Page 3 of Billionaire Boss's Bold Proposal

I sank into the black leather chair and reclined back, completely lost in my thoughts. Jonah stood for a while before he spoke to me, tablet in his hands.

“Sir?” he called.

I arched a brow at him, “Yes?”

“Stefan is waiting to meet you at the Empire State Building in an hour,” Jonah informed me.

I sighed and shook my head, “Please cancel our meeting. Today is not going to work for me.”

“I can’t, sir. He is already waiting, and you’ve canceled the last three times.” Jonah replied.

Releasing the breath I didn’t know I was holding, I walked out of my office to the elevator. Jonah followed with my things.

“Okay, I’ll go and meet him. You can finish up here.” I told him.

Jonah nodded as he watched the elevator door close. I ran a hand through my tousled dark hair, bracing myself for what was to come. Meeting with Stefan meant I needed to prepare for drama.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a text from Stefan: Change of plans. Let’s meet at your Penthouse. I’m here waiting.

I replied with a thumbs-up as the elevator reached the lobby. So typical of Stefan. He knows how to corner me so that I couldn’t ditch him.

I had built a thriving athletic footwear and clothing company, XDE Athletics. Recently, however, sales mysteriously declined.

I suspected Jessica had somehow stolen all the plans for our new product launch. She’d handed it over on a silver platter to my rival Company- of course, Jamie is the owner and CEO.

“Sir, your car is here.” The valet’s voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

I sat into my Porsche and drove straight to my Penthouse.

Heading straight upstairs, I saw Stefan sitting on the couch in the living room with vodka in his hand.

“Not you, too,” I groaned. A lecture from Stefan was the last thing that I needed right now.

Stefan shrugged, “You shut me out when I only want to help and support you.”

“Stefan, let’s not do this right now,” I said. I was too exhausted for this game.

Stefan has been my best friend for years. He could be overbearing at times, especially when drinking. But he was a great guy and the most dependable friend.

“So what’s the deal?” Stefan asked tauntingly. “You’re mad I always point out when you’ve pushed me away? I’ve tried to be there for you, but you’re always too busy, unavailable… canceling our meetings. What gives? Can you let me know what is going on?”

I shrugged. “Do you blame me? You warned me about Jessica. I ignored your advice and dated her anyway. I screwed up, okay? I didn’t want to hear you say, ‘I told you so.’”

Stefan smiled. “You think I’d do that after all the horrible things Jessica said about you? Wow, you believe that about me? Come on, man. Do you honestly think that I’m that shallow? I’d kick you when you’ve been knocked down? Don’t you know me better than that?”

“You’re right; I’m sorry I shut you out,” I said.

“No worries, man,” Stefan replied. “I get it. I know you, all is good.”

He was right. I didn’t want to admit it, but Stefan, with his many faults, wouldn’t do that to me. I nodded, and we both began to laugh. We’ve been friends through thick and thin. Now, best friends. We’ve been there for each other from the beginning of our friendship.

Stefan had it easy as the CEO of his dad’s Company, an established auto parts supplier mainly for racing cars. He had plenty of free time to do pretty much what he wanted.

I started XDE Athletics, my Company, from nothing to a Fortune 500 brand. Never a free moment. Even racing had fallen to the wayside. I couldn’t put in the time required for both. So, racing had to take a backseat.

After the product leak, I’ve been scrambling for a solution with sales tanking. Without our new product, missing a product launch was disastrous for the Company and shareholders. I needed to stay focused; a temporary fix would keep us from tanking further.

I wished I’d listened to Stefan when he warned me about Jessica. I didn’t take his warning seriously because I thought I loved her. I should’ve known better.

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