Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 107(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
As a well-connected billionaire and CEO of multiple companies, there’s nothing I don’t have … except love.
One look at Delaney Graeme, and I know she’s mine.
But Delaney’s never had anyone to take care of her before and convincing her she’s worth everything I want to give her, and more, isn’t easy.
Being powerful means I have enemies, and when one of them threatens to come after my girl, there’s nothing I won’t do to keep her safe.
I promised to take care of her, and I don’t break my promises.
Especially not to her.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
DAMIEN
My driver pulls up down the street from Lola’s school, and I give him a nod, letting him know I’ll only be ten minutes or so as I step out. He knows the drill by now, anyway.
Every time I look after my niece, I take her to her favorite ice cream spot in the city and treat her to a trip to the huge toy store that always makes her eyes bug out in awe. I smile at the thought, wondering what she’ll pick out today. Last time, she chose a hobby horse that she named Billy, and my sister told me she was inseparable from the thing for weeks.
I love being able to spoil my niece and help my sister out. It’s one of the best perks of my financial position—being able to take care of those I love. The world might view me as the grumpy, closed-off billionaire CEO, but my sister always teases me that I’m the softest grump she knows.
It’s true that Lola has me wrapped around her little finger. The kid’s only five, but ever since she was born, I vowed I’d be her favorite uncle. If I have to bribe her with ice cream and toys to do so, so be it. Hell, if she decides she wants a real pony instead of the stuffed one, I’ll get her it in a heartbeat. My sister might murder me for that, but it’d be worth it for the joy on Lola’s face, I think.
The cold, unaffected business persona I show the world isn’t entirely a lie, though. Years of working to get to where I am, a billionaire before I’m even forty, has taught me to keep my emotions out of my work. You don’t get to where I am without making a few enemies along the way, after all. Competitors resent me and the success of my companies, and the media reports on every business move I make. I’ve gotten used to the newspaper and gossip articles labeling me the most eligible bachelor in the city, but if I show a single crack in my facade, the journalists and competitors will pounce. That would be a headache I just don’t need.
I pull out my phone as I make my way up the street to the school. There are still five minutes before Lola’s done for the day, so I open up my emails, scrolling through and making notes of the important ones. A new email appears as I scroll, and I sigh loudly as I read the name.
Adrian Findlay. The bane of my existence.
Adrian Findlay is one of my longest-term competitors. We work in similar industries—investment, banking, and real estate—but when my career took off, he felt his was stagnant. By anyone else’s measurements, he’s a very successful businessman. But he’s not a billionaire. And that pisses him off. He’s made it very clear to me over the years that he feels he deserves my success and that I don’t. I roll my eyes at the preview of the email my inbox gives me. His latest complaint seems to be one of the buildings I own, a well-renowned skyscraper housing floors and floors of offices for other companies. He wants it, and I won’t sell it.
I delete Findlay’s email without opening it and tuck my phone away. The school bell rings, and students come rushing out, and I head to where the kindergarten playground is. I damn near trip up when Lola rushes up to me, squealing and barrelling into my legs. I laugh, bending down to wrap my niece in a hug.
“Hey, Lola Bug.” I chuckle as she pulls away, pigtails swinging as she bounces on her feet. She shrugs off her bag, holding it out to me. I take it, slinging the little backpack over my shoulder to carry it for her.
“Lola! Look what I can do!” a little boy calls out, and my niece grins and runs off to her friend who’s hanging from the monkey bars. I’ll let her play for five minutes before I bribe her to stop playing in exchange for ice cream.
I push to my feet again, turning my head to follow my niece’s run around the playground, and my eyes catch on a short blonde standing by the entrance to the school building.
It’s like the whole world slows around me.
Big blue eyes framed by long dark lashes capture my attention. Her long blonde hair hangs loose and free around her face, and the lanyard around her neck marks her as a teacher. She’s stunning. Breathtakingly so. But that’s not all that intrigues me.
The woman is smiling tightly at the man next to her. He steps closer to her, and she immediately takes a step back, keeping her distance between them. Anger and jealousy well up inside me in equal measure. Anger because this asshole clearly isn’t respecting her boundaries. Jealousy because he’s in her space, speaking to her, and I have the undeniable urge to do the same.