Page 34 of The Billionaire's Secret Kiss

Noah looked away, and I headed for the door. I was seconds away from bursting into tears, and I was not doing it in front of Noah.

I was right. He knew I was right.

Leaving him still hurt like hell.

Chapter Ten

Ella

Idrove back to Vance and Maggie's through a blur of tears, wiping my eyes as fast as I could so I didn’t run off the road. Once I was parked safely in their driveway, I gave in, sobbing until my nose was running and my eyes were red and blotchy.

I’ve never been a pretty crier. I cleaned myself up as best I could with a baby wipe, stocked in my glovebox thanks to Rosie. I couldn't do anything about my puffy eyes, but at least I didn't have mascara streaked down my cheeks.

I let myself in the front door only forty-five minutes after I'd left, and I heard Vance and Maggie arguing in hushed voices down the hall. I didn't want to interrupt, but I knew better than to look for Rosie without letting them know I was in the house.

Vance and Maggie were older than Holden and Jo, but when it came to messing around, they were just as likely as the younger couple to be caught in a compromising position. After the second time I'd walked in on them, I'd gone for the rudeness of interrupting over being in the house without them knowing.

I walked down the hall to their office, almost stopping when I heard Noah's name.

Maggie said, "Vance, I'm just not comfortable with these allegations. After that lawsuit, it doesn't look good. We have other options, and his software isn't a proven commodity."

"No, and it might never be. But I think the allegations are bullshit. And this Philip guy? I don't trust him at all. Going after Noah like this? It doesn't make Philip look very stable."

"I agree, Philip isn't the issue. But there are people backing him up, and the last thing we want is our name attached to someone who's guilty of stealing intellectual property. We could be liable."

"Not if we can prove we weren't aware of any wrongdoing," Vance countered.

"The damage would be done," Maggie argued. "You're going on your gut here."

"And you’re being too practical, sugar."

I didn't have to see Maggie's face to know she was scowling at Vance. She loved to pretend she hated the nicknameSugar Magnolia, but I suspected she secretly loved it. I stepped into the doorway of the office, drawing both of their attention.

Before they could speak, I said quietly, “If it helps, I can guarantee that Noah never stole anything from Philip Martin. Not from Philip, and not from anyone else. He's one of the most ethical men I know. When we were in school, he was always voted to lead teams because the other students knew he'd never take credit for their work. Unlike Philip."

"Then why is Philip Martin going after him this way?” Maggie asked. "I know you know Noah better than we do, Ella, but it's also possible that you're not seeing him clearly. You have a lot of history. And Philip Martin has said some damaging things."

"I know he has. But Philip is a little crazy when it comes to Noah. He always has been. He's had this stupid one-sided competition with Noah since college, always needing to beat him. The more he failed, the more driven he was to even things up."

"That's not rational," Maggie said.

"I know. He called me this afternoon to tell me he was taking care of getting Noah out of Atlanta. I can understand you not wanting to get mixed up in this. And I'm not trying to tell you your business. But if you think Noah is dishonest, I can swear to you that he's not. And if you want to talk to a few people with solid reputations who know him well enough to vouch for him, I'll give you names and numbers. Half the professors at Tech will tell you all you need to know about Noah."

"I've talked to a number of them already," Vance said. "They back you up all the way. He's a leader, ethical, and several of them said—off the record—that there's no way Philip Martin could've come up with the code Noah used to start Endicott Tech. Plus, Philip Martin is an asshole."

"You're not wrong about that," I agreed. "Has he called you?"

"About fifty times. I've only answered twice, but that was more than enough. Noah's coming here at four thirty for a meeting."

Correctly reading my face, Maggie said, “It didn't go well?"

I shook my head. "If I stay upstairs with Rosie when he's here, will you not tell him that I'm around? I don't want to see him right now."

Vance studied me, his sharp blue eyes catching the signs of my tears. "What did he do?"

"Nothing. He didn't do anything." I thought about dinner the night before, the flowers, and the sushi. Noah enrolling me in school and paying my tuition.

He’d done a lot, and all of it was wonderful.