The Spare

The Spare BIO-TECH BILLIONAIRES BOOK ONE AVA RANI Contents Playlist 1. Sloan 2. Marcus 3. Sloan 4. Marcus 5. Marcus 6. Sloan 7. Sloan 8. Marcus 9. Marcus 10. Sloan 11. Marcus 12. Sloan 13. Marcus 14. Sloan 15. Marcus 16. Sloan 17. Marcus 18. Sloan & Marcus 19. Sloan 20. Marcus 21. Sloan 22. Marcus 23. Sloan 24. Marcus 25. Sloan 26. Sloan 27. Marcus 28. Sloan 29. Marcus 30. Sloan 31. Marcus 32. Sloan 33. Marcus 34. Sloan 35. Marcus 36. Sloan 37. Marcus 38. Sloan 39. Sloan 40. Sloan 41. Marcus 42. Marcus 43. Sloan 44. Sloan 45. Marcus 46. Sloan 47. Marcus 48. Sloan 49. Marcus 50. Sloan 51. Marcus & Sloan 52. Sloan 53. Sloan 54. Marcus Epilogue Extended Epilogue Thank you! Want more of Sloan and Marcus? What’s next? Acknowledgments Copyright © 2022 & 2023 by Ava Rani. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Except for the use if brief quotations for the purpose of a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. This book is protected under the copyright laws. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this work is illegal and punishable by law. The Spare Developmental Editing: Samantha Helmer Copy & Line Editing: Joanna Paulson Proofreading: Jamie Dill Cover Design: Books and Moods Interior Formatting: Books and Moods To all the girls that saw the expectations set for them and said “screw that” Playlist Style - Taylor Swift Back to You - Selena Gomez In My Head - Jason Derulo Into You - Ariana Grande Some Say - Nea Alibi (Under the Starlight) - Eli Rose No One Compares to You - Jack & Jack Find You - Nick Jonas Lost - Maroon 5 Just Friends - Virginia to Vegas Me Because Of You - HRVY Come & Get It - Selena Gomez Heart to Break - Kim Petras Slow Hands - Niall Horan Wave of You - Surfaces Maan Meri Jaan - King, Nick Jonas Nights Like This - St. Lundi Million Ways - HRVY CHAPTER 1 Sloan I had to stop getting into prank wars with Xander. It was fun back in college and grad school, but now it was a little juvenile. Okay, it was still fun. But it was starting to get out of hand. And I was getting a little tired of losing. All I did was lock him on the roof of The Soho house overnight. It was the middle of summer, and he was fine. I wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t baby-proofed my entire townhouse. It took me three days to figure out how to open my cabinets. We had three rules: No bodily harm, no ruined reputations, and no foreign interference. I abided by all three. His response was a disproportionate escalation. Calling the University of Pennsylvania Alumni committee and volunteering me to chair this year’s annual alumni gala was cruel and unusual. I smiled maliciously when I felt a buzz from my phone. I hoped he enjoyed walking, because the team I hired to wrap his Aston Martin in a hundred pounds of plastic wrap had just arrived at the garage at the Ritz, where his car was parked. The annual UPenn Charitable Foundation Alumni Gala usually pulled an impressive guest list—from captains of industry to politicians and socialites, the list went on. Scanning this year’s list of attendees, I searched for one name in particular and smiled when I saw that he would attend. A delightful shiver danced up my spine at the memory of those piercing gray eyes. The prestigious university counted some of the most powerful in the world among its graduates. Its sprawling campus was one of the first places I had ever visited in Philadelphia. My grandfather, and every Amari after him, attended the university. My grandfather went on to start one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world. My older brother Henry was being prepared to take over whenever the time came. Walking through the stone corridors with the autumn leaves crunching beneath my feet filled my mind with memories of college. I stood in front of the historic library where the gala would be held and ran through the obsessively organized checklist I had made. I may have had to spend my Saturday morning overseeing the setup, but I was now done, and the day was mine. Well, mine and Xander’s. “Sloan?” a heartbreakingly familiar voice called from behind me. Recognizing it instantly, I paused. I handed a few items to the caterers and the final guest list to the event coordination team. I peered down the path to see him jogging toward me. It couldn’t be. Fate could not be that cruel. My heart started to race as I confirmed what I had feared. Broad shoulders. Icy gray eyes. Dark brown hair. Marcus Sutton. My long black hair was rolled up in a bun, I was wearing glasses instead of contacts, and I hadn’t applied a stitch of makeup. Not how I wanted him to see me after so long. I wanted to look devastating. Instead, I looked like a librarian. Clearly coming from a run, Marcus slowed down on the cobblestone path in front of the library. “What are you doing here so early?” Marcus closed the distance between us, catching his breath between words. The body of a Roman statue pushed against the Dri-fit running shirt he wore. I was about to go in for a hug when I realized he was sweaty from his run. He chuckled in amusement at my awkward shifting. Giving up any attempt at grace, I released a resigned sigh and fidgeted with a folder full of papers in my hand.