The Billionaire's Hired Girlfriend

DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND

  With his Mac laptop in hand, Peter Thompson marched up the short driveway to the small bungalow in the secluded cul-de-sac. He rang the doorbell and waited. A few second later, the lady of the house appeared.

  “Peter, come in. Alex is out with Tim and Emma, showing them around Uni,” Mali said cheerfully.

  “Very good. Jacob home?” Pete asked.

  “Yes. Of course. I made sure.” Mali winked at him.

  “Thanks for helping out.”

  Mali shook her. “Peter, I should thank you for helping my daughter out. Come on now.”

  They made their way to the living area and found Jacob there, reading the Otago Daily Times.

  Jacob glanced up from his newspaper in surprise. “Peter? How have you been? Come on in and sit down. Alex is out at the moment.”

  “Jacob, how are you, old guy? Not working too hard, right?”

  Jacob chuckled. “Of course not.”

  With that polite greeting out of the way, Peter got straight to the point. “Jacob, you need to hear this. Actually, you need to see this.”

  “What is it?”

  Pete slid into the seat beside Jacob and turned on his laptop. “It’s about Alex. It’s about what truly happened in New York.”

  Jacob’s face darkened at the mention of his daughter’s name and New York. “I already know what happened, Peter. You don’t need to tell me.” There was a hard edge in his voice.

  “What you heard from Mary?”

  “Peter, are you here to rub it in? I thought I knew you better than that. Alex is a good girl. Yes, she may have done some stupid things, but she’s my daughter, and don’t you dare—” He rubbed his temple.

  “It’s not like that, Jacob. You know jolly well how much like a sister Alex is to me. I have to tell you the truth now. Alex would never lie to you unless she had to.”

  “What do you mean?” Mali asked, her hands clasping together nervously.

  “I was the one behind it. But that’s not important. What’s important is what you need to hear from the man himself.”

  “Man? What man?” Jacob asked.

  “Yes, what man?” Mali echoed.

  “Jayden McCartney. The man who stole your daughter’s heart.” Peter looked heavenward and thought that was a stupid way of putting it. “What I mean is—oh heck! Bear with me for a sec.”

  Mali sat down beside Jacob, and he took her cold hands into his.

  Peter logged into Skype and then voilà—a young, handsome face appeared on the screen.

  “Oh my! Who is that?” Mali queried, amazed at the young man’s good looks.

  “That, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, is Jayden McCartney, the man who stole your daughter’s heart.”

  Mali gasped in shocked surprise, and Jacob was taken aback.

  “He’s Jayden McCartney? But I thought he was much older,” Mali commented, her eyes on Jayden, who was looking rather nervous on the screen.

  Peter shifted the laptop around so it faced him. “Hey, Jay. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are now yours. Do your best, bro.”

  On the screen, Jayden nodded.

  Peter turned the laptop back to the couple and nodded for them to proceed. Mali made herself comfortable as she held on to her husband’s hand. Jacob waited expectantly.

  On the screen, Jayden took a deep breath and then said, “Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, I’m Jayden McCartney. I’m the one responsible for everything that has happened to Alex. She only came to New York because I asked her to. I needed her help, the type that I’m very embarrassed to tell. I asked her to pretend to be my girlfriend in exchange that I pay for the full price of your heart transplant, sir.”

  Mali gasped and glanced at her husband. Jacob tightened his hands about hers as he stared intensely at Jayden in the screen.

  “However, once she was here, things got a bit complicated, and I found myself falling in love with her. I love your daughter, sir.” Jay looked at Jacob and then Mali. “I’m sorry for what happened, but now I only ask for this. I want to marry Alex. I ask for your permission, and I ask for your help to set things right with Alex.”

  A long silence followed. Jacob seemed to be in some sort of dilemma.

  “Sir?” Jayden’s voice echoed into the silent room.

  Peter nodded. “Help him.”

  Jacob said, “Answer me this, Jayden.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Will you do anything in your power to make Alex happy?”

  “Yes, sir. I love her. I will do anything to make her happy.”

  “And you will never hurt her in any way?”

  “No, sir. I will never hurt her in any way.”

  Jacob leaned closer to the screen, as though he were glaring into Jayden’s soul. Then he grinned. “Then we will help you. Welcome to the family, Jayden McCartney.”

  On the screen, Jay sighed with relief and smiled.

  Peter gave out a loud, “Yeah!”

  Mali laughed. “Welcome to the family, Jayden.”

  “Thank you,” Jay replied.

  * * * * *