The Billionaire’s Revenge
Jeannette Winters
An original work of Jeannette Winters, 2020.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contents
Jeannette Winters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
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By Jeannette Winters & Lena Lane
Jeannette Winters
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to all those who have struggled and those who have lost the fight. A reminder that we all are human.
To my readers who continue to inspire me with endless messages and kind words. Always make time for romance.
Also want to thank Jade at https://meetcutecreative.com/ for a beautiful cover!
The Billionaire’s Revenge
Gianna Ionnetty had made mistakes when she was young, but they made her into the strong, driven woman she is now. Her motto in life and in business is to focus on today and tomorrow, and learn from your past.
Jordan Lawson is at his breaking point. Lawson Steel was growing faster than any of them anticipated. A change is needed and he knew exactly what that was. Now he just needed to convince his brothers.
Gianna meets her new client, her two worlds collide. Jordan is her ex’s best friend and now Jordan holds the key to the success of her business.
Jordan is caught in the middle. One side, loyalty and the other, love. There is a price to pay if he wants to learn the truth. But is it worth losing the one woman he loves?
1
Gianna Ionnetty looked in the full-length mirror and could barely see her own reflection. Her vision was as blurry as what had transpired just a few hours ago. It felt surreal, and yet deep down inside she knew she should’ve been prepared for something to go wrong.
She had been able to hold it together at the church, and not break down in front of all the guests, family, and friends. Everyone thought she was just pretending to be strong and covering up her hurt, shock, and anger. The only person she was really angry with at the moment was herself. She was smarter than this…or at least she’d thought so.
It hadn’t been easy convincing everyone that she needed to be alone. They all wanted to be loving and supportive during, what they believed to be, a crushing blow. Eventually, one by one, the church had emptied and she had the limo drop her off at her apartment.
She could almost hear all the chatter from the other tenants as she’d made her way up the three flights of stairs. Gianna hoped that once inside she could finally relax. Instead, the emotions she’d controlled now ripped through her. It didn’t matter if she locked the door, because there was one person she couldn’t hide from. Herself. Tears weren’t going to fix any of this. Only time would. Tonight, she’d kick herself in the ass and feel bad for herself. Tomorrow, she would pick up the pieces and go on like it never happened.
She knew it was easier said than done. Just the fact that she was crying said it was more complex than that, at least for others, if not her. Gianna just needed another plan, and one better than the last. But she knew where her mistake was. She let someone else do all the planning, and she just followed along.
And look where that got me.
Turning away from the mirror, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of thewhite gown draped across her bed. It was expensive and she should have it bagged and hung up so it didn’t get ruined. As far as Gianna was concerned, it could be cut up and used as rags. It didn’t hold any value to her. Never did. It wasn’t what she had wanted to wear, but Marvin had insisted she get it. Even at a young age, Gianna had always pictured herself wearing something that made her look and feel like a princess, and her wedding day was the closest she’d ever get to feeling like one. This gown had hugged every curve of her body, and was more sexy than sweet. At that time, she didn’t care. It had all been for show. That didn’t mean seeing it laying on her bed didn’t make her stomach turn. The last thing she needed was a reminder of how stupid she had been. She added it to the list of things to deal with in the morning.
She walked over to her bureau and ran her hand over the spray of white gladiolas. Their beauty had already begun to fade. Soon all that would remain would be wilted pedals, faint memories, of what should’ve been something…beautiful! At least under normal circumstances it should’ve been. But she wasn’t a regular bride. She was one step above a bride for hire.
She reached for a tissue and wiped her cheeks once again. Would her tears ever stop? Yes, but not tonight. Even though she didn’t have any real feelings for Marvin, at least not love, it still shook her how it all went down. She wasn’t prepared like she’d thought she would be. But how could she be when Marvin changed the plan without even letting her know? And worse than anything, Marvin didn’t even have the balls to do it himself.
She sighed. Not the thank you I expected from you Marvin. A phone call or a text, anything would’ve been better than this. Marvin didn’t force her to do this. She had been a willing participant.
When she’d agree to pretend to be dating Marvin to make his ex-girlfriend Rhonda jealous, she’d said yes. It seemed harmless at the time. It was just a friend helping out a friend. Couldn’t get any simpler than that. Then Marvin asked her to pretend to be his fiancée. Gianna should’ve stepped back right then and there, but instead she went along with it as well, never giving it any serious thought. It wasn’t like she had been dating anyone. Because she was only going to college part-time, she had plenty of time on her hands. Looking back, she had to admit, playing along came with its perks. Marvin had taken her to all kinds of fancy events and restaurants. He even gave her money to buy the wardrobe needed to look the part. She wasn’t poor, but she also had never bought designer anything before either.
At first it had felt awkward, but she told herself it was like having the lead roll in a movie, and needed her acting skills to look believable. Looking back, what she thought was fun, now left a scar. The look on her parents’ faces wasn’t something she’d ever forget. And her friends, they were equally shocked. Who could blame them? Gianna should’ve told them right then that it was all a façade, but she’d promised Marvin that no one would ever know. Marvin said he was going to be president some day
and he didn’t need his reputation tarnished. Always about what you want Marvin. Do you ever think of anyone else?
The tears that flowed weren’t for her but for those affected because of her foolish involvement in all this. It was bad enough they believed the lie, but if they knew the truth, they’d all be so angry with her, and she’d even be more embarrassed. There was only so far the ‘I’m only nineteen and naïve’ line was going to get her. Her parents trusted her to make smarter choices. Definitely not one of my finest moments.
Even if Marvin would’ve stuck with the plan, the end result would’ve been the same. There was just one difference, how it was presented. Marvin was supposed to stand in front of all their family and friends and let her down gently saying that she was an amazing woman, but he wasn’t husband material. Instead, Marvin never even showed. He let his best-man have the honor of announcing the wedding was off, no explanation at all. Did Jordan Lawson know the truth or was he just caught up in the lie like everyone else? She wasn’t sure. Jordan seemed to tolerate her when she was with Marvin, but that was the extent of it. Gianna tried being warm and friendly to him, maybe she even tried too hard. Nothing ever got him to accept her and Marvin’s relationship. Now it didn’t matter. Right now, she didn’t want to see either of them. And if she never heard Marvin’s name again, that was fine with her too. After this, she didn’t even want to be his friend, never mind his wife.
Gianna chuckled. Wife. Boy did I dodge that one. It wasn’t just seeing Marvin for the snake he was, but she also wasn’t ready to be anyone’s wife, not for real or pretend. There was no need to worry about either after this because she probably wouldn’t be dating anytime soon. Everyone knew her as Marvin’s girl. Now she’d just be the one Marvin dumped.
Although she was angry, she still couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. She hoped he was okay. If he hadn’t been, his family would’ve surely known, but they all seemed as surprised by the announcement as everyone else. But with Marvin, she couldn’t even begin to guess where he was. Part of her didn’t care. It was time she concentrated on more important things, like her future.
She heard a knock at her door and was tempted to ignore it. Doing so would only mean whoever her visitor was, would worry unnecessarily. Gianna knew her eyes were puffy and she looked like hell, but whoever it was, probably was expecting to see that. Hopefully whoever it was had brought dinner, because there was one thing she hadn’t done through all this. Eat.
When she opened the door, she wasn’t prepared to see who was standing there. “What are you doing here?”
Jordan answered, “I’m here to check on you.”
She almost burst out laughing. “I’d have thought you’d be out celebrating with Marvin.”
“Why is that?” he asked flatly.
“You told him he was making a mistake marrying me. And look, he’s still a bachelor,” she said snidely, her arms crossed.
“That’s why I’m here. Would you mind if I came in?”
Yes actually I would. “You can see I’m…fine.”
“Please, Gianna.”
There was something in his tone that had piqued her interested. The last thing she needed was to have the conversation in the hall where she knew her neighbors were eaves dropping. Once inside, she shut the door, but didn’t invite him to sit. Gianna still wanted to keep this as brief as possible. “I really don’t know what else there is to say. It’s…over.” What she really wanted to add was the word lie, but chose not to. Damn you Marvin. Why didn’t you come clean with this? What is the point of keeping the lie going?
“There were things I didn’t say at the church. Things I thought you’d want to hear in private,” Jordan said.
“I think I’ve heard enough,” Gianna stated. She knew more than Jordan did.
“Gianna, he’s married,” Jordan blurted.
Married? She was glad Jordan didn’t announce that in front of her family. It would’ve only made things even worse, if that was possible. “Marvin? Married?” Jordan nodded and she asked, “When?”
“Last night.”
Gianna had spoken to Marvin yesterday morning and he hadn’t said anything about Rhonda. If anything, Marvin had given her the impression that his plan had failed, but they were going to act it out until the grand finally. Jordan definitely had his wires crossed. It made no sense for Marvin to have run off and eloped. If he had, that would’ve meant he and Rhonda were still talking all that time. Gianna might not really have been the other woman, but damn, it still looked and felt…horrible. Who the hell did he think he was treating her like that? And Rhonda had to know about the wedding. There had been an announcement in the paper and everything. What woman would take him back after all this? She couldn’t believe she was wasting her time even trying to figure it all out. Granted he was twenty-four, but he seemed to be acting as immature as she had been. “I can’t believe it.” She didn’t mean Marvin running off, but the entire shenanigan.
Looking down at her, with his dark eyes, softer than she’d remembered, he said, “I’m serious. Marvin ran off with Rhonda to Vegas, got married, and currently is on some tropical island celebrating their honeymoon. I wish he’d have told you himself, but…but I guess he thought it’d be easier coming from me.”
Marvin seemed to only have thought about what made him happy. But she knew that was the case all along. He was a narcissist and she played right into his hand. This eliminated her parents or friends telling her that maybe she and Marvin could work things out.
Gianna turned away as to hide her smirk. This really wasn’t funny, but in some ways, it was hilarious. The man she thought was her friend, obviously had only used her, and the man who didn’t like her from the beginning, was here trying to be…nice. How ironic.
For the briefest moment she’d almost forgotten Jordan was standing behind her until she felt his hand on her shoulder. She almost leaped out of her skin. Gianna didn’t turn to look at him. Instead she pulled away. “Please don’t touch me,” she said firmly. She didn’t want his pity and she surely wasn’t about to cry on his shoulder. All she wanted was for him to go.
“Gianna, I’m not trying to…”
“I wasn’t suggesting that you were. You’ve delivered your message. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone.”
“You shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. Is there someone I can call for you? Maybe your mother or…”
She spun around and looked him directly in the eyes. “I have a message for Marvin too.”
“I don’t know when I’ll see him,” Jordan said.
“Hopefully it is before I do. Please tell him that…” she was going to say ‘he can kiss my ass’, but changed her mind. “Tell him I wish him and Rhonda all the happiness they deserve.” Which ain’t much.
Jordan hesitated then said, “Gianna, I’m really sorry. I know we didn’t see eye to eye.”
“No we didn’t,” she replied sharply. She wanted him to know, she wasn’t as ignorant to everything as he might think. Some things she’d picked up on right from the start.
He didn’t flinch as he answered calmly, “That doesn’t mean you deserved this.”
No. I got exactly what I deserve for listening to Marvin. But from Jordan’s expression, she could tell he knew nothing about Marvin’s little charade. He’d probably have just encouraged Marvin anyway. She wasn’t going to fall for the sympathetic act. Not from Jordan as least. “Thank you.”
Jordan opened the door but before he closed it he added, “I still stand by what I said when I first met you. You and Marvin weren’t meant for each other. It was better that you found it out before the nuptials took place.”
Her blood began to boil. How dare he still think she wasn’t good enough for his dumb ass, inconsiderate, immature, friend? Once the door clicked shut, her temper soared. Picking up an empty coffee cup that was on the counter she flung it across the room. The sound of it shattering against the wall echoed in her small apartment. Damn you Marvin. Damn you J
ordan. You guys are all the same. But what neither of you get is he’s not too good for me, I’m too good for him!
Once again the tears started streaming down. She ran to her bedroom and slammed the door shut, rattling the pictures on the wall. Gianna was so angry right now that she could scream. But when she went to lie down on her bed, that damn wedding dress was there, taunting her. Grabbing the dress she walked over, opened the window, and tossed it out letting it drop into the alley. She picked up the flowers, sending them down the same path. Gianna wanted nothing here to remind her of Marvin. She twisted the diamond ring and pulled it off her finger. She was about to send it on its way, then stopped. What was she doing? The flowers were going to die anyway, but the dress could’ve been donated somewhere. Her closets were filled with things Marvin had purchased for this charade. There was no need to act so rash and rid herself of it all. It wasn’t going to change anything. Actually all it was going to do was get a written complaint from the landlord for trashing his property.
It was time she stopped and used that brain of hers, something she should’ve done months ago. It had been agreed that whatever he bought was hers to do as she choose, and that included the ring. No way was she going to keep it, that much she knew. Tomorrow she’d take it to the shop to be pawned. It was huge, and with Marvin’s kind of money, it was real. With any luck it’d be enough money to pay for her next semester in college.
Gianna walked over and laid it on her bureau. This was going to be an investment in her future.
The Billionaire's Revenge (The Blank Check Series Book 6) Page 1