The Broken Billionaire - Back Story

PENELOPE – 18 YEARS AGO

“Why don’t you come with us?”

I stare at Elijah like he’s lost his mind.

He shrugs. “I mean it. A few of us are heading to my home over the weekend. Mum has thrown out an open invitation. You should come. Get to know everyone.”

I bite my lip trying not to laugh. It’s one thing Elijah Frazer has gotten to know me. Working together on every project for the past six months. Either our lecturers have got a vendetta against poor Mr Frazer or me. However, I can’t complain as it worked. We make a good team. He’s not the spoilt rich kid I assumed him to be. He has a strong work ethic and is incredibly intelligent. However, I can’t see his friends wanting much to do with ‘The Freak’.

“It’s fine,” I say, turning back to my keyboard.

Elijah stands and pauses for a moment as I tap away.

“Well, if you change your mind. I can pick you up from campus in the morning at nine and drive you.”

There is another split-second pause before he finally walks away.

My hands are still on the keyboard, and I drop my chin to my chest.

Why would he want to invite me?

Elijah Frazer confuses me. He’s the university’s golden boy. Smart, disgustingly wealthy, popular. He’s on target to become an Olympic athlete at the next games. His dedication to his swimming career has surprised even me. I figured his late arrival for the nine AM lecture each week stemmed from partying. Not from swimming laps from five AM every morning or working out in the gym.

Yes, we’ve got to know one another in the six months since we were paired together. We’ve worked so well. In fact, the head of our course made us a permanent pairing. Elijah’s swimming being the reason.

The door to the lab slams open, followed by the click of heels.

“Oh, it’s you. Where’s Elijah?”

I face the young woman entering. As always, she’s immaculate. Perfect Elijah material. Her hair has received the perfect blow-out, her makeup is flawless. I draw my lip ring into my mouth.

She crosses her arms and huffs out a breath.

“Did you hear me, Freak? I asked you a question?”

“He left,” I say, turning back to my keyboard, letting my fingers once again continue their task. I incline my head. That can’t be right. I delete the code I’ve just written and begin again.

“Freak, I’m talking to you.”

Ah, there is it.

I spin my chair and wonder what the hell Elijah sees in her. I asked him one night, but he told me they’re just friends. She missed that all important memo as she has clearly placed a mine notice on him.

Men, they can be so blind. But in Elijah’s case, he means it. His focus is on his future, so I wish her luck.

“As I said before, Barbie, he left. I’m not his keeper.”

She growls in frustration, and I want to laugh.

“I wanted to know what time we’re leaving for his house tomorrow. He’s invited me to go with him.” The smugness in her tone raises my hackles.

“He said he’s picking me up at nine,” I tell her, before I can stop the words coming out of my mouth.

“You?” she practically screeches before smoothing her hand down her front. “Elijah invited you?”

I want to laugh at her incredulous tone. Instead, I once again suck on my lip piercing and turn back to my computer. I hate this. My intent was to not attend. I like Jaxson, and even Zach isn’t too bad, but Darra St Clair is an entitled bitch who frays my last nerve.

“Yes, me,” I say as I continue typing. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I catch her dramatic hair flip as she marches to the door, with an even more dramatic sigh.

When the door slams behind her, I groan. “Crap, now I’m stuck unless I pretend to have a headache or be sick, but Elijah will probably see through it.”

I stare at the screen, focusing on the lines of code in front of me. Then I spot it. A slow smile emerges. “Got you,” I hiss, making the relevant change needed. Prof Dunn’s tests are getting more and more advanced, but he has yet to set me one I can’t unlock.

I run a few tests to prove I’m right and re-compile the code before sending him my findings.

Time to go home and brace myself for the weekend.

ELIJAH

My phone pings. A message from Pen appears.

PEN:

Fine. I’ll come. See you in the morning.

ME:

Great. See you at 9.

I grin. The more I get to know my prickly partner, the more I’m liking her. Yes, her exterior is interesting. Her facial piercings and heavy makeup might repel some. However, underneath her frightening exterior, I’m finding she’s not only intelligent, but sharp witted. She matches me, if not exceeds me on most levels, but most of all, she challenges me and makes me better.

Mum’s wanted to meet her for some time.

My phone pings again, only this time it’s Darra.

DARRA:

Hey gorgeous. What time are you collecting me?

ME:

I’m picking everyone up after swim practice at 9.

DARRA:

Can’t wait to meet your family.

Darra introduced herself in my first week here. A few weeks later, we fell into a relationship. Her beauty and popularity, make her perfect. I invited her as I thought she would be another female to keep Pen company. When Pen first said she wasn’t coming, I regretted the invite, but everything has sorted itself out.

Jaxson and Zach come into the room.

“So, is Pen coming?”

“She is.”

They both shoot me a look of surprise.

“How did you convince her?” Jax asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know. She turned me down flat initially, then suddenly I received a message saying she’s coming.”

“Your mum will be pleased,” Zach says. “She was asking a lot of questions about the woman who has you concentrating on something other than swimming.”

I throw a cushion at him, which he deflects with a laugh. “Just saying.”

It’s true. I am obsessed with my swimming career. You don’t get to my level without some serious dedication, but I’m also aware it won’t sustain me forever. Any sport has a short shelf life.

“Well, she’s going to get her wish,” I tell them, wondering what on earth Pen is going to think when I take her home to meet my family.

Pen remained quiet throughout most of the journey. Darra called shotgun and sat next to me, leaving Pen, Jax, and Zach in the back of the car. Darra has not stopped talking and I’m regretting inviting her. When we finally pull into the driveway, I’m not surprised to see my mother waiting at the top of the stone steps leading to our front door.

I park up and jump out, wrapping her in a bear hug.

“Welcome home,” she says.

“Thanks mum.”

“Mrs Frazer,” Jaxson says, pulling her in for a hug.

“Francesca, you know that, Jaxson. We don’t stand on ceremony here.”

Jaxson gives her his biggest grin. The charmer.

Zach is next. The guys are regulars here.

I watch as Pen gets out and looks around. She remains silent.

I watch my mother, watching her.

“You must be Penelope,” mum says as Pen walks around the front of the car.

Pen nods, balancing her bag, holding out her hand.

“Thank you for having me,” Pen says, when my mother takes her hand in hers.

“You, my dear, are more than welcome.”

“I’m Darra,” Darra says, stepping in front of Pen.

My mum turns to her.

“I’m pleased to meet you, Darra. Are you a friend of Penelope’s?”

Darra freezes before giving a tight smile.

“Yes,” she says, “Although I’m also a friend of Elijah’s.”

“Welcome. Make yourself at home. There are fresh scones and sandwiches waiting for you.”

My mum stands next to Penelope and directs her forward.

“Come on in,” she says. “I’ll show you where you’re staying.”

Pen follows, while Darra chats away, complimenting mother on the house, and decoration.

Jaxson shoots me a look that tells me he’s trying not to laugh.

“Come on, you idiots,” I say. “The pool and that food is calling.”

PENELOPE

Francesca Frazer is not what I was expecting. She is only five foot two, so I tower above her. I’m not sure why I expected her to be tall, maybe because her son is six foot six and towers above most people.

Darra has talked non-stop since we entered. Her need to please is exhausting and I kind of feel sorry for her. It’s obvious she’s desperate to impress Elijah’s mum.

Francesca shows us to our rooms.

A huge four-poster bed centres a room exceeding our two-bedroom apartment.

“This is lovely, thank you.” I say to Francesca.

“If you need anything, ask. The boys are hitting the pool. There are changing rooms downstairs if you want to get changed.”

“I’m good, thank you.”

Francesca leaves, taking Darra with her. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Elijah’s mum knowing me completely surprised me. I’m hard to miss. Most people think I’m a freak. People have called me that since I first grew, towering over my peers, even the boys. When I found makeup and piercings, I embraced my title.

There is a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I say.

The door opens and Elijah pops his head in.

“Sandwiches, cake, and swimming, if you’re interested.”

I smile over at him. “Sandwiches and Cake a definite. I’ll pass on the swim.”

“Your loss,” he says, grinning. “Come on, I’ll show you where to go.”

I drop my bag, grabbing my phone and head after Elijah.

We make our way through the corridors.

“This place is gigantic. I’m going to get lost, wandering the corridors never to be seen again.”

Elijah laughs. “It will be second nature by the weekend.”

“Eli,” a younger version of Elijah appears out of one room.

“Caleb,” Elijah says ruffling his hair.

The younger teenager inclines his head as he stares past his brother at me.

“Caleb,” Elijah hisses as his brother openly stares.

I try not to grin. Stares are nothing new.

Shaking himself, the younger boy steps forward and holds out his hand. “Hi, I’m Caleb,” he says. “Younger brother to this reprobate. Those are some cool piercings.”

I let my grin free as Elijah groans.

“Thank you.”

“How many do you have?”

“Caleb—” Elijah warns again, but it’s my turn to ignore him.

“Eighteen currently.”

It’s Elijah’s turn to spin towards me. “Eighteen?”

“Yes,” I tell him, pulling back my hair and showing him my latest conch piercing.

“Did it hurt?” Caleb asks.

“Don’t go getting any ideas,” Elijah tells his younger brother.

“What? I thought a nose or tongue piercing would be cool,” Caleb says.

“Not at thirteen,” Elijah tells him. “Mum will have you hung, drawn, and quartered. Not to mention dad.”

He must realise what he’s said, because he turns to look at me. “Not that—” he pauses and I shrug it off.

“Personal taste and thirteen is way too young. I was fourteen when I got my first piercing.”

Elijah groans and Caleb laughs. I like Elijah’s little brother.

Elijah walks on and Caleb winks and fist bumps me as I pass. He is going to be a very smooth operator.

I follow Elijah, my long black cotton skirt flowing by my ankles, my black cardigan covering my arms. When we finally make it outside, the sun is shining. I can already hear whoops and giggles, followed by a slash of water. When we round the corner, I face a large pool set in a tropical paradise, and several plush sun loungers. Darra already lies stretched out in a tiny red bikini, sunglasses covering her eyes.

“Changing rooms through there.” Elijah points to a brick building nestled in its surroundings.

“I’m good,” I say, making my way to one of the sun-beds, shaded by a sun umbrella before sitting down.

Jaxson and Zach are already in the water, diving on one another. I smile at their antics.

Elijah pulls off his t-shirt and his bottoms and it’s then I realise he’s already in his swim shorts.

I divert my eyes, not wanting to be caught staring. The man is like a statue. Years of swimming having broadened his chest and shoulders, leaving him with a narrow waist and muscular legs.

He dives cleanly into the pool, only to surface to a tirade of splashes.

Without saying a word, Darra makes her way over to the pool and lowers herself in gracefully. Her chest reaching towards the boys as she drops herself off the side.

She shrieks when Zach splashes her, shooting him a tirade of abuse. I suck in my lip ring as I try not to laugh at her now soaked hair and makeup.

“Aren’t you going in?”

A woman, near my age, sits beside me on the sunbed.

“Er, I don’t swim,” I tell her truthfully.

“Ahh, I take it my brother doesn’t know this little titbit of information? I’m Kat, by the way. Elijah’s slightly younger sister.”

“Hey, Kat, you coming in?” Jaxson shouts from the pool.

“No,” she says, stretching out long legs and lying back on the sun-bed, returning her attention to me. “I’m talking to—”

“Penelope,” I say. “Pen.”

“Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Pen.”

Jaxson has turned back to whatever the others are doing, leaving me with Kat.

We watch the four of them playing in the pool. Jaxson gets some floats out and Darra positions herself on a Lilo, threatening the guys with a painful death should they tip her off.

I’m amazed when they comply until I realise they are more interested in talking to one another than Darra.

“Elijah,” Caleb appears from the bushes.

“What’s up?” Elijah asks swimming to the side and resting his muscular arms on the side.

“My console has stopped working,” Caleb huffs. “Can I borrow yours?”

“It’s at uni,” Elijah tells him. “Sorry bud.”

“Damn,”

“Caleb,” Elijah snaps.

“What Damn isn’t a swear word. If I said fuck, then you could scold me.”

Kat giggles behind me.

“For god’s sake, don’t let mum or dad hear you,” Elijah says.

“I can check.” I stand up, needing to get out of this heat. I can feel my foundation melting.

Elijah looks up at me, his face and hair dripping wet with the pool water.

“I might be able to fix it,” I tell him, turning to Caleb.

“Really?” Caleb looks excited.

“No promises, but I might be able to help.”

Caleb turns to Elijah, who shrugs. “It’s up to Pen. If it’s too much trouble, I’ll order him one later.”

“No trouble,” I say, heading towards the younger man.

Caleb guides me through the house and downstairs into an enormous games room.

“Look,” Caleb says, pointing to the blank screen.

“Let me look,” I say, first checking all the connections to ensure nothing has come loose.

I unclip the box and take it to the table.

“Do you have any screw drivers etc?” I ask Caleb.

“Yep, I’ll get them.”

He leaves the room at high speed.

I drop my ass onto one of the nearby chairs while I wait, taking in my surroundings. The room houses an enormous TV screen that appears to have a multipurpose. For gaming or movie night, someone scattered a host of plush, cinema-style seats around the room, ones you can move them into position for movies.

One side of the room features a large pool table and a dartboard. On the other side, is a Jukebox and pin-ball machine with several other arcade machines.

I look up when I sense eyes on me.

A face appears in the doorway, like Caleb, but not.

“Hi. You must be Gabriel.”

Elijah told me about his siblings. Kat’s next oldest, followed by twins Caleb and Gabriel and six-year-old Harper.

Gabriel says nothing but comes into the room, moving to a seat opposite.

“Do you play computer games?” I ask.

He nods.

“Elijah says you’re a genius with computers.” It’s a statement rather than a question.

“He’s exaggerating, but I’m pretty good at coding. I also like to tinker with computers. I built my own.”

He sits up and stares at me.

“I’m a maths genius,” he tells me in a matter-of-fact tone. “I like numbers.”

“I do too. Have you tried programming?” I ask him.

He shakes his head.

Caleb reappears, stopping in his tracks when he sees Gabriel sat opposite me. His shocked expression tells me a lot.

“Hey Gabe, did you meet Pen?”

Gabriel nods at his brother.

I turn to Gabriel. “Do you want to help see if we can fix this together?”

He gets up and moves closer. Caleb hands over the toolkit and I smile. It’s the same as mine, and I wonder if Elijah purchased one for himself.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Caleb says, shooting his brother one last look. Something tells me he’d love to stay, but wants to give Gabriel an opportunity. They may be identical twins, but it’s clear they’re as different as night and day.

Caleb leaves and I begin my work. I take off the outer case and talk Gabriel through all the components inside. I explain what each piece does.

I finally identify what has gone wrong. I point it out to Gabriel, who nods before sitting back down and staring at me.

“Why do you wear so much makeup?”

I remove the piece that needs replacing and sit back down and face him.

“Good question. I wear it because I like it,” I say.

Gabriel scowls.

“Do you also like pain?”

It’s my turn to frown.

“You have a lot of piercings. They must have hurt.”

This time I grin.

“Most were not painful, although my tongue and belly button were the worst.” I poke out my tongue and show him the bar that cuts through the centre of my tongue.

He inclines his head.

“Can you fix the console?”

Conversation over.

“Yes.” I hold up the piece. “We simply need to get a replacement.”

The upstairs door slams, and noise erupts. Jaxson appears first, followed by the others. Elijah draws up short when he sees Gabriel sat at the table with me.

“Hey Gabe, you okay?”

Gabriel looks up at his older brother and nods.

“Pen is showing me how to fix the console. You’re right, she’s very clever,” he says. He gets up and holds out his hand for the broken piece.

“I will speak to mum about getting a replacement.”

I place the items in his hand. He nods and makes his way to the door.

“Thanks for your help, Gabriel,” I call after him.

When I turn back, Elijah is staring at me. His expression astonishment.