"Dr. Wineberg tried to interfere, of course," Darius told them, a sudden, sharp grin spreading across his face.
Owen heard Isabel sigh softly beside him before she asked, "What is that grin about? What did you do?"
"You know me so well, Issy," Darius said, his grin widening. "The exact time Baxter moved to Charleston was when I was negotiating to buy this beach house. I already knew there was a high probability of finding major Calusa artifacts around this part of the bay." He glanced across the table at Anna, who offered a soft, quiet smile.
"Before Baxter ever set foot in South Carolina, Darius had already contacted me," Anna told the group, her voice low and steady. "He had heard through academic circles that I was the archaeologist who made the initial claim about the Calusa settlement on Sanibel decades ago."
"I helped Anna set up a bogus land survey," Darius told them proudly.
A collective gasp went around the table. Owen felt Isabel's hand tighten in his, her fingers turning cold. While most of the family had known about the survey, none of them had known this specific, calculated piece of the puzzle.
"She confirmed exactly what I suspected," Darius added.
"So..." Penny’s eyes narrowed as she processed the timeline, her gaze flicking between the two men. "You were already actively thinking of backing out of the Hearts Hotel acquisition project before we even finalized the initial corporate bids?"
"Yes," Darius and Baxter said in unison.
"I was already trying to figure out how I could help boost the tourist trade here without letting the corporate board bulldoze the island's history," Darius confessed, his expression turning unusually serious. "I wanted to see Sweet Blossom Bay as alive and preserved as it was when Isabel and I would come here with our parents as children."
Isabel turned a searching look toward her brother. "So you really didn't know about our parents' secret trust set aside for the bay?"
"No," Darius answered honestly, shaking his head. "It was a pleasant surprise."
"It certainly didn't look like you were pleased when the legal paperwork surfaced in the lobby," Isabel pointed out, her tone dry.
"I had to stick to the plan, Issy," Darius told her.
"Which was..." Isabel prompted, giving him a sharp, sideways glance.
"We're getting there," Darius said with a mischievous wink.
Owen watched the exchange, a small, quiet sense of relief settling behind his ribs. Isabel absolutely despised unnecessary suspense, and Darius was clearly taking full advantage of the moment to tease his younger sister.
"When Anna's initial survey data came back, confirming a high density of pre-Columbian deposits," Darius said, leaning forward to look at Isabel and Owen, "I knew the traditional development model was dead in the water. I had to look for alternative plans for Sweet Blossom Bay, but I was at a loss. The board was pushing hard for a luxury, high-density resort footprint, and I didn't have the leverage to block them yet."
Darius took a slow breath, his voice softening slightly as he looked at his sister. "I took Anna out to dinner at a quiet spot on the mainland to thank her for her professional consultation. That was the night I found myself telling her about our parents—about how the four of us used to spend our summers down here. I told her how much the local character of the bay meant to us."
"And I told Darius that I already knew that," Anna said, her gaze steady as she looked across the table. "I knew your parents, Isabel. We had crossed paths down here decades ago when George and I were first building our lives on the key. Darius and I sat chatting for hours that evening. He told me, right then and there, that he was going to figure out a way to save Sweet Blossom Bay and the hotel from being bulldozed by corporate interests."
Anna's expression turned grave. "But I had to warn him. I told him he had to be extremely cautious because there was another aggressive entity silently moving on the project."
"That's when Anna told me about Hyrum Wineberg," Darius said, his jaw setting into a hard, rigid line. "And how he had set his sights on the key. We traced a web of offshore shell corporations targeting the hotel's outstanding debt, and several of them led directly back to South Coast Hotels, a firm Hyrum heavily controls."
"They were targeting the key for revenge," Baxter added, his voice low and serious. "The conflict isn't just commercial; it's deeply personal. Anna was supposed to marry Hyrum decades ago, but she refused to accept the arranged marriage their families tried to force on her."
"When I married George instead," Anna said solemnly, "Hyrum was absolutely furious. He made it his life's mission to use his family's vast legal and financial resources to crush us, to ruin George's business, and to bury my academic research. He has carried that bitter grudge for forty years."
"But it's not just about an ancient family vendetta anymore," Darius told them, his analytical eyes scanning the room. "The Winebergs want Sweet Blossom Bay because of its highlystrategic, isolated position along the channel. It’s the perfect logistical hub for their less-than-legitimate commercial shipping and import businesses—enterprises they currently can't easily run on the mainland due to the heavy presence of established shipping syndicates that strictly control those regional corridors."
"Specifically, import and maritime businesses that are not allowed to operate here in Florida due to the current families that run those exact logistics networks on the eastern seaboard," Baxter explained. "The Winebergs need their own private, deep-water access point that bypasses the major commercial ports."
"And recently, we found out exactly how they plan to clear the regulatory path to get around those regional restrictions," Darius said, his voice flat. "Thompson Wineberg is not just running for a local senate seat anymore. He is officially launching a campaign to run for Governor of Florida."
Owen’s eyes shot up, a cold spike of alarm hitting him right in the chest.Oh, no. Not on his watch,he thought. A sudden surge of defensive anger flared in his throat. He did not want the corrupt, vindictive Wineberg family anywhere near his new hometown, let alone controlling the state's executive branch.
He felt a heavy wave of exhaustion pull at his thoughts. What incredibly rotten luck. For the first time in ten long years, he had met a woman who made his heart sing, and yet, in the span of a single afternoon, his manipulative ex-wife had resurfaced, his first major love had walked through the door, and the entire toxic Wineberg dynasty was plotting to relocate their corrupt enterprises to his doorstep. He gave his head a firm, silent shake, forcing his personal anxieties aside to focus entirely on the strategic briefing.
"We can stop him from establishing a foothold here," Darius said, his tone carrying a hard, confident edge. "And if we play our hand correctly, we might be able to derail his gubernatorial run entirely."
