A Billionaire's Dirty Secrets (Secret Sins Club Book 1)

“ELISE?”I was almost asleep and was surprised by the voice that called my name. I knew he’d called several times before I realized it wasn’t a dream, and my head snapped up.I hurriedly spun my chair to face the tall man who was striding to my office and I stood up.Then I blushed as I swayed a little at the abrupt movement.Good thing I recovered before he actually appeared at the connecting door from his office to mine, and his head was bowed, busy with something he was doing.“Gian! Yes? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. Right away,” I said.But when my eyes focused on my boss—or my mentor—I almost swayed again.I was already holding the back of my swivel chair for support.I found myself gripping it harder.My office was sleek and modern in its black, gray, and silver theme. It was pretty sleek, with choices of drapes and other furniture in shades of color serving as accents to the sophisticated look. I was proud that I chose most of the additional decor.But tonight, Giancarlo’s suav

I FIRST met Brandon at one of Gian’s cousins’ parties. He made it obvious he liked me from the very beginning. He made sure he was at every other party I would be at since that first meeting, would stay next to me, and wouldn’t go away as much as was possible. As I’d said, Gian was generally tolerant of him. In my book, that meant he was okay.Handsome, smart, and charming, he tickled my heart. He got my phone number, and we started chatting even when we were not together in my free time.We started dating, and he was very gentlemanly. He was smart and we could talk for hours. I was never bored when we were together. He was boyfriend material. My mom already advised me that I could start dating, but to make sure I do it properly and not rush things or be impulsive like the rest of the young people had, she’d said. She reminded me I and Anna were raised better than that.Yes, we were not allowed to date when still in school. Yes, even when I was in college. Finishing college firs

I WAS shocked at first. I had never seen him that angry with me or anyone else. In the back of my mind, I still wondered what he’d said to Shiela to make her look truly sickly and pitiful, even to me, after everything she had shouted at me out there. But then I got very angry because I wasn’t the one who sneaked through professional security guards to get to someone who didn’t want to see me anymore. I had to admit to the woman’s ingenuity. But she was still bat-crazy. Who the hell would do what she just did if not a crazy person?And then he tells me it was my fault?“It’s my job to filter your guests when you are busy with something important,” I explained, but I was already scowling back at him.“Your job isn’t to let anyone speak to you like that! You should have called me!”“But Gian—”“If you ever do that again, you’ll go back to your parents. You can’t cut it here!”I was shocked. Okay, so I was also a personal friend. I should have expected his anger. But I didn’t expect

SHIELA attended the party with her grandmother, Doña Lucia, in a slinky black dress that left nothing to the imagination.She also brought a date—handsome, tall, younger than Gian, and, most probably, a rich heir to one of the old money.I pitied him. He almost got choked a few times by the way the woman would grab and cling to him whenever Gian was near. Technically, I was, too, since I was by his side since arrival.But kudos to him, it did not take long for him to realize what was going on and he couldn’t get far away from Shiela fast enough. He flirted loudly with other women for good measure, too.And me?If the initial reason to stay near Gian was for guys presumably attracted to the sexy dress, that’s not it anymore.Shiela’s poisonous looks thrown my way were efficient enough to glue me by Gian’s side.If looks could kill, I would be over ten times murdered.So, instead of focusing on the conversation about real estate properties worth investing on that the guys were talking ab

WE parted with Gian’s mother in the parking lot of the hospital after I’d signed a waiver absolving the establishment from responsibility if anything untoward happens to me upon their release of me.Mang Karding, Gian’s personal driver, was going to drive Madam Soniah home while Gian would drive me to my place.And of course, he had to carry me again from the wheelchair even though I protested—err, squeaked, really—that I could walk, and carefully laid me down on the front seat and strapped me in like a recalcitrant child.I felt like an invalid. Thanks to the meds that were still working, I didn’t feel like one, though I must look like a wreck. He reclined the seat so I could be comfortable, and used up about three minutes more to fuss—the works—before he finally placed himself behind the wheel to drive us out of there. If I didn’t know he treated his mother the very same way when something ailed the gentle lady, I would have been pissed off.I secretly loved him for it, to be hones