My Billionaire's Secret Dreams Read online

  My Billionaire’s

  Secret Dreams

  The California Billionaires Series

  Book 3

  Nikki Larson

  Copyright © 2019 by Nikki Larson

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2019

  Signature Publishers

  California

  Contents

  Dedication

  Nikki Larson's Newsletter

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Dedication

  This book was written in honor of

  my firstborn daughter, Brittany,

  who has great insight from God –

  given to her to help people who are struggling –

  as well as dreams that sometimes come true.

  May God bless you all the days of your life,

  and use you mightily

  for his good purposes.

  Nikki Larson's Newsletter

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  Chapter 1

  It was early morning in Southern California but already Sylvia Oscar was at the gym with her hair and makeup done. She was wearing her favorite Caprici Design workout outfit in dark blue and steel gray, and her phone was carefully positioned, leaning against her water bottle.

  She stood for a moment, absentmindedly twirling a finger through her long brown hair, and gazed out of the windows which reached from floor to ceiling. This view from the top floor of Reisburg Fitness was incredible by anyone’s standards, with the spectacular Pacific Ocean glittering off in the distance, its waves cresting and falling. Sylvia could almost hear the crash of the ocean waves, smell the briny scent of the saltwater.

  This was one of her favorite locations where she could relax and lose herself. Peace washed over her each day she walked in the door of the opulent health club, with its state-of-the-art equipment, its familiar clientele, and the wonderful scents of coffee and fresh fruit smoothies permeating the air.

  Who builds a fitness center on a cliff along the coastline?

  None other, of course, than the Braun family, the most prominent billionaires in all of Southern California.

  They’d made their money in oil, which, to Sylvia, was a contemptible choice.

  The Southern California coastline was too beautiful to be marred by stark and ugly refineries. And the very real possibility of an oil spill was, in any logical person’s estimation, too great of a risk. Surely drilling was best done somewhere else, like the stark and barren desert. Not to be elitist, just practical. Why ruin the gorgeous coastline? Southern California was a place of tourists, and stunning views, and dreams come true. It was important to keep it that way, she thought as she sat on her exercise mat and began her side-to-side stretches.

  At least the youngest of the Brauns cared enough to break away and do something different – and, in Sylvia’s opinion, more honorable.

  Her brother’s best friend, Jaxton, did not exactly walk away from his riches, but he did use the funds for his own purposes, his own dreams.

  Currently, Jaxton Braun was in the business of manufacturing and selling organic health food bars made of nuts and honey, berries and yogurt. He insisted they were healthy but Sylvia knew they were not, and she ribbed him about it every chance she got.

  Because even though he was smarter than the rest of his family, there was still room for improvement.

  “Sylvia, a little to the left.” Jaxton was motioning with his hand, irritation evident in his voice.

  Her initial response was to adjust in whatever way he was suggesting.

  Did he want her to tilt her head to the left, or did he want her to move her whole body to the left?

  And then she caught herself.

  What was she doing?!

  She glared at Jaxton to let him know that she was not going to bend to his will. She refused to let him influence her in any way whatsoever.

  “Gotcha,” he said happily. His smile could light up a room; his dark, sculptured features could make any woman swoon.

  But not Sylvia.

  She was not swayed.

  Pursing her lips in displeasure, she averted her gaze and continued her warm-up stretches on her thickly cushioned mat. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jaxton elbow her brother and his best friend, Blaine, who smiled along with him.

  Blaine was not one to put a stop to Jaxton’s shenanigans. Sylvia had talked to him about it many times, insisting that he step in and stick up for her. But Blaine only shrugged her off and told her Jaxton was harmless, that he was simply posturing as men do and she just needed to let it roll off her back.

  She deliberately turned her attention back to performing her workout for her online fans, getting on her hands and knees and stretching a long leg behind her, then swinging it forward toward her shoulder.

  What a great exercise.

  It made her feel toned and limber to be able to bend like this. It was a great strength-building exercise, too – wonderful for toning the thighs.

  She knew it was important today’s filming turned out right, and quickly. She had a lot to do today – editing and uploading the video, updating her website, and answering emails. Also, she needed to get some errands done for her mother, who was at home recovering from surgery.

  “Hey, good to see you.” It was some blonde bombshell of a woman, with wild curly hair and to-die-for curves, coming to talk to Jaxton. Her voice was rather high-pitched and, though Sylvia tried to block out the sound, easily heard over the music coming through the speakers.

  Sylvia’s heart leapt when she noticed how this woman was looking at him, with intense interest and an overly-friendly smile.

  But she couldn’t worry about that right now.

  Why did she even care? she scolded herself as she stared into the mirror and switched legs. Focus. Today was ab day, and she had to concentrate.

  She needed to carry out all her crunches and planks with careful precision. Proper technique was the key to prevent injury, as she kept telling her fans. She got down on the floor, lay on her back with her knees up, and pointed to her abs to demonstrate how to keep them tight. She would add words later, to go with each point she wanted to emphasize.

  With a hand towel supporting her neck, and keeping her eyes on the ceiling (which was painted in a beautiful celestial design), Sylvia raised her upper body, carefully keeping her elbows and shoulders back as she exhaled. Lowering herself back down slowly, she inhaled and repeated the move twelve times.

  Sl
ow, controlled motions were the key to building strength. Another thing that helped was exhaling during the most strenuous parts of the exercise. It was a trick that, surprisingly, not too many people seemed to know. Push and blow – those were the straightforward, simple words Sylvia used to help keep this tip fresh in her viewers’ memory. Somehow the catchphrases Sylvia came up with seemed to stick. People loved her upbeat personality and her eye-catching videos, if the number of followers and encouraging comments were any indication.

  Her fans had nothing but praise for her, and each time she read their comments she felt like she was basking in the sunshine.

  She honestly tried to be an inspiration to her fans, and helping people achieve their best life was a wonderful reward. Nothing made her happier than to see others flourishing and doing well, improving their lives and their health – both mental and physical.

  Noticing that the blonde had finally moved on, Sylvia stood and patted her abdomen, watching her muscles ripple in the mirror.

  Her taut six-pack was quite the accomplishment after her failed pregnancy.

  But what was she doing, thinking about that?

  She couldn’t let the thought of that nightmare resurface, ever.

  It would only destroy her, just like actually going through the terrible miscarriage had almost destroyed her.

  She, for one, was not going to be defeated.

  She was a winner, a success.

  She made sure of it.

  All her waking moments were directed towards that one end.

  “Looking good, Sylvia,” Jaxton called out, and he followed it with a quiet whistle.

  “No one asked you,” she retorted.

  She shouldn’t be so rude, maybe, but she wanted to discourage him from commenting on every little thing.

  If only he would find some other time to work out than when she was filming her FanGram videos.

  At least she filmed without sound, then put music to them later. So it didn’t really matter if Jaxton talked or not. It didn’t matter if anyone did. But in the moment, it was distracting.

  She got into the plank position, stretching her body to full length, leaning on her elbows, balancing on her toes.

  She tried to relax and smile for her fans, and not look like this exercise caused any strain whatsoever. But if she’d angled the camera properly, most of her face would likely be hidden from view anyway. She’d have to remember to check.

  She held the position for thirty seconds, and her arms started shaking at the end. It was discouraging that no matter how in shape she was, her arms still tended to shake.

  “Hey, noodle arms,” Jaxton called out playfully from the bench press.

  Did he really just notice that her arms were trembling from the strain?

  She huffed at him, shaking a finger in his general direction and glaring at him once again.

  This guy never took a hint.

  Aware that Jaxton’s eyes were still upon her, Sylvia ignored his gaze and his dangerously endearing smile and went to her phone to check the test video.

  Darn, she was off-center and her body was at the wrong angle as well. Everything would have to repeated. She turned the phone a smidgen to the right, and pointed it just slightly further down towards the gray carpeted floor. There, that ought to work.

  “Not good enough the first time?” she heard Jaxton say with a laugh.

  If she had a penny every time he poked fun at her, she’d be nearly as rich as he was.

  But, unlike him, she had to work hard for every penny all by herself. She didn’t have a loaded family member who was willing to lift a finger to help her.

  Her dad had written her off, as of her eighteenth birthday. He’d thrown her a rip-roaring party, catered, with a DJ and everything. But that was her last hurrah, apparently, with her father, because she hadn’t heard from or seen him since.

  Except on FanGram.

  His wife posted pics regularly, so technically, Sylvia had “seen” him:

  Her dad and Sophia standing in front of Michelangelo’s David in Florence.

  Her dad and Sophia floating along in a gondola on the Grand Canal in Venice.

  Her dad and Sophia posing in front of the Byzantine mosaics in St. Mark’s Basilica.

  How dare they pose in a church, when their relationship was practically blasphemous, Sylvia thought.

  Fidelity was a lost art.

  It meant so much, yet people were so quick to betray their loved ones, to abandon the ones they had promised to honor and protect. Though Sylvia’s mother could be difficult, she certainly didn’t deserve to be abandoned and cheated on. She didn’t deserve to be left for someone younger and more fit.

  Sylvia didn’t like that Sophia’s name was so close to hers, either.

  They both had six letters and started with an ‘S.’

  They both had ‘ia’ at the end.

  And Sophia had always been Sylvia’s favorite name. It sounded so much more sophisticated than Sylvia. She was planning on naming her first daughter Sophia, but now, forget it. Her future plans were ruined.

  But it didn’t matter, she reminded herself.

  She would remain positive and upbeat.

  She had to.

  It was her only option.

  Because Sylvia Oscar was a star.

  Chapter 2

  After he’d finished his workout and his friend Blaine went off to work, Jaxton Braun suddenly had a hankering for peanut butter cups and a root beer. He got in his Porsche and headed down Pacific Coast Highway towards White’s Grocery Store. As he zipped along the winding road flanked by palm trees and colorful, exotic-looking tropical plants and flowers, it occurred to him that he should check and see how many varieties of his Love Bars the store carried, and if they were displayed up front where they should be, as well as on the main shelves.

  Manufacturing, selling, and marketing Love Bars was his pet project, if not necessarily his first choice. It was like a whim that had gotten out of control, and he couldn’t exactly stop now, not after he’d garnered so much success. He’d never pictured himself selling food but, he had to admit, it was a heck of a lot better than running the oil refineries with his father and brothers. And the love campaign that went with it made it completely worth it. What could be better than spurring one another on towards love and good deeds, like Hebrews 10:24 says?

  He had already checked the main shelves and was now perusing the vegetables when he spotted her. “Hey,” he said, sneaking up behind her and giving her waist a quick, hard squeeze.

  The high-pitched squeal which escaped Sylvia’s mouth made the other customers turn and look. “Do. Not. Do. That,” she said, accentuating each hissed word between clenched teeth.

  Jaxton laughed and stepped back to give her space.

  Her voice was an angry whisper. “Get away from me, Jax.” She gave him her famous Ice Princess Death Stare, then turned her attention back to the broccoli and put it in a bag. Reaching out her hand to give him a shove, she sashayed past him.

  He could have sworn she did it on purpose, swaying her hips like that when she walked. Her long, high ponytail swung behind her, bouncing from side to side as she strode away from him, with her chin up in the air.

  He let her go. No need to bother her any further. He didn’t want to make a nuisance of himself. But he couldn’t help it; Sylvia Oscar brought out the basest instincts in him. With her long brown hair, her toned body with its ultra-feminine curves, her engaging personality, and her crystal blue eyes that flashed with mystery, she was just too stunning to ignore.

  Forcing himself to act unaffected, he stayed by the vegetables and pretended he was interested in the bok choy. At ninety-nine cents a bunch, it was a deal, he noted it, picking it up and turning it in his hand. She always used to put it in that chicken stir fry recipe she used to make for him once upon a time, when they were officially dating. Years ago. He hadn’t been able to get her to go out with him since, not since they broke up after just three months. She couldn’
t get over the fact that he was her brother’s best friend, she’d said. Couldn’t move beyond thinking of him as that boy who used to yank on her ponytail and shove her off of her backyard trampoline.

  To get his mind off of Sylvia, he’d tried dating others – women of wealth and poise and beauty – but he simply wasn’t that interested. All other women paled in comparison to the inestimable Sylvia Oscar, FanGram fitness sensation, as much as it pained him to admit it. It was undignified, he knew, to pine after her like this. He’d have to move on, pour his heart and soul into his business. Man-up. Focus on other things.

  He was just about to leave with his purchases, pleased that this store carried all seven varieties of his Love Bars and displayed them both on the main shelves and along the checkout lines, when two men entered the store.

  Out of place – that was his first thought.

  Shady – that was his second.

  Obviously foreigners and overdressed for the weather – wearing heavy woolen coats – the men reeked of body odor as they made their way past him. Wary, Jaxon stood and remained near the front of the store, pretending to be interested in the strawberries. One of the men was nearly six-feet tall, Jaxton guessed, and the other was stocky and short.

  Playing it cool, he kept his distance but also kept a watchful eye on them as they approached a child of about four years old. Her mother was holding her cell phone in the crook of her neck, and placing several apples in a plastic bag. She was totally engrossed in her conversation as one of the men reached for the young girl’s hand.

  Springing into action, Jaxton sprinted to the men. He reached out and grabbed the child’s other hand and yanked her towards him, scooping her up in his arms. “Andrea!” he said as happily as he could manage. The look on the little girl’s face was part relief, part delight, and a whole lot of confusion. And just then Jaxton had a very strong sense that this had all happened before. Perhaps he had dreamt it?

  “Excuse me!” The mother was not at all pleased. Boy, if he had one more woman glare at him like that today….

  “My daughter,” the taller man said in a thick accent. “Give me back my daughter.”