Billionaires in New York Boxed Set: Billionaires in the City Books 1-3 by Laura Burton (learn to read books .TXT) 📕

shoulder as she flashed a sheepish smile at the designers and side-stepped to avoid breaking into their circle. “I want to go home. My head is killing me.”

“You’re not still pining over Harry, are you? Julie, this is your moment. Make the most of it!” Emily gestured to the crowd of talking people as if they were fish in the ocean, primed and ready to be collected.

“You stay. I know you love this sort of thing. But I’m going to get a cab,” Julie said holding Emily’s shoulders. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Are you sure?” Emily asked, chewing her lip. Julie rubbed her arm and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Completely. Enjoy yourself and tell me everything in the morning, okay? I’ll have cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven.”

“Promise?” Emily asked, her face breaking into a grin.

The two of them hugged and said their good-byes as Julie waded through the crowd of people. Now the award ceremony was over, everyone stood filling all the space in the room.

“Ms. Andrews, I do not remember seeing your name on the guest list.” Frank’s voice sent a shiver down Julie’s spine as he came into view. He stood looking austere in a sharp pinstripe suit, a drink in hand and his nose scrunched as if he was offended by a bad smell.

“I was added last minute,” Julie said curtly. Her fingers curled into the palms of her hands as she fought to keep her breathing steady.

I will not let this idiot ruin my night.

“Estelle would never have allowed that. Only designers are allowed seats at this even, not simple dressmakers.” His eyes squinted as he offered a false smile and took a sip of his drink. Julie straightened her back and held her head high.

“I am a designer. Valentina Rose is wearing one of my dresses, and after tonight I won’t need to endure you and your insufferable peppermint breath again.”

Frank’s mouth fell open as his face paled and his hand flew to cover his breath.

“Excuse me––”

Julie held up a hand to him in silence and walked away. A beaming smile creeping across her face.

She fought her way to the back door and pushed it open to be greeted with the cool New York evening air whipping through her hair. Julie’s heart was racing. Finally, she stood up to Frank and put him in his place. She knew she would likely have no job tomorrow, but she didn’t care.

Julie sighed and took in the familiar sounds of the city. Honking horns, the constant stream of traffic, and people in the street talking loudly. Underneath the dark sky, Julie felt safe. In the dark, she was under the radar. And as she rounded the corner and walked away from Estelle’s tower, the sounds grew quieter.

Harry’s face entered Julie’s mind once more. She wanted to pick up the phone and call him with the news that Valentina Rose was wearing her gown to the Estelle Fashion Awards. Whatever happened next in her career, she knew one thing, she was not just a seamstress. Now she could market herself as a designer. A designer who made gowns for A-list celebrities.

Okay, celebrity. But this is just the beginning.

The achievement felt hollow somehow. Her excitement dulled by the constant ache in her heart. All she wanted to do was pick up the phone and call Harry. It had been weeks and he hadn’t sent her so much as a text. Complete radio silence. It was maddening. However, she was the one who’d made the decision to leave. Her mind replayed the events on repeat. There was no other way to keep Harry safe. He must have known that too, or else he would have reached out to her, surely?

She wasn’t happy. Even after the biggest moment in her career, Julie realized that without someone to share it with, her life would never be anything other than average. Maybe there was a way they could be together. They never had the opportunity to go over their options. Harry had money. Lots of it. Surely, they could work something out. Was she willing to let a jealous redhead limit her happiness—even if she was crazy and most definitely dangerous?

Julie wasn’t sure if it was the ego boost from the evening, or the sudden epiphany that seemed to spark in her mind that had her so pumped full of adrenaline, but she walked mindlessly along the road, head held high and a drunken smile plastered on her face. She did not notice the quiet road she had stumbled upon, nor the lone black car parked innocently beside a dumpster. Her only thoughts were seeing Harry’s face lighting up and his arms wrapping around her body, when something suddenly struck the back of her head.

As if by slow motion, Julie fell forward, startled and her ears ringing. Hands caught her body and someone thrust a scratchy sack over her head. Julie’s brain froze. As if it had lost signal to her limbs, she fell limp as multiple hands secured her legs and arms and carried her forward. She thought it would be a good idea to scream, but her headache was a full-on migraine now after the hit, and would anyone hear her with a sack over her head? So she lay still, and didn’t fight back.

Emily’s words played in her mind. Had it been her fighting back that helped Harry in London, or had it all been a ruse and she really had no power to fight and defend herself?

Julie’s shoulders banged a carpeted floor and someone tucked her legs up by her chin her gown ripped at the seam up to her thigh. A rumble underneath her told her she was in the back of a vehicle. Something slammed above her head, then, she heard muffled talking.

Julie kept her breathing steady as she berated herself for not being more streetwise. She was on her way to her imminent demise, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

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