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“Hold on,” Jasmine says behind me. “I can hear the rippling of water. Is there a beach around here?”
Laughing, I pull back the last section of shrubs and step onto the sand. “Even better. Can I hold your hands?”
“Sure.” She stands beside me, a pink blush on her cheeks. She’s so angelic; I won’t be surprised if she sprouts wings all of a sudden.
“Come on. I want to show you something.” I twine our fingers gently and lead her through the sand towards the back, where the lake is located with the colorful garden beside it. On seeing it, Jasmine stops in her tracks. “What?” She sucks in a breath. “Alec!”
The look on Jasmine’s face makes me appreciate the fact that I have never brought another woman here. The sight of her, superimposed with the lake and the garden, is breathtaking. I bring out my phone and take a picture.
“Ugh,” Jasmine groans. “Alec, delete that.”
“Nah.” I stare at the shot. “It’s beautiful.”
She walks towards the lake, and when she’s close enough, she notices the picnic carpet I’d set up hours ago. On it were different assortments of fruits, snacks, and wine bottles. She freezes momentarily and then glances at me with a giggle.
“You’re so full of surprises,” she says, and it’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever heard. I lead her towards the mat, and we sit together.
“This is so beautiful,” she says. “It’s like a slice of heaven.”
“Yeah. I always come here to clear my head, and it works.” I pluck a grape and hold it to her mouth. She sucks it in with a smile.
“How did you find this place?”
Funny story,” I chuckle. “I saw it being advertised online and bought it.”
Her brows dip in a frown. “What do you mean? You bought what? A lake?”
“Yes.”
Jasmine sucks in a breath and reaches for a banana. I watch, transfixed, as she peels the skin and takes a bite. “That’s a lot of money, Alec.”
Sometimes, I forget that I’m a billionaire, and my actions may shock people. Our definitions for “a lot of money” differ. I’m unsure how much Jasmine knows about me, but it can’t be more than what Riley knows. I don’t feature in the mainstream news in the US, so it’s impossible that they ever find out who I am until I tell them. I’m not quite ready to tell them yet.
Since Riley and I are pretty close, he knows I’m a billionaire. I led him to believe my grandparents left me all that wealth, and since he was never interested in my money, Riley never probed.
“But it’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s called Azure Oasis.”
She glances toward the lake again. “That’s a beautiful name. Did you coin it yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Brilliant.” She nods, taking another bite of the banana. “Alec, what do you do?”
“I’m a businessman.”
She narrows her eyes, and I almost laugh at the worry in them. Money has never been an issue for me, but I’ve got to remember that neither Riley nor Jasmine know exactly who I am. “I know you do business,” she says. “But what kind of business?”
“You know I do business,” I tease, also leaning forward so we’re only inches apart. “What else do you know about me?”
I expect Jasmine to draw back. Instead, her gaze drops to my lips in a seductive move that causes blood to pool into my shaft. Thankfully, there’s a fruit basket between us, so she can’t see the effect she has on me.
“Riley and I don’t talk about you a lot,” she says. “I know you’re a millionaire and can afford to buy an entire lake—”
“Billionaire.”
Jasmine pauses: her eyes are as wide as saucers. “What?”
“I’m a billionaire.”
