Battle with a Billionaire: A Suspenseful Billionaire Romance (Hearts and Holdings Billionaire Romanc

Chapter 3

Grant drummed his fingers on the desk as the trees bent outside his window, blown by the strong wind that promised to bring a storm later today. Would there be more storms in his own life, too?

He dug into his pocket, wincing not just from the pain of his still-delicate surgical wounds but also from the ache of uncertainty. The fear of another rejection loomed large in his mind, contrasting sharply with the hope he had for his relationship with Julia.

His fingers wrapped around a velvet box, and he set it on the desk in front of him. He stared down at it, wanting to open it, but dreading to stare at that ring.

It meant too much to him, both his past and his future.

His fingers drummed out a nervous rhythm on the desk before he grabbed the box and snapped it open. The diamond inside sparkled under the ambient lighting of his office. Much smaller than the rock she wore on her finger now, he hoped Julia liked it.

He wanted to present it as a symbol of their new commitment, shedding away any contracts and replacing them with real commitment. His grandmother’s ring had more sentimental value to him than anything he could purchase in a jewelry store no matter how many carats it was.

The memory of his grandmother giving it to him flitted through his mind. “Give it to the woman who truly captures your heart,” she had said. And those words resonated for the first time now.

He smiled at it. As his eyes lingered on the ring, a symbol of the future he yearned for, his mind flashed to a series of memories of her. Tiny moments that had led to the largest revelation of his life: her laugh at their wedding, her entrance into the gala days after they’d wed, her still in the ballgown as she waited at the police station for him, the simple way she adjusted his tie. They’d all represented moments when the facade of their contractual marriage had slipped into something more real. Could he bridge the gap between contract and connection? Uncertainty gnawed at him.

He’d never given it to another woman. Not Lydia or the string of women who had followed her. His grandmother had told him to give it to the right woman. He’d finally found her. After half a century of living, he’d finally found the woman worthy of wearing this ring on her finger.

But the bigger question was…would she accept it? They’d spent a year surviving highs and lows, developing a connection, but would it hold up? He wasn’t certain she’d be interested.

With a sigh, he closed the box and tightened his fist around it. He’d make this work. He had to. She meant too much to him.

Maybe he’d let things settle for a week or two, allow her to adjust to her new role as CEO of Harrington Global. Once she had that control of her new domain, he’d sweep her off her feet.

A trip to Paris, or maybe Italy. A candlelit dinner, a string quartet playing soft music in the background. They’d drink champagne, they’d dance under the stars, and he’d present her with the ring.

“Julia, you mean more to me than a contract,” he’d tell her. “You mean everything to me. And I want to cancel our contract and have a real marriage.”

The corners of his lips turned up as he imagined her smile, her eyes sparkling as she threw her arms around his neck and accepted his offer. And then their lips would meet…

The image shattered into a million pieces as voices sounded outside his office. Through the slightly open doors, he recognized Julia, though he couldn’t make out her words. Her voice sounded strained, stressed.

A male voice answered her. His knuckles turned white around the ring box as he recognized his son’s voice.

Julia stumbled onto the marble floor, her features pinched with upset and her fingers combing through her hair, betraying her inner turmoil. She whipped around to face the stairs, throwing her hands out to her sides in frustration. “That’s my choice. Now, please stop.”

He pinched his eyebrows as Kyle closed the distance between them. “No, Julia. I love you. And I–”

Grant’s jaw unhinged at his son’s words, but it was what he witnessed next that shocked him. Kyle cupped her cheeks in his hands, pulled her closer, and kissed her.

For a moment, Grant sat stunned before anger burned through him. He leapt from his seat, shoving the ring box into his pocket as he stormed forward, driven by a surge of protectiveness.

His hands wrapped around his son’s shoulders as he yanked him away from Julia. “Get your hands off my wife.”

He tossed the man back a few steps, placing himself between Julia and Kyle. Julia stumbled back a step, her eyes still wide with shock. She pressed her fingers to her lips where his son’s had just been, her fingers slightly shaking.

He glanced at her face, reading the subtle furrow of her brow and the way she kept her eyes trained on the floor–all signs he’d come to recognize as a silent struggle within her.

“Oh, come off it, Dad,” Kyle spat. “She’s not really your wife.”

Kyle’s words stung, not just from the harshness of his voice, but because of the nugget of truth in them. Grant silently acknowledged the facade that had started their marriage, but it had become so blurred by his genuine feelings he couldn’t discern real from fake. “Enough! You’re crossing the line.”

“She deserves better than a sham marriage,” Kyle shouted back.

“Back off,” Grant growled, though Kyle’s accusation sliced through him.

“Or what?” Kyle challenged, his eyes flashing with defiance.

Grant’s fingers tightened into fists. “So help me, Kyle–”

“Stop it! Both of you. There’s no need for this to go any further than it has.” Julia slid her fingers around Grant’s shoulders.

Grant’s jaw flexed as he kept his fiery eyes trained on Kyle. “I want you out of this house.”

Kyle lifted his chin to glance around Grant. “Julia–”

“Kyle, you need to stop this,” she said.

Kyle’s features twisted with upset and desperation. “He’s not worth it, Julia. Don’t throw your life away for him.”

Julia shook her head, her voice upset but firm. “There’s nothing else to say on this subject. I’m sorry, Kyle.”

“You heard her,” Grant added.

“But, Julia–” he began, reaching for her.

“Don’t,” Grant warned, sliding Julia behind him.

Kyle’s pleading eyes locked on Julia, his features pinching as he waited for her to respond.

“Kyle, I think it’s best if you do move out,” she said softly. Her features seemed to pinch with sympathy for him, but she maintained her composure.

Kyle’s face fell, and he shook his head. “Julia–”

“Now,” Grant roared. “Out!”

Kyle stumbled back a few steps before he stormed up the stairs.

“And, Kyle,” Grant called after him.

The man spun to face them.

“If you ever put your hands on Julia again, I’ll–”

“Grant,” she warned.

He shook his head and glanced at Kyle again. “Just get out.”

His son continued up the stairs as Julia slid her fingers into her hair, blowing out a long sigh. Grant stared at the space he’d once stood, a mix of anger and jealousy coursing through him.

He wrapped his arm around Julia. “Hey, are you okay?”

She nodded, her gaze still too distant for his liking. She finally flicked it to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Julia, please stop apologizing for his behavior.”

She heaved a sigh, her features pinching as he guided her to his office and eased her into a chair. He crossed to the drink cart, pouring her a brandy.

“Here,” he said as he offered it to her, “drink this.”

She accepted the proffered glass and stared down at the amber liquid. “I feel like a damsel in a gothic novel.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No,” she said, flicking her gaze up to him. “He just stunned me. I didn’t expect that. Though I guess I should have.”

“I’m not certain you could expect anything Kyle does. He’s a wild card, and he seems to get wilder by the second.”

“He’s hurt and angry,” she said after another sip of the brandy.

“That doesn’t excuse his bad behavior. What made him think it was okay to kiss you?”

Julia flicked her eyes to the ceiling above them as she chewed her lower lip. “I think he was trying to convince me that there was something between us.”

Grant leaned against his desk, crossing his arms. “Something between you?”

She offered him an apologetic glance. “He says he loves me.”

Grant slid his eyes closed and shook his head. His son’s emotions were understandable, he supposed. He’d fallen for Julia in a fairly short amount of time. But that didn’t mean he should chase her around the house and kiss her against her will. “He’s out of line, and his behavior is not welcome here.”

Outside thunder rumbled as Julia heaved a sigh, remaining silent.

“Please tell me you don’t feel sorry for him.”

“I do.”

Grant scoffed as he stalked around his desk and collapsed into his chair. “Julia, please. He’s like a powder keg waiting to blow. He has to leave this house.”

“No, I agree with you. I think it’s best if we have some distance, but I think he’s desperate to be accepted.”

“He should have thought of that before he did what he did. Every time I think of him with his hands on you it makes me want to punch him again.”

“That’s exactly what we don’t need.”

Grant let his head thud against the chair’s high back. He recalled their shared laughter after his second arrest. Despite the situation being fraught with tension, Julia always could lighten the mood. “I know. I’m really trying hard to avoid another arrest. I know you don’t like the chairs at the police station.”

She grinned at him. “I really don’t. And you’ve been on such a streak with not getting arrested, I’d hate to see you ruin it.”

He returned her smile, his eyes lingering on her until a knock interrupted them.

The appearance of Kyle in the doorway ruined any moment and most of his mood. The man kept his eyes trained on the floor. “I’m leaving now.”

“Don’t let the door hit you on–”

“Grant,” Julia murmured in warning.

He threw his hands in the air. How she managed to maintain her cool with his son was a lesson he hadn’t learned from her yet. The mere sight of the man made him tense on most occasions.

“Julia, could I–” Kyle began.

“No, you can’t. Go.”

Kyle’s jaw tensed as he shook his head at Grant. “I was asking Julia if we could talk, not you.”

Julia flicked her gaze to him, her expression consoling. “Kyle, I think it’s best if we all have some space. We’ll talk later.”

Grant sighed. She seemed to have an endless supply of patience.

Kyle bobbed his head up and down. “Okay. Bye, Julia.” He spun on his heel and disappeared through the front door into the windstorm outside.

“He just doesn’t know when to quit, does he?” Grant said with a sigh. “I don’t know how you stay so calm with him.”

“I try to remember that this is mostly just his anger and frustration pouring out.”

“I suppose that’s my fault.” Guilt over how the situation had been handled over three decades ago washed over him. Julia likely blamed him for Kyle’s behavior.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. He just…needs some understanding. Unfortunately, my empathy has led him to believe he”s in love with me.”

“He probably is,” Grant answered. “He’s liked you since he met you.”

She shook her head. “I can never figure out if he really likes me or if he just says that to cause trouble.”

She had a point. He had threatened to destroy Grant and to begin with Julia. Was all of this still part of his plot to lure his lovely wife from his side?

“Either way, I’m glad he’s out of this house. Now, if we could only get Lydia to leave.”

“As nice as that would be, I’m sure Sierra would miss her.”

“I doubt it. She fights with her every chance she gets. She’ll be the first one in line to pack her bags,” Grant said as thunder boomed overhead before fading into a low rumble across the sky.

“Well, I suppose one troublesome houseguest gone is a win.”

“I’ll take it. We’ve had too few of those lately.”

The sound of high heels pounding down the stairs interrupted their conversation. A second later, Sierra appeared in the doorway. “There you are,” she said to Julia. “I went to your room and couldn’t find you. I need to talk to you.”

“Okay,” Julia answered with a nod as she rose.

“Right now?” Grant asked. “We were in the middle of a conversation.”

Sierra snapped her gaze to her. “Was it life-changing?”

Grant pressed his lips together as he took her meaning all too easily. Unless he was talking to Julia about staying with them permanently, she was happy to interrupt. “No…well, unless you’re Kyle.”

“What about Crazy Kyle?” Sierra asked.

“He moved out.”

“Whoa, didn’t see that coming. I thought he’d live here forever just so he could slink around the halls and catch glimpses of Julia from afar.”

“No, he…came on a little too strong with her, and I asked him to leave.”

Sierra raised her eyebrows, her lips tugging into a smile. “Well done, Daddy. Now if you could just get rid of the other freeloader, life would be grand.”

“If you’re referring to your mother, I’m working on it but she’s much more practiced at being a thorn in my side.”

“Who else would I be referring to? Mom is the only other person who doesn’t belong in this house. Keep at it,” Sierra said with a grin as she grabbed Julia’s hand and tugged her along.

Grant followed their receding forms as rain began to patter the windows outside. If it hadn’t been for his daughter’s genuine caring toward Julia, he would have been annoyed that she’d interrupted their conversation.

While he hadn’t been asking her to stay with him outside of the contract, it was these quiet moments that they shared that made him unable to live without her. His past wives hadn’t been anything like this. Those relationships had been built on pretense alone. They’d never have had a meaningful conversation with him that didn’t involve a lavish gift for them or some other need or desire they needed him to fulfill, usually with his money.

He couldn’t have gotten luckier when Julia wandered into the interview Sierra had set up to find him a wife to change his image. A crack of thunder and a bolt of lightning streaking through the sky made him jump, unease pouring over him and smashing the warm moment.

A deep worry burrowed into his brain. What if he couldn’t convince her?

His ringing phone allowed him a momentary distraction from that worrisome notion. He checked the call ID display, finding Kathryn’s name again.

With a swipe, he accepted the call. “I thought we were set for tomorrow morning. You working overtime?”

“I am. Because we’ve got some trouble. And I don’t think we can wait until tomorrow to discuss it.”

Grant swallowed hard, the unease that crept into him a moment ago spreading exponentially. What kind of problem was he facing this time?