Page 33 of Royal Flush

CHAPTER 10

Braxton

San Diego.

Sunshine. Beautiful people. Incredible scenery.

It was the city I’d grown up in, the one where my stepmother still lived and the opulent location where both of my brothers and I owned houses.

Or in our cases, incredible sprawling estates.

While there was extreme wealth in the city, as well as just the opposite, we’d been born luckier than most, our father parlaying his original business idea and venture into a multimillion-dollar company. Now it was worth billions, thanks mostly to my brothers. Progressive Media Productions was a force to be reckoned with.

While there’d been a significant change in operations nearly eight months before, sadly, our father now dead, the three of us still found time to operate both our lucrative wealth management firm and the Royal Players Club.

Our baby.

However, doing triple duty was as taxing as it was rewarding.

The three of us juggled with long hours and little sleep, which meant for the most part our personal lives had been put on hold. Well, Valerio had been lucky enough to find the woman of his dreams. Maybe if I kept repeating he’d been lucky, I’d find the right one. Not a chance.

Sighing, after parking my Lamborghini, my most prized possession, I yanked my sunglasses off, shoving them into my pocket as I walked into the massive steel and glass building housing Progressive Media. I’d returned from the island trip only a couple of hours before receiving the rather urgent call from Valerio that a meeting needed to be held.

So, here I was, interrupting my day to see what the hell was so important.

As I leaned against the elevator wall, crossing my feet at the ankles, my thoughts managed to drift to the lovely yet mysterious woman for about the thousandth time. It didn’t make any sense she’d had such a profound effect on me or that I’d felt a sense of loss when she’d disappeared.

But I still felt that way.

All I’d learned was that she’d taken her earlier illegal winnings, heading to Miami where she could board a plane to God knows where. Dozens of guests used the city as a hub instead of a destination. She certainly hadn’t left a message or a forwarding number. I rubbed my jaw, cognizant of the fact I hadn’t shaved since she’d left. It was ridiculous but maybe it was some odd way of holding onto her.

Fuck me.

She was a thief, a highly skilled card shark, and I was lamenting losing her. Especially when I doubted that I’d ever see her again. The elevator doors opened, bringing me back to reality.

I headed to the suite of offices, pushing my way in through the double doors.

“Mr. Royal. It’s good to see you again,” the receptionist said as I breezed in.

“Nice to see you as well.” Sadly, I hadn’t learned every staff member’s name. Our father had controlled this world with an iron fist, which had pushed Gage and me into preferring to only come to the office for the quarterly board meetings.

It still seemed surreal the Royal siblings were now completely in charge, but the heavy workload meant bigger profits.

As if money was all that mattered in life.

As I made my way down the bank of well-lit hallways, only a few employees bothered to glance in my direction. Few changes had occurred. There had been no need, our father’s iron fist matched with a decent heart.

Valerio’s office was located next to mine, Gage preferring to have a smaller one on the opposite end of the building. So far, our father’s remained empty but at some point, that would need to change. It was tough to think he was gone, the events leading up to it difficult to process even after all these months.

I walked in, the door partially open. What I noticed immediately was that it had yet to strike the noon hour and both men were indulging in a drink.

The other aspect I noticed was the total silence.

They didn’t even notice me when I walked in, both absorbed in whatever task they were performing.

“What is this, a wake?”

Valerio lifted his head first. “Close the door.”

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