The Billionaire's Secret

Chapter 2

ELLE

I watched the wall clock as its hands ticked at eight o'clock. Ilooked down at Noah, I couldn't believe I was able to get the kid in bed ontime. He was full with so much energy before I had told him it was almost timefor bedtime. But as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was knocked out in deepsleep.

I closed Noah's bedroom door and then I headed back downthe stairs to the living room. As soon as my feet stepped into the spaciousliving room, I heard the phone beside the side table rang. I quickly ran andpicked up the phone.

"Hello?" I whispered softly, only to be replied by witha yell.

“Is Noah sleeping?" Mr. Braxton yelled through the other linewith a piercing sound in the background. It was obvious wherever he was. He wasprobably partying somewhere.

“Yes, he's sleeping,” I responded in a normal tone.

"Good, good. Oh, and make sure you do not open to door toanyone. I don't care if it’s a salesman or the FBI. My lawyer is going to stopby to pick up some important legal papers. He has the house keys don't freakout if he enters. Oh, if you're hungry you're more than welcome to thekitchen.”

I swallowed hard, a bit stunned. His lawyer is coming? Atthis hour? “Alright, Mr. Braxton.”

“If Noah wakes up, just give him warm milk and he should fall backto sleep. Also—”

Wow, this guy could talkforever! Maybe Mr.Braxton was really a forty-year-old with a face of a twenty-year-old. No, Itake that back the forty-year-old remark. He was acting as if he was a newdaddy taking care of a newborn.

“Don't worry," I cut him off on his trail of rambling,"Noah is asleep, and if he wakes up I will take care of it,” I said,urging Liam to hang up, but instead, he spoke again.

"I'm sorry, it's just... I'm not cut out for this. Me,raising a five-year-old? What the hell am I thinking!" he rambled.

Wait a sec, is he talking tome? I frowned, then I realizedthe slur of his words, he was drunk!

"Mr. Braxton," I called his attention, realizing that hewas probably not at the gala night anymore.

“Yes?” he acknowledged, making me realize the guy was probablydrunker than I first expected. Anger washed over me. What the hell was wrong with this guy? He had a sonwaiting for him at home and instead of coming to him, he was out to get drunk?If my prediction was correct, Mr. Braxton was probably not ready to have achild. He probably had Noah from an accidental pregnancy. I should have knownfrom the start so I knew what I was dealing with.

I wanted to yell at the guy over the phone, but I held my wordsback. This was just a one-night babysitting job. It wasn't like I wasgoing to meet Liam again after this, so mind as well keep my cool, get paid,and never look back.

"Listen, I have to go. I will see you in a couple of hours,”Liam said, then he hung up, causing me to stare at the phone in my hands for acouple of minutes. Until I heard the front door open, bringing me back to mypresent state of reality.

Okay, I have gone mentally insane. Maybe I died and came to heavenbecause there in front of me was a sexy man who’s impossible to be a lawyer butit was probably him. He’s Mr. Braxton’s lawyer.

He looked handsome, not as handsome as Liam but close toit. His eyes were dark to match his dark hair. He had no glasses, no books, nobriefcase like the typical lawyer, but a grin on his lips and a fine lookingthree-piece gray suit.

"You must be Isabelle," He said, moving forward to myfrozen body.

"Uh… yeah, but just Elle.” I answered, feeling my cheeks turnred. I knew I was staring at him like an i***t and yet I could not stop.

“Elle,” he repeated, then smiled. He looked at me with a fewseconds of silence and then he spoke, "I'm Julian. This is the time ofyear that Liam's probably going to get home pissed drunk. I really don't needany important legal file; I just happen to know my friend really well. Mind ifI just hang here with you ‘til he gets back?” he asked. I didn't know whatto say, I didn't mind him staying. I was just surprised that Julian knew thatLiam was drunk.

"Hello, you there?" Julian snapped his figures in frontof my face to bring me back to reality.

"Oh, sorry, I don't mind if you stay.” Damn, I was beginningto have a habit of dozing off.

The guy just brushed past me, plopping himself onto the couch,putting his feet up on the coffee table with both his hands around his neck,then looked up at the ceiling. He looked so comfortable, almost as if the homehad been just as much his, as it was Liam's.

"Is the little guy sleeping?" Julian asked as he movedhis eyes away from the ceiling to me.

"Yeah, fell asleep right at eight.” I smiled, feeling proudof myself, and then Julian gave a curt nod.

“Are you going to stand there the whole time or take a seat?"he asked, patting the couch gesturing me to sit beside him. I did sit but notright beside him. I left some space between, just realizing how awkward it wasbeing in a room with a complete stranger.

"This is awkward, isn't it?" he shrugged. It’s exactlywhat I was thinking.

"Yeah," I nodded in truth.

The statement brought out a laugh for both of us, which prettymuch broke the ice. “Tell me something about yourself.” Julian shifted his headto my side, then he crossed his legs on the couch putting his full attention onme.

No guy ever asked me the question before. “There’s nothing totell,” I responded. I won’t be seeing him again anyway, so why bother?

“Oh, come on! It’s boring to just sit here, without sayinganything. Are you a student?”

"I go to NYU," I started and I could see that Julian hada grin on his face. "But I still want to go to Harvard,” I said in allhonesty, but I didn't get to say more, he cut me off.

"I went to Harvard for undergrad, it's a place for memories,that's for sure,” he said that brought me to be surprised. I should have knownthat the guy had probably graduated from an Ivy League school. If he was alawyer for a billionaire, I shouldn’t be surprised.

"How old are you?" I couldn't help but ask. He looked soyoung, not as young as Liam, but still young to be in his early ormid-twenties.

“Thirty-two,” he answered with a genuine handsome smile. I barelyknew this guy, but yet I felt like I could tell him anything.

"What about Mr. Braxton?" I couldn't help but ask. Assoon as I did, Julian busted out laughing. Did I say something funny?

“What's so funny? I even asked with a smile of confusion.”Although Julian was thirty-two, nearly ten years older than me, I couldn't helpbut feel like he was my age. I felt special being able to just talk with a mannormally. The guys in the school just didn’t find me worthy of a singleconversation and I no longer felt like a wallflower with him there justlaughing for no reason.

"Liam asked you to call him Mr. Braxton?" he asked,between the amusement of his lips. I rolled my eyes, at least I wasn't the onlyone who thought calling Liam Mr. Braxton was rather odd.

"He seems pretty uptight," he raised an eyebrow. Iremembered Liam's severity with little Noah, but then it didn't make sensesince I had heard Liam drunk on the phone before Julian and entered the house.

"Well, for your information, Liam is twenty-nine, and no he'snot uptight. He's just uptight for Noah. He wants the best for the kid, butsometimes he doesn't realize that sometimes kids just need to be kids.”Julian's voice seemed to be something of admiration. It was weird. Julianseemed to be the guy who has achieved so much in life, but he still looks up toa twenty-nine-old billionaire who probably grew up with a golden spoon in hismouth.

"Why do you admire him?" I asked, assuming Julian wouldnot understand my question, but he did.

“I look up to him because he saved my life,” Julian answered inall seriousness. I wanted to ask what he meant by Liam saving his life, but Irealized that it was a subject that was never spoken of when Julian quicklychanged the subject. "So, how did you land babysitting on a Saturdaynight, when you should be out partying with friends?"

"I don't really go to parties," I replied with ashrug. And I don’t have many friends. Again, it was anotherpart of my life that just seemed to suck more.

He curtly nodded. Julian should have figured that I wasn't thatbig of a partier when he finally noticed my overly sizedclothing, my thick-framed glasses, and a backpack that was stilluntouched. Ugh! I still need to review for the upcoming examinationnext week.

"You’re going to fall for Liam," Julian said randomly ashe stood up from the couch. It was a good thing he did get up because my mouthwas hanging wide open in shock at his comment.

"What?!" I yelled accidentally.

"You heard me,” he winked in all cockiness, and at the momentI just wanted to slap him at his stupid remark then ask a million questions allat the same time.

"What the heck do you mean? I don't even know the guy andit's not like I'm going to come back here again, and there is no way I wouldfall for a guy who gets drunk when he has a five-year-old kid at home!" Isnarled.

Julian just gave a cocky grin, as if he knew something I didn't,"Trust me, you’re going to fall for him once you get to know him. Youshould probably get going home, it's already three in the morning and Liamprobably isn't going to get back anytime soon. Don't worry, you can pick upyour paycheck in the morning around ten.” Julian said. I looked at the clock,surprised that indeed it was three in the morning. How the hell did time fly sofast?

I picked up my backpack and put on my jacket. I opened the frontdoor to leave, but to my surprise, Liam stood theirpissed drunk with a grin on his face, “Hello Alice, where's Justin? Is Noahsleeping?" Liam asked, and then his body fell on me. His weight was about to make me fall, but Julian came upfrom behind and held Liam up.

Who the hell was Justin, and for a better question, who the hellwas Alice?

"You should probably go," Julian told me with an upsetface. I curtly nodded, but before I could completely close the door, I heardsomeone puked, followed by a thud to the ground. A loud whine came after as Islowly close the door. I had a strong feeling that it wasn't Julian.