Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 92(@200wpm)___ 73(@250wpm)___ 61(@300wpm)
Payton didn’t think there could be anything more heartbreaking than being cheated on. Her husband proved her wrong when he took her life.
That was supposed to be the end.
But it wasn’t.
One moment, she was dead. The next moment, she was back in the past.
There were things that were exactly the same, like her husband’s selfish and cheating ways.
But other things had changed, like a second killer coming out of nowhere.
And the billionaire boss she had been working for in the past four years…
Why did he say she was his heart?
This is a fast-paced, angsty second-chance billionaire boss romance. Closed door. HEA guaranteed
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Prologue
NELLIE never got tired of this. Even when she saw it happen every day, there was just something endlessly fascinating, almost addictive, about how women reacted in all sorts of ways to her billionaire boss. Since Fairscale’s headquarters was a five-story building with an atrium, Nellie felt like she had the best seats in the house while enjoying her morning coffee from the top floor.
The interns and new recruits were the cutest, and oh, it happened again! The girl working on the second floor, catching a glimpse of Niccolò de Vindice on his way up in the all-glass elevator, ended up walking straight into a vending machine.
So cute!
And then there was the paralegal on the third floor who had the habit of tossing her hair over her shoulder every time she saw their boss. She did it again today, and unfortunately, just like all the other days, the effort was wasted.
There were times when Nellie wished she could just issue a company-wide memo to save everyone the trouble.
To: All Staff
From: Office of the Chief Executive
Re: Clarification of an Internal Matter
Please be advised that the Chief Executive Officer's personal interests are, and will remain, otherwise allocated. No change to this arrangement is anticipated in the current fiscal year, or, in the assessment of this office, the next.
Colleagues are respectfully asked to redirect their efforts accordingly. This notice supersedes all prior speculation and remains in effect until further notice.
Thank you for your cooperation.
But since their oh-so-aloof CEO would likely kill her just for thinking it—
So sorry, babes. Let’s hope you guys find your other half elsewhere.
But in the meantime, Nellie quickly finished the rest of her coffee, threw the used can in the recycle bin, and she was ready with her clipboard by the time Niccolò reached their floor.
“Good morning,” she greeted him. “Everyone’s already waiting in the conference room.”
Nellie got a clipped nod in return, which by now she understood meant he had said ‘good morning’ back and was giving her the green light for the meeting.
Inside the conference room was the rest of the executive team. The boys on one side, and then the girls on the other, and with every ‘good morning’, her boss had a clipped nod in return except for—
“Good morning, Mr. de Vindice.”
“Good morning.” Niccolò’s voice was brief, cool, and slightly accented, but it fooled none of them. They all knew that from day one, their boss had a soft spot for their PR head, who was as clueless as she was sweet.
Niccolò got into his seat at the head of the table. “What do you have for us?”
“Well...” Nellie flipped to the first page of her report. “That depends on how much time you can spare us.”
“Enough.”
“That will work.” One click of a button, and Slide A was now on the projected screen. “European and Middle Eastern sales are doing well. Asia, not so much, but...” She looked at Denny. “You’re on top of it, yes?”
“Let my eyebags be my evidence.” Denny the Dramatic, as always.
Nellie nodded. “Evidence acknowledged. Moving on.” Another click, and Slide B was on the screen. “Here are our numbers for North America.”
“Not quite meeting our targets,” Leah reported, “but we’re in talks with new suppliers.”
And now, for their favorite part...
Nellie glanced at Payton. “How fares our social value?”
“We’ve been monitoring our social media metrics since Mr. de Vindice’s feature on Time Magazine,” the brunette shared with her usual soft smile, “and there has been a significant surge of interest in our company’s services. We’re still working on a plan for how to maximize this, but also of note is a 147% increase in keywords indirectly related to Fairscale.”
“Such as?”
“Does Niccolò de Vindice have a girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
Leah, Nellie, and the boys were the ones who answered simultaneously, which had Niccolò’s expression turn glacial while Payton looked confused.
“How do you guys sound so sure?” Payton looked at their boss. “Why does it seem like I’m the only one who doesn’t know you’re dating? I should be the one—”
“Don’t let them fool you,” the billionaire interrupted her coolly. “They know nothing at all.”
Nellie felt so proud of herself for not giving in to a snicker. Because contrary to what their CEO was saying, it was Payton, not Nellie and the others, who knew nothing at all.
“And more importantly, my private life is my business.”
“Well, about that—” Payton’s expression turned rueful. “All those indirectly relevant keywords I mentioned have something to do with your personal life. The second one is actually quite similar: Is Niccolò de Vindice married?”
Obviously not, Nellie thought, but you are, and there lies the problem.
Because right then, Payton’s phone had just buzzed against the table, and flashing on its screen was her husband’s photo.
“You can take that,” Niccolò said.
“No, it’s fine—” Payton grabbed her phone and dropped it into the pocket of her blazer. “Sorry about that. Shall we continue?”