A Game With The Billionaire

Chapter 19:

Emma:

Rich people throw parties all the time and honestly, I don’t mind. It’s a great place to socialize with investors and pitch my game ideas to similar minded people.

The music is too loud, the champagne is too sweet and every laugh is bouncing around. Honestly, I will rather be anywhere but here but I have no choice which is why I am seated with my assistant, Kathy watching as she grows through her iPad, trying to work out my schedule.

It’s like a gathering hosted by a vice president of a company, Emily couldn’t make it so she passed me an invitation winking that it would be a great place for some eye-candy, that translates to insanely hot men and well, I guess that she wasn’t wrong.

The men here are around my age, all dressed in suits and they freaking smell nice too.

“When are we leaving?” Kathy asks, eyes trained on her device. Did I forget to mention that my assistant is big on keeping to schedule?

“Soon.” I respond, adjusting on the seat. “It might be a great opportunity to pitch my game.” Kathy rolls her eyes. A few people give me side glances but that’s about it. “Any reason why people are looking at me like that?”

“Well for one, you’re engaged to Jeremy Hart. A Hart for goodness sake, of course people are going to look at you like that. Just try to soak in all the attention.”

The door opens and Jeremy and his assistant strides in, both dressed in a navy blue suit. Our eyes meet for a brief second and it’s as though understanding passes between us, what is he doing here?

I watch as he makes his way to a silver-headed man and shakes hands with me. I realize that I am staring too hard when someone slides into our seat.

“Hello, someone sure does have an eye on Jeremy Hart.” The man comments, looking at me lazily. His darkish strands fall over his forehead, letting his mysterious blue eyes pierce into my soul. Who’s he? He seems familiar, but I just can’t seem to put my finger on it.

“Oh well.” I reply, staring at him. I look over at Jeremy and realize that he’s staring at us, his eyes narrowing.....is he glaring at our direction? I watch as he leaves the silver-headed man and starts making his way towards us, my heart betrays me by fluttering. This isn’t supposed to happen.

“Jeremy.” The man smiles up.

“Tristan.” Jeremy grits out, if anything, he doesn’t seem excited to see this man and knowing Jeremy, he’s always excited to see people. “What’re you doing?”

“Calm your horses, it’s not like I am going to steal my cousin’s girlfriend.” Tristan says and I widen my eyes at this statement, this is Jeremy’s cousin? How couldn’t I have known this? I know almost all the Harts family even though they span generations.

“He’s Aunt Vivi’s son.” Jeremy watches me intently, when we were little, he used to joke that he can read almost all my facial expressions. Now I see that.

“Oh.” I reply, facing Tristan. “Nice to meet you, Tristan Hart.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waves. “Don’t worry; I have my eyes on someone else.” He gestures towards the blonde-haired woman who’s holding a glass of champagne and huddled together with a group, the woman sure does look like Charlotte Hilton. A woman waves over for Jeremy and he excuses himself, not before giving me a look, that for the love of me, I can’t interpret.

“Charlotte?” I whisper and he nods, eyes gleaming.

“I like you already. Can you believe we almost had a one night stand? But then she took off and now, she won’t even pay me any attention. I really like her.” Tristan sighs, picking up the flute of champagne on the table.

I study his features, there are no similarities between him and Jeremy, I guess the only thing they share is their surname. He has dark hair and blue eyes whereby Jeremy is golden blonde and brown eyes.

“No way, you almost had a one night stand with her?” I ask to which he nods. I always thought that perhaps Charlotte has a crush on Jeremy but reeling on the fact that she almost slept with his cousin, I am starting to doubt that.

“You know what, let’s talk later. Your boyfriend is shooting me dagger stares from here.” Tristan smiles warmly, and leaves with the champagne.

Jeremy’s seated next to a red-haired who’s laughing at whatever it is, this sudden discomfort settles in the pit of my stomach. I don’t like it. I don’t like her. I want to claw her pretty face out of his presence. My gaze shifts to Jeremy, he has always been handsome, no doubt. Golden-blonde hair catching the chandelier lights, the sharp line of his jaw when he smiles at something the red-haired says. He glances over and catches me staring like a teenager.

A corner of his mouth lifts slowly to a smirk and heat floods my face. What the hell is wrong with me?

My phone buzzes on the table and his contact fills the screen.

Jeremy: You’re blushing, Em.

I bite my lip so hard, looking up to stare at him. The woman is nowhere to be found, which means he’s all alone now. I start typing.

Me: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Jeremy: If my eyes are seeing well, you are looking at me like you want me to drag you into the coat check and do....

How can this man text something like that and still look innocent?

My breath stutters. Another buzz. This time when I check, it’s not a text message but a game invite.

Jer_GoldReaper54 has invited you to play Echo Clash.

This single invite brings back loads of memories. Only we used to spam each other with game invites during parties while the adults hung out and had adult conversations, we would sit huddled together while playing games over headsets while the adults drank themselves stupid.

Echo clash was our favourite game; I still remember when Jeremy thought of the username, he had referenced his sun bleached hair. “I have golden hair, and it rhymes with Grim Reaper.”

I stare at the black marble background and I click accept. My old username auto-fills the second I accept.

Em_Midnight923 has joined the lobby.

Across the room, he looks at me for a while before directing his attention back to his phone. Our chat opens as our avatars drop into the map, midnight city and it’s like nothing has changed.

My muscle memory takes over as I start gearing up my avatar. I am transported to when we were fifteen and playing like tomorrow was the end of the world.

Jer_GoldReaper54 : First to ten kills win. The loser owes the winner a secret you’ve never told anyone before. Even me.

My stomach does a flip. I almost laugh at the absurdity of the situation, this is Jeremy and I, playing games in an event. No one seems to pay us any attention though. I type.

Em_Midnight923: You’re on.

My avatar tears through the background, summoning energy from her magic sword, I tear through Jeremy’s avatar causing him to lose half his energy.

Jer_GoldReaper54: Still as ruthless as ever. Good girl.

My stomach does that floppy thing again. Why am I reacting like this? This is Jeremy Hart, Jeremy that I have known since I was able to talk, Jeremy that I dated, the same Jeremy that we used to sneak out to LAN cafes when we were sixteen. The same Jeremy that broke my heart.

Em_Midnight923: You’re slower than I remember.

Jer_GoldReaper54: Just saving the best for last.

I actually snort out loud. Kathy raises an eyebrow, I wave her off.

Kill count- 9-9

That’s our final round. I go for the risky aerial combo I invented back in high school, he knows it’s coming (he always knows) but he doesn’t block it. My finishing animation plays: Em_Midnight923 driving the sword into Jer_GoldReaper54’s chest in slow-motion thus drawing out animated blood.

Victory flashes across my screen, declaring my championship.

I return to our normal texts.

Me: I won!

Jeremy: Maybe I let you win...

When I glance up, there’s this soft look in my eyes that spreads warmth around my body.

Me: Come on, your deal was that you’re going to tell me a secret.

Jeremy: I don’t want to say it over text.

Emma: What are you talking—

I am in the middle of texting when Jeremy stops in front of me, he says slowly. “We are leaving now, Em.”

I can’t muster the strength to tell him not to call me that, I take my bag, wish Kathy a goodnight and follow Jeremy outside. He walks me out of the event, the cool night air blowing across my face. He leads me inside his car and for a second, I let myself breathe.

He rolls his cuffs, showing the chain bracelet I made when we were seventeen, engraved with our initials: Jer+Em. Mine is tucked away somewhere in my closet, he still has this?

“I wear it everywhere.” He says, searching my eyes and it’s just too much. The emotions that are swelling, this sudden new feeling. His thumb brushes my knuckles. All the fight drains out of me, I hate how easy it is to lean against him, how my head finds the exact spot behind his jaw. His arms come around me carefully and tenderly.

Fuck, I miss this so much.

His phone buzzes harshly against the seat, when his eyes find the text, a strange expression crosses his face and just like that, we disembark.

“I have to go,” he says, his voice thick. I want to ask if something is going on but I nod numbly.

He shifts, shrugging out of his coat and drapes it over my shoulders. It smells exactly like him and suddenly I am eighteen again, taking his letterman jackets during our visits to the LAN cafes.

“Stay warm,” he murmurs, fingers lingering at my collarbone. “You can drive home?”

I nod, incapable of words. He opens the car door and leaves. I sit in the quiet car, wrapped in his coat and my heart flutters like it wants to rip out of my ribs.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Everything.

And for the first time in six years, I am not sure I want to fix it.