Page 2 of The Cocky Neighbor

It should be an easy job. Go in, evaluate the business's current operations, and implement upgrades that would make the hotels more efficient and in line with our company's business plans. Business strategies had been drilled into my studies while growing up, so I should be able to guide a hotel of this scale in my sleep.

Which made the nerves that bubbled in my stomach as I entered the hotel even stranger. Perhaps it was the pressure of needing this transition to go well as it was my brother's first major acquisition as the next future head of the Wright Group and I didn't want to let him down, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong. That just meant that I had to do whatever necessary to ensure that nothing went off track.

I arrived at the hotel early. The place was mostly empty save the few staff on the night shift. There was still an hour until the day shift employees and my assistant were set to arrive, so I took my time wandering around the lobby and checking the nooks and crannies of the place.

The maids at the Wright manor once offhandedly mentioned that most people would clean the more obvious places but often forgot about the harder to see areas. Like the baseboards, for example, since it was closer to the ground, not many people would think of it.

However, the Wright Group demanded perfection, meaning there shouldn't even be a speck of dust at any of our establishments. Crouching down, I swiped a finger over the top of the white baseboards. They looked clean, but appearances could be misleading, and I was displeased to find a thick layer of dust coating my pointer finger.

Frowning, I headed to the bathroom to wash the dust off. I wasn't going to ruin my beautiful purple suit with the filth, and dirtying the hotel floors was even more out of the question.

The day wasn't starting out on the best of notes and only went even more downhill as I continued to loiter in the lobby for the next half an hour. There were glances shot my way—that was to be expected as I was dressed impeccably and in the height of fashion—but not a single receptionist came up to me to ask if I needed assistance.

I watched them chat and play on their phones, oblivious to my gaze on them. At least they seemed professional whenever someone went up to the receptionist desk to check out. It was the only silver lining in their lack of initiative to attend to the hotel guests.

Another ten minutes passed as I sat on the white couches and tried to swallow my irritation. I had to remind myself that things could only go up from here. Hopefully.

The acquisition contract came with a clause stating that we couldn't fire their current employees without due cause, so I could only hope that the current staff could be trained to meet the Wright standards.

The hotel's revolving door rotated, and Ava, my assistant, entered the building. She had on her business face: a kind smile that worked wonders in tricking the other party into believing that she was an easy target. She wasn't.

In all the years that I'd worked with Ava, she'd shown herself to be an invaluable assistant. She may look innocent with her expressive eyes and pretty face, but in reality, she was a shark who was possibly even stricter in her expectations than I was.She was perfect in all areas except for one…

"Ava, you're dressed as dully as ever," I said as I stood to greet her. "I informed you of what I was wearing today. We could have color coordinated to show a united front and really make an impression."

She glanced up and down my body, her eyes landing on my designerleopardprint tie. Her nose wrinkled the way it did when something wasn't to her liking. "And you're dressed as…flashy as ever. I don't think we'll have any problem making an impression, although I'm not sure if it's the kind you're thinking of."

She smoothed her black pencil skirt and picked an imaginary piece of lint off her wrinkle-free black suit jacket. She looked perfectly put together in her business attire, but it was very boring, lacking in both color and creativity. Her outfit looked as drab as today's gloomy weather.

I sighed. I guessed no one was perfect. Maybe I could inspire some fashion sense into her in a couple more years.

Ava knew me well enough to know that my silence meant I was done nagging her about her boring clothes. She used the chance to hand me a leatherpadfolio."I summarized all the important information for yourconvenience."

I opened the padfolio to see a list of the management level employees, including their work history and even a rating of how the people under them viewed their management style. How she even got ahold of this data, I had no clue.

The next section contained various charts of the hotel’sfinancialsand client retention.Ava was nothing but meticulous.I'd naturally completed all my research before coming here, but her summary would be useful to reference when in a pinch.

I closed the padfolio and handed it back to her with a satisfactory smile. "Let's get this party started."

THREE

LIAM

I led us to the front desk where the previous receptionists were replaced by the daytime staff. They shot me an appraising glance,their gaze flicking to Ava while they kept their smile professional as they greeted us.

"Liam Wright from the Wright Group," I said, handing them my business card. "I scheduled a meeting today."

The flash of surprise crossed the man's face, but he managed to hold his pearly white smile for the most part as he took my business card. Points to him for managing that.

"Mr. Wright, yes, we've been expecting you. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm AlfredAnderson, the assistant manager of this branch." He walked around the front desk and offered me his hand.

I wasn't expecting the assistant manager to be manning the receptionist desk, but I had respect for supervisors who weren't on their high horse thinking that they were too good to do the job of the people they managed. I very much lived by thephilosophythat a manager was only as good as those under them.

"We weren't expecting you this early," Alfred said with a glance toward the staff area.

His actions raised questions, but I didn't pursue it. Instead, I stepped aside to introduce Ava, "This is my right-hand woman, Ava. She will be assisting me in making this transition as painless as possible."

Alfred chuckled at my attempt to make a joke, but it seemed a bit forced. He shook Ava's hand before asking, "Should I give you a tour of our hotel first?"

---