THE BILLIONAIRE IS OBSESSED WITH ME

Chapter Three Sold out

“I sw**r if it takes me and three moving companies and all our friends and family the next twenty-four hours, I will get everything you want out of the house. I promise.” Frank clasped my hand and looked at the promise of a half million dollars in her hand. “ Take it and run.”

I looked at the lawyer sent by Cedric to complete the sale of the house and nodded, “ Where do I sign?”

An hour later I had deposited the money in my checking account via wire transfer and was back standing in the middle of the foyer of the home I had once considered my dream home. My glass castle of floor-to-window ceilings in the pricy suburban neighborhood had been my fairytale come to life. Now, as I stood looking around, it felt very much like a prison to me.

I looked around sadly and then noted the mess made in the living room and remembered the second part of my plan, I looked to Frank, clearing my throat nervously, “ I think someone was here.” I felt bad for lying to him, they have both been very close and don't hide anything from the other person, but I couldn’t implicate him in fraud and filing false police reports.

I have not even told Jane or Lizzy about my offer for Yates to break into my house to steal the laptop. I’d decided in the heat of the moment, half-asleep when the man had called.

“ It couldn’t have been Evan because he’s in the middle of a business transaction and this is not his style of doing things.” Frank grimaced distastefully. “ I cannot believe our mother expected us both to be there to support Wendy.”

“ She gave me s**t saying Wendy’s condition is delicate due to her pregnancy. You can go if you want.” I shot my brother a look as I looked around the trashed room. Whoever Cedric sent made it look good. “ I think we need to call the police and step outside. I don’t know what’s been touched and what hasn’t been.”

“ It’s a good idea to call the police and also, I’d rather rip my limbs off and feed them to the Sampson estate pinschers than support those two a**h*les,” Frank said as he dragged me out of the house in a rush, looking over his shoulder worriedly. “ I hope nobody is still in there.” He dialed 911 and reported the break-in. It was an affluent neighborhood, and the wealthy were always catered to, therefore the police were on their way.

“ How strange is it that the purchaser of your home paid full asking in cash?”

“ Very,” I said nothing more and looked away with a smirk.

“ What? I know that grin, what are you hiding?”

“ I may have tipped off a certain developer of the house going on the market. One who despises Even’s family.”

“ Why?” He was stunned.

“ Wendy wants the house, for the last three weeks, I’ve been getting text messages and phone calls from both her and Evan asking me to sell it to them. Evan offered me twice the market value for it, but I haven’t answered a single message or call. I delete them but he’s persistent.”

“ He offered a million?”

“ He did, she wants to raise their child in my house and he’s giving her whatever she wants. I don’t know what I ever did to her to make her want to hurt me the way she does but whatever I have, she wants it. She’s been jealous of the house since I first moved in, she used to say all the time it was far too much house for a simple artist. I loved the natural light in it. Now, I’d do anything to make sure it never falls into her hands.”

“ Do you think the guy who bought it will sell it back to them? This could all be for nothing. If he hates him, he may simply make him pay three times asking to get it.”

“ He told me you can drive the bulldozer, but it has to be when they want to tie the knots.”

“ Why?” Frank was astounded.

“ Close enough Evan can almost taste it, I’m sure their first call will be to pressure me to sell it again and the buyer wants to livestream him bulldozing it.”

“ Who is this guy?”

“ Cedric Yates.” My brother’s silence made me look curious in his direction. “ You know of him?”

“ Yes, how do you know of him?”

“ Evan complained about him all the time, I simply went to Evan’s enemy and told him I was putting the house Evan wanted on the market and he took the bait. Why? You look like you saw a ghost.”

“ No ghost, I’m surprised you found a way to get to him. He has more money than Evan would ever dream of having and he’s known for taking what he wants without asking. My company has been offered the opportunity to interview and do the interior design for one of Yates’s new offices. It’s where I was the week your husband confessed his indiscretion,” He said the word sneeringly. It was the word they all mocked the most. “ He has lots of companies on the premises at the same time to pitch his ideas. I’ve never met him personally though.”

“ Did you get it?”

“ He whittled down to two companies: mine and another one from Los Angeles. I think the main reason I’m still in is because his head office is here in London, which is weird, to be honest. The man has more money than God and instead of New York or LA or any European city, he stays here in New Hampshire.”

“ It’s so funny,” I said suddenly.

“ Evan has hated this guy for months, and you were off doing a bid for him, and we didn’t connect the dots.”

“ Evan has never been one to ask about my business endeavors. He thinks interior design is a waste of time. God, I can’t believe you stayed with him for five years.”

“ I loved him,” I whispered. “ I know he was a d**khead to most people, but he treated me like his princess. He took care of me and made the decisions and,” I exhaled, “Jane thinks it was my lack of experience with men and when Evan came into my life, I gave him full control and I believed he pampered princess but in reality he used it to cage me.”

“ She sure was right about the last part,” I said quietly, “ And I guess it makes sense.”

“ Do you know that all the time we were together we never really argued? I’ve thought long and hard about how I was blindsided by this because we never even argued. It dawned on me I gave in every single time to avoid his disappointment in me. I always wanted his approval and his love.”

My phone rang and it was an unknown number, I answered it wondering if perhaps Cedric was calling her. Instead, it was my sister’s high-pitched whining scream filling her ears.

“ Why do you want to ruin my baby's life? You and Frank refused to give your support. Mom is the only one showing her love to me. Just mom. Not one aunt, uncle, or cousin. Do you know how embarrassing this is for me? I want you to help get my dress and also give the house up for the sake of my child's happiness."

I hung up on her and felt shaky breath escape my lips as my brother pressed his lips to my temple and hugged me close.

“ Why is she so awful?”

“ Who knows but I’m done with her and Mom. Dad would be horrified by their behavior.”

“ I’m sorry you’re caught up in this.”

“ I’m sorry I didn’t do more to stop it.” He sighed and then looked towards the street. “Police are here. Let’s figure out the next steps and then go for dinner. You and me? Your treat since you made a mint?”

I giggled at his teasing and nodded, “ I’d like that.” I braced myself for the performance of a lifetime as the officer approached. Everything was riding on this.