Help Wanted: Experienced manager to oversee day-to-day operations at the Bay Café. Please contact the proprietor directly.
Isabel stopped on the pavement, her fingers pulling her mobile phone from her purse, and she quickly logged the mobile number into her device. A sudden, sharp spark of pure excitement surged through her chest, chasing away the heavy lingering ache of the afternoon's family argument. Shedesperately wanted a fresh project, a real purpose to anchor her days on this coast, and if she was going to move here, she’d have something constructive to do. For a long time, Isabel had felt she needed something to do besides her hobbies or the few trusts and resort projects she managed for the Wayne Group.
Isabel wanted something to do for herself, not because of obligation but because she truly wanted to. Secretly, she’d always wanted to have a small coffee shop with maybe even a bookstore joined to it. She grinned, glancing back at the sign as she and Penny stepped up to the door of the cafe.
There was an incredible, comforting warmth about the cafe, and she knew instantly that she wanted to work here.
Isabel slipped her phone away as a friendly server immediately walked forward, holding a tray of fresh water glasses. "Afternoon, ladies. Welcome to the Bay Café. Are you looking for a table?"
"Hello, we're here to meet someone," Isabel explained, smoothing the front of her linen trousers.
"Ah, yes. The gentleman in the back corner mentioned he was expecting two additional guests," the waitress said, gesturing toward where Darius had taken a table. "Right this way, please."
She steered them past the main dining floor toward a deeply recessed, secluded corner booth that offered a magnificent view of the glittering bay through the wide glass panels. Isabel’s entire frame stiffened slightly as her eyes landed on her brother. Sitting squarely on the polished wood table directly in front of him was their parents' thick leather project folder.
Darius rose in a single, fluid motion, pulling out the chairs for them with an unhurried, quiet courtesy. "Thank you both forcoming," Darius said softly, his voice rough and entirely devoid of its usual dominant corporate authority.
They took their seats, ordering their specialty coffees and a selection of desserts the moment the server pulled out her notepad. Once the young woman retreated toward the kitchen, Penny rested her forearms flat against the table, cutting straight to the core of the meeting.
"What exactly is going on, Darius?" Penny asked, her tone level entirely businesslike.
"Yes, can't you manage even a single hour without us?" Isabel added, her drawl carrying a heavy layer of sarcasm.
Darius offered a faint, weary smile, his gaze dropping to his folded hands. "To be completely honest with both of you, the beach house is entirely silent now. And I have absolutely no idea how to operate that overly complicated coffee machine in the kitchen."
"Is that the urgent emergency that required a priority call from your assistant?" Isabel asked coldly. "There is an instruction manual tucked into the kitchen drawer, Darius. Or you can simply watch a tutorial on YouTube."
Darius let out a long, slow sigh, nodding his head in concession. "Thanks for the practical advice," Darius murmured, his fingers tapping the edge of the leather binder as the server returned, quietly depositing their specialty coffees and the cake before vanishing back toward the counter.
Once they were completely alone in the alcove, Darius leaned forward, his expression turning intense. "Isabel, I need you to outline exactly what Mom and Dad spoke to you about regardingtheir alternative plans for this coastal development before the accident."
“I’ve already told you this.” Isabel’s dark brows shot up in complete shock, her fork hovering inches above her plate. "Why the sudden, urgent interest now, Darius?"
"Because..." Darius swallowed hard as his hand tapped the folder in front of him. "I've had a profound change of heart. To be completely honest with you, this specific acquisition project hasn't sat right with my conscience for a very long time."
Penny nodded slowly, looking across the table at Isabel. "I can completely vouch for that, Isabel," Penny stated, raising her hands quickly before a fresh argument could flare. "No, I am not taking your brother's side to smooth things over. I’m simply reporting the truth. Darius has been creating administrative delays on the final acquisition compliance orders all summer."
"I've noticed the internal conflict in him as well," Isabel admitted, her tone losing its sharp edge by a fraction.
"But even if I want to completely halt our active corporate play and look at the alternative project you were discussing with Mom," Darius explained, his voice sinking into a quiet register, "we have an entirely separate development threat."
"What threat?" Penny asked, her eyes narrowing sharply.
"A rival development firm called the Carolina Group is actively preparing to target Hearts Hotel as well," Darius revealed, his jaw tightening. "They've been outmaneuvering our commercial bids on the mainland for months. I’m sure we have a corporate mole feeding them Wayne Group information, and I believe that leak extends right into this town, perhaps even into the hotel staff itself."
"Baxter!" Isabel and Penny said in unison, their voices perfectly synchronized.
"We can’t make an official accusation without hard physical evidence," Darius warned them, holding up a steady hand. "It might be an independent analyst or someone else working beside him, or even me. But right now, they are preparing to aggressively acquire the land the moment our company falters or even stalls."
Isabel leaned back against the vinyl cushion, processing the revelation. "Alright. What exactly do you want to do about it?"
"I have an aggressive plan," Darius told them, looking between his sister and Penny, "But I am going to need your absolute cooperation to execute it properly."
Isabel closed her eyes, shaking her head with a weary movement. "Oh, wonderful. So this is the part where you use a terrifying ghost story to coax us back to the beach house so you can carry on with the original transaction."
"No," Darius insisted, his expression entirely intense. "I need you to sit down with Penny and map out every single asset, loan parameter, and guideline connected to whatever you and our parents were working on. But you cannot tell anyone else about this.” His eyes moved between them. “The rival firm and the internal leak must believe that the Wayne Group is still aggressively marching forward with the acquisition of Hearts Hotel. If they think I'm still pushing the line, they won't alter their current tactics, which gives Clyde the window he needs to expose the mole."
"What I do for this town and the trust I handle for it is not common knowledge," Isabel assured him. "Only my private assistant knows about it."
