The Billionaire's Revenge: Billionaire Brothers Billionaire Bachelors (Tycoon Billionaires Book 3) (13 page)

Eleanor reclined in the comfortable passenger seat of Joseph’s car and enjoyed the soothing sensation of the heat as it blew directly onto her face. The reason she’d wanted to stay here was because she felt as if she was going to cry again and she didn’t want to break down in front of Joseph’s family. It was going to be strained enough once they found out what was going on. Her stomach churned with a graveyard eeriness, causing her confidence to collapse and implode. She’d been so excited about breaking up with Matthew and starting a new life – she’d never expected any of this.

She knew she shouldn’t blame herself, because Stinger probably would’ve planted the bug and got something on Joseph whether she’d gotten involved with him or not. But it was
her
profession that was corrupt, and it was her editor who was now blackmailing them both.

She sighed. What a mess. Her thoughts raced with ideas of how she could use this situation to try to expose Stinger. Was it illegal to eavesdrop? It was certainly against the law to break into someone else’s home. Surely you couldn’t plant a bugging device unless you were the police? She tried to remember what underhand techniques the rogue reporter Bob Crowe had used, prior to him being sent to jail – and then coming back for revenge on Blair Robertson the other day.

One thing was for sure, Eleanor wasn’t going to allow Stinger to publish anything about Joseph’s family secrets
or
about her sexual relationship with him. What would her parents think if they read that in the paper? Not to mention all Joseph’s female fans who’d probably lynch her. But more importantly, Ivan’s privacy needed to be respected and upheld, not splashed over the front pages like some tacky soap opera plot.

Speaking of soap operas… Eleanor pulled out her phone and composed a message to Pierre – the guy whose affair she’d been planning to expose for her front-page scoop.

‘Hi Pierre, I won’t print the story. Please just make sure you do the right thing from now on. I know I will…’

She sent the message then opened up a web browser, with the intention of searching online for the legality of what Stinger was doing, but there was a tap on the window which made her jump. Her head whipped around to face the glass and her heart surged with emotion as she looked into the eyes of her beloved, who was grinning at her behind his shades. She unlocked the door and he pulled it open, then he offered her his hand – which she grasped and climbed out of the car with dignity. They faced each other and he bent to kiss her, but stopped at the last second in case any photographers were lurking in the dark.

“They’re dying to meet you,” he said. “And they’re not mad.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, come on, let’s go inside. You okay?”

“Well, my professional dreams have been shattered and I’ve just been blackmailed and assaulted. But I’m with
you
, so I guess that counts for something.”

He wrapped his arms around her and they strolled inside the apartment foyer, where Joseph kissed her hard – out of the way of any prying paparazzi. He gazed affectionately into her eyes, then they went up to Dylan’s apartment. Dylan was waiting at the front door looking anxious but welcoming. He seemed naturally surly, but he offered his hand for her to shake. “Hi, Eleanor,” he said. “Great to meet you at last.”

“You too,” she said cringing.

“Come in. Sarah’s just dishing up some dinner for you and Joe.”

“Thank you so much. I’m freezing.”

He led them through the apartment and into the dining room, relishing the heat as it melted her frozen limbs. She saw out of the huge windows that it had just started snowing heavily, but this place was warm and homey. It was full of friendly family vibes – something Eleanor never really felt in the home of her own parents. But this place seemed to glow with affection somehow.

“Did you put some ice on your face?” Dylan asked as they followed him down the hallway.

She reached up and rubbed her cheek. “No. I didn’t think to.”

“Alright, I’ll get you some in a sec.”

He pushed opened the dining room door and all eyes were on Eleanor. She glanced around the table and noticed the family resemblance between Joseph and his brothers. She was introduced to Adam – who seemed to be the inspiration behind Joseph’s cocky charm; and Ivan – who seemed tougher than the others. Eleanor was relieved that he was being transmitted from the UK via the laptop webcam, because she found him slightly intimidating. But perhaps he was just worried about this terrible Gerald Stinger situation… Sarah was Dylan’s girlfriend – and she seemed level-headed and friendly. And finally Amy was Adam’s fiancée, who was sweet and hospitable.

Joseph drew back a chair for her. “Take a seat, Ellie.”

She sat and gazed at the laptop. Ivan was glowering at her.

“So how are you going to get us out of this mess, Joseph?” Ivan asked.

Joseph sat next to Eleanor and held her hand, showing solidarity.

“We’re going to do all we can… but just as a precaution I was thinking maybe you should come home, Ivan? If
The New York Spin
publish this, the British tabloids will no doubt jump in too. You’d be surrounded by salivating journalists in no time.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I guess I should.”

“We need to think of damage limitation,” Adam said. “The cat’s out the bag, so now we should try to control it.”

Eleanor sat up tall. “I have a plan.”

“Oh yeah?” Ivan said.

“Yeah. I know it might sound crazy but I think we should bring down News Scape. Give them a taste of their own medicine. Expose
their
dirt and force them not to publish anything about Ivan – or else we’ll tell the world what they’ve been up to.”

This idea was met with silence. Dylan and Sarah exchanged a dubious look. Amy gazed at Eleanor with eyes full of sympathy. Joseph stared at her in shock. Adam burst into laughter.

Ivan scoffed. “Tell you what would be easier – why don’t you invent a time machine and go back to dismantle the entire apparatus of the Roman Empire?”

Joseph squeezed Eleanor’s hand tenderly. “What did you have in mind, sweetheart?”

Eleanor steeled herself, pushing away her nerves. “Well, technically I’m still in charge of this story. I was thinking we could dig a little deeper into Stinger’s underhand techniques. Do you remember, Joseph, when Bob Crowe pointed that gun at Blair Robertson?”

Joseph shrugged. “Sure. The rogue reporter who’d just got out of prison, right?”

“Yeah. He said something about it
all
being corrupt. We both dismissed him as a nutjob, but what if
he
could give us some info? I reckon he’d be glad to help us – to get revenge on News Scape for abandoning him when he was in trouble. It seems like all the journalists at News Scape are being encouraged to use illegal techniques, and I think it’s time someone brought them down.”

Joseph’s handsome face lit up with excitement. “And how about we use
The
Big Society
to get the story out there independently? Our goal could be to get Stinger arrested – I mean, he broke into my apartment; and who
else
has he blackmailed? And – more importantly – how much of this does Robertson know about?”

Joseph and Eleanor grinned at each other. She could feel the doubt reverberating around the room from the others, but as long as
they
both had faith in this crazy plan, then maybe – just maybe – they’d win this game.

Ivan brought Eleanor back to reality. He raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Do you even know where to find this Bob Crowe guy?”

“No,” Eleanor said. “But I’ll find out. I am, after all, an investigative journalist.”

After a ‘blagging’ phone call to the News Scape offices, Eleanor discovered where Bob Crowe was currently living. She was proud of the fact that she’d used Stinger’s own underhand techniques against him by calling the night staff and pretending to be a prison official, insisting they provide her with Bob’s current address.

“He’s in a town outside Omaha,” she announced. “It’s called Weeping Waters. Shame it couldn’t be Florida. What’s the weather like in Nebraska this time of year?”

“Cold,” Joseph said. “What’s he doing there?”

“Apparently he grew up there. He’s gone back to live in the family home. It was pretty easy to trace him.”

“Well, it means we’ve got a long journey ahead tomorrow,” Joseph said. “I think we should definitely speak to him in person.”

“I agree.”

“You can borrow my private jet,” Adam said.

Eleanor laughed, thinking he was joking. But he wasn’t. Apparently the jet was on standby with a willing pilot whenever they needed it.

Joseph stood up and gently massaged Eleanor’s shoulders from behind. He bent and kissed her on the cheek. “
We’ll
have our own private jet too as soon as I get my royalty money.”

“You better make sure News Scape pays you before you bring it down to its knees, Joe,” Dylan said. “I assume they owe you a lot.”

“Millions,” Joseph said. “And it’s due imminently. Enough to retire on if I want.”

“But you won’t,” Adam said. “Performing’s in your blood.”

“Yeah,” Joseph said. “But once I’m out of my record contract, I can make the music I want again.”

Ivan said his goodbyes because it was very late in the UK, so the men started to clear the table and carry the dishes through to the kitchen, which impressed Eleanor, but then she realised she was now alone with Amy and Sarah. She’d been bullied at school by a couple of popular cheerleading bitches, and she’d felt uncomfortable alone with groups of women ever since. She sat up tall and hardened herself as she always did in such situations. She’d decided back in high school that if she built a high enough wall around herself, no one could ever hurt her again. But
that
just seemed to prevent her own love from flowing outwards…

She glanced towards the kitchen door, wishing Joseph would come back. She sat bolt upright, worried that if she moved, the space might fold up and swallow her whole – crushing her like a Venus flytrap. She forced herself to relax. For some reason it smelled of summer in here – of fresh-cut grass and sunscreen. Nothing bad was going to happen. Sarah and Amy seemed lovely.

She gazed at them, smiling weakly.

Sarah swept her brown bob out of her face. “They’ll probably have a sneaky game of poker after they’ve loaded the dishwasher,” she said. “But Joseph will be back soon, don’t worry.”

“Oh. Good.”

Sarah poured her a glass of wine. “Here, you deserve this.”

“Thank you.” Eleanor rubbed her tired eyes. “God, this is such a mess – I never meant for any of this to happen.”

Amy smiled kindly. “It’s nothing you can’t handle, Eleanor. You’re much stronger than you think.”

Eleanor sipped her wine. “Thank you.” She laughed as she felt herself relax. “God, I was so worried that you two were going to… oh nothing – it’s silly.”

“What?” Sarah asked.

She shook her head. “I’ve just realised that things work better when we women support each other, doesn’t it?”

Amy nodded. “Definitely. It works better when
everyone
supports each other.”

Eleanor swigged back her drink, enjoying the soothing feel of the alcohol as it soaked into her brain. “I don’t understand why some people have this weird desire to drag other people down. It just feels horrible and causes separation. But when we humans pull together, it feels better.”

Sarah hopped up and threw another log on the open fire, then she poked it with an iron stoker, making the flames sizzle and rise. “It would be nice if your friend Blair Robertson could take heed.”

Eleanor sighed. “Yeah… the press
should
have the freedom to print stories uncensored by the authorities – it’s one of the ideals that our great nation was built on. But people like Robertson have totally twisted that sacred ideal. In the
name
of freedom, the tabloids drag down innocent people down and tell us who to hate – all for financial gain.”

“True,” Amy said. “It’s gotten out of hand.”

“But
I
don’t want to cause suffering,” Eleanor said. “I don’t want my heart hardened by hatred. I want to love and I want to spread goodness. I want to make the world a better place, not add to the misery. There’s enough misery as it is. I want to help my fellow humans.”

Sarah smiled proudly at her. “And that’s why Joseph loves you. Because he’s the same. Right, Amy?”

“Absolutely. You’re incredible. And he knows it.”

Eleanor felt her spirits soar. “Thank you. I like him, too. Under all that cocky charm.”

Sarah sipped her wine. “So what’s your plan to bring down Blair Robertson?”

Eleanor laughed at the prospect. “Oh god… I said that, didn’t I? I wonder if I’m really the woman for this job.”

“You’re the perfect woman for the job,” Sarah said. “We’re all able to do things we never expected when we have a little faith in ourselves. Unfortunately, sometimes you need to go
through
those things in order to discover how strong you really are.”

“Yeah,” Amy said. She smiled pensively. “We’re all a work-in-progress, huh?”

The women exchanged tender smiles between them, and Eleanor suddenly realised that she
could
get along with small groups of women after all. There was no need to allow those girls from her past to dictate her future. She grinned at her new friends as the emotion from today welled up. She swallowed, but she was unable to stop the tears as they burst into the world, and she started to bawl her eyes out.

Sarah and Amy leapt up in a pincer movement, each sitting one on side of her. They wrapped their arms around her and hugged her until the tears were all cried out. Her throat trembled with a whimper, and she laughed, feeling purged. Her restrictive walls crumbled and her heart filled with gooey affection.

“Thank you,” she said with a shudder. “You don’t know how much your kindness means to me. It makes me want to be kind, too. So that’s what I’m going to do. But first, I have a news conglomerate to take down. So I guess I’d better get an early night!”