Page 1 of The Billionaire's Pawfect Match

CHAPTER 1

ISAAC

Ipush open the glass door to Lennox Realty, the polished brass plaque on the front of the twenty-story building still boasting my father’s name. Robert Lennox, it reads, that name etched into every corner of Portland, and now, hauntingly absent from the world.

The lobby is quiet, the usual hum of activity dulled to hushed murmurs and the soft clicking of keyboards. It’s as if the building itself is in mourning.

Or perhaps quiet celebration. Surely I wasn’t the only person who had a, uh…complicatedrelationship with my father. Just how many toes he stepped on during his climb to the top I have no idea, but I guarantee it was more than a few.

“Morning, Isaac,” Carol says.

I stop short at the sound of her voice, surprised to discover that I somehow made it all the way to my floor without realizing it. Carol smiles gently, like she’s not sure how to act. She’s been more than an assistant over the years, often a confidant, sometimes the bridge between me and my father when thewaters got too rough. A couple of decades older than me, sometimes she feels like the mother I don’t have, a person I can go to with any sort of problem.

That is, if I were the type to share my problems openly. Typically, I keep them to myself. It’s better that way.

“Good morning, Carol.” For some reason, my voice doesn’t sound like my own.

I glance around at the familiar walls, at the framed successes on display — each one a notch on the belt of my father’s legacy. Each one a reminder of the approval I chased, the dreams we were supposed to realize together.

“Are you holding up okay?” she asks, leaning forward, her hands clasped together on the desk.

I can feel the weight of her concern, the unspoken acknowledgment of the gaping hole that has opened up in my life. But the words, the truth of how I’m not okay, that I’m adrift in a sea of half-felt grief, they cling stubbornly to the back of my throat.

My father and I didn’t have the best relationship, but he was the only family I had. And losing someone so suddenly… the heart attack taking him within minutes… Even a week later, it’s still hard to believe.

“Have we heard back from the Henderson proposal?” I ask, well aware that I’m deflecting. It’s easier than acknowledging the chair that will remain empty, the approving nod that will never come again.

Carol nods, picking up the cue as she always does. “Yes, they’re considering our final offer. Should hear by end of day.”

“Good, good.” I nod back, the businessman façade sliding comfortably into place, shielding me from the raw edges of my reality.

In this role, I am untouchable, undistracted by the phantom pain of my father’s absence. In this role, I am what he shaped me to be — to the point; productive.

As I make my way to my desk, the acting CEO’s lair, every step is an echo in the cavern left behind by him. This was supposed to be our empire, a dynasty of steel and ambition, but now, I walk these halls alone, haunted by the ghosts of expectations and the silent pressure of a complicated love.

And so the day begins, just as yesterday did, with the somber rhythm of loss and the unyielding march of business. The world spins on, indifferent to the man who once commanded this corner of it, and I, his living legacy, must find a way to spin with it.

At least there is some comfort in all of this. With my father passed, the company is now mine. I will have even more tasks to occupy my hours, even greater heights to reach. The only shame I feel is that my father will not be here to see me achieve them.

It’s partly hurt driving that thought. I’ve always wanted to rub my success in the old man’s face, and death has not changed that. Even though he gave me a position in this company, I had to work my way up just like everyone else — oftentimes,morethan everyone else. It was as if being his son meant that I needed to prove myself to a degree that others didn’t need to. It’s why, at thirty-two, I have no partner, no family. No close friends — unless you count my assistant, which is kind of sad. My whole life has been this company.

And today that will pay off. Today I’m meeting with the staff lawyers to go over my father’s will, and despite his shortcomings, at least my father always made it clear that he would leave the company to me. He knew that I deserved at least that much.

Carol is ready to go when I emerge from my office, her laptop in hand. Without a word, we set off for the boardroom, our steps carrying us into a promising future.

The legal team is already here, sitting around the table sipping coffee and speaking in quiet tones. I let myself and Carol in, and the collective attention snaps our way.

“Mr. Lennox, thank you for coming.” Mr. Harrington, my father’s head lawyer, comes around the table. He reaches his hand out, but the shake lacks the warmth human touch should carry.

“Thank you for being here.” I nod once, ready to jump in.

He gestures to the gleaming table. “Please, take a seat.”

The leather chair creaks beneath me, a familiar sound in an unfamiliar context. It’s the head of the table now, a throne I always coveted and that is now finally mine. Carol settles into the chair next to me, her presence a silent anchor.

“Isaac, as you know…” Mr. Harrington pauses. Clears his throat. I feel my eyes narrow slightly at his use of my first name. What is he buttering me up for? “Your father was a man of clear intentions. His will reflects his desire for Lennox Realty to remain in the family.”

I nod, my throat tight, fingers laced together to hide their tremor. This is supposed to be a victory, the culmination of everylate night and sacrificed weekend. But now that I’m here, about to receive my trophy, the prize feels hollow without the one person whose approval mattered most.

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