Page 35 of Merging with the Billionaire

“I guess it’s going to have to take a million and one,” he badgered with an impish grin.

“It’s been a long day, Artie, and all I want to do is get some sleep. Please leave, before I call security. I’m not even sure how you got in here.”

“Oh, I just told the doorman we were back together. He’s so old, he bought it hook, line, and sinker. Besides, it’s going to be true soon enough.”

Tiffany resented his cockiness. Why did he think he got to cheat on her, and she would somehow see past it and take him back?

“No, it’s not. It’s never going to be, which is why you need to leave,” she stated emphatically.

“Not yet; I need to talk to you first. I heard about what happened at the picnic today.”

“From who?” Tiffany asked with weariness as she crossed her arms, not sure if she wanted to talk about the whole ordeal yet, or ever, for that matter. “It’s barely been a couple of hours. I doubt the attempted kidnapping has made the news.”

“What attempted kidnapping?” Artie asked in confusion. “I was talking about this,” he said, clicking the screen of his phone and pushing it out towards her. “Someone snapped a picture of you kissing that tacky, new money, imbecile.”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” Tiffany rebuked. “You don’t know him, and for the record, he’s ten times the man you are.”

Artie let out a laugh, shaking his head. “You’re just trying to make me jealous, and you’ll be happy to know, it’s working.”

“That’snotwhat is going on,” Tiffany corrected dropping her hands to the side. “Look, I’m exhausted, and I just want to get some sleep. Please go.”

“No, not before I do this,” Artie stated firmly, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock. Though oddly familiar, she instantly wanted to pull away. The only man she ever wanted to kiss again was Conrad.

Artie must have sensed her resistance because he pushed his mouth down even harder on hers and grabbed her firmly with his right hand so she couldn’t pull away.

Angry that he thought he had the right to force an unwanted kiss on her, she lurched back, raised her hand, and slapped him soundly across the face.

“Don’t ever do that again, you hear me, Artie. That constitutes as assault, as you well know, I don’t want anything more to do with you. If you come near me again, I’ll get a restraining order. You hear me?”

Artie shrank back, the smug look disappeared from his face and was quickly replaced by one of fright. “You wouldn’t do that, would you? It would ruin my reputation, possibly my career.”

“Then don’t push me to do it, Artie. Take this as my last warning. I’m not, nor will I ever be interested in you again. I’m in love with someone else.”

12

Conrad hadn’t been feelinggood enough to go into his own company’s office since he saw Tiffany with Artie two days ago. All he could think about was how much it hurt to be wrong about what they shared during their time together. He was so certain she was the one, he couldn’t figure out how he had been so wrong about her.

He clicked away on the keyboard, trying to ignore the alerts that kept popping up. He knew what they were about, pictures were circulating of him kissing Tiffany. Social media was swirling with rumors whether they were together. Mixed in with those reports were stories about Marcus’s attempted kidnapping. It seemed no matter what he tried to do, he couldn’t get away from Tiffany Boswell and her family.

Standing up, he made his way out of his office and into the kitchen. He needed a strong cup of coffee to take his mind off of the mess he’d been living in since finding out Tiffany was back with her ex.

Conrad hit the button on his expresso machine and waited for it to work its magic. A couple of minutes later, he was sipping on a piping-hot, delicious cup of java.

A knock at the door drew Conrad’s attention. He placed his cup down and padded through the house to the front door. He opened it to reveal Roger standing on the other side.

“What are you doing here?” Conrad asked, stepping forward and glancing out into the hall. “Better yet, how did you get in here?”

“I have friends that live in this building. Actually, I have friends that live on this floor, come to think of it,” Roger explained. “Can I come in?”

Conrad stepped back and gestured for him to enter. “I guess since you’re already here, you might as well.”

“Thanks,” Roger said, breezing past him and making his way into the living room nearby. He took a seat in one of the chairs. “Look, I know we aren’t the best of friends, Conrad, but I have to tell you, I’m really disappointed with how you’re treating my sister.”

Conrad snorted, slinging himself down on the white leather sofa across from Roger. “That’s rich, considering she’s the one who played me. I have to admit, I didn’t see it coming. All of this time, you’re sitting there warning me, and it’s your sister who is the one to watch out for.”

“What are you talking about, Conrad? Tiffany has been beside herself wondering why you won’t return her calls or texts. She wanted to come over here herself, but I told her I would take care of it.”

Conrad shrugged. “Really? I thought she would be relieved I made it easy for her to go back to Artie. She doesn’t have to break things off with me, now that I’ve removed myself from the picture.”

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