The English Billionaire

Ending Notes

Hi friends!

We did it! After yeaaars of me being too lazy or busy to update we finished it. THE ENGLISH BILLIONAIRE is done.

Now for the sequel.

Lol, you didn't think that I was going to let this sit with all that (badly cultivated) tension, right?

But, before we talk about that I need to say thank you. Thanks for sticking around and not giving up on this story even though there were times where it was months between updates. Thanks to my real-life Rebecca who helped me to figure out the storyline and always was down to see silly memes and fawn over pretty boys with me.

Here's a preview of the second book MY TWO BILLIONAIRES:

"Go Fish," the smug smile on the lips of a 1st grader was shockingly brutal.

I pick up another card and add it to my hand.

We had been playing Go Fish for ten minutes now and Jackson had already beaten me once. He was of course ready to play again to remain victorious.

"Sevens?" He asked, staring at his cards. His little fingers could barely hold all his cards and I had to pretend like I didn't know exactly what he had in his hand seeing as he kept showing it to me.

"Dang, you got me," I said, handing over my only seven. He grinned and swiped the card out of my outstretched grip, depositing it along with three others on the table in front of him.

"A's?" He questioned again.

"Ace's, J," I said then shook my head, "also, Go Fish."

I had been Jackson's nanny for the past year and a half. Because both of his parents worked full time, I was with him for eight to ten hours a day, trying to keep him entertained.

"I don't want to play this anymore," he said as three cards fell out of his grip and landed face-up on the table.

Emphasis on trying.

"It's almost lunchtime, you want a hotdog or mac 'n cheese today?" I asked. He deliberated the decision as he let the rest of the cards fall onto the tabletop as well.

"Hot dog," he said, "Can we watch the frog movie now?"

"What do you say?" I asked, gathering up the cards and organizing them back into the box.

"Please, Emma?"

"Alright, let's set it up," I stood and pulled up Disney+ on the smart TV, selected The Princess Frog, and hit play. Jackson settled down on one of the couches as the film began. I moved to the kitchen and pulled together a small lunch for both of us.

It was in the downtimes-- when J was so engrossed in something that I was able to think of things other than entertaining him, that the anxiety that had been following me all summer started to grow once again.

This time was no different.

I had just graduated high school, turned eighteen, gone to prom-- the whole shebang. Most of my friends were getting ready to go off to different colleges across the States with majors that would help them in their futures. Meanwhile, I was nannying a first-grade boy. I had been accepted into the four different colleges I had applied to, but I had not officially said yes to any of them.

I just did not know what I wanted to do with my life. There were so many possibilities that the choices were overwhelming. Having to pick a college major when you are only eighteen, basically planning out the rest of your life at only eighteen, is a heavy choice.

Of course, majors and colleges don't define what you do for the rest of your life, enough adults along with the various college admissions officers and advisors had told me that already. But I still could not decide. The only possible plan for this upcoming semester was to take a gap semester and take the time to work more and narrow down my choices.

It also helped that I had a small fortune in the bank from five years previous.

I had been one of the twelve winners in the 'Project America' that self-made billionaire and inventor Forest Johnston had tried to start five years ago. I had competed alongside many of my classmates for a chance to work with and meet the teen billionaire. While there, I had met the eleven other winners, becoming friends with a few, and had gotten to travel to Spain where everything fell apart.

Spain was where Meghan Olly, a freelance journalist, had convinced a reputable newspaper that false information she had on Forest, me, and the other winners was real and threatened to publish it if Forest didn't shut down his project. And just like that, the group of friends that I had formed was snatched away by a jealous reporter from Forest and his friends' past.

Gerald Young and Alison Smith, my two best friends from the project, and I were just starting to really get to know Forest and his two best friends Chris Matthews and Landon Price when this all went down. When Gerald, Alison, and I went back home to Kansas there were varied forms of communication between us all.

By now it had all faded to just the occasional check-in. They were both going to different colleges around the US to study. Just another reason we were drifting apart.

That afternoon, when Jackson's parents came home to relieve me of childcare duty, I made my way to the local coffee shop.

When I entered the barista was on the phone, but still gave me a small wave and a quick smile. Looking around the room, my eyes found the usual comfy couches, chairs, homemade tables and stands, and wide windows that were always present. I focused on a brunette sitting by herself on one of the big armchairs by a side window and gave her a grin.

Rebecca pulled a face in return then smiled. I placed my order and joined her with an iced caramel macchiato, sliding into the soft cushions.

It was customary that we met every Thursday for coffee, and today was no different.

"How was the maniac?" Rebecca asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As wonderful as ever," I grinned.

"I had a group of kids come into the store today and try to play every instrument that we had in stock," she rolled her eyes. "They did stop when I told them that if they broke something they had to pay for it and the guitar they were messing with was $700."

We both laughed, taking turns telling stories from the week and sharing news from the people we had gone to school with.

I was just telling a story about how Jackson had decided that being a dinosaur was what he wanted to be when he grew up when the sound of my phone ringing cut me off.

"I could have sworn I turned off my ringer," I said, shaking my head. I was about to decline the call, but two little words made my fingers freeze and my heart skip a beat.

I was getting a phone call from the United Kingdom.

The book is being added to my profile though it won't be started for a bit so you can add it to your libraries! (Maybe you can check out my other stories while you wait ;))))

Much love to you all!!!

Em Arya (silveriar)