The Next Door Billionaire's Deception

The Next Door Billionaire's Deception Jenni Gray Copyright Copyright © 2023 by Jenni Gray 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. Richard 2. Melissa 3. Richard 4. Melissa 5. Richard 6. Melissa 7. Richard 8. Melissa 9. Richard 10. Melissa 11. Richard 12. Melissa 13. Richard 14. Melissa 15. Richard 16. Melissa 17. Richard 18. Melissa 19. Richard 20. Melissa 21. Richard 22. Melissa 23. Richard 24. Melissa 25. Richard 26. Melissa 27. Richard Epilogue: Melissa MORE from JENNI GRAY Do you like FREEBIE Romance book? Chapter 1 RichardSomeone’s banging the roof. Or maybe that’s just my headache – and now it’s only getting worse.The thumping sound increases and becomes an unfading rhythm that forces me awake from my too-short slumber. Sleeping at five o’clock in the morning, after hours of poring through documents, only to be woken up so rudely isn’t on the list of things I fancy.Who the hell is trying to bring down the building?I sit up, grimacing slightly as the sunlight’s bright glare touches my face. Walking through my apartment half-asleep, I open my door and almost get hit in the face by a man carrying an obscenely large box, and just like that, I’m wide awake.“What the heck’s going on?”He turns around to face me.“Sorry, man. Didn’t see you there.”Written boldly on his rumpled gray shirt are the words Pharst Movers.Pharst. Really? “What’s going on?” I repeat.“You have a new neighbor.”Ah! That.The obvious explanation.I move closer, a slight frown creasing my brow. The entire hallway is filled with boxes of different sizes. Several of them are stacked almost in meter-long couches close to my door. “Can I speak to who’s in charge?” I ask the two men moving a white L-shaped sofa.They both nod toward the direction of the open door. Carefully navigating my way through the boxes, I stop in the doorway. A woman stands at the far end of the mostly empty room with her back to me. Her raven-black hair is pulled into a ponytail that swings as she gesticulates. She’s clad in dark jeans and a pale yellow top. Her voice is low and authoritative, like that of a woman used to giving orders.“Hello, neighbor.”She turns toward me, and for a few seconds, I peruse her features; sharp nose, high cheekbones, and the most enthralling eyes I’ve ever seen —green, like moss. Her face pulls into a frown. As she approaches me, a smile is perched on her face.“Are you one of the movers?”“Excuse me?”“Are you one of the movers?” she says again, slowly, this time enunciating each word as if she’s convinced I have a hearing disability.Does she think I'm deaf or something?“I’m your neighbor, and I don’t know if you got the memo, but making so much noise within the first few minutes of your arrival isn’t very neighborly. Don't you think so?”She raises a brow and crosses her arms, her eyes glinting. “If the noise bothers you so much, why don’t you get some earplugs?” she says.“What?” I ask, perking my brows almost in anger.She huffs. “I don’t see anyone else complaining.”“That’s because they don’t live across from your apartment.”She sighs. “Pleased to meet you, Neighbor-who-hates noise. I’d like to get back to work so I can, you know, stop the noise as soon as possible.”Before I can give her a response, one of the movers passes by, and I spot the logo on one of the boxes he’s carrying. A white hawk! It belongs to Emerald Inc., the company I’m trying to merge with.That’s when it clicks. What the heck is going on here?The image of her in a skirt and shirt with her hair pinned up is different from the woman before me, but she’s the same, nonetheless.Melissa Durham, CEO of Emerald Inc.? The woman who dines with the board of men and hides their crimes behind a smokescreen of philanthropy … No way this is a coincidence! No way in hell.She mumbles more commands to one of the movers by her far left. He's a pot-bellied man with a weird-looking mustache that makes him look like a typical circus clown. His belly jerks as he nods to the instruction being murmured by the boss lady. That’s exactly what she is. There's no better explanation for her display of superiority over every single person, including me.“So, Mr. Neighbor, while the movers help me help you reduce the noise, can you at least exhibit some bit of courtesy by, you know, showing me around?” She stands with her arms akimbo, her lips curving into a smile. “Is that how you roll?” I ask.She rolls her eyes and cocks her head. Her raven-black hair gimmers under the light as she runs her finger through it.“You've got a different way of rolling here?”“Yes, we have a different way of rolling here. Everyone in this building has some sense of courtesy –”“And I don't?” she asks, stepping aside like I’m some monster who’s about to pounce on her.“I wouldn't give a yes for an answer, but you sure have got it all wrong. You move in on your first day, and you wake everyone up. I call for peace, and you ask me to get my ears blocked.”“But that can help the noise not get across to you. Can't it?” She raises her palms, shrugging. “I was only trying to help.”I adjust the helm of my pajamas and glare at her before turning to the busy movers. None of them are eavesdropping.“If you ask me. I won't hesitate to clarify that what you’re putting up doesn't show any sign of good neighborliness.”I swing around and head for my door without giving her a chance to say something, but then she does—like a stiff lump, the rage in me hits the walls of my throat.“Richard Burnes.”Her words stop me in my tracks. Did she call my name?