his eyes. “Sounds like you’ve got a crush, my friend.”

I scowl at him. “A crush? I’m a grown man, Theo.”

“Hey, there’s no shame in feeling attracted to someone,” he rebuts.

“It’s not just about her looks, Theo,” I protest. “There’s something more there. A connection, maybe. I just can’t shake the feeling that I need to get to know her better—”

“Well, why don’t you ask her out then?” Theo interjects, leaning back in his chair.

“I—well, I tried, but … we got interrupted.”

---