Chapter 11

Jackson’s POV

I wasn’t a simp, or at least I didn’t think I was.

I even had a reputation amongst each enthusiast in the New Jersey community.

Jackson Brown wasn’t exactly the definition of lover boy, I showed up to events with everyone’s favorite girl of the moment on my arms but it was always just that.

My secretary made sure of that, she said it was for publicity and I allowed her to do what she wanted, hadn’t she been the one to help the company get to the height it was in.

I was second guessing my interests in Kylie, it was way too obsessive and every action she made affected my mood. It was one thing to fawn over someone for more than seven years, to feel things she had never imagined herself feeling for you and it was another thing to be so close to her and experience her invest her emotions in the wrong places.

I wasn’t being a fool, I had the right to feel things and I also had the right to stay away when I felt my emotions were being too much, when they were taking away my self respect.

Last night had been too much for me, I had escorted her willingly, I would do anything to have a few extra seconds with her.

Watching her snap at Austin Nitaile was personal, way too personal, she had not struck me as someone that needed company, someone that needed another person, all she wanted was revenge and as much as I wanted to see that ass hole get all that he deserved, I knew I couldn’t have Kylie when her guards were up.

I knew he still occupied a greater part of her heart.

I stayed decked behind my seat as Josephine poked her head through the door. I had not sent any file for inspection and she was bothered, I usually did that within minutes everyday and she knew it. She walked in and I groaned.

“Mr Brown,” she muttered and I sat up straight.

“Josie,”

“You are exactly one hundred million away from a billion dollars, most of the big tech companies reached that milestone last month. We don’t want to be the only ones left behind,” she said and I nodded.

My success was massive, so much so that I was beginning to take it for granted.

My tech start up had been very impressive and it was why I had even caught her attention in the first place. I had just had a dream, a lot of rage to spare after Kylie got married to that bastard, and my computer.

She had helped me channel it into the right places and since then, every other week, we recorded a million dollars. I had done a lot, invested, started charities, bought hotels, bought homes and it still felt spacious.

“According to the accountant, we are up to our highest gain in the last five months. There’s progress Jose,” I responded, I needed air.

She didn’t like how that sounded. She frowned and I saw the frown deepen. “You sound like a loser, and I am here to remind you that you are not a loser.”

“Well, thank you Josie!” I called after her as she huffed and walked towards the door.

“You are this close to being one though,” she muttered and closed the door behind her.

I didn’t even catch my breath before the door opened again and Fred Wilson walked in. He looked very good, he was coming from a vacation in the Bahamas. It was odd considering it was not even summer yet.

He wasn’t my best friend exactly but I would say he was my closest friend and for some reasons, Josie didn’t like him. I knew she had come upstairs to announce his presence and rather than do that, she had turned it into a lecture speech.

“Look who is the latest Billionaire in town!” Fred said and stretched out his arms, he was all smiles.

That was the ironic thing about Fred Wilson, he was a far cry from his crusty mother, Rachel.

He had not a jealous bone in his body and was the most free minded person, he pulled women like outfits and if anything, he was the one meant to be referred to as a lover boy, he was the one that dragged me to clubs and introduced me to his people.

“Not yet, Josie just informed me we are a hundred million away from that milestone. How long have you been waiting?” I responded and walked over to him, shaking his hands and giving him half a hug.

He looked good, but he always did, even when he woke up he did. I knew this because we went to school together, we went to camps, booked the same hotels and all of those dumb things you did when you were in your youth.

“Oh, thirty minutes. I’m pretty sure there was a front page cover that insisted you were already a billionaire. I saw it at the mansion before coming here,” Fred responded as he settled on the visitor’s seat opposite me.

At the mention of the mansion, I thought of Kylie again, and it was at that point I dismissed it as obsession. I was a simp, obsessed with my long time friend.

“You went to the mansion?” I asked him, ignoring the other comments about my net worth. The tabloids got bored and needed things to talk about.

“It’s my home, of course I would slip in and out before leaving. I saw my long lost sister, she looks good. I heard you have been escorting her around, thanks man,” he said and picked up a pen, I watched as he fidgeted with it.

He had that good humor, it was extended to his step sister, one so different from the hateful giving his mother had, the apple sometimes fell far from the tree. I never knew him to have malicious intentions towards her and yet again he was proving it.

“Yeah, that ass hole she married deserves so much beating and deckings. I am going to pull my own plugs from here and make sure he falls in a most terrible way.” I muttered, Fred said nothing, only watched me with what I recognized as amusement.

“He definitely needs to be thought about messing with a Wilson.” He replied and put down the pen.

“Speaking of which, she seemed up to something, kept communicating with Alan the doorman. She sent a message to him, a bottle of liquor and a terrible note with it. She is quite obsessed with having her revenge, Alan told me you were with them yesterday, do you know that part?”

Therein lies the problem, I didn’t know she was doing something risky like that. Maybe that was on me, because I had been so angry and irritated that I didn’t bother to go in the house with her.

Watching her plot and plan and reminisce on the lies Austin had told her didn’t make me feel good.

“I know absolutely nothing about that, do you think she knows what she is doing?” I asked him, careful of what words I used. I didn’t know how he would feel about me being in love with his sister.

“Well, she is a big girl, and she would handle the situation how she deems fit. She is doing well with the company, more than I had done in the last year, I feel inadequate.” He said,

It was random and genuine. I looked over at him with empathy.

Kylie was smart, so smart she had scared a million men in college and it wasn’t out of place that she would make impacts in Bhutan within weeks.

“Kylie is special, and it’s only normal that she does special things, at least you got tanned,” I teased and he chuckled.

I got back to work, my words doing more to my overthinking head than I imagined it was for Fred.

“Are you going for the ball tonight?” He asked me and I looked up, he had helped himself to liquor from my shelf. I leaned back on the chair and contemplated my options.

I didn’t have a choice, Josie would be on my neck and would surely insist that I showed up. It meant meeting more people and seeing Kylie.

“I don’t know, Josie would be the judge of that, now that you’re around, I believe you would be escorting Kylie.” I stated, expecting him to dispute that, but he nodded. He looked like he was relieved. Nobody liked dealing with society women.

“Yeah, although, there’s a weird feature.“ Fred added and I raised a brow.

“What’s that?” I asked him and he cleared his throat.

“Austin Nitaile would be there,” he responded and I raised a brow.

“But he doesn’t belong to our social class,” I said, using the most condescending tone I had ever needed to use. The one I hated to hear from the older society men.

“He is now, all thanks to Kylie.”