by Jess Jolie
Mr. Cole
BILLIONAIRE TECH BOSS ROMANCE Billionaires’ Clique Book 4
Jess Jolie
Copyright © 2021 Jess Jolie
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the
publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or
distribute it by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters,
and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s
imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by: Jess Jolie
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Description
I hated this guy with every cell in my body.
He’s arrogant, self-absorbed and will stop at nothing to buy my father’s company.
But I am not going to let him. Phoenix Inventions is the only thing I have left of my father, and I’d rather burn it to the ground than let Axel Cole sink his claws into it.
Axel Cole, a handsome billionaire and everything I hated about the tech industry.
If I hated him so much, why can’t I stop thinking about him?
After a mix up with our identities, I hoped I never saw the man who pleasured me in a forbidden place, but it turned out that it was Axel Cole all along, much to my dismay.
I hated him with every fiber of my being. But now I can’t seem to get him out of my system.
And if that’s not bad enough, my ten-year-old daughter thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread...
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Free Gift
Description
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Other Books by This Author
About This Author
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Chapter One
Rebecca
“If the demands are not met, we will have to resort to legal action,” I read out loud.
Oh my god!
I cannot believe the nerve of this guy. What a rat!
I let out an annoyed and frustrated growl as I pushed my laptop off my lap onto the couch beside me. I could not believe that this was happening again, only this time, it went too far. I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a slow sigh.
A little head peeked from behind the wall of the hallway and looked at me with a frown. “Are you okay, Mommy?”
I wasn’t really, but I was not going to tell my ten-year-old about my problems. She was way too young to understand anything about business and the sharks who were constantly circling me.
A little more than a year ago, my father sadly passed away from his lifelong heart condition, and it was devastating to our family. He left his tech business he had built from the ground up to me, and even though it was only a small business, it was wildly successful.
My father had always been good with money, and how to run a business, so it flourished under his reign. Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit those skills from him. For the past year, I have been trying to keep the business afloat with my limited knowledge of technology, but clearly, it just wasn’t cutting it. This was precisely why I’d been approached by various large tech companies interested in buying my father’s company. One company, in particular, Drake Technologies, was making a nuisance of itself. Of course, I knew that my business needed money, and I’d rather have someone invest in my father’s company without having to sell it. The technicians had terrific ideas that could be wildly successful, but we could not fund those projects.
The CEO of Drake Technologies had sent me a personal email asking me to meet with him and even went on to say that if I did not sell the business soon, all my father's hard work and decades of research would be for nothing. And it would be all my fault.
How dare he?
“Yeah, honey. I am fine,” I said with a smile, trying to look upbeat and not entirely defeated.
Katelyn, my beautiful 10-year-old, who is the carbon copy of me, physically at least, approached me and narrowed her eyes slightly. “You look stressed out.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because you’re doing that thing with your eyebrows. They’re all squished up, almost touching,” she explained and sat beside me. “What are you worried about, Mommy?”
“It’s nothing,” I insisted.
“Is it because of your first day at your temping job tomorrow?”
I have to hand it to my daughter. Even though she is only ten years old, she is smart and even more observant than I thought.
Being a single mother of a smart and intellectually superior child, I have more expenses than I would like to admit. Katelyn’s robotics program is draining my bank account faster than I can fill it, but I can’t tell her that she can’t do it. She loves it so much, and when she was a baby, I promised that I would give her everything she needed, no matter what.
Of course, it was much easier back then, before my husband decided that we were ‘too much' for him and he left. After a messy divorce, I was granted full custody of Katelyn, and we’re better off without him.
Well, not financially, but that’s not the most important thing.
“It is,” I admitted to Katelyn. “Is that lame?”
“Of course not. You’re allowed to feel nervous or stressed out. It’s a normal human emotion. I get stressed out too.”
I cock my head and run my finger through her light brown hair, the same shade as mine. “You’re ten. What do you have to be stressed out about?”
“Have you forgotten about RoboCon?”
RoboCon is a robotics competition held every year, and this year will be Katelyn’s second year participating. Last year, she came in second, and she was determined to get that golden robot trophy, no matter what. So she worked for eleven months on designing and coding her robot, which was important to her. So it’s important to me too.
“I haven’t. You’ve been working super hard on it. You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself,” I pointed out. “But also, you shouldn’t just settle for less either. You are destined for amazing things.”
“Maybe your should take your own advice, Mommy,” the sassy girl told me. “
“I will,” I said and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly. “Thank you for being such an amazing kid.”
She wriggled free and stepped away. “I learned from the best,” she shrugged. “I’ll be in my lab.”
Also known as the basement, where her robotics lab was all set out. It was pretty impressive, even for a ten-year-old, but I didn’t go in there much. I had no idea what was going on there, plus there’s a Do Not Enter Unless It’s with Cookies sticker on the door.
I reached for my laptop, bit my lip, and
decided to take my kid’s advice. I read through the CEO of Drake Technologies, Axel Cole’s email again, practically threatening me with legal action if I didn’t agree to sell my dad’s business to him. He even dared to mention that our technicians have the potential to be even greater in a more professional setting. Their ideas are extraordinary, but their work environments aren’t. As a result, they can flourish and turn their ideas into reality on a worldwide scale.
God, I haven’t even met the guy, and I already hate him.
I put on my metaphorical lawyer cap and began typing a response to his absurd email, making myself more than clear that I have no interest in selling my business to someone as pretentious, cocky, and downright arrogant as him.
That would do the trick, or at least, I hoped so.
Chapter Two
Axel
A throaty chuckle escaped my throat, and I stared at the email with both amusement and awe. I love buying companies for next to nothing, stripping out assets, intellectual property, then flipping to the company to make a fortune. I’d received my fair share of angry emails, most being harmless threats that did not affect me. Meaningless words became monotonous very fast, and most times. I often forwarded it directly to my lawyer, Kevin Scott, and he’d handle it with the legal words that had people quivering with fear.
But not this time.
Not Rebecca Fadden.
She was feisty, and the owner of Phoenix Inventions just gave me a piece of her mind, and I loved every expressive yet still professional word she wrote. Not a soul on earth had the guts to say what Rebecca said to me in the email, and I admired her for that. I liked her fiery disposition, and I couldn’t wait to meet her. That was if she would agree to meet with me. Perhaps I should call Kevin. He was a pro at arranging meetings, especially with people who didn’t want to meet with me in the first place.
I glanced at the email as I dialed Kevin’s number and a smile formed on my lips.
“Kevin Scott’s office.”
“Hey, Sherry. It’s Axel Cole from Drake Technologies. Is Kevin available?”
“For you, always. Please hold,” his assistant told me.
I pursed my lips and waited for the line to be transferred to Kevin’s office.
“Hey, Axel. How’s it going, brother?” Kevin greeted me.
“No complaints whatsoever. You?”
“I’m good. You sound awfully cheerful today.”
I grin and shake my head. “Well, I received a lovely email this morning.”
“Oh no. What did you do?” Kevin asked.
“Honestly, I didn’t do anything, except a little tiny thing that you told me not to.”
“Oh, crap.”
“You know Rebecca Fadden, the owner of Phoenix Inventions?”
“Yes, the woman who refuses to sell her company to you?”
“That’s the one,” I answered. “Well, I might have taken matters into my now hands, just a little.”
“Oh, no. Did I not tell you not to do that? You tend to be very abrasive via email.”
“So I’ve been told,” I said wryly and lowered my gaze. “Anyway, she sent me a reply, and I have to tell you. I have not been burned too badly since that pep rally in high school.”
“Seriously?” Kevin stifled a chuckle.
“Yes. She’s quite the feisty one. I like her.”
“Well, as long as she put you in your place,” Kevin said.
“I’d like you to arrange a meeting with her,” I said, but Kevin interjects before I can finish.
“I’ve had numerous meetings with her already, Axel. I don’t see how another one is going to make her change her mind. She doesn’t want to sell her business, and that is that.”
“I want to meet with her.”
There were a few seconds of silence on the phone, and Kevin eventually asks, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Well, if anyone can persuade her, then it’s me.”
Kevin laughed on the other side and pointed out, “She did rip you a new one via email. So what makes you think she is going to do even worse in person?”
“Because no one can resist this face,” I said mockingly.
“Of course. I should have guessed.”
“Make it happen, please, Kevin. I would love to find out exactly why she doesn’t want to sell. We’re asking almost double what the business is worth. I know you probably know, but you can’t tell me.”
“I do know, and no, I can’t tell you. Maybe you should just let it go,” Kevin suggested.
“You shouldn’t have said that. You’ve got me even more intrigued right now.”
“I know. I’ll see what I can do.”
I lowered my gaze, and my eye caught the flickering clock on my screen. “I have to run. I’ve got a few things to do before tomorrow.”
“Oh, right. You’re at that new start-up with the new age vibe.”
I laugh and shake my head. “It’s not as bad as you make it sound.”
“They’ve got a relaxation station, or whatever they call it.”
“It’s a staff chill-out zone.”
I was overseeing a new wellness technology start-up that I had invested in recently, and I am there two to three times a week, depending on what needs to be done and which projects I need to oversee. I have worked closely with their technicians to design software and hardware to make their business stand out, with fully automated juice bars, body fat scanners, and personal fitness and nutritional program developed based on each person’s individual needs.
It was interesting, and I was enjoying myself.
The mandatory yoga in the staff chill-out zone, not so much. Watching gorgeous women in yoga pants and tight tops were lovely to look at, but men in those same skin-tight pants, not so much.
“Same thing. I’ll speak to you later, as soon as I have some news.”
“Thanks, Kevin.”
I end the call and turn back to my laptop.
An email from Clarissa, my assistant, pops up, and I quickly open it. Clarissa is getting married and taking a long honeymoon, so I hired a temp from an agency. Clarissa was supposed to show her the ropes today without me officially meeting the new temp, but that was okay. I had far too much on my plate today, and with the thought of the fiesta Rebecca Fadden in my head, I would get even less done than I wanted to.
Even though I had never met the woman, I already liked her. I just hoped that she was willing to negotiate because I wanted to buy Phoenix Inventions. For her, I would even be willing to increase my price.
I quickly read Clarissa’s email, sending her a quick reply of approval, after she informed me that the new temp was more than capable of handling her job for six weeks.
She better be.
Chapter Three
Rebecca
“Okay, so Mr. Ace will be here soon, but let me give you a tour of the office,” a friendly woman with bright red curls tied with a purple bandanna said to me after I stepped inside the open-plan offices of Harmony Wellness. It’s a pretty laid-back setup, with green plants in every corner, and it even has a waterfall on the far side of the offices. My desk is against a large window overlooking the park, and it doesn’t even feel like I am in the city. It’s like I am on a private health resort with a bunch of health gurus parading around in sandals and flowing clothes.
“I don’t believe we met,” I said to her and held out my hand. “Becky Marx.”
Yeah, I don’t give out my real name when I am temping these days. I never bothered to change my last name when I got married or on the books of the temping agency. It was handy as I didn't want people to know that my dad’s business was on the verge of failing unless we decided to sell a brilliant idea that would make millions of dollars.
“Helena Greene,” the redhead said and lightly shook my hand. “It’s so nice to have you with us while Clarissa is away on a six weeks honeymoon.”
“I’m happy to be here. Clarissa told me that Mr. Ace is pretty demanding.”
“He’s not too bad,” Helena said with a smile. “He’s not as highly strung as people would think. But the yoga makes him look a little awkward.”
“The yoga?” I asked with a frown. Really? Those yoga pants and my mom's belly!
“Oh, every day, all the staff has to attend a daily yoga session at the chill-out zone.”
“Really?”
“Don’t look so scared. You look pretty limber. You’ll be fine,” Helena chuckled. “Here’s your desk. Your earpiece is linked to Mr. Ace’s headset, so whenever he talks to you, you’ll be able to connect with him directly. If there is anything you need, my extension is 433.”
“Thank you, Helena. I appreciate it.”
Helena gave me a nod and walked to her desk on the other side of the room.
With a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach, I looked at my desk. At least it was well organized and had an air of serenity about it. I sat on the chair, which was much more comfortable than it looked, and placed my headpiece on my head.
There was a commotion at the front desk, and as I looked up, I saw an incredibly attractive man casually making his way towards me, greeting everyone he passed by. His dark brown hair was perfectly styled, with thick sideburns and a square set jaw. He was not dressed as casually as others but still stylish in dark blue pants and a tight black shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The looks he received from his female employees were clear that he was desired by most of them, myself included. My heart pounded in my chest, and as he approached me, he gave me a nod before passing my desk. I let out a breath and lowered my gaze, trying not to faint or act like a stupid teenager who just saw a hot guy.
God, I can’t wait for the mandatory yoga.
✽✽✽
Pull yourself together, for heaven’s sake.
I tried to lower my gaze away from the sight before me, but it was too hilarious to look away like a train wreck. You didn’t want to look, but you couldn’t look away.
