Page 244 of The Rebel Billionaire

Enzo slaps his forehead.

He turns to the television on the wall where Harper’s press conference is frozen, her face front and centre. “Who do you see on the screen?”

I stare at Brooke, but she isn’t Brooke, not entirely.

“Do you know what I see?” he says.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“I see a woman, shoulders back, chin up, armour in place. I see the youngest daughter of a wealthy family, behaving as she’s been reared to behave.”

“Reared? Surely you mean raised?”

“No, I mean reared, the same way we were. Moulded to fit our place in society.”

I sit back and take in his words, but he continues, a small smile gracing his lips.

“She’s the same woman who bought my daughter a journal and you a coffee warmer for Christmas. Played charades with our family. Someone who aspired to be the best replacement PA a man could want. Not because anyone was watching or judging, simply because…” He inclines his head. “If you ask me, Alex, you saw the real, unabridged version of Harper Frazer.” He pauses. “Think about what it means to be a Bianchi, what it would feel like to shed those chains.”

“I…” I open and close my mouth several times. “Fuck, little brother, when did you become so insightful?”

“Well, someone needs to be, before you let the best thing that has ever happened to you slip through your fingers.”

“She may not forgive me,” I say.

“She wrote you a letter. If she didn’t want contact, then she could have simply left. Let you find out her identity on the news.”

I run a hand down my face, gripping my lips and closing my eyes before inhaling.

I drop my hand. “What if she doesn’t want me now that she’s back with her family?”

“Life is full of what ifs. Maybe she will, maybe she won’t. But if you don’t ask, then you’ll spend the rest of your days wondering what might have been. Is that what you want?” He gets up and grips my shoulder. “Remember, sometimes the biggest risks offer the greatest rewards.”

“As I said before, who are you and what have you done with my brother?” I say, surprised at Enzo’s sudden insightfulness.

He smiles. “You can’t control everything, Alex, especially when other people’s emotions are at play. What you must decide is whether she’s worth it. Being Harper Frazer’s plus-one is not going to be easy. There’ll be a lot of scrutiny.”

“That’s not even a question.” I harrumph, making him smile.

“Then you know what you need to do.”

CHAPTER 74

ALEX

Iclose my eyes for a second before hitting the redial button, surprised when it doesn’t go straight to voicemail.

“Hello?” a male voice answers.

“Hi, is Brooke there? Sorry, I mean Harper. Is Harper there?”

“Who is this?”

“I could ask you the same question,” I say before I can stop myself.

“Well, it appears we’re at a standoff, so goodbye.”

“Wait. I’m sorry. My name is Alessandro Bianchi. I was— I am— Brooke’s… sorry, Harper’s boss in New York.”