Page 79 of Return Billionaire to Sender

“Stella?” It’s a man.

I swallow. “Excuse me?” I say. “Who is this?”

“Is this Stella?”

“Whois this?” I ask again, pulse racing. It’s the middle of the night on the East Coast. What is going on?

“I need to speak to Stella of Bexley Partners. It’s very urgent. About her current assignment.”

“What about it?” I ask.

“Is this Stella, then?” he asks.

“What is this regarding?” I ask.

“Don’t freak out,” he says, softening his voice. “I’m just pulling your leg. I know you’re not Stella. Actually, Stella told me all about what you guys are up to. She told me to tell you hi from Estonia. She says the teaching’s going well. The students’ understanding of past tense, not so much.”

“Oh, okay,” I say. “What is it?”

“This whole thing with you taking her place and all…have they shown any awareness that you’re not her yet? She wanted me to ask you.”

“Everything’s fine,” I say, trying to be vague.

“None the wiser?” he tries.

“I’m sorry, who is this?”

“A friend of Stella’s—not you, the real Stella.”

It’s here I remember what she said about her asshole ex subletting her place. “Are you the one subletting her apartment? Is there a problem?”

“Yes, actually. AJ Doyle at your service. Here’s the problem that we have—you’re committing fraud.” His voice is no longer friendly.

Cold shivers bloom up my spine. “W-what?”

“Don’t act stupid,” he says. “You’re in San Fran pretending to be her? To a client? Stella may be okay with that, but I might not be okay with it.”

“How is it even your concern?” I say. “I don’t see how it’s any of your business.” It’s so strange to talk to somebody in this tone. A month ago I wouldn’t have taken this tone.

“Man,” he says, “old lady Bexley isnotgoing to be happy when she finds out about this little scam you two are running. Or that client? Blackberg Inc.? I hear the guy’s an A-one prick. Imagine what he’ll do when I tell him what you’re up to.”

I grip the phone as the music pulses below.

“I could see somebody pressing charges,” he continues, “charges against both of you. But luckily for you, I’m in a good mood.”

I frown. I have a definite feeling that I’m not going to like this.

“Here’s the thing, I’ve been a little stretched thin lately. And you know that sweet little per diem you’re getting? It would really help me out.”

“You want me to...pay you?”

“That would be nice. A hundred fifty bucks a day. That’s the cost of my silence.” The exact amount of the per diem.

“But it doesn’t come in the form of money,” I say. “It’s there for when I want to sign for meals and things.”

“You can order shit from Amazon, though. Off your per diem? What you do is you order gift cards, and you email them to me. Don’t worry, Stella’s done it before, when I was in a bind.”

“They’ll think I’m stealing.”

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