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“He wants to meet you, but there’s no rush.”
“Our mothers want to meet you too,” Brecken adds. “There’s a huge party planned for New Year’s Eve, so you’ll get introduced then.”
Oh crap. That sounds super heavy. And the second thought I have is about my evening dress. I’m such a classic girl. “Talk about being thrown in at the deep end,” I quip.
“Don’t sweat it,” Reuben suggests. “They’re gonna love you.”
I sip more champagne. “Sienna didn’t.”
“Sienna’s being a greedy bitch, that’s why,” Luca clarifies. “You might derail all her plans.”
I’ve never heard Luca be so negative before. Coming from him, those words shock me. But I can tell it’s because he’s passionate about his work, about the future of the hotels, and the plans the three of them have. And some of those wishes seem to revolve around me. Like a sledgehammer, my role in safeguarding their futures hits me full-on. It feels powerful and terrifying all in one go. I’ll either be the cause of their downfall, or I’ll be at the heart of their stellar success.
But I realize I’m not alone in that regard. Brecken plays an equal part, if not larger. Through his choices, alliances will be settled. Three voices against Sienna alone might be enough to convince their father to hand over ownership in three equal shares, rather than selling.
But what about the rest of the deal? The part that requires a wife? Or wives?
Feeling covetous, unsure of my precise role in this, I assure them, “We won’t let her win.”
I’m giventhe full tour, starting with the main offices for the entire North American management team, of which I am an employee.
“You can meet everyone tomorrow,” Luca suggests.
We move along a wide, grand hallway, Reuben explaining, “This is where the party will be.” He opens two impossibly tall, cream doors, both of them covered with gold detailing. They invite me into a fabulous, double-height ballroom.
It looks like something straight out of Versailles, or the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, with dozens of cream, marble columns, champagne-colored walls edged in gold, and entire spaces filled with enormously heavy, gilt-framed mirrors. Crystal chandeliers hang from robust chains, with heavy draperies framing floor-to-ceiling windows and doors. It takes my breath away.
“Guests pay a hefty sum to get a ticket for this once a year only event.”
I elbow him. “New Year’sisonce a year.”
“We also have a summer equinox ball. Also an annual event.”
I laugh at his silliness, spinning as if dancing across the geometric block pattern parquetry. The craftsmanship is excellent and must date back to the original build.
“Iconic, most admired, and authentic hotel experience in the state,” I tell Luca on the way out, full of admiration and pride. I get toworkhere.Livehere. To build the Balthazar Hotel brand. One of ninety in North America, this is themother shipaccording to Luca, and wandering the corridors and rooms it’s obvious why.
Its beauty is unparalleled, its history, its elegance.
Every now and then, a member of staff nods at Luca, smiling at Roo and Brecken. It has me whispering, “Do the staff know about your familial link?”
“No. They think we’re friends from college,” Luca answers. “Google doesn’t know about them yet,” he supplies, his hands jammed in his pockets. “Sienna’s link to Dad has been acknowledged, mostly because she made sure she was,” he adds quietly.
Hmm. Interesting. And it reminds me of the early conversations I had with Luca, the one where I raised the idea of guests staying in one of the towers. Without me knowing he was talking about himself, he explained how private the Wolfford family was. If the staff are unaware of Brecken and Reuben then the media interest will be huge. And that announcement will come soon. My guess is within the year if Balthazar’s retirement plans are adhered to.
My thoughts can’t help but surge forward to six months from now, a year, three. What will we look like then? Will I have to watch one of them marry? All of them? What happens to me if they do? To us?
My eyes snag on Brecken. He’s been very quiet, tagging along and watching. Always watching.
Leaving the questions to one side, I enquire, “So who lives in Suite Balthazar?”
“That’ll be Dad,” Luca confirms. We’ve just finished touring the four restaurants, pool, and gymnasium. He slips something out of his pocket. “Which reminds me. This is your access card to our suite, to accompany the one for the elevator. Keep it safe. Let us know if it ever goes missing as we’ll need to reconfigure all of them as a safety precaution.” He notices my alarmed expression. “Sienna often visits our father, though she prefers her lodge. Weneverlet her into our suite; we just don’t trust her. But you, you can just let yourself in whenever you want to see us, which hopefully starts tonight when you join us for dinner.”
Interestingly, Luca doesn’t give me access to his personal office. Maybe, like me, he realizes what a colossal distraction that would be. And who am I kidding? I’m a cog in a wheel of many wheels. Just because I’m screwing the hotel’s heirs doesn’t grant me special dispensation. At least, it shouldn’t. Proving myself is paramount; I never want Luca to regret hiring me, so my spot in the office with the rest of the staff is where I’ll stay.
But there’s no way I’m spending my first evening here alone, so I tell him, “I’ll be there."
CHAPTERTWO
