Page 12 of The Billionaire's Vow

She didn’t hoard.She didn’t spend recklessly on things she didn’t need and couldn’t really afford.She was careful.She calculated every expense.

Right?

Her mother’s voice interrupted the terrifying spiral of self-reflection.

"Dear, don’t be selfish," Diane said, with that well-practiced, guilt-inducing lilt."This is for the family.Everyone loves my Christmas themes every year."

Noteveryone, Giselle thought darkly, but she bit her tongue.

Her father would be too drunk to notice.Her brother would be too stoned.And she?She’d be the one paying for it.Again.

"Mom, I need to get back to work."

"Okay, darling," her mother said, breezy as ever, as if they’d just had a lovely little chat."Just don’t forget to send that money over.I’ll text you the amount."

"I'm sure you will," Giselle muttered, pressing End Call button before she could say something she’d regret.

Slumping down at her desk, she rubbed her temples, staring at the files in front of her.

It wasn’t fair.

She worked hard.She was good at what she did.She wasn’t supposed to be the one constantly cleaning up after other people’s bad decisions.

But here she was.Again.

With a slow, deep breath, she forced the frustration down and focused.

She had another problem to solve, one that had nothing to do with her mother or her family.

She reached for the paper copies of the invoices, wanting to see the actual totals instead of just the electronic versions.She’d check those, too, eventually, but something about having physical files in front of her helped her investigate better.

Her eyes flicked between the columns of numbers, searching for patterns, anomalies, anything that might offer a clue as to who was stealing from Dimitri De Luca.

At some point, the background hum of the office around her faded away.The sky darkened outside.

It wasn’t until her stomach let out an angry growl that she finally glanced up at the clock.

Well past dinner time.

She exhaled.

She should go home.Get some rest.

But then again, maybe another hour wouldn’t hurt.

Maybe if she could find something in these numbers—anything—tonight, she’d have a reason to see Dimitri again.

And this time, maybe she’d be the one catching his attention.

Chapter 6

DimitriwatchedGisellethroughthe open door.The night sky behind her flickered with lights and traffic, neon signs and the usual hum of the New York City skyline.But nothing could compare to Giselle’s gentle beauty.

He told himself it was because he was curious—because he wanted to see what else she’d discovered about the theft.

But that was a damn lie.

He was watching her because he wanted to.