Page 50 of Next Door Billionaire's Surprise Baby

"You have no idea what I've had to endure. I stayed away because I was busy building this company," I gesture to the office, "It consumed much of my life. Everyone thinks building a fortune is a piece of cake until they realize how much sacrifice needs to be made to run the business successfully in the long run." My gaze becomes sad, "And in my case, I sacrificed watching my little brother grow up."

My words fall away as we stare at each other, standing with our shoulders bowed, and our hands curled into fists by our sides.

Tim blinks, and his eyes start to shift away from mine, so I continue to retain his attention, "I hate to admit it, but it is what it is. But now that you're here, I would like to make up for the lost time if you'll let me."

With a wounded look, he says, "I don't think that's going to be possible."

"Let’s find out," I counter, hoping that it’s never too late to connect with my brother. "How about a guys' night out?”

He doesn't even try to hide his pleased smile.

I ease the car into the parking lot of the luxury nightclub and kill the engine before turning to my brother, who's ogling out the window.

"That car is a limited edition, Kane!" In his awe, he taps the window so forcefully that I'm worried it might break.

I look around his shoulder to see what's got him so excited and raise my eyes at the pitch-colored car sitting on the lot. It's a...

"La Voiture Noir," he sings out as he worships the beauty of the supercar. He turns to me a moment later, "You can afford it, right?"

His eyes are so wide, and his mannerisms are like a child's. I'm struck by how much he looks like Skye right now.

"It's a limited edition. I got it. Now, come on. Let’s go," I unbuckle my seatbelt and get out of the car.

He pouts and does the same.

We enter into the building lit up in tasteful lights and make our way to the VIP booth. A waiter comes to take our orders, and I give her the orders.

Tim gawks at the opulence of the elites’ recreation spot, "I'm lucky I don't have anything to sacrifice. I can start grinding my way up to the top if it means I get to afford a place like this."

At his statement, I pause talking to the waiter and give him a look.

"What?" He demands.

I send the waiter away and fold my hands together on my knees. "Did you just say you don’t have anything to sacrifice?"

He shrugs cluelessly, and I remind him, "Skye Simmons. Does the name ring any bells?"

"Yeah. That's my daughter. She..." He immediately realizes the context of his statement, "Oh."

"I didn't mean it like that, I swear," he defends.

I say nothing, but I know that deep down, he'd forgotten about her when he made that statement.

The waiter comes back with our drinks,

and I grab a shot glass off the tray. As I gulp down the shot, I wince at the bitter taste.

Tim picks up his glass and holds it to his lips but doesn't drink it at once. He sips it slowly instead, thinking aloud, "Now that we've established that your company is more than just a small business, how about I work for you?"

"We're not hiring an accountant right now, Tim."

"So?" He insists, tipping his glass at me, "It's a large organization. I'm sure you can slot me in just fine."

I actually can't do that. If there's anything I’m proud of, it’s that I managed to build a profitable business by controlling expenses while increasing revenue. Based on the current revenue, only a limited number of employees and contractors can be hired. I can’t hire another person just because he needs a job.

I open my mouth to explain this to Tim, but he cuts me off to plead, "Come on, big bro. There's no need for me to go work elsewhere," he puts his glass down and leans in closer, "Especially Chloe is not working there."

And just like that, he ruins the good nature of the conversation.

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