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Vail had been a huge disappointment. He’d had a couple of comfortable nights there, but by the end of the third day, he’d already fired four cooks, three housekeepers, and a so-called professional chauffeur. He did not suffer fools gladly, and that’s what they’d all been. Not one of them had had half the sense of his lowest staff person at his compound. He had decided he’d had enough. Florida was sunny, warm, and much more accommodating. His realtor would handle the Colorado sale. The chalet had been all glass and steel—three stories of modern architecture that had not been his style at all. He couldn’t even recall what he’d liked about it in the first place.

Now, his place here in Palm Beach was just the thing. Much more his style of elegance and sophistication.

And Florida? Yes, this was definitely his scene. Sun, sand, and plenty of accommodating people to do his bidding. He was used to directing people, telling them what to do, what to think. Used to them jumping upon command to do his bidding. The domestic employment agency he’d contacted had assured him the people they would send would know how to handle themselves and do their jobs.

For one brief moment, he missed Smith. The man had sure known how to organize a household. Other than the occasional mishap, such as that servant woman splashing coffee on him, he’d had no problems with their behavior.

Ah well, what was done was done. He couldn’t have brought Smith along with him anyway. The man had been trained for only one thing. He would have been useless here. He would find other people—better people—to do his bidding. People who would be loyal to him only.

Smith had screwed up by trying to protect Serena. Idiot got what he deserved.

Feeling better from working all of that out in his mind, he turned his attention to more delightful thoughts. Grabbing the laptop on the table beside him, he clicked on the website of the most prestigious yacht builder in the world. With careful, thoughtful consideration, he perused their offerings.

He could only imagine the envious looks he would get when he was cruising into port in his new ninety-five-foot superyacht. Even though he could easily afford a bigger one, he was the least pretentious person he knew. While he wouldn’t necessarily call himself a humble man, he was too self-assured to worry himself with impressing others.

But he would, of course, expect the very best of his new yacht. All the newest amenities. All the things that others might look upon with awe and envy. Not that that was what he was looking for, but he deserved only the best. And that’s exactly what he would get.

“What do you mean you can’t get the yacht ready by next week?”

“Just what I said, Mr. Kaufman. The modifications you requested will take months to design and build. If you want them, you’ll have to wait. However, if you want the yacht the way it is now, I’ll have it delivered to you by the end of the month.”

“That is totally unacceptable,” Colton snapped. “The modifications I asked for shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks.”

“That’s not quite true. Your modification requests are quite extensive. However, that’s not the only problem. You are not our only client. We have many other people who⁠—”

Impatience and fury spewed through him. “Do you know who I am?”

Instead of giving him the respect he deserved, the man had the audacity to say, “No. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of you.”

Colton ground his teeth till his jaw almost locked. Even though the alias of Calvin Kaufman wasn’t one he’d ever used before, the social media accounts he’d set up, as well as his financial portfolio, were beyond impressive. Anyone with an iota of sense would see what an impressive, powerful man Kaufman was. The disrespect in this man’s tone wasn’t one he would tolerate. If the bastard had been standing in front of him, Colton would have killed him on the spot.

Nothing was working out the way it was supposed to. Every step he took forward, someone or something got in his way, telling him he either couldn’t have what he wanted when he wanted it or, even worse, pretending he didn’t deserve it. He had worked harder than anyone to ensure his comfort and success. The people outside WREN might not have ever heard of him, but his wealth should more than make up for the lack of name recognition.

Throwing money at a problem had never been his favorite method of getting what he wanted, but in this instance, he would do it. He wanted at least one thing to go his way.

“I’ll give you an extra million if you can have it to me next week.”

“I don’t care if you offer an extra ten million. You’ll have to wait your turn.”

Colton exploded. “You stupid imbecile! I could buy ten yachts and not even notice. You incompetent piece of vermin! You⁠—”

The line went dead. Colton stared at the phone in his shaking hand, unable to process what had just happened. Surely it was a tech glitch. The idea that someone—anyone—would dare hang up on him was inconceivable.

Dropping the phone on the cushioned chair in front of him, he stalked over to the edge of the balcony and stared out at the ocean. What was happening? Why weren’t people impressed by him? Why weren’t they eager to do his bidding? Why weren’t things working out the way he’d planned? He had worked so hard, planned so carefully.

He didn’t feel that he was in control of anything. No one wanted to cooperate. And even when they did cooperate, they did so grudgingly, as if they were doing him a favor.

Palm Beach wasn’t the paradise he’d dreamed about. He had been here barely a week and was already bored. Something was missing. He’d thought getting a new yacht would fix that problem, but now he wasn’t sure.

He needed to think this through. What would really make him happy? He’d actually never given that much thought. Having always focused on getting ahead and achieving one goal after another, considering what would satisfy him personally hadn’t been part of his life. He’d followed orders, and then he’d given orders. That had been his life. Discovering what would ultimately make him happy was a new and exciting phenomenon, and he needed to explore it.

That was the reason he was so unsettled, why he felt so incomplete. It had nothing to do with outside resources and the idiots surrounding him. It was that he didn’t know what would make him happy.

He gave a relieved huff of laughter, feeling almost silly for not understanding what was happening.

So now, he would take some time to explore, to discover what would make Colton Kingsley a happy man. Then he would pursue that with the kind of vigor he’d used in his former life. Anything he’d set his mind to, he’d always accomplished. This would be no different.

Colton Kingsley aka Calvin Kaufman deserved to be happy. No one deserved it more.