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2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch5: Neighborhood trouble
Reilynn stepped out of the house with Faolon at her side. Every evening she had taken to walking Faolan as part of her therapy. They strode around the sprawling property, heading for the creek that flowed through part of the estate. Each day she was closer to her old self, but she still enjoyed walking with Faolan. Kerrigan was safely in the house, and Evelynn and Gabriella were inside as well, so Reilynn could just be at peace here in this pocket of serene wilderness.The Gala had been a test in fortitude as she fought the pain of having that dress tug at her side, but on the whole, it had proven that she was well on the mend. It wouldn’t be long before she could return to active duty. She took in the evening sounds of birds chirping as they began to find their evening roost.To her displeasure, the sound of kids roughhousing with each other reached her over the natural sounds of dusk. While kids were fine, what alerted her was the fact the sound was coming from the creek, far into th
Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch 6: Lady, I Dont work here!
The next morning, Kerrigan was on the roof of Vokrizin training with Reilynn and Evelynn when Colonel Eli emerged. “I hear you ladies want to go to the community center?” Kerrigan stopped her bout and gave a respectful nod to the Colonel, “Yes sir, I actually need to talk to you about that. I have some plans that will require some of your men and their expertise.” Kerrigan quickly explained what she had in mind. Colonel Eli frowned, “You want my men to do what? Gymnastics with these kids?” Kerrigan stood open-mouthed as she tried to reply to her own words. “Well, I mean, I would like them to train them in how to do certain acrobatics…” she said lamely. The Colonel quirked an eyebrow. “It's for the opening Gala for Celia’s Blessing. Plus it would show the kids new uses for all their energy. Perhaps your men can be just an advisory role in how to be safe?” Kerrigan hedged. The Colonel let out a long breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If the Deinmaar commands, I suppose I
Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch 7: Pay up
Kerrigan groaned. Another decent meal ruined but crazy people. She pulled out some of Mr. Nuri’s cards and handed one to the staff person. “After Conor’s order is remade, I am sure our lawyer would like to hear all about this. Should this lovely human being wish to press charges she can first call Dreadnaught law firm and explain how she will be paying to replace Conor’s suit… How much was this suit?” She eyed Conor’s suit, knowing full well what it cost as she had been there that day when Mr. Dies had set it aside in favor of the color-matching set she wanted for the Gala. “Maybe 4000 dragons?” Conor winced, “This one was 5000. Mr. Dries is going to kill me himself if he finds out I let one of his custom suits get ruined like this.” The lady on the ground spluttered in indignation, “I knew you were living off her pocket change! Wait…” Her face went ghostly white. “Did you say that was a Dries suit? Zelgan Dries, the most famous tailor in Jinstain?” Kerrigan smirked, “Even if Conor
Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch8:
The Community center was alive with kids playing everywhere when they arrived. Jonathan came out to greet them. “Everyone got excited when the Colonel’s men started arriving a few minutes ago. They figured it meant you would not be far behind. Those that got to participate in the Gala have been telling the story to anyone who would listen. You two have brought new joy to them.” Kerrigan grinned, “Well they will be excited to know I have something new in mind for them. Actually, it might be something to keep this site viable after some remodeling.” “I am interested to hear what you have in mind,” Jonathan said, leading them inside his office. Kerrigan then set about explaining her plan. “For now, most of what we need is the main gym floor space, and a series of padded mats. That will be easy enough to bring in, and actually, the Colonel will be working on that this week. The rest just requires a commitment from the kids.” Jonathan sat back in his chair, pondering. “I assume they
Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch9: Andrew's Response
The next day, Conor arrived early at Vokrizin. Kaylee had taken his suit to be cleaned, and he hoped the Karen woman would not make a fuss about it. After all, he had only asked for her to pay for it being cleaned. He was sure if he had wanted to be petty there were plenty of things he could have done to her. As he walked out of the elevator, Kaylee waved to him from her desk, “Mr. Brantley! Your suit is clean. The cleaner said it was simple enough, and while Mr. Dries may be displeased with you, it wouldn’t have any lasting damage.” “Thank you Kaylee for doing this for me.” “No problem! Oh, I have a few notes for you. Umm. Miss. Brooks called to say things are good in Targu, and she will be coming back in two months for the July quarterly reports meeting. Mr. Nuri is waiting for you in the executive conference room. I believe Andrew Harden is expected within the hour, but has not arrived yet. And the Colonel would like to talk to you later about something.” “You are a wonder, Kay
Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch 10: plans and revelations
Kerrigan was nervous as she followed Conor into his office. She chided herself on that. After all, she was Kerrigan Lokir, President of Dragon Corporation. Conor was all-around kind and understanding, and so far, had done everything in his power to help and protect her. Yet here she was, jittery about being alone in his office with him, where that heated, passionate kiss had taken place less than a week ago. Her cheeks flushed at the memory. “What's going on?” Conor asked, his own nerves showing as he leaned back against his desk. Kerrigan chose to stand with her back against the door, instead of taking a seat. “As you know, The board is willing to let me come back to Dragon Corporation. The pretext is that they want me to fix what Kelan has broken, but If they really wanted that, they would have fired Kelan.” “Are you worried they are up to something else?” “They cannot fire me legally as Deinmaar, but a board of any other company likely could remove a sitting president. Dragon Co
Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch 11: watchers
The next day, Conor spend the morning helping Tina Bennet into her new office. She was only in her mid-thirties but already had a wealth of experience. Just from how she handled herself, Conor felt she would be an excellent addition to the team. “Miss Bennet, once you finished getting moved in, I would appreciate it if you would start talking with Jarad and Andrew Harden about some potential projects. Andrew will need you to assist in finalizing things with the community center, and after that, we will likely move forward with several other businesses that will need land or office space.” “Not a problem. Do you have certain ones that should be more of a priority?” Conor smiled at her professionalism, “I believe the insurance business will be first. For now, we will look for office space, but once we are more established we will want to own all of our own buildings.” “I am actually looking to add a few branch offices as each one covers a different part of the city. Perhaps if you ar
Rejected Billionaire S3 Ch 12: Master Yin
“Molly is that your brother?” Molly beamed, “Yes! I convinced him to at least come watch me.” “Think he will join in and help you all out?” “I don’t know. he is being stubborn and thinks this is for sissies.” Conor walked over to where Max was standing with his crew, most just old enough to be on their own, between sixteen and twenty. “Hello, Max. What do you think about what they are doing?” “Looks like fairy training. Gymnastics and such.” “Perhaps.” Conor decided to poke at the boy’s pride some, “Think you are strong enough to handle it?” “Strong enough? What are you playing at Brantley?” “Nothing. Just thought you might be hiding over here instead of risking being embarrassed by not being as strong as your sister.” Conor knew he was playing a dangerous game and this could provoke the kid into defending his pride violently or it might motivate him to push his own limits. “You calling me a weakling? What kind of strength do you think that kids' stuff takes?” Max said, his
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- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Chapter 22: Train rides
Monday morning broke with a cool spring breeze showing the last vestiges of winter before summer’s heat. Conor tossed his suitcase into the back of the SUV and hopped into the passenger seat.Parker drove them to Kerrigan’s house, pausing briefly to acknowledge the gate guard. Conor recognized him as one of Colonel Eli’s men he had seen around Vokrizin.“Jamison is a good man. He will make sure nothing happens to Miss Lokir’s house while you all are away,” Parker said.Conor just nodded.They pulled up to Kerrigan’s house and Parker honked twice.Conor jumped out when he saw the four ladies exit with several bags each. He and Parker quickly moved to help and filled the back of the SUV with bags, nearly completely blocking any hope of looking out the back window.“Guess you are moving out. No plans to return?” Conor asked.Kerrigan replied smoothly, “I am sure I will be back. This isn’t a fraction of what is in that house.”Parker closed the trunk and addressed everyone, “The Colonel do
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Chapter 21: Kelan
Targu Province. Saturday night “A toast! To our good brother Kelan, for without him, many of us would still be scrapping the bottom of the barrel here in Velyki!” declared Darren Krellis. “Here, here!” chorused the room. "My family thanks you for letting us take over this place and turn it into the exclusive club Velykie can be proud of!" Darren declared. Kelan Benedict stood and saluted the room with his wine glass and took a swig. “Brothers and lovely guests,” he began, eyeing the ladies around the room dressed in tight-fitting evening gowns. “Tonight, I thank you for this gracious meal. Hopefully, the future will bring mutual benefit as the Benedict family begins its absorption of Velyki and then Targu!” There was a round of cheers and Kelan slumped back into his seat, wrapping his arm around Clarise, a tall attractive blonde dressed in a red dress that did wonders for her figure. “Brother Kelan,” came a grading voice beside him as someone sat down on the couch. Kelan took h
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Chapter 20 : Visiting the Spice Emporium
“That was crazy,” Conor said as they headed across the street. Kerrigan slipped up beside him, slipping her hand into his, “I get the feeling that our lives will always attract crazy.” Conor sighed, “It does seem that way. Let’s see how Mr. Arroz is doing.” Conor gave Kerrigan’s hand a gentle squeeze as they crossed the street and stepped into the spice shop. A small bell sounded as they walked in. “Be right up!” came the bellow from the back room. Conor pointed to the glass case that protected the world from the hottest spice known, Abrasax’s wrath. “Now, any idea how we can get Kelan and perhaps Nyman to swallow that whole jar?” Kerrigan giggled, “I have a few I would like to feed it to. Think Mr. Arroz will part with the whole jar?” “Depends if he thinks he can replace it,” Conor said as Faolon brushed past him. “Hey, Faolan! Sit! PRALL!” Faolan came back and sat at his feet. Kerrigan looked up at him, “She just wants to sniff. This whole place is full of new smells.” “I k
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Ch19: Entitlement
Conor and Kerrigan rode in companionable silence for most of the trip back to town, content to rest from the day’s climbing. They sat, each leaning against opposing car windows, but their legs met, touching from knee to heel. Conor felt their fingers brush and gently laced his with hers, enjoying how her hand fit so perfectly with his.It was near dinner time when they finally turned onto the street near the Spice Emporium. As Parker pulled into a parking space at the far end of the street, Conor noticed the Grizlehut. It had been a long time since he had thought about his old job. While his condominium home was at the far end of the street, he never come down this way anymore. Too often, Parker would be waiting for him, and they would simply drive the other direction to get to Vokrizin.Conor reached for the door and realized Kerrigan was completely passed out against her window. He leaned over and gently shook her shoulder. As she came awake, Conor saw a flash of panic cross her face
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Ch 18: Trust building
He changed his hand position and reached, finding the quickdraw dangling from its anchor. He clipped the rope in and began his attempt to crest the bulge in the rock. As he pivoted, he realized the angle he was moving to would erase any grip he had on that hold. As he thought this, he felt a weightless sensation as he began to fall away from the rock. The rope went taught and jerked him mid-air as Kerrigan was pulled off her feet, flying fifteen feet in the air. She managed to hold the rope in its breaking position but her head was dangerously close to his feet. When he had caught his breath, Conor looked down into Kerrigan’s terrified green eyes. “Fancy meeting you up here. Think we could meet up again, once we are safely on the ground?” Kerrigan gawked at him for a second before smiling, “I suppose I could let you down, but You are at my mercy. I might just have to leave you up here like a pinata.” Conor chuckled as he watched her slowly release tension, lowering herself back dow
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Ch 17: Rock climbing
“OK, now it's time for you to try. Who is up first?” Conor volunteered. “Fine, Kerrigan, you are on belay. I will back you up and walk you through each step. I want you both to understand, Lead climbing like this places your life in the hands of your partner. If you don’t trust each other and learn not only to communicate but to anticipate each other’s needs, you will fail and likely hurt each other.” Kerrigan looked dubiously at Parker. “Conor is easily 50 pounds heavier than me!” Parker eyed Conor’s muscular but toned form, “You are what? 200 or 210 pounds these days?” “Last I checked, yea, right at 205.” “Should be fine. Kerrigan, you just have to learn to brace yourself correctly. You could go for a ride but if you use the skills I taught you earlier you could even belay me, and I am 230 pounds these days. Climbing is about technique as much as it is about skill. Now, let's get Conor tied in.” Parker tied the end of the climbing rope to Conor’s harness and showed Kerrigan.
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Ch16:
Conor leaned against the SUV with Parker standing across from him checking through a few bags of gear. “We have three ropes, harnesses for everyone, belay devices, and four full sets of quickdraws. I am also bringing a few crash pads. I don’t plan on you needing to use them but we will put them along the base just in case. Here, try these on.” Parker tossed a pair of strange shoes to him. Conor looked at the shoes that had a sharp curve to the toe and the sole was a flat rubber that followed the arch curve. The tan material seemed to be some sort of soft doeskin or very supple leather. Conor tried to pull the shoe on but his toes cramped and they were shoved into the tight shoes. “Umm, I think these are too small.” Parker walked over and check them. “your heal fits right?” “Yea, but my toes are all curled” “Painfully curled or just uncomfortably curled?” Conor considered before finally replying, “just uncomfortable. My shoes are normally a bit loose.” “Then they fit perfectly.
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Ch 15: Issues at home
Kerrigan spent the next day walking around the property at her house with Faolan. It had been a while since they had been able to just play, and she took this opportunity to play fetch. Thankfully her right arm still functioned, though being it was her off-hand, it was a bit awkward to throw. She figured this was good training for anything that might injure her dominant arm. Mercifully she had awoken almost entirely pain-free. The pills the Colonel had given her had truly worked wonders overnight and she had to admit, she was looking forward to being able to learn to climb the sheer rock faces near the waterfall tomorrow. The day passed rather uneventfully, and as the sun set Kerrigan found herself curled up on the back porch on one of their outdoor couches, with Faolan warming her feet with her furry mass. Reilynn stepped out a few minutes later with two glasses of wine and handed one to Kerrigan as Gabriella come out behind her. the girls each sank into chairs and leaned back, look
- Rejected Billionaire
S3 Ch 14: Kerrigan's Family revelations
The next morning Kerrigan arrived on the roof of Vokrizin for their daily training session. Colonel Eli strode over to her but before he could start setting her to drills she decided to interject, “I actually wanted to talk to you.” “Oh?” “two things really. First, do you think tomorrow I could take the girls climbing? Perhaps Conor will join us?” The Colonel glanced to where Parker was sparing with Conor, “I don’t see why that should be a problem.” He looked to Reilynn, “You feel confident in training them?” “Yes, sis.” “Fine, I will requisition the gear. What size shoe do you were, Miss Lokir?” “Umm about 23.5 cm.” “Hmm ok. I will make sure to get you and Conor some. Be warned, they will be tight. These are not meant for walking, they are designed for grip. Don’t be surprised if they feel a size or two smaller than is comfortable. What was the other thing?” “I am returning to Dragon Corporation at the end of the week.” “Ah, I see. I will begin redeploying a detail. We still
