Page 43 of Billionaire Bachelor

And yet, here I am, thanking him for that unwavering support by sneaking around with his sister behind his back.

Christ, I’m an asshole.

Rosie sips her coffee, humming in approval. For a moment, we just look at each other, the silence stretching between us with everything we’re not saying.

Ryan.

Her brother.

My best friend.

The guy who’s trusted me witheverything—his friendship, his secrets, his career,his family, who means more to him than anything. There’s no way he won’t see this as a betrayal when he finds out.

Rosie’s fingers tap lightly against the rim of her mug, seeminglylost in thought. When our eyes meet, I’m pretty sure she’s thinking the same thing I am.

This is dangerous.

We’re toeing a line I don’t think either of us ever expected to cross, but neither of us wants to stop.

She breaks the tension with a soft smile. “What’s on the agenda today, Mr. CEO?”

I open my mouth to answer at the same time my phone chimes with a text alert. Rosie and I both glance down and see Ryan’s name on the screen.

“Speak of the devil,” she mumbles.

I exhale sharply, opening the message.

Ryan: Dude. When are you back from Tahoe? Shit’s hitting the fan with PPA. We need to talk ASAP.

“Fuck.”

Rosie frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know exactly,” I reply. “But it sounds like we’ve run into a snag with the acquisition.”

PPA, or Peak Performance Analytics, is the firm that created an industry-leading algorithm capable of predicting gaming outcomes with freakish accuracy. If BetMasters acquires its IP, I can move forward with my plan topitch an exclusive partnershipwith Olympus Resorts & Gaming, the biggest player in Vegas. Ryan has a contact there, so we’ve alreadymade it past the gatekeeper. I just need the technology.

Which is why Ineedthis fucking deal to go through.

I hit the call button, holding my index finger up to my lips in a universal ‘be quiet’ gesture.

Rosie nods once, her expression unreadable.

Ryan picks up on the first ring. “Hey. Sorry to pull you away from whichever rando you’ve got in your bed, but I knew you’d want to hear about this right away.”

I ignore his assumption about me hooking up with random women.

“What’s going on?”

“We’ve got a problem with PPA.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What kind of problem?”

Ryan is my VP of Acquisitions. BetMasters wouldn’t have grown nearly as much as it has if he wasn’t on my team.

“I’m hearing buzz they might be thinking of backing out,” he tells me. “I should have more information in the next few hours. You’re back this weekend, right?”

“I…uh, I’m back now actually. I came home last night.” I take a sip of my coffee to stifle my guilt. “I was planning to check in with you after I woke up a bit.”