Page 53 of The Rebel Billionaire

“Callie’s there?” Molly asks.

I hum in affirmation. “Not a problem, I’ll get straight on it,” I say, needing to end this call and get this problem resolved as quickly as possible. I glance at the clock. Two hours until the party is due to start.

Shit!

I replace the receiver.

“Is everything all right?” Callie asks. “You look a little flushed.”

“Time of the month. Always happens,” I say, getting up and grabbing my handbag. “If Alessandro needs me, I’ll be back in ten,” I say, switching the phone to redirect calls to my mobile.

I leg it to the elevator and press the button, pulling up the balloon and party favour supplier’s contact details.

The call connects as I step into the lift and press the button for the fourteenth floor. It’s only then that I realise Callie must be wondering why I’m heading to the lift and not the bathroom. A problem for when I return.

“Checkers Balloons and Party Favours. Davina speaking. How can I help?”

“Hi Davina, this is Brooke Feldmann from St Clair. Apparently, there appears to have been a mix-up with our balloons and party favours. I ordered ‘Baby Shower’ and have apparently been delivered ‘Happy Birthday’ ones.”

There’s silence on the end of the phone. The elevator opens, and I make my way to the Couture Salon. My jaw drops. The room has been completely transformed, with covered tables and chairs arranged around the perimeter. The runway has been dismantled, leaving only a small stage at one end.

Molly dashes towards me, a Happy 5th Birthday balloon in hand.

Davina’s voice comes back on the phone. “Let me get hold of Ralph. He’s doing the deliveries today.”

“Can you call me back as soon as possible? The party is due to start in about an hour and a half,” I say, shaving half an hour off the deadline, leaving us time to set up.

“As soon as I hear something, you’ll be the first to know,” she says, although her tone does not offer much confidence.

“They’re all birthday,” Molly says, her eyes wide.

“Breathe,” I tell her, patting her arm. “Get them back in their boxes. Hopefully, Ralph hasn’t offloaded anywhere else yet. And if he has, then he’s going to be a busy man,” I say, sucking in a breath and trying to calm my own racing heart.

Monty approaches.

“Wow, the transformation is amazing,” I say, earning myself a smile.

“For Callie, anything. This place is going to be heaving later. Everyone I know is coming. You’ve done a great job of organising this, considering you’re only two weeks in. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Callie’s been so great at helping me settle in. She deserves a send-off she’ll remember. Is all the food done?”

“Chef has everything in hand. As you can see, the room has been transformed. We’ve moved the presents you sent down earlier to the stage. They’re hidden under the tables. When Alessandro is ready, he just needs to let us know, and we can move them out into the open.”

I suck in a breath.

Oh shit.

One thing I didn’t do was ask Alessandro if he was happy to give a speech. I kind of assumed⁠—

Shit and double shit!

If he doesn’t, then who? Sue, head of HR?

My phone rings before I can begin flipping out.

“Brooke Feldmann?”

“That’s me,” I say automatically. The name is finally taking on a life of its own.