Facade (Billionaire in Disguise 1)

“And how did she take that?”

“Not well, but she accepted it eventually. She made some comments about Sam not being good enough for me, and I made sure to let her know it wasn’t her place to have that opinion.”

“Derek, I don’t know. You think she’s got some sort of play in all of this?” Jacob asked.

“If we’re being honest? I’ve got some people looking into that. She’s been fingered as a possible suspect, but I’m not going to mess with it until I’m one hundred and ten percent sure.”

“You know, if you weren’t so damn handsome, this wouldn’t be happening to you.”

“What?”

“Yeah! All the ugly CEOs of shit never have stuff like this happen to them. It’s because you’re too good-looking, my friend.”

“You're an idiot.”

“But think about it. This could be a pissed off old flame, or this could be Emma really being disgruntled over all that paperwork you guys signed a couple of years ago.”

“That was two years, Jacob.”

“And maybe it’s festered. Look, you don’t know. So, you have to come at this from every angle.”

“I’m not that much of a playboy,” I said.

“Doesn’t mean you don’t have ex-girlfriends whose hearts you didn’t break,” he said.

“This could also be a disgruntled ex-employee. You know, someone who’s pissed off about losing their job.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve got someone looking into all of this. You handing over information as you come up with it?” he asked.

“Yeah, but I’m trying to do it without raising any flags, and that's taking some time.”

“If that’s what you want, go ahead. I’ll keep an eye and an ear out, like always. If I hear or see anything weird, I’ll let you know now that I know you’ve got someone on this case or whatever.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“And I’ll make sure this video stuff is being set up right in your absence if you want me to. Since you’ll be frolicking with the girlfriend.”

“You’re not happy about that, are you?”

“I get your need for relief. I know it’ll distract you from all this shit that’s going on with you. Anything I can do to help, you let me know. Don’t let one aspect of your life slide in preparation for another, though. That gets tricky.”

“I can balance the need for sex and the need for work, Jacob. Done it all my life.”

“But now you have someone trying to take your life. That’s a serious thing,” he said.

“Got it, Jacob. Just keep an eye on all this shit while I’m gone, okay?” I asked.

“You got it, boss.”

“Now, for another question.”

“Fuck. What? I’ve got work to do,” I said.

“Who’s the Calvin Klein model sitting on your sofa?”

He nodded over toward John who picked up his hand and waved.

“That’s my new hired bodyguard to throw everyone off my scent,” I said.