Never Say Never (A Billionaire Love Story)

By Juliette Jaye

Everyone in my life thinks I'm crazy. They all think I should move on. After all, Marissa was declared dead two years ago. My fiancee. The love of my life. I'm a billionaire, one of the country's most eligible bachelors. Everyone thinks I should find a nice girl to settle down with, but I can't. Because I know Marissa is still out there, somewhere, and I can't live without her.

I'd know if she was dead. And until the day I die, I will never stop looking for her.

I promise, Marissa. I promise.

This 45,000 word story contains the three parts of this series: Never Give Up, Never Surrender and Never Stop Loving.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Star Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507067024

Book preview

Never Give Up

It’s funny what people say, that time heals all wounds. In my case, it hasn’t even come close. It was three years ago next month that Marissa disappeared. The love of my life. And it’s funny, even though she’s officially been declared dead, even though her family held a funeral for her, even though every single person I know speaks about her in the past tense, I know in my heart of hearts she isn’t dead. She’s alive, and I have to find her. I just don’t know where to look.

* * *

It was summer, Marissa’s favourite season. There was nothing she liked more than to go up to my house in the Hamptons and paddle board in the water, or go parasailing, or just head out on the boat with me and have a picnic surrounded only by the waves. Once I surprised her with a trip to Hawaii and she spent so much time scuba diving I would joke that she spent more time under the water that trip than above it. And of course, she would remind me that she spent more than enough time above ground in the bedroom of our suite at the Hilton.

Now I was home, in New York City, where I met Marissa and where I spent most of my life. My sister Kelsey was having a birthday party for her daughter, Charlotte, who just turned two. We were by the playground, trying to take care of a couple dozen kids, cake, presents and food.

Ken, honey, can you please be a dear and deal with the catering? I heard Kelsey ask her husband as the van pulled up, with three people dressed in clown suits pulling out what was presumably enough hot dogs, curly fries and cupcakes to feed a couple dozen toddlers.

I was on keep the kids in the playground area duty with Kelsey and my other brother, John. Between the three of us we were in a pretty good position to make sure no one ran off without us seeing, but the kids still required constant supervision.

Man I wish we got to go help the caterers instead, John muttered to me, and I laughed as I scooped up a little boy wearing Burberry and guided him back towards the screaming horde of toddlers sliding down the slides, playing in the sand, running through the rope passages and playing in a ball pit that probably had so many germs in it there were likely diseases yet unknown to man running through it.

I guess you weren’t cut out to be a preschool teacher, John, I replied.

That’s for sure, I’m a lawyer, I basically babysit adults and that’s hard enough, my brother replied, and we both laughed. John was one of the top civil lawyers in the city, and the stories of how incredibly thick some of the richest and most powerful people in New York could be made me laugh every time he told them.

For another hour we helped Kelsey take care of the kids, who quickly lost energy as it came close to the time their parents were going to come pick them up. As for me, I was getting a bit of a headache.

Hey Kels I think I’m going to go for a bit of a walk if that’s ok, I told my sister, needing a break.

Yeah, sure Nick, thanks for helping out, my sister replied. It was amazing how she could still look perfect, even though she must have been completely exhausted. Always having to play super mom. That was Kelsey, alright.

Rather than be surrounded by screaming toddlers for another hour, I decided my pounding head needed a bit of a break, and I moved away from the playground and towards the trails and the water, desperate for a break from the screaming children. I like kids, and Marissa and I would have had some for sure, but I prefer them in small doses, that’s for sure. Twenty seven of them is more than I can handle at once for long periods of time.

I strolled out towards the water, enjoying the new sound of wind in the leaves and rustling of the grass. I sat down on a park bench, and turned my head to business. I was the oldest son – and more importantly the only one interested in running the family business – and as a result my father had started to take me under his wing and give me more and more responsibility in running the business. I was twenty nine, he was sixty nine, and looking to get ready for retirement. My father started and ran a large software company, getting into technology in the 80s, making a fortune during the dot com bubble, getting out before it burst, then re-investing his millions afterwards and turning them into billions.

Now, in this digital age, I was starting to make my mark on the company. Moving from software to app development, for one. I could see the future was app development, and unfortunately there were a few detractors at the company that opposed my view. I was thinking about the meetings I had with a few new developers next week when I saw a couple out of the corner of my eye.

They had obviously rented a boat, he was dressed in a Ralph Lauren polo and she had on an adorable white summer dress. She was laughing like crazy as he paddled them around in circles, moving the boat around, coming close to tipping them a few times. I could see myself and Marissa in them, and suddenly my heart felt heavy. This happened way too often. I couldn’t let her go. I couldn’t admit she was dead. I knew I would see her again, but until that moment came, I felt like I was being destroyed. My thoughts floated back, as they so often did, to the best night of my life, as I used to, and still do often call it. The night I met Marissa, the night she came into my life.

* * *

God, not another one of these things, I thought to myself as I put on the tux I was starting to wish I could burn. Sure, growing up in a super-rich family of billionaires had its advantages. Unfortunately, it also had its downsides: charity functions, dinners, etc, that once I hit adulthood, I was supposed to attend.

Sure, it’s the ultimate first world problem. Hell, it’s more of a one percenter problem. But when you’ve just turned twenty six and all your friends from college are still going to bars and hitting on women (though they only do it on weekends now instead of every night like when we were in college) and you’ve got to go to a family obligation, it starts to get old. Believe me.

So no, I wasn’t looking forward to a night of mingling with a bunch of people forty years my senior that wanted to be seen in their expensive clothes and jewellery, making small talk and saying absolutely nothing of value. I’m not going to lie, I just wanted to stay home and watch the new episode of Breaking Bad. I hoped no one would spoil it for me, but I knew there was no chance, since I’d be the only person in the room even watching the show.

Eventually I sucked it up and left my apartment, getting into the limo waiting for me outside. Hmm, this one must be important if dad sent a limo over, I thought. I glanced at the invitation in my hand. Tonight we were raising money for kids’ education. Not too much of a surprise then, childhood education was my parents’ favourite philanthropy, they thought the best way to get children out of poverty was through education, and they donated millions of dollars every year towards the cause.

When we got to the Waldorf, I went straight to the ballroom, had my name checked off the list, my coat taken, and took a glass of champagne from a waiter as I got ready to mingle.

Oh my God, if it isn’t Nicholas Kerry, I suddenly heard a woman say. Tom, come and see Nick Kerry, she said, grabbing at the man next to her and hurrying over to where I was standing. It was Joan and her husband Tom Reid, old friends of my parents that I hadn’t seen in quite a few years as they were spending their retirement years in a villa on the French Riviera.

We made small talk, catching up on old times, and eventually moved on. I was having a polite discussion with an old associate of my fathers, James Lachlan, whom in reality my father couldn’t stand at all, when my life changed completely. Lachlan was talking about machinery he was involved with as a waitress walked past with a tray full of glasses of champagne, when he made a sudden motion, swiping a half dozen glasses off the tray and directly onto the tux I hated so much.

Oh my God, I’m so sorry! squealed the poor waitress as she tried to look for a napkin to wipe the champagne off me with.

As you should be, watch where you’re going, Lachlan told her. As she turned back towards me I got a good look at her face for the first time, the most beautiful face on the planet, and it looked like she was going to start bawling any second.

It wasn’t her fault James, I told him, and turned to her. Don’t worry, I said, smiling. I hate this tux anyway.

She giggled a little bit, and when she smiled she was even more beautiful than before. Her straight red hair framed the most gorgeous green eyes I’d ever seen in my life, cheeks that blushed red but without a freckle to be seen, and a small mouth with lips almost as fiery as her hair. I had no idea who this girl was, but damn if she wasn’t one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen.

Come on, let’s go find some more napkins, get away from here, I told her, and she seemed relieved.

Thank you so much. Oh God, it’s my first night here, I’m going to get fired for sure, she told me, flustered.

OK, well, I don’t want that to happen. It wasn’t your fault, you had no way of knowing Lachlan was going to just throw his arms out like that. Why don’t you go get some napkins or something and meet me outside the men’s bathroom downstairs? That way no one will see.

Thank you so much sir, the girl replied as she ran off to get the napkins. I quickly left the room, heading down a level to where I knew there were bathrooms for the guests. I waited outside, and she came back a minute later with tea towels, cloth and paper napkins, and a bottle of club soda.

Wow, that was quick! I told her.

I swear I’m normally a good worker, she replied with a bit of a smile, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

What’s that for? I asked, looking at the club soda.

Don’t tell me you don’t know how to get champagne stains out of clothes?

I shook my head. I’m not so much of a drunk that I’m in the habit of spilling it all over me. I was just going to dry my shirt and head back in. This reply got a laugh out of her, then she nodded towards the door.

Well, get in and take your shirt off then, we have work to do.

I went into the bathroom and got the shock of my life when she casually followed me in.

What if someone comes in?

Do you seriously think the public bathrooms at the Waldorf of all places get frequent visitors? I’m pretty sure this is just for show.

I couldn’t argue with her logic, and took off my jacket and shirt. I had to admit, I was feeling a little bit self-conscious. I’m a pretty fit guy, I spend my lunch hour at the company gym in the basement every day, but this girl was just so damned pretty I felt like anything less than Ryan Gosling wasn’t good enough for her.

So, uh, can I ask your name? I asked as she grabbed my shirt and began to blot it with a napkin soaked in club soda. I had to admit, it was effective. There had been a bit of a stain forming, but it was gone now.

I’m Marissa. You?

Nick. You say it’s your first day. Lived in the city long?

She gave