Page 38 of The Billionaire's Secret Kiss

Always Ella.

Even when we were apart, she was the woman I thought of when I thought of forever.

Resolved to get this meeting over with, I strode down the hall to the office. Vance sat at his desk, working on his laptop. He looked up when I knocked on the open door. With his hair pulled back in a low ponytail, wearing a faded t-shirt and torn jeans, his tattoos dark lines on his tanned skin, he looked every inch the artist and nothing like a savvy investor.

“Noah, take a seat,” he said, nodding to the chair opposite him. I did, trying not to let his hard blue gaze disconcert me. “I’ve got an offer for you.”

“Am I going to like it?” I asked.

Vance shot me a sharp grin. “I don’t know. Why don’t we find out? Take a look.”

He slid me a few sheets of paper, a revision of the deal we’d been discussing for weeks. Everything looked good. Their buy-in was generous. They’d get a stake in the company but wouldn’t be able to take control from me. It was everything we’d been talking about. Exactly what I’d been working for. With this money, I’d be able to keep the company going until we had the new product ready for the market. We’d be in the clear.

Relief speared through me; then it dissolved when Vance said, “There’s a condition.”

Of course, there was. After all the damage Phillip had done, this deal was too good to be true. “What’s the condition?”

“You agree never to contact Ella again.”

That was the last thing I was expecting. A penalty for delays on getting to market, sure. Higher ownership stake if we needed a second infusion of cash, maybe. But turning my back on Ella? That didn’t make any sense.

“Are you serious?” I finally asked.

“Dead serious. You need to focus on your company. And Ella is like family. She’s been working with Maggie and me, taking care of Rosie for six months. She’s close to Holden and Tate, as well as Jo and Emily. She’s more than an employee. We care about her. And you’re making her miserable. I’m looking out for her. You back off, don’t see her again, and we’ll give you everything you need to make Endicott Tech a success. You call her, try to see her, and we’re out.”

“What if I take the deal and then decide I want Ella?” I asked, trying to see the deal from all the angles. I wanted this money, but I wanted Ella, too. If there were any way I could have both . . . I had to figure it out.

“We’ll draw up a clause that allows us to pull out, with penalties, if you have contact with her. At any time.”

“And if she calls me?” I asked.

“She won’t,” Vance said. “You’ve already let her go twice. She’s not going to come back for a third time. Take the money and forget about Ella. You can have everything you’ve ever wanted.” Vance shrugged a shoulder in dismissal. “There are other girls in California. You need your company more than you need her.”

I stared at Vance with blind eyes, his words a jumble in my mind.

I wanted that money for the company. I needed Ella for me.

You can have everything you’ve ever wanted.

No, I couldn’t. Not if I couldn’t have Ella.

I imagined saying yes. Going back to California. Getting the product out on the market. Making my team’s dreams come true. Instead of anticipation, it all felt flat. Empty. I hadn’t had Ella before, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I’d always planned to reconnect with her. I’d always assumed we’d find a way to be together. Without Ella, without the hope of someday being with her, nothing else mattered.

There were other girls in California, but I didn’t want another girl. I wanted Ella. My Ella.

I’d been shying away from investing my savings in Endicott Tech. I’d worked my ass off for every penny. Having a safety net helped me sleep at night. But without Vance, I could still pull this off. Fuck getting investors. I’d sell my house, sell my cars. I’d drain my savings if that’s what it took to save Endicott Tech on my own terms.

It wasn’t the best business decision, but if I went my own way, I could do right by my company and still go after Ella. I wasn’t letting her walk away from me. Not this time.

“No thanks,” I said, shoving the papers back in Vance’s hand. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Are you sure? You won’t get a deal like this from anyone else.”

“I know. I don’t care. I’ll do this on my own if I have to. Thanks for your time.”

I was striding to the front door when I heard Vance call out, a laugh in his voice, “Good luck!”

Asshole.