A Billionaire's Bet

A Billionaire's Bet A Second Change Age Gap Romance Olivia Cruise Copyright Copyright 2023 by Olivia Cruise All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Contents 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen Also By Chapter One Brad The joy of being the hottest video game designer in the tech world was incredible. I made loads of money, set myself up in a nice big mansion. I even got the pick of the litter when it came to women. Most of those women only cared to spend time with me because of my good looks, but even more so when they learned I was a billionaire. The youngest and richest in the small town of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I moved to Mass after I made my first million dollars. My family used to visit the Cape all the time when I was younger, that’s why I loved it so much—my sister and I jumping into the freezing ocean and eating fresh crab legs right from the sea. Some of the best times of my life were spent in the Cape. Now, I was a grown man with money to throw away on the stupidest of things, like company parties every month for my entire staff and friend group. “Can you ever show up anywhere without a date on your arm?” Justin, a buddy of mine from college, always gave me a hard time about the women he saw me with. I was the kind of guy who liked to keep his options open – or should I say, stay away from love. So when it came to women, I rarely kept the same one around for long. “A date?” I playfully looked around the room to see where my date was. “Where do you see a date? Kash and I are just friends.” “Yeah.” Justin laughed. “Whatever you say, playboy. Anyway, nice party. These things are always nice. You plan on keeping this party tradition for the entirety of your career? ‘Cause I mean, you’re living the dream life. Couple of the guys and I are getting really jealous watching you live our dream lives.” My friends wanted for nothing. As long as I was a rich man and they were in my life, I would take care of them and whatever they needed taking care of. That was just the kind of friend I was. I never meant to flaunt my success in their faces or make the guys feel like I was showing off with my women, but sometimes I felt like Justin took it that way. “You really gonna lecture me again?” I chuckled. “Right now? In the middle of the party?” “I’m just saying, bro.” Justin’s hand clamped down on my shoulder. “We’re not getting any younger.” Justin's goal in life was to find a woman he could marry, settle down, have a houseful of kids, and work until he was ready to retire. He’d been my friend for years, but we had two completely different mindsets. I wanted to keep my youth alive for as long as I could. I was too busy spending money and enjoying my travel. Besides, how would I get inspiration for my games if all I did was sit behind a desk and yell at kids all day? “Maybe one day I'll find a nice woman who makes me feel like settling down,” I said. “Until then, let’s just table my love life conversation and enjoy the party, huh?” “Alright bro, whatever you say.” He laughed. Mingling with women was a specialty of mine. I had the looks, the class, and the money. Money was a big deal for a lot of women I ran into. Most of them only wanted to be seen in a billionaire's spotlight to either jumpstart their own careers or ride my coattails until I got tired of carrying them. That was the way it was for the majority of my dating life. I had met one woman whom I was head over heels for. Kayla. It was a long time ago, during my first year of college. We had been pretty much inseparable for our first six months of dating and then she had just ghosted me. A year down the line I found out she had been in between relationships while we were together. She had an ex-boyfriend back home whom she loved more than me, so that’s where she went back to. I’d fought for our relationship for months when she left. Calling, texting, and flying to her hometown. I even threw a few punches with her boyfriend once. But even that hadn’t changed her mind about coming back to me. She was in love with her high school sweetheart, and there was nothing I could do to change that. After that, I vowed I would never take another woman seriously again until she showed me she couldn’t live without me first. That attitude came from protecting my heart. I had stopped dating for a long time after college and just played the field mostly. I was afraid to fall in love again; I didn’t want to get hurt. I never told anyone the way I felt inside—about dating—because I didn’t care about it anymore. I figured, when the time was right for me to date again, I would feel differently. Until then, my friends would have to accept me for who I was—a ladies’ man. Miranda, another of my closest friends, reminded me a lot of Kayla. When we first met, I thought it was the universe playing a cruel