The Billionaire's Secret Love Child(11)

''Hi Mr. Jacobson, Kelly Cruz is here, I put her in the board room,'' Steffi said.

''Thanks, Steffi. Do I look okay?'' he asked his sixty-year-old secretary?

''As handsome as ever,'' she said.

''You're a great liar,'' he added. Steffi was his backbone, the woman that organized his days, looked, after all, his correspondence and made sure his thousand dollar suits came back from the dry cleaners on time. But disaster had struck, she'd decided to retire. She was the one employee he knew he couldn't do without. He'd offered her a huge increase in salary, even offered to pay off the tiny bit of mortgage she and her husband still had on their detached house. But tired after years in the stressful environment Ryan adored, she wasn't to be swayed.

Why the hell he'd agreed to do an interview for a radio show he had no idea, it wasn't his thing. He hated the media. He was a real estate guy, a developer, someone who had to make unpopular decisions in the name of making money. The media was always on his case. He knew what he was; he didn't need telling every day.

The boardroom was the most luxurious room in the whole building. When Ryan entered the room, he was very pleasantly surprised. Kelly looked just like her photos. When she'd sent an email requesting an interview, Steffi had shown him a photo of her on the Capital Radio website, and he'd immediately said yes to her request.

''Kelly, hi, nice to meet you.'' He shook her hand.

''Mr. Jacobson, thanks for agreeing to the interview.''

''You're the first ever.''

''Interview?''

''Yes, I don't like the media much.''

''Well, I hope you like us,'' she said with a smile.

She was Ryan's type. A glitzy blonde, dressed in a business suit and heels. ''I'm sure I will.''

''Shall we just start? If you want to stop at any time, just hold up your hand, and I'll halt the recording.''

''Sure, go right ahead,'' he said taking a looking at her breasts as she reached behind her to pick up the microphone. She put it on the highly polished table and cleared her throat.

''Today we're in downtown LA, with real estate mogul Ryan Jacobson. Thank you for agreeing to see us, Mr. Jacobson.''

''My pleasure Kelly.'' He took a lot down at her bronzed legs and wondered how she got them so smooth looking.

''A lot of people know you as the secretive billionaire businessman. Perhaps you would tell us how you got started.''

''Sure. Well, I went to construction college and learned how to build, and then I worked for a real tough guy called Jake Inchmore as a young apprentice. He clipped my ears a few times; I can tell you. I learned a lot from him.''

''And when did you start your own business?''

''As soon as I knew what I was doing. I was very grateful to Jake for teaching me all he knew. You know, the day I told him I was leaving to set up my own company, I was terrified of what he'd do to me. But he was really supportive and pleased I had some entrepreneurial spirit.''

''You certainly do.''

''The company you have built has seen a good amount of controversy hasn't it?''

''In what way?'' he asked.

''Well your core business is buying apartment buildings, doing some refurbishments and increasing the rents drastically. There have been a number of high-profile cases where your company has evicted old people and families with young kids. People who couldn't pay the new rents.''

''I knew it. I f*cking well knew it. I'm the dumbest businessman in this whole Godforsaken city. I thought you were different; that's why I invited you here. But you're just the same as all the others. Now get the hell out of my office.'' Ryan swiped his arms over the table and knocked the microphone onto the floor.

''That's the first and last time, Steffi, never again,''he said as he walked past her desk. ''Bloody media. And don't say I told you so.''

''Well I did,'' Steffi said. ''If she hadn't been so good looking, you would never have agreed to the interview.'' Typical Ryan, she thought. He was a great business man but a sucker for a pretty woman. She couldn't remember the number of times she had a tearful lady on the phone asking after his whereabouts.

Ryan slumped into his giant leather desk chair and looked through his emails. There was one from Alina telling him she would arrive in LA around eight that evening. She told him she would take a cab to his home and not to bother sending a driver.

''Steffi,'' he shouted. Steffi arrived in his office with a note pad. ''Alina's coming this evening. I'll bring her to work in the morning. How long do you think you'll need to handover?''

''I think I can teach her all she needs to know in a month. After that, she can have my phone number and call me if she needs to know anything.'' Steffi looked at Ryan and noticed how tired he looked.

''You're not overdoing it are you?' she asked.

''What makes you say that?''

''You look tired.''

''I am tired. Tired of people who don't keep promises. This morning we had to hold a guy over the edge of a building and threaten to drop him.''