Page 23 of The Last Resort
“I get what you are saying, Jordan, but we’ve been over the numbers time and time again. The only way this project is going to make money is by starting with a clean slate.”
The figures didn’t lie, but his conscience still bothered him.
I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel when the bulldozers arrive on site. Sick in the pit of my stomach more than likely.
Why did it feel like the price of success, included having to sell his own soul?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
New York City
That night
“Matthew! Welcome, come in. We were worried you might not make it,” said Bryce as he opened the door of his elegant Manhattan apartment later that evening. Matthew pressed a bottle of wine and a box of expensive handmade chocolates into his brother’s hands. “What and miss an evening with my brothers and their ladies? Not a chance.”
As he stepped over the threshold, his gaze took in the apartment. A smile crept to his lips. The unmistakable signs of a feminine touch were everywhere. A vase of fresh flowers sat on the hallstand. The rich, savory scent of roasted vegetables drifted out from the kitchen.
And I know Bryce would never have chosen those little picture frames on the wall all by himself.
Vivian was everywhere. And if the grin on his brother’s face was anything to go by, she was still deep in his heart.
Love looks good on Bryce. I’m happy for him.
He followed Bryce into the main living room, where Jordan rose from a couch and greeted him with a sheepish, “Hey. I hope there are no hard feelings over this afternoon. I wasn’t trying to be an ass.”
Matthew patted him on the arm. “All good. If I can’t take some constructive criticism now, I’m going to get smashed in that town council meeting. The people who’ll look to oppose the design won’t care how I feel about it.”
Jordan had had his issues in his younger years, but so had he, including being a self-righteous prick who struggled with accepting other people’s opinions.
Any further possible discussions about the Green Tree Resort were quickly silenced as a nearby door opened and two laughing women emerged. Business was not meant to be discussed at family gatherings.
“Matthew!”
He forced a polite smile to his face as his future sisters-in-law offered him their effusive greetings.
Bryce’s fiancée, Vivian, handed him a glass of red wine, then placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “It’s lovely to see you. Sorry I missed you at the office.”
The fair-haired Vivian, whose previous career had been as a resort reviewer, worked in the customer relationships team. It was her job to make sure that the Royal Resorts experience was an unforgettable one for all its USA guests. True to form, Vivian was always the perfect hostess.
She was also from New York and Matthew could secretly admit to finding himself being comfortable around her. Vivian knew the city. His city. NYC was in her blood.
His other future sister-in-law was a different proposition. In typical Jordan fashion his brother hadn’t just wooed any woman, no, he’d won the heart of the biggest popstar on the planet. Chloe Fisher. Chloe of the hordes of fans. Chloe, who regularly sold out huge stadiums all over the world whenevershe toured. Chloe who’d had an untold number of chart-topping hits.
That Chloe Fisher.
He was relieved that in private, the dark-haired Chloe was relaxed and down to earth. He’d been delighted to discover she was an expert at building complex Lego models, and according to Jordan, her secret online profile was somewhere near the top in the global rankings onGrand Theft Auto. The fact that she made his brother stupidly, deliriously happy, was an added bonus to the magic that was Chloe.
But she was still Chloe Fisher. She couldn’t leave the building without security, and her face was constantly on the cover of every magazine and internet news service in the country. Nights like these, private dinners with the Royal family were one of the few times where Jordan and Chloe could relax and just be themselves.
He didn’t know how Jordan handled the never-ending pressure of being with someone who was always in the limelight. Even in the privacy of Bryce and Vivian’s luxury sky home, Matthew wasn’t completely comfortable around her.
I wonder if I am ever going to get used to being in the same room as Chloe?
A bouncy Chloe placed a kiss on Matthew’s other cheek, and his glasses shifted on his face. “Lovely to see you again, Matthew. How was Aspen? I’ve never been but I hear it’s amazing,” said Chloe, setting his glasses back to right.
Jordan approached and slipped an arm around his future wife’s waist. “Put it on the list, babe.”
When Matthew raised an eyebrow at the remark, Chloe laughed. “Jordan is putting together a list of all the things I haven’t done in my life. Travelling just for fun and going to places as a tourist is near the top of it.”
