The Billionaire's Widow

3

Chapter 3

"Twenty-five thousand dollars?!!!!" Amy screamed through the phone, making me giggle.

"Yes, I carefully counted the zeros and I'm sure of it," I said. "I'm happy though. I can finally help Mom and Dad pay off the mortgage in like three or four months." She laughed.

"And where will I be? Paige, I'm proud of you for finally growing up, but remember I'm here too—and I work—so we've got this together, okay?" I smiled.

"Yeah. Thank you, Amy. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten the job."

"It's okay. You're my baby sister, so I would do anything for you." My intercom rang.

"Amy, please hold on." I walked to it and answered the call. "Ron?" He was the whole building's security guy.

"Paige. Someone is here to see you."

"Are you sure they want to see me, Ron?" I asked.

"Who is that?" Amy asked through the phone.

"I don't know," I said back.

"Yes, ma'am. He said he's an old college friend. Stephen Williams," Ron explained.

"Ohhhh." I finally remembered. How the hell did he find me? I thought he was still in Boston. "Okay, send him up." I released the button.

"You know him?" Amy asked.

"Yes. We went to college together," I said briefly.

"Mmmmhh. Ex-boyfriend?" I rolled my eyes.

"Stop. You know very well I don't have any ex-boyfriend," I said, and she giggled. "I will call you later, Amy."

"Okay. Be safe."

"Always." I hung up.

Hailey's POV

"Hailey!" My mother-in-law called when she spotted me waiting for her at one of the tables in the family hotel.

"Karen." I stood up, smiling. We hugged before sitting down.

"I have missed you so much. You barely visit now." I smiled.

"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, I’ve hired a personal assistant now, so that means fewer office hours for me and more time with you." She giggled, taking my hand into hers.

"You don’t know how happy I am to hear that." I called the waitress by the door to come over.

"I hope the twins aren't too much work on you." She laughed.

"Oh dear, they could never be. They’re my grandchildren, remember?" I giggled.

"I know." The waitress arrived. "The usual," I said, and she nodded. Karen made her order and our food arrived.

"Dear, how much do you trust this personal assistant of yours?" Karen asked.

"I don’t trust anyone outside family. You know that," I said.

"You know what I mean, Hailey." I wiped my mouth and sighed.

"She seems like a good girl. Very neat and professional. But don’t worry—I'll have Marcus look into her background before she starts tomorrow. I’ll know everything I need to." She gave me a nod.

"What is it with you and how your workers dress, by the way?" I let out a chuckle.

"Karen, you taught me that presentation matters." She laughed. "Besides, I run a successful business. I expect my staff to reflect that standard. It’s not about vanity—it’s about professionalism."

"I understand, honey. I feel the same way." We both laughed.

"I remember. The first time you met me, you took me shopping the very next day." I laughed.

"Oh dear, I still remember those faded jeans you were wearing," she said.

"Please don’t remind me." We both continued laughing, enjoying the moment.

Paige’s POV

The elevator doors opened, revealing Stephen. I walked toward him.

"Stephen!" I said. "Please, come on in."

He stepped out, and the doors closed behind him.

"Wow, Paige, this place looks amazing," he said.

"Thank you." I gestured for him to take a seat on the loveseat.

"I honestly wasn’t sure it was you at first," he said, sitting down. "I was walking past AC earlier and saw someone who looked just like you coming out. I called your name, but I guess you didn’t hear me. So I figured I’d check at the desk just in case."

"You saw me outside AC?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I had a meeting a few buildings down. When I thought it might be you, I couldn’t just walk away."

I smiled. "Well, you found me. I just got the job today, actually. I start tomorrow."

"That’s amazing. Congratulations!" he said, flashing his familiar white-toothed smile.

"Thank you," I replied. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"No, I’m okay for now. Where’s your sister?"

"She moved in with her fiancé three weeks ago."

"Oh. Congratulations to her."

"I thought you said you loved Boston," I said, studying him.

"I did. But after being there for so many years, it started to feel… too familiar, you know? I needed a change of pace. And I remembered you saying you’d be in New York after graduation, so it felt like the right direction."

I chuckled. "So you moved to a whole new city because of me?"

"Don’t flatter yourself, Carson," he said, smirking. "I’m still mad at you."

I giggled. "What have I done now?"

"You disappeared after graduation. No phone call, no text—your number was just… gone. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you ghosted me."

I gasped. "No! That’s not what happened, I promise. When I got here, I got completely lost trying to find this apartment. Amy was working out of the city that day, so I ended up in the wrong area. I got robbed—and almost worse. They took my phone, but luckily someone heard me scream and helped me out."

His face dropped in shock. "What?!"

"Yeah. That’s how I lost my phone. And you know me—I never memorize anyone’s number. I wasn’t trying to disappear, I swear."

He rolled his eyes and let out a soft laugh. "You still haven’t changed, Carson. Before you forget again, give me your phone."

I burst out laughing. "Fine," I said, giggling, and handed it to him.

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