Page 14 of The Forbidden Billionaire
Carol, the receptionist, sits behind a desk facing the waiting area. My eyebrows rise as I see a huge bouquet of red roses sitting on the desk.
“Wow, they’re beautiful.” I go up to them, but before I can reach them, Luke puts out a hand to stop me.
“When did these arrive?” he snaps.
“Just now,” Carol says, surprised. “They’re for Aurelia.”
“Me?” My eyebrows rise.
“I should have been informed,” Luke tells her curtly. His hand is in his pocket—I don’t think he’s talking to her; I think he’s pressing his button. He looks the flowers over, frowning.
“There’s a card,” Carol says helpfully.
I move forward. “Where?”
She gets to her feet. “Oh. It was right there. It must have fallen out when I moved them across the desk.”
We all search the table and the floor, but the card has vanished.
“That’s weird,” she says. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. I think I know who they’re from.” My stomach flips.
“Who?” Luke asks.
“My ex,” I say flatly, annoyed that I have to tell him. “Dump them in the trash, if you like. I don’t want them.” I turn on my heel and walk off.
I’m supposed to be meeting Dad, Caesar, and Marcus, and I’m late due to the pharmacy shenanigans. They’re already in the boardroom when I arrive, so I push open the glass door and go inside.
“Morning,” they all chorus as I grab a coffee from the table.
I glower at them and plonk myself down into a chair.
“Oh dear,” Dad says. “Something vexes thee?”
“I want to talk to you,” I say to Marcus. “About Luke.”
“Ah,” he says.
“Don’t smirk.” Annoyance flares at the fact that he’s obviously amused, which isn’t helped when Caesar chuckles and Dad smiles. “This is getting ridiculous. I can’t shake the guy.”
“Good,” Marcus says. “That was the plan.”
Frustration swells inside me. “You don’t understand how it feels to have your freedom taken away like this. He even got annoyed because someone didn’t tell him I’d had someroses arrive. I mean, seriously, it’s not like I get lots of weird messages.”
Marcus continues to meet my gaze, but out of the corner of my eye, I see Caesar and my father exchange glances. It was so quick, though, I’m not sure if I imagined it. “What the fuck’s going on?” I demand.
“Aurelia,” Dad scolds.
My throat tightens, and tears sting my eyes.
Marcus snorts. “It’s for your own good, so don’t bring on the waterworks.”
I blink the tears away. He thinks I’m putting them on, even though I’m not. I’ve cried wolf too often. When I was younger, pleading and tears could get me whatever I wanted, and there was always the option of a tantrum if all else failed. But he’s grown wise to my ways. Now he suspects any emotion I show to be fabricated.
“It’s not fair,” I say softly. “It’s stifling me, and it’s complete overkill. It doesn’t make sense. Has something happened?”
“No,” Marcus says. “Stop being paranoid. You’re an heiress to a fortune, that’s all. You’re five-foot-two and weigh as much as a pillow. You’re always in front of a camera. And with all the fuss around the Rutherford acquisition, we just want to make sure you remain safe from any maniacs who might decide to capitalize on the unsettled situation.”
