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“Aria.” Her name tasted like a mint. He swallowed hard. “What are you doing here?”
“You said the meeting was about Oceanview, and since I have a significant stake in what happens to Mariposa Street, I wanted to speak directly to your planning committee.” She stopped in front of him, and he caught a whiff of perfume.
“Hunter.” Juliette stood at the conference room door. “We’re ready to get started. Hello, Miss Prescott. We weren’t expecting you.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t invite a Bliss Cove representative in the first place.” Squaring her shoulders, Aria walked to the conference room. “I won’t take up too much of your time, I assure you.”
Ignoring Juliette’s penetrating stare, Hunter followed Aria into the room and pulled out the chair beside his.
“Thank you, but I’ll stand.” She extended a hand to Bruce. “Mr. Sinclair? Aria Prescott, owner of the Meow and Then cat café on Mariposa Street.”
“I know who you are.” He shook her hand, his eyes turning cold.
Hunter wanted to remain standing, but he couldn’t risk visually aligning himself with Aria. He pushed his chair back and sat.
“Why don’t you tell us what you’re doing here, Miss Prescott?” A hard note edged Bruce’s voice.
“Certainly. I’d like to remind you that I have no intention of selling you my property.”
Another lawyer chuckled. “We know. Truth be told, we don’t need you to agree. Once we have a majority vote, we’ll be able to buy your property for far less than what it’s worth. So by all means, vote no. We’d appreciate your help saving money.”
Bruce laughed. Hunter fisted his hands.
“I’m sure you would.” Aria gave the lawyer a sharp smile. “Just as I would appreciate you explaining what the Venture project is.”
The lawyers stilled. A thick, ominous silence fell.
“How did you know about the Venture project?” A muscle ticked in Bruce’s jaw.
“I’d suggest you explain it to me, or I’ll just tell the other Mariposa Street owners that you have something else planned for Bliss Cove, but you refuse to be transparent. I know you think we’re a bunch of small-town hicks, but remember what happened when your lastdeveloper…” she threw Hunter a pointed look, “…came to negotiate with the town council and the Mariposa owners? He leaked the plans for the project you wanted to build at the time, and everyone hated it. So he effectively killed the whole deal. I’m sure you don’t want that to happen to Oceanview. Not atthisstage in the game.”
The silence lengthened. Hunter narrowed his gaze at Juliette, searching for a hint of what the hell Aria was talking about, but she looked as clueless as he felt.
Venture project?
Suspicion lanced through him, sharp and pointed. He suddenly knew his instincts had been right. He’d just been too fucking distracted to pay closer attention.
“Miss Prescott.” A thin smile curved Mark’s mouth. “I guarantee you don’t want to threaten Imperial Properties.”
“It’s okay.” Bruce held up a hand, his attention fixed on Aria. “I appreciate gumption. I’ll tell you about the Venture project.” He punched a key on his laptop, advancing the slide to an artistic rendering of a large resort spreading over the coastline bordering Bliss Cove. “This, my dear girl, is the Venture project. Or rather, the all-inclusive Venture Resort and Spa.”
Cold ran down Hunter’s spine. “You didn’t tell me anything about aresort.”
“Or me.” Juliette folded her arms, her expression pinched.
“Of course not.” Bruce rose and approached the screen. “I wanted you both focused on your respective projects, and this would have been a distraction. But now that you’re both finalizing the details, I can tell you that I haven’t yet decided on who is going to direct the execution of the Venture Resort.”
Juliette frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be Hunter?”
“It might well be Hunter,” Bruce said. “Or it could be you.”
Her eyes widened. “Me?”
“The Venture Resort and Spa will be our biggest penetration into California—hell, the West Coast—to date,” Bruce said. “I intend to turn the execution of the project over to the person I believe will make the most effective CEO of Imperial Properties.”
What the—
Beside him, Hunter felt Aria stiffen with shock.
