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

stand. The chair legs scraped across the wooden floorboards; the sound made Edward flinch. A skinny blonde nodded to Sam with a slight curtesy and cleared the table.

“Yes sir,” she said in a formal tone. Edward padded his pant legs and pulled out his wallet.

“Anyone meeting us there? Is Harold in town?” he asked as he threw a stack of twenty-dollar notes on the table. The young server blushed at him as she retrieved the notes and stuffed them in her pocket.

Sam shook his head as they marched across the dimly lit restaurant and made for the glass doors.

“Didn’t you hear?” he asked as they climbed into the black limousine waiting outside. “Harold bought an island. He moved there a few months ago with his new wife. I guess the two of them got sick of the media attention.”

“Can you blame them? After all they went through. I’d do the same,” Anthony said, straightening his tie.

Edward whistled.

“I didn’t know,” he said simply. Harold’s relationship with Julie had been a whirlwind. The two of them went from “hello,” to “I do,” within a couple of months. Edward did not know all the details but from what he had heard, someone did not approve of their relationship and seemed determined to break them apart. The fiasco ended up with a huge media storm and everyone who knew Harold or Julie were bombarded with paparazzi and reporters for weeks. Edward had to hire out more security until it all died down.

“Good for them,” he added.

The gentlemen fell silent as the car navigated the busy streets. Edward’s mind returned to the woman he met on the bridge. Her wet hair clung to defined cheekbones, dripping to her exposed collarbone. Raindrops rested on her protruding bottom lip, giving it an irresistible shine. Her eyes were dark too. Deep and intense. The worry line between her brows told him she thought about things too much. He imagined her bent over a mahogany desk, pouring over research papers, a cup of steaming tea in her hands. The thought made him light-headed.

He wished he had gone against his word and followed her. How could he hope to find the gorgeous woman again in one of the largest cities in the world? All he had was a face and a first name. There was Sam’s deal to consider too. Surely, he should get a move on and find a woman to woo. But it was as if Cupid had struck and all he could think about was seeing Catherine again. He figured that Sam could keep his apartment; the deal didn’t seem quite so exciting after all. He had a new challenge. Find Catherine.

She believed in Fate. Serendipity. It made her all the more charming and mysterious. He wondered what wonderful adventures they would embark on together. If he could just find her.

As they entered the dark opera theatre and were shown into their private balcony, Edward prayed to an unknown entity. Not being a religious man.

Please, let me see her again.

The orchestra played a stirring piece and the most exquisite voice began to sing. The melody of her songbird voice seemed to weave into the music, as if the instruments and the singer were made for each other. Edward took his seat and pulled his jacket off, his heart fluttering at the music and a warmth spread across his chest.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Anthony said with a broad grin on his usually grumpy face. Edward followed his line of sight and looked down at the stage. “That’s my cousin.”

A tall woman, wearing a long ivory gown that fanned out at the waist stood with her arms raised to the audience as she continued the song. Her body swayed and she craned her slender neck side to side as the most beautiful sound escaped her lips. Edward picked up the binoculars and focused in on the woman just as the song came to its heart-pounding crescendo. He moved his gaze from the bottom of the satin dress and inched up to her tiny waist. The bodice had a lace overlay with thousands of diamantes sparkling in the spotlights with her movements. He was dazzled.

Finally, he reached her face and blinked. His heart raced faster than he ever thought possible. He could hear his pulse thumping in his eardrums and his mouth turned dry.

“Sam,” he whispered harshly as he grabbed his friend’s arm, the binoculars glued to his eyes. For fear that if he looked away, she would vanish. Never to be seen again. “It’s her.”

Catherine.

The woman on the bridge was the star of the show. The New York sensation; Catherine Fisher. Anthony’s cousin.

Edward wasn’t sure if he wanted to jump for joy or weep as an overwhelming sense of gratitude filled every part of his body. He wondered, that maybe there was someone out there looking out for him, after all.

“We’re going backstage after the show, so be on your best behavior,” Anthony murmured to Edward who licked his dry lips and lowered the binoculars hesitantly to look at him. He bit against his grin and gave a curt nod. Then looked back at the stage as a new song began.

With every stirring moment of the show, Edward became lost in Catherine’s heavenly voice. Charmed. She had him completely under a spell, thinking he could achieve anything in the world. If he jumped off the balcony, he would surely fly. He might already be floating. The violin and cello added rich texture to the music and Catherine arched her back and her hands rose and fell with the highs and lows of the music. Like waves of the ocean.

Edward swallowed, his palms grew sweaty and he kept his eyes locked on her for the entire time she was on stage. Lost in a fairytale. Then he silently apologized to Harold.

I get it now.

When you know, you know.

Chapter Three

Hello again.

Catherine chugged down an entire pint of water before she slammed the glass jug on her dressing table and