Billionaire's Match

" What are you afraid of ? " Trey turned and gathered Angela into his arms , his voice tender . " I'm afraid your family will force us apart . I'm afraid I'll grow old with you and Pete , always living in the shadows , without any real standing . And I'm terrified that one day ... you'll look at me and no longer feel the same . " Angela's eyelashes fluttered down , her voice catching in a practiced , delicate sob . " I would never . " Trey cupped her face , brushing away the dampness at the corners of her eyes with his thumb .

" I gave you my word - I will always protect you . No one can come between us . And my heart will never belong to anyone else . " " Trey ... " Overcome , Angela closed her eyes and kissed him . His company was on the verge of its IPO , yet he had still yielded to her pleas and brought her into his home . But Angela couldn't shake the feeling that something in him had changed over the last two years . The reckless , all -consuming passion he'd once had for her had cooled . Worse , he seemed to think of Khloe more and more , sometimes even when Angela was right beside him .

A woman's intuition is sharp and easily unsettled . No matter how secure she pretended to be , the gnawing doubt was there . Her kiss ignited a familiar heat in him . His hand slid up to cradle the nape of her neck as he guided her toward the bedroom . But in that very instant , Khloe's face flashed across his mind . At the crucial moment , he froze . " What's wrong ... ? " Startled , Angela clutched his arm . But he gently pushed past her , heading straight for the bathroom , where he splashed cold water on his face , trying to douse the fire and the sudden , unwelcome guilt .

His mind was in turmoil . The moment Khloe had appeared in his thoughts , his desire had evaporated . That , of course , was something he could never confess to Angela . " Must have been something I ate , " he lied , stepping back into the room . " My stomach just turned on me . " He kissed her forehead in apology , murmuring soft excuses . Though a flicker of displeasure crossed her face , Angela held her tongue , choosing to remember his indulgence over the past few days instead . Early the next morning , Trey stormed into the office .

On his way , his phone had been blowing up with calls- several crucial partners , deals he'd fought hard to win , had abruptly pulled out . " What the hell is going on ?! " His fury was a physical presence in the conference room , and his staff didn't dare to breathe too loudly . " Mr. Fox , it's ... it's because the payment approvals were delayed ... " 1/5 Chapter 7 +25 Bonus " Delayed ? How could they be delayed ?! " he roared . " You weren't here yesterday , sir . No one was authorized to sign off . " Trey paused , remembering he had taken the call about it while he was away with Angela .

But that was a trivial matter - wasn't that what Khloe was for ? " Wasn't Miss Roswell in yesterday ? Why didn't anyone go to her- " He cut himself off . Officially , Khloe held no signing authority . " Useless ! All of you , get out ! " After unleashing a torrent of scathing criticism , he summoned Khloe to his office . She had just arrived and had already overheard the news about the collapsed deals and his erupting temper . " Miss Roswell , " a colleague whispered , her face pale , " Mr. Fox is in a rage . The contracts fell through . You should go in there .

" " I was with an important client yesterday when your assistant brought the documents to me . I had to leave in a hurry for the meeting . " Her tone held the right touch of helplessness . " You know my position here is unofficial . Signing on your behalf is a sensitive matter . If anything had gone wrong, not only would I be unable

reality : she hadn't been shirking her duty ; he had never given her the authority

had even taken the initiative to meet a client yesterday . How could she deliberately undermine things ? The reality was , he simply hadn't considered how impossible her position was without any real authority . And he had been the one who was distracted - squandering critical time with Angela while the company was on the

If another urgent matter comes up , I can resolve it without delay . " His eyes flickered with surprise . Khloe had never asked for power before . Even when she needed to access sensitive company data for her projects , she had always done it under his supervision . " Is that a problem ? " she asked lightly , feigning retreat . " If you don't feel comfortable , then

he wouldn't yield so easily . But even partial access was enough to copy what she needed . To dismantle Trey's empire , patience

It was a call from Trey's mother , Stella Oakley . " Alicia is craving your cooking . I've already spoken with Tray . Get over here now ! " The line went dead . It was a command , not a request . Khloe wasn't the least bit surprised . From the day she had entered the Fox family , Stella had treated her as a live- in servant . Despite having a full staff of maids , Khloe was expected to personally cook and clean for her in

, marked in red , caught her attention - a cornerstone project she had built from the ground up . The client director trusted no one but her to handle the final negotiations . After a moment's thought , she went to Trey's office , only to be told by his assistant that he had

. " We're at the hospital . Pete had a little fall and hurt his leg . It's nothing serious , just a scrape . Trey is helping him with the antiseptic right now . Should I have him call you back ? " " No need . Pete's well - being is the priority . You two take your time

Angela's face tightened with irritation . How rude . When Trey returned with a perfectly cheerful Pete , she handed him the phone , her expression neutral . " Khloe called . I answered it for you . Do you want to call her back ? " He hesitated , but Pete immediately tugged on his arm . " Daddy ! My leg hurts ! " son was only acting , Trey pinched his cheek in warning . taken Angela's call , he'd thought it was an emergency . Her rushed words about their son