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"Compromise? With her?" I scoff, feeling my hackles rise at the mere suggestion. "Not a chance. That woman doesn't understand what this land means to us."
Birch chuckles, shaking his head. "Admit it, Ash, you'd rather butt heads with Gemma forever than admit you might actually like her." The others snicker knowingly, and I bristle at his repetitive insinuations.
"Don't be ridiculous. She's trying to turn our precious wilderness into a playground for city folks who don't know the first thing about nature. I'll never surrender an inch of Nilsson land or cooperate with her growing business."
"Alright, alright," Everest says gently, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "We're not saying you have to give in completely. Just... think about it, okay?"
I scowl into the fire, my jaw clenched tight as I wrestle with my emotions. The thought of compromising with Gemma makes my blood boil, but at the same time, I can't help but feel a strange pull towards her. It's infuriating and confusing, and I won't let my brothers see how much their teasing gets under my skin.
"Maybe," Cypress murmurs quietly, his deep voice barely audible over the sound of burning logs, "it's not just about protecting our land. Maybe you're afraid of change and letting others into our tight-knit family affairs."
I narrow my eyes, glaring at him with a mixture of exasperation and anger. How dare he try to psychoanalyze me? It's bad enough having my other brothers mock me, but for Cypress, the strong, silent type who usually keeps his opinions to himself, to chime in... it stings more than I'd like to admit.
"Look," I snap, my words sharp and biting, "you all can mock me all you want, but at the end of the day, I'm doing what needs to be done to protect what's ours. No matter what."
Their laughter dies down, and I can see the surprise in their eyes at my outburst. Good. They need to understand thatthis isn't some schoolyard game to me - it's our livelihood, our legacy, and I won't let anyone threaten that.
"Alright, Ash," Everest says cautiously, his level-headed nature kicking in as he tries to diffuse the tension. "We get it. You're just doing what you think is best. But maybe Cypress has a point. Change isn't always bad, and we might get left behind if we’re unwilling to adapt.”
"Adapt?" I scoff, my hands tightening around my beer bottle. "You mean give in to that woman and her ridiculous glamping resort? No thanks. I'd rather stay true to our roots and keep this mountain wild and untamed like it's meant to be."
"Nobody's saying you have to completely give in," Forest points out, a sly grin on his face. "But if you stop butting heads with her, you might just find that she's not the enemy you think she is."
"Enough," I growl, my patience wearing thin. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
As I take another swig from my bottle, I can feel their eyes on me, weighing the truth of my words and the tension in my jaw. But it doesn't matter what they think because I know, deep down, that I'm doing what's necessary to safeguard our family's land and legacy.
And no amount of teasing or psychoanalysis will change that.
4
GEMMA
I'm sitting across from my lawyer in his stuffy office, fuming as he delivers the bad news.
"I'm sorry, Gemma, but the planning commission only approved a portion of the new glamping development," he says, not meeting my eyes.
"That's ridiculous!" I snap, slamming my hand on his desk. The sound echoes sharply in the small room. "I followed every rule, dotted every 'i' and crossed every ’t.’ This is unacceptable."
My lawyer sighs, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. "An anonymous complaint was filed about the scale of the project. The commission agreed the cabins exceed the eco-resort zoning."
"Anonymous complaint? That's absurd," I scoff. Who would try to sabotage my dreams like this? The townspeople should be grateful for the business I'm bringing.
"I know it's frustrating, but the bank won't finance the full build-out now," he says gently. "We can reapply for the cabins later; focus on the approved tents for now."
I cross my arms, stewing. All my careful planning and hard work, just tossed aside by some anonymous coward.
"Don't give up on your vision, Gemma," my lawyer implores. "You've accomplished so much already. This is just a minor setback."
I take a deep breath, steadying myself. He's right. I can't let one grumpy local derail everything. The tents will be a start. I'll prove my resorts are precisely what this town needs, anonymous complainer be damned.
"You're right," I say finally. "The tents will do for now. I'm not letting some backwater bureaucrats squash my dreams that easily."
My lawyer smiles. "That's the spirit. This is just the beginning for you and your empire. Onward and upward."
I stand, gathering my things, resolve renewed. A five-star luxury tent village will show everyone what I'm capable of. This is only the first step on the path to making my glamping resorts the premier destination in the region. No one can stop me from achieving my vision. Definitely not some coward hiding behind anonymity.
I leave my lawyer's office with renewed determination, though anger still simmers beneath the surface. How dare someone try to undermine all my hard work and planning? This was supposed to be my time to shine, to prove myself finally, and now my dreams are being chipped away by small-minded bureaucrats.
