The Billionaire's Email-Order Bride
Page 1
The Billionaire's Email-Order Bride
A Sweet Romance
Vivi Holt
Black Lab Press
Contents
About the book
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
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Excerpt: The Billionaire’s Email-Order Wife
Excerpt: Make-Believe Fiance
Also by Vivi Holt
About the Author
About the book
She needs a green card. He’s protecting his wounded heart.
When chef, Eve Partridge, loses her visa and with it the chance at the dream job she’s been working toward her whole career, she’s desperate to find a way to stay in the USA.
Billionaire entrepreneur, John Russo, has had his heart broken and has no intention of falling in love ever again. But he’s lonely and longs for someone to share his life with.
An email-order bride arrangement seems like the answer to both their problems.
But the one thing they didn’t count on was falling in love.
When tragedy pulls them apart, they’ll have a decision to make. Will they choose to give love a chance or will ambition be their only companion?
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Chapter 1
John Russo combed fingers through his dark hair, setting it standing on end then patted it down automatically. Sweat beaded across his forehead, and he tugged at the tie cinched tightly around his neck, loosening it then rethinking and pulling it free and shoving it into his jacket pocket.
He strode down the long hall to the soundtrack of heels clacking across the polished timber floor, printers whirring off in the distance, and voices murmuring in conversation.
As he walked through the open office, the conversations that had previously buzzed, filling the space with life, hushed almost instantaneously. He hated that. Hated the way his very presence sent people into a panic. Made them change and retreat behind walls he couldn’t scale. He’d never planned to be that kind of boss, but that’s how it’d worked out. Was there any other way to be when you were responsible for thousands of employees, and billions of development dollars across three continents?
He pushed his lips into a half-smile and nodded at a group of staff huddled around a desk. They nodded back, then continued their conversation. He wanted to join them and see how things were progressing on the construction of a football stadium in Florida. But he knew his mere presence would bring their creative exchange to a crashing halt.
He was grateful for his executive team who didn’t share the staff’s fears. They were open and honest with him and had their fingers on the pulse of the company. Through them, he’d find out what was going on. Though he’d preferred to have the personal contact with each team himself, he knew that wasn’t possible. Not anymore. The company had grown since he’d taken it over after his father’s retirement, until he no longer knew the names of everyone that worked for him. It was a strange feeling. Exhilarating at times, terrifying at others.
His office was at the end of the hall. Two walls of the space were long, rectangular windows that looked out over the Atlanta cityscape. The view was pretty at dusk, though he hardly ever took it in. He’d purposely arranged his desk so that his back was to the window, otherwise he’d find himself staring off into the distance and forgetting about the work he had to get done. Lacy, his assistant, had once asked him why he bothered with the windows at all if he wasn’t going to enjoy them, and he’d shrugged: the CEO of a billion-dollar company was supposed to have a corner office with a view. It was the way things were. He didn’t make the rules, he just followed them.
Not that he was a rule follower in general. Any entrepreneur worth his salt knew he had to forge his own path if he wanted to be successful, but perhaps his grandfather was the rule breaker, the pioneer, and John and his father had merely followed in his footsteps. Did that make him an entrepreneur or simply a good follower? He shook his head as he strode through the office, calling over his shoulder to Lacy who sat straight-backed at her desk, fingers clacking on her ergonomic keyboard.
“What have I got next?”
She jumped to her feet and followed him into the room. He sank into his black office chair, and leaned back, hands linked behind his head.
She smiled. “You’ve got a break until ten-thirty, then a meeting with Rupert Easton.”
“Remind me…?” He arched an eyebrow.
“It’s about the building you’re buying in Buckhead.”
He nodded. “Right. 2435 Peachtree?”
Her head inclined slightly. “Rupert Easton is the lawyer involved. The building’s owner isn’t coming.”
His eyes narrowed. It always made things difficult when an owner didn’t want to sell. But if they’d gotten themselves into a financial situation that made selling their only option, it was hardly his fault. That didn’t usually stop them from taking out their frustrations on him and his staff, though.
A stack of mail sat neatly on the left side of his desk, fanned out so he could see the return address for each item. Lacy dealt with most of it, but she always set any personal mail on his desk unopened.
He picked up the first letter in the stack, then spun in his chair absently, staring out over the city. He really should enjoy the view more. He should enjoy a lot of things more than he had allowed himself to in recent years.
He tore the envelope open, then pulled a card free. Black typeface jumped boldly off the page, and his eyes skimmed over the words:
High school reunion.
Ten years.
His heart thudded. Had it really been ten years? It didn’t feel like it. It seemed like only yesterday he’d walked out of the school yard in New York City, glanced once over his shoulder, and set off down the street for the last time with his messenger bag slung over one shoulder, a group of friends chatting and laughing around him as he silently dwelled on what was to come.
He sighed and ran a hand over his face. Then set the invitation down on the desk and crossed one long leg over the other. He wouldn’t go. There wasn’t anyone he wanted to see from that time in his life. He’d moved on, moved away. He didn’t have time to visit New York right now, not with everything they had going on.
“Would you like me to get you anything?” Lacy’s voice crackled over the intercom on his desk. “A coffee? Muffin?”
He spun back in his chair and set his elbows on the desk. “Yes please. A coffee, and a protein bar. That’d be great, thanks Lacy.”
His gaze landed on the invitation again, big bold letters. In the background, behind the words, the faint outline of a class photograph—everyone dressed in black gowns, graduation caps angled on top of young heads, faces filled with smiles and anticipation of the wide-open world that lay ahead of each of them.
He squeezed his eyes shut. What if she came?
She’d have to come. She was the homecoming queen after all, and he’d been homecoming king. They were v
oted most likely to get married. And now look at them. She was married to his former best friend, and he was alone. The last time he’d heard from them was two years ago when he’d received an announcement card on the arrival of their second child.
With a sharp intake of breath, he stood and turned away from the desk again, crossing his arms over his chest. His heart pounded, and his nostrils flared. No, he wouldn’t go. Seeing them again, even five years later, he wasn’t sure he could hold back the anger that’d burned so hot in his gut for so long. He’d managed to temper it, to dampen it in recent years, but seeing them might bring all those old feelings back to the surface. They could spill out, in front of everyone, and he’d be powerless to stop it.
He couldn’t risk it. Couldn’t risk feeling so lost, alone, and angry all over again. He’d buried it all in the past, and that was where it should stay. Besides, how could he show up at his ten-year high school reunion alone? He could only imagine the pitying looks he’d get. He couldn’t stand to see it on her face. The look that said, “Poor John, still alone after all this time.”
Never mind the fact that he’d taken his grandfather’s multi-million-dollar company and turned it into a billion-dollar enterprise in five years. That wouldn’t matter. He was single, and that’s what they’d focus on. Just like his parents did.
It wasn’t as though he wanted to be single. His romantic life just wasn’t something he was focused on. He had work to do, buildings to plan, shopping centers to construct, stadiums to dream into being. None of that happened on its own—it took determination, focus and time. Finding someone to spend his meager free time with hadn’t been a priority. He could do that later, once he’d finished conquering the world.
Still, what kind of man hid from his past? He wasn’t afraid of much. Maybe it was time to face-off with this particular fear.
Lacy pushed through his office door and set a coffee and protein bar on his desk, followed closely by an apple.
He arched an eyebrow.
She chuckled. “You need fruit. These bars are full of artificial stuff.”
He cocked his head to one side. “Thank you. What would I do without you to take care of me Lacy?”
She laughed. “You’d do just fine. But I’m happy to help.”
Once she was gone, he reached for the coffee and took a slow sip. Perhaps he should go to the reunion, though he couldn’t go alone. He’d have to find someone to take, and it couldn’t be a first date. To face her, he’d need to be able to convince her he was happy, and that meant being in a serious relationship. He knew her well enough to know that she’d see through anything else. She wouldn’t believe he was happy if he was only casually dating. Did she still feel guilty about what she’d done? How she’d treated him? Had she ever?
In his mind, she remembered him the way he was—young, naïve, and romantic. His gut clenched. He wasn’t that man anymore. She’d made sure of that.
Why did he even care what she thought? He couldn’t let her be the reason he stayed away. With a shake of his head, he bit into the apple, letting the juice drip down his chin. He reached for the napkin Lacy had left on his desk and wiped the trail of juice away even as a plan began to form in his head. He would go home, visit his folks, and attend the reunion. But he’d take someone with him, someone who wouldn’t give him away. Someone who could pretend what they had was serious.
He pressed the intercom button, and Lacy hurried back into the office.
“Yes?” She studied him through round, blue eyes. Her curvy figure was accentuated by the charcoal A-line skirt and cornflower-blue, silk blouse she wore.
“Lacy, I was wondering if you’re busy on the seventh of March?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Um…I’ll have to check my schedule. I have a dinner that evening, I think…Do we have something planned?”
“I’ve got my high school reunion and I need a date,” John said.
“I guess I could look through your contact list,” she responded.
He chuckled. “No, I meant to ask you—would you be my date?”
Her eyebrows arched high in surprise. “Me? Um…I’m sorry, John. I guess I didn’t tell you.” She pushed her left hand toward him, and a telltale sparkle lit up her ring finger. “Sam proposed last week. We’re engaged!” Her eyes glimmered and a smile parted her full lips.
He strode around the desk to kiss her on the cheek. “Wow, that’s amazing. Congratulations Lacy.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, it’s just that you’d only flown in from the UK right after, and then you had the board meeting, and then this week has been crazy. I was going to tell you as soon as I had a moment…”
“Forget it, I’m just really happy for you. I wish you and Sam all the best.”
She smiled. “Thanks. But I’m sorry I can’t be your date. We’re having a small family dinner to celebrate that evening, so everyone can get to know each other.”
He nodded. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll find someone else. Congratulations again.”
As she left the room, still staring down at her ring finger with a smile lingering around her lips, John’s own smile faded. He was happy for her and Sam, they’d make a wonderful couple. But he had to find someone to take to the reunion with him, someone who could pull off the ruse that they were in a serious relationship and was free next weekend. Suddenly, the list of potential dates was looking a whole lot smaller.
John scanned the menu then glanced at the restaurant door and back down again. His younger brother Chris was always late. It was one of John’s biggest frustrations working with family. He knew he couldn’t say much about it, given the fact that he had his own quirks for Chris to put up with, and he knew that Chris worked hard and lost track of the time. It was Chris’s focus and determination that were a big part of why the company was doing so well.
Chris burst through the swinging doors, his energy lighting up the room as his gaze traveled over a row of faces until it landed on John. His lips widened into a grin, and he marched to the table, gripping John’s hand in a firm shake before sitting across from him.
“Hey, brother, how’re you doin’?” he asked.
“I’m fine, man. How are you?”
“I’m late, I know. Sorry.” Chris shook his head, his eyes sparkling with laughter. He knew how much it bothered John, but somehow, his infectious good humor always made John forget about it the moment his brother arrived.
“Don’t worry about it, I was just looking over the menu. Gave me some valuable thinking time too.” He chuckled. “You know what happens when I have thinking time.”
Chris groaned. “Heaven help me, what country are we taking over now?”
John laughed. “You know it—that’ll teach you to run late. Every time you give me space to think, I come up with more work for you to do, so you just remember that.”
They ordered, then exchanged pleasantries, enjoying each other’s company. No matter how much time passed, no matter what happened in their lives, John loved getting to spend time with his little brother. They’d always gotten along well, though John was the more serious, studious type, and Chris the fun-loving prankster. Somehow, they’d made it through their childhood years with barely an argument, and now they ran a large corporation together with very little discord.
John was the CEO of Russo Enterprises, Chris his Chief Operating Officer. Even though John was the boss, he usually discussed things openly with his brother as equals, giving him room to make decisions and have input on the direction they’d take. It was a good arrangement, and eating meals together whenever they were both in town was something they made a priority.
“So, I’m thinking of visiting New York for a few days.” John set his fork down beside the plate.
Chris sliced a piece of steak, his quirked eyebrow the only sign he’d heard his brother.
“I know it’s been a while.”
“A while? You haven’t been back to New York, other than for business meetings, in three years. Mom and Dad are
starting to wonder if you still exist.” Chris chuckled, but there was a sting to his words John couldn’t ignore.
He knew he’d upset his parents by staying away, staying so busy he didn’t have time to visit. But he also knew they’d done the same when he was a boy, leaving him to be raised by a string of nannies, most of whom he barely got to know before his mother replaced them with someone “more suitable”.
“Has it been that long?” John pushed a forkful of salad into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
“Yes, it has. And I get to hear about it every time I’m home. So, thanks for that.”
“Well, you’re the good son.” John winked.
Chris laughed. “Yes, I am, and don’t you forget it.”
They ate in silence for a few moments. The steak was delicious as it always was at Kudos, a trendy eatery close to the office where John often met with friends. It melted in his mouth, and his eyes drifted shut as he relished the flavor.
“So, why now? Why are you visiting home now?” Chris asked.
John swallowed. “There’s a high school reunion. Ten years. I thought I might go.”
Chris stopped mid-chew and stared at his brother with wide eyes. “You’re going to your high school reunion? I never thought I’d see that day.”
John huffed and pushed his steak knife down through the meat. “Why not?”
“You know why not,” Chris insisted. “You’ll have to face Shonda and Tony, that’s why not. I mean, maybe they won’t go. But considering they still live in New York, there’s a good chance they’ll be there.”