Page 63 of Dirty Little Secret, Baby
One of them was an important call to the mayor, who, contrary to my expectations, had apparently managed to convince the city council of my proposal to offer double what Jake had bid. Sure, the city was short on cash, and double Jake's offer was an astronomical sum, but it was one I could easily afford and that wouldn't affect my lifestyle in the slightest. Of course,BigBurgerwasn't doing as well as I'd like. But my private accounts were overflowing with money. So it wasn't a problem.
I transferred the amount immediately, and that same day, we sealed the deal with our signatures, along with our lawyers and a notary. You wouldn't believe what's possible when a nearly nine-figure sum suddenly changes hands. All of a sudden, everyone has time and no one has to wait.
Admittedly, I enjoyed winning this round and edging Jake out. But that wasn't why I did it. Deep down, I knew that. I did it for Beth.
Because Jake would have built a mall, put a flower shop in it, and Beth would have been ruined. I had similar plans, of course, but I wouldn't allow a single store in there that had anything to do with flowers. Instead, I would hang up posters advertising Beth's shop, and Beth would be so swamped with customers she wouldn't know what to do.When I told Eric we had won, he looked at me blankly. Almost as if he didn't care. I didn't quite understand why. But maybe I'd just been too rude to him too many times this week, and he simply didn't want to give me an opening.
The thought of doing something good for Beth made me feel a little better. I knew things were over between us, and yet I couldn't turn off my desire for her. If I couldn't have her, she should at least have a good life and not be harmed by Jake and his schemes.
And maybe... just maybe, she'll realize why I did it.
For love.
I pause as the thought hits me like a lightning bolt. That was it.
It was love. Not just a simple crush. I loved this woman—and had since the first time I saw her last year, which was why I was so furious when I found out Dilara had sent her home that I fired her on the spot.
RING RING RING
I jump, startled, as the ringing of my desk phone interrupts my thoughts. The small red light tells me it's Eric, my assistant. Not another caller on a different line. Maybe he has good news for me about Cutie, or the mole I suspect is somewhere in the company.
"Yes?" I ask curtly after picking up the receiver.
"Sir, SHE's here... The woman from the flower shop. She wants to talk to you," Eric says, his voice nervous.
My heart skips a beat. Beth? She was here? How had she found me? Of course, it wasn't particularly difficult to find out that my office was in the ARS Group building. After all, my face was on the website, and it was an open secret that my company owned one hundred percent ofBigBurger.
"Sir? Are you still there? Should I... Hey, wait a minute, you can't just..." I hear my assistant's voice cry out. The rest of his sentence is cut off as the door is thrown open, slams loudly against the doorstop, and Beth stands before me, her face flushed.
"It's alright, close the door behind her, Eric," I say into the receiver, which I'm still holding, though my eyes are fixed only on Beth. I hang up without waiting for a reply.
"Beth," I say, my voice suddenly thick. My thoughts are racing, my heart pounding wildly. There's so much I want to say to her, yet I don't know where to begin, even though I'd gone over it several times this week in case we saw each other again. Butnow my mind is a complete blank. I rise from my chair and start toward her. Should I hug her? No, that wouldn't be right. Why is she even here, and why does she look so pissed off?
"I'm happy to see you," I say, looking directly at her and trying to put on a friendly face.
"Stay away from me," she snaps, holding out her hand as she sees me start to approach. I can see clearly that her hand is trembling.
"My God, Beth, what happened? Why are you so upset? I haven't done anything to you. Okay, we parted on bad terms. But since then, nothing has..."
"You call this nothing?" she asks, her loud voice cutting me off. "Destroying my livelihood is nothing to you? The billionaire just snaps his fingers and gets rid of the annoying little thing?"
"Beth? What are you talking about?" I ask, my mind racing. What does she mean? Could she have found out about the purchase of the property across the street? No, there's a non-disclosure agreement, and only a handful of people know about it. That can't be it.
"And now you're lying without even blushing," Beth replies, pulling something from her bag and holding it out to me.
"Wait a minute... No, that can't be," I say, wondering what kind of game is being played here.
Chapter 29
Beth
"Where did you get that photo?" asks Alex, examining the picture in my hand. He genuinely seems clueless as I show him the printout of the building across the street, complete with the poster that has ARS Group written on it in big, bold letters.
But that can't be right. After all, he's the boss and owner of this company. Surely he'd know if his company is building a shopping mall somewhere, especially if it's directly across from my shop—the one he was sointerestedin.
"I took it. Just a little while ago and..." I pause because the anger is boiling up inside me again. I lower the photo and clench my fists. "Don't act like you don't know. Are you trying to tell me you didn't buy the building—what am I saying—the entire blockacross the street and aren't building a shopping mall there?" I ask, finding it hard to keep my voice steady.
And yet, I can barely look at him, and I hate myself for the way I can practically feel my knees go weak during the brief, fleeting moments our eyes meet. Despite everything he's hidden from me.
