Page 46 of The Billionaire and the Nanny

“Do you mean Times Square?” I asked excitedly.

It sounded crazy, but my brother would never expect me to go to such a touristy venue in the first place. He’d never think to look for me there.

We made plans to meet up at a bar near Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

Leo and Marcus argued with me about the plan for the rest of the week, but Fee had my back.

“The poor girl needs a night out, Leo. She’s been working herself to a bone. And what’s her brother going to do? He can’t very well kidnap her in such a crowded place.”

“Yeah! All he can do is fume and glare at me,” I said, with a giggle.

“Alright, then I’ll come with you,” insisted Leo.

“No! This is a girl’s night out. You’re not invited,” I stated firmly. “And neither is Marcus.”

They grumbled under their breaths and I blithely ignored them as I planned my party outfit.

I bought a lovely black Valentino dress from the vintage store to go with my ruby earrings. It was sleeveless and showed off my cleavage as well as most of my back. I wondered if I had the courage to wear it in public, and maybe the old me would ever have worn something so clingy and revealing. But the new me wanted to be bold and do things that used to scare me.

Maddie threw a spoke in my wheels when she came down to breakfast sneezing her head off.

“Oh no! Are you feeling sick, honey?” I asked, reaching out to feel her forehead.

She didn’t seem warm.

“It might just be a cold,” said Fee. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Do you think I should cancel my plans?” I asked worriedly.

“Don’t be daft,” she replied. “We can take care of her for one evening. You need this night out, Tia. Maddie will be fine.”

I had my doubts about that, and sure enough, by evening, Maddie was running a high fever.

CHAPTER 21

LEO

Iwas working like a beast to make sure the takeover of Leanna’s firm went smoothly. I wouldn’t put it past her to put a last-minute spoke in the wheels, but my legal team had been nipping at her heels for the past week to make sure it was done by the end of the year.

Marcus and Luke were on holiday until the first week of January, the lucky bastards. I could have taken the time off, but I’d just end up spending more time around Tia because she and Maddie were practically joined at the hips these days. We couldn’t go on like this forever. Something had to give because the thought of her meeting someone on her night out with Celine terrified me. I couldn’t keep Tia tied to the house, nor could I tag along on all her outings like a needy Spaniel.

Fee had texted me to say that Maddie was running a fever. I wanted to see her as soon as I got home but my phone rang as I walked into the house. It was Marcus, who had borrowed my motorcycle to go for a long ride tonight.

“Leo, we have a problem.”

“If you’ve crashed my bike, you’re paying for it even if you have to sell your shares in the firm,” I replied.

“Not everything in the world revolves around your precious motorcycle. Listen up. Monani is having Celine followed. His men followed her out to Times Square tonight, and only backed off when they saw her meeting me at the bar.”

“Did they spot Tia?”

“Tia’s not here, Leo. That’s why I’m spending New Year’s Eve in the most godforsaken hellhole on earth. I can barely hear myself think,” he grumbled over the noise in the background.

“Where’s Tia?” I asked frantically.

She was supposed to meet Celine at the bar. Why wasn’t she there yet? Did her brother get his hands on her?

“Calm down, dude. She’s at home with Maddie.”

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