The English Billionaire

Chapter 49

Emma's POV

It was almost midnight and I was still sitting on the couch in the living room area. Most of the girls had either gone to bed, were getting ready for bed, or had gone back down to the front desk for some more cookies. I had stayed behind to try and sort through everything that was going on in my head.

When I heard the door open I was expecting to hear the group of girls returning from their chocolate outing. Instead, there was a soft knock on the wood and a low voice spoke.

"Emma?"

My head whipped around to see Forest propping the door open with a tight-lipped smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

It took me a second to respond, shocked by his appearance. "Forest! Hi," I said, standing up quickly, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

"I need to talk to you," he said. His eyebrows were pulled together in a soft frown. "Wanna take a walk?"

"Uh, isn't it a little late?" I asked slowly, glancing around the room for a clock.

"I'm afraid this can't wait until morning." I looked back at him and found myself nodding and moving towards him before I could truly register the look on his face. It was somewhere between embarrassed, angry, and tender.

"Oh, okay," I said, standing up and moving to the door. Forest pushed it open further so I could slip by him into the hallway. He let the door close behind us and nodded down the hallway. I followed along beside him as we boarded the elevator. He hit a basement level I didn't know was available and we stood silently as the numbers flicked downwards.

When the elevator doors opened, showing another neat looking hallway, Forest led the way out. I followed him as he swiped a card in a key pad next to one of the doors. There was a beep and the sound of the latch opening. Forest turned to look at me as he propped the door open.

"I really am sorry about this," he said, his sincere tone was all at once soothing and frightening. What would he have to be so sorry about?

With one more searching glance at me, Forest opened the door the rest of the way and gestured for me to walk in. I took a few tentative steps forward, suddenly realizing that I had just followed a guy into an unmarked room without telling anyone else where I was going. Not creepy at all.

From within the room I could hear some low, murmuring voices. Forest gently closed the door behind me as I continued through the entry way of the room, which I soon learned was another suite. I followed the sound of the lowered voices and entered into a cozy looking living room. The only real sorce of light was a small electric fire in the fireplace, one of the other rooms off to the side was flooded with light, but it barely reached the other side of the main room I was now standing in.

Sitting on the couches were Chris, Milton and Landon. They had been the ones who were talking and their conversation ended when Forest and I entered the room.  Standing on the outskirts of the room were a few bulky looking security guards, they all seemed preoccupied with their cell phones, furiously texting or scrolling. They kept leaving the main room to enter into the well lit room periodically.

Looking up from the abruptly cut off conversation Milton gave me a strained smile. Chris barely spared me a look before standing and pulling Forest off to the side to murmur something into his ear. Landon gave me a tired looking grin and gestured for me to come and sit on one of the available seats. I was confused and tired enough that I did not have the energy to give any comment back, moving to sit in one of the armchairs. Milton glanced between me and Landon and then became very interested in the fire.

"How was the trip down here?" Landon asked, he sounded friendly enough, but the tense atmosphere in the room was enough to make his tone seem insencere.

"Quiet," I replied, then frowned slightly, "How are you?"

Landon shook his head softly, his grin softened as he gave a small shrug. "I've been through worse." One of my eyebrows rose in a silent question. Worse than being tackled by security and carted off to a Spanish jail? He chuckled darkly, "There's a lot about me you haven't learned about yet."

I didn't know how to respond to his leading comment. He sounded like I was going to learn all about him, like he didn't mind if I found out basically everything about him. I just gave a weak smile and nodded, looking down at my hands.

The room was quiet until Chris and Forest returned a few seconds later. Chris took his vacated seat and Forest paced in front of the fire. The three other boys' attentions were turned to their agitated friend, so I followed their lead and found that Forest was already looking at me.

I was surprised that I didn't look away immediately, direct eyecontact was not my strong suit.

Maybe it was because hanging out with Alison and Gerald had been helping with my confidence levels. Maybe it was because I was becoming more comfortable around Forest. Maybe it had to do with the words that tumbled out of Forest's mouth that made my whole body freeze in shock.

"Megan's story is all about you."

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A/N

srrrry this is late, I tried to make it longer to make up for it!!

We are nearing the end of the book and the sequel is entering it's first stages of being planned out in my head ayyyyyyeeee

don't forget to vote and comment and all that jazz!!

love y'all

em