Page 2 of A Tycoon's Christmas

“I can’t wait for Christmas morning,” I murmured. “Our first one all together in the penthouse.”

Andrew pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple. “It’s going to be perfect, love. The kids are going to—”

A shrill ring cut through our tender moment. Andrew frowned, fishing his phone from his pocket. His brow furrowed as he glanced at the screen.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this,” he said, his voice tight. “It’s the Tokyo office.”

As he stepped away to answer, a chill — one that had nothing to do with the December air — settled over me. I watched his expression shift from relaxed to concerned, his shoulders tensing with each passing second. A knot formed in my stomach, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that our perfect Christmas was about to collapse.

My heart sank as I listened to Andrew’s conversation, my mind racing with worry. What could be happening in Tokyo that would jeopardize such an important deal? I tried not to eavesdrop, but the concern in his voice was impossible to ignore.

When Andrew finished the call, he turned back to me with a worried expression. “I’m sorry, Amara. That was the Tokyo office. It seems like there are some complications with the deal we’ve been working on.”

I bit my lip, trying to remain calm as he explained the situation. Apparently, there have been unexpected shifts in the market that could derail months of effort.

“Is there anything we can do?” I asked, feeling helpless.

Andrew shook his head. “Not much at this point. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out.”

We continued our walk in silence, both lost in our thoughts. The magic of Fifth Avenue had all but disappeared, replaced by a heavy sense of worry.

As we reached our building, Andrew pulled me into a warm embrace. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to salvage this deal,” he whispered.

I nodded, not wanting to add any more pressure on him. But deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had settled over me.

That night, after putting the kids to bed, Andrew disappeared into his home office once again. I knew he was working tirelessly to try and save the deal, and it broke my heart to see him so stressed out.

I tried my best not to let my own worries show, but it was difficult when my husband’s focus was elsewhere.

Days passed, and Andrew continued his relentless efforts to salvage the deal. Each time he returned from a meeting or a call with his team in Japan, it became clear that things weren’t looking good.

One evening, as we sat down for dinner, he let out a heavy sigh and looked at me with defeat. I couldn’t bring myself to ask him about the deal; I could see the load it placed on him. But as we finished our meal and headed to bed, I couldn’t help feeling sadness flowing through me.

I tossed and turned all night, unable to shut off my mind from worrying about Andrew and prayed he could get things situated before too long. The next morning, as we sat down for breakfast, I finally broke the silence.

“Are you making any progress?” I asked tentatively.

Andrew ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh. “Not great,” he admitted. “It’s looking like we might have to pull out.”

My heart sank at his words. I knew how much the deal meant to him and how hard he’d been working on it for months.

“Is there no other option?” I asked, trying to remain positive.

He shook his head. “We’ve explored almost every avenue, but it’s just might not be feasible anymore.” His voice cracked with emotion, something that rarely happened to Andrew.

I reached across the table and took his hand in mine. “I have faith that you will come out on top,” I assured him. “You always figure something out in the end.”

He gave me a grateful smile before excusing himself from the table. As he headed into his home office, I silently prayed that what I said was true. Because this was supposed to be our perfect Christmas, but now everything was up in the air.

As the days went by, it became clear that there was no hope left for the Tokyo deal. Despite Andrew’s best efforts, all negotiations had fallen through, and it looked like they would have to pull out.

Andrew was devastated. I could see the disappointment on his face every day as he continued to work tirelessly, trying to find a solution. But with time running out, it was becoming more and more apparent that there wasn’t one.

One evening, as we sat down for dinner, Andrew dropped a bombshell on me.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I wish things could have turned out differently. But I need to go to Tokyo, and I may not be back in time for Christmas.”

My heart sank at his words. Not only was our perfect Christmas impossible now, but Andrew wouldn’t even be here to celebrate with us.

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