Chapter Two

Valerian Rossfield, this year"s recipient of Quintessential Life"s Most Fascinating Person of America award, likely needs no further introduction.

And as for yours truly?

I"m not going to pretend I know much about the stock market. I"ve just started to dip my toes in it, but even I can tell why people find Rossfield fascinating.

Most billionaires we know are conservative in every sense of the word. But Rossfield is the opposite. What"s the fun of taking the limo from Point A to Point B when you can jump off your summer mansion"s balcony in a parachute instead? Why swim with dolphins when you can swim with sharks? Why climb mountains when volcano boarding is now possible?

Even the way he does business is no different. His every investment decision challenges the status quo, but his net worth is proof he has the Midas touch for turning a profit.

I know Confucius doesn"t like it if we place all our eggs in a single basket, but Rossfield"s brilliant success tempts me to go against his advice. Only one thing keeps me from going all-in with Rossfield, and it"s a question I hope he"ll answer one day.

What is it with this billionaire"s seeming addiction to taking risks?

VALERIAN"S LIPS PRESSEDtogether in a grim line as he finished reading the article Heather had emailed him. Everyone and everyone"s mothers seemed to want to know why he did things the way he did, and frankly...

He wished like hell he had the answer to their question.

But he didn"t.

All he knew was that nothing and no one in this world could quell the restlessness inside of him. He always had this fucking urge to do something. Or someone. And the more dangerous things were, the better and safer he felt.

It was only when he put things on the line that he felt alive...and free.

"Sir?"

Valerian bit back a curse when he realized he had been so damn focused on the past that his consciousness had failed to register the deafening noise around him.

He followed his pilot to the chopper, and no time was wasted as they flew directly to their next scheduled stopover.

Heather"s words came back to him as his pilot maneuvered the chopper"s controlled decline towards the helipad, and Valerian decided to take a quick break from reviewing contracts on his phone.

I have a good feeling about the new girl, Heather had told him. "She"s the perfect choice for this job."

But when Valerian had pressed her to explain, she had simply smiled without saying a word...and he realized why that was as soon as he saw the girl walking next to Heather.

Her long dark hair was plaited in a single braid, and not only did she look like she was barely out of high school, but she acted like it, too. She didn"t even bother hiding her awe while taking in the plush interior of his chopper, and she was just as helpless to hide her shock when her wide-eyed gaze finally found its way to him.

OH.

She didn"t say it out loud, but the way her mouth parted said as much, along with how she kept blinking as if she could not believe he was real.

Valerian glared at Heather. WHAT. THE. HELL.

Trust me, Heather simply mouthed back.

His chopper had already taken off before Valerian could tell Heather to get rid of the new girl, and the billionaire was thus left with two choices. He could fire her himself or—-

"Mr. Rossfield?"

Valerian reluctantly turned towards her, but his mood swiftly turned to disconcert when he saw that the girl had already laid her tools out on the table, and she was now holding out a barber cape towards him.

The faint color staining her cheeks told Valerian that she was still self-conscious around him, but as soon as he nodded in response, her expression turned serious, and it was as if someone had turned on a switch inside of her.

The girl"s movements were precise and efficient as she got to work, and he appreciated the meticulous care she exercised in order to avoid coming into contact with any part of his person.

Aside from asking how he preferred to have his hair trimmed, she didn"t say anything else, and by the time they landed on Austin, Valerian had no choice but to bear the smugness in Heather"s tone when she called him again.

"I told you so. She"s perfect, isn"t she?"