The One Who Got Away (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) Read Online Free Page A

smiles. I stuck out like a sore thumb in my black shift dress, fishnets, and combat boots, with a black ribbon weaving through my fishtail braid.
    I gave the woman the biggest grin I could muster and stalked toward the focal point on campus. Johnson Hall had all the pomp and circumstance of stock colleges in movies. The bricks and regal windows gleamed in the sun, six columns stretching from the second floor to the roof. The closer I got, the more hypnotic the fountain became. Navigating through the sea of young women chatting, laughing, and booking it to their next class, I caught the bug. The infectious excitement about learning and opportunity was all around.
    I was surprised when Ashton opted to stay in North Carolina after graduation and downright flabbergasted when she chose to go to a women’s college. A part of me worried she’d change because there seemed to be a definite type of ‘Meredith Girl.’ It was a uniform of pearls and permanent smiles that seemed so far away from Ashton’s tattoo sleeves, band t-shirts, and jeans.
    When I left NC, we kept in touch and I watched her kick ass and take names, all while remaining true to herself and never judging me for avoiding my home state for years.
    I breezed through the doors that led into Johnson Hall, and I couldn’t fight the feeling of wonder and excitement when I looked up at the intricate gold writing engraved on the open-air atrium. I’d given Ashton some serious side eye when she told me she was staying at Meredith, accepting a position in the office she’d worked in as a student, the Admissions Office. Once upon a time, we both talked about getting the hell out of North Carolina together and at every turn, she passed.
    We chose different paths, but all roads led back home, it seemed.
    I read the gold placard beside the door. ‘Admissions.’ I pushed inside and took a breath. I had a feeling that the space was actually no bigger than my tiny studio back in Omaha, but someone had maximized every square inch, making it look open and inviting. A window on the far wall was lifted, sending sunlight and gusts of warmth into the room. A set of modular chairs sat off to the right. A coffee table in the center was lined with brochures and books about the school. A bookshelf was right ahead, lined with magazines and more information that enticed with bright colors and promises that Meredith could be a home away from home.
    A mother and daughter, both wearing newly acquired Meredith swag, were engrossed in conversation about the study abroad program.
    “Yes, you can use your student aid for study abroad!” A golden-haired twenty-something perked behind the reception desk. She had a voice as bubbly as champagne.
    When the daughter let out a squeal of delight, the receptionist pulled out a fistful of pamphlets and foisted them into the girl’s eager hands.
    “And many of our programs are cheaper than a semester at Meredith!”
    “Ooo!” The girl cooed, tossing her brown ringlets and grinning big at her mother. “That means more money for partying!”
    The mother groaned, her face turning a color a few shades darker than Meredith’s maroon-lined logo. She gave me and the receptionist an apologetic grimace, then steered her daughter toward the lounge area before she embarrassed her further.
    I stepped up to bat, fully expecting the bubbliness the receptionist exuded to be turned off for me, or at least turned down a few notches. But the woman, ‘Hunter’ etched into a nametag attached to her heart print dress, leapt from her seat. She whipped around the desk to where I stood and threw her arms around my neck.
    I stood there in her perfumed embrace, awkwardly returning the hug until she took a step back. “Man, I already have a degree, but I’m tempted to come back and get a second if hugs are included in the tuition!”
    Hunter tossed her head back like I’d just said the funniest thing she’d ever heard. “Ash told me you were hilarious!”
    And right