She Helped a Homeless Stranger… Not Knowing He Was a Billionaire in Disguise
Chapter 4
Olivia didn’t sleep that night.
She kept thinking about Nathaniel.
Not the billionaire.
Daniel.
The man beneath the pharmacy awning.
The person who had looked embarrassed when she bought him dinner.
She wondered how much of that had been real.
The next morning, she accepted the job.
Not because of the money.
Because she wanted answers.
Nathaniel met her in his office.
“Good morning.”
“Don’t get excited.”
He smiled.
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll work for you. But I won’t spy illegally.”
“Agreed.”
“I won’t lie to people unless necessary.”
“Fair.”
“And if I find out you’re manipulating me, I’m gone.”
Nathaniel nodded.
“Deal.”
Her first day was strange.
She received a private office, a company car, and a security badge that gave her access to floors she had never seen.
Everyone treated Nathaniel differently.
Executives stood when he entered.
Assistants whispered.
Managers became nervous.
Olivia noticed one man in particular.
Ethan Blake.
Chief Financial Officer.
He was charming.
Mid-forties.
Perfect suit.
Friendly smile.
He welcomed Olivia warmly.
“If you ever need anything, come to me.”
She smiled.
“Thank you.”
But Nathaniel watched him carefully.
Later, Olivia asked:
“What’s wrong with Ethan?”
“Nothing.”
“You don’t trust him.”
Nathaniel paused.
“I don’t trust anyone completely.”
“That’s exhausting.”
“It is.”
That afternoon, Olivia reviewed Nathaniel’s calendar.
She found something odd.
A meeting scheduled every Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
No location.
No participants.
Just the word:
FAMILY.
“What’s this?”
Nathaniel looked at the screen.
“Cancel it.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t attend family meetings anymore.”
Olivia hesitated.
“Family problem?”
Nathaniel looked out the window.
“My younger brother.”
“What happened?”
“He thinks I stole our father’s company.”
“Did you?”
Nathaniel laughed.
“No.”
“Then why does he think that?”
“Because my father changed his will three weeks before he died.”
Olivia looked at him.
“To give you everything?”
“Yes.”
“And your brother?”
“Got nothing.”
“That sounds like a problem.”
“It is.”
She asked who his brother was.
Nathaniel’s expression hardened.
“Jonathan.”
That evening, Olivia stayed late.
She was reviewing expense reports when she noticed something.
A company credit card had been used repeatedly at a private airport.
The charges were small.
Fuel.
Ground transport.
Hotel rooms.
But the dates matched Nathaniel’s supposed disappearance.
She printed the records.
Then she found another pattern.
A consulting company named Blackridge Advisory had received payments from Cross Meridian.
Thirty-seven payments.
Same amount.
Every month.
Olivia searched the company database.
Blackridge Advisory had no employees.
No office.
No website.
No tax records visible in the system.
She called accounting.
“Who authorized these payments?”
The accountant hesitated.
“Ethan Blake.”
Olivia’s heart started beating faster.
She printed everything.
Then her computer screen went black.
A message appeared.
STOP LOOKING.
Olivia froze.
The screen returned to normal.
She immediately called Nathaniel.
He answered.
“What happened?”
“Someone accessed my computer.”
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you?”
“My office.”
“Lock the door.”
She did.
Nathaniel arrived within minutes.
He looked at the screen.
“Did you touch anything?”
“No.”
He called security.
Then he looked at her.
“What did you find?”
She handed him the documents.
Nathaniel read them.
His face changed.
“Blackridge.”
“You know it?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“A company I thought I shut down two years ago.”
“Why?”
“Because it belonged to my brother.”
Olivia stared.
“Jonathan?”
Nathaniel nodded.
“Which means…”
He looked at the warning on her computer.
“Someone inside my family is still stealing from me.”
Then his phone rang.
Nathaniel answered.
His face went pale.
A man’s voice came through the speaker.
“Your assistant is asking questions.”
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened.
“Who is this?”
The caller laughed.
“You should have stayed homeless.”
The line went dead.
Olivia looked at Nathaniel.
He stared at her.
“They know exactly who you are.”
