Page 2 of Ms. Fortune

“Thanks again, Diane.”

I open the first attachment to the email with the Blake daughters’ information and am instantly blown away. When I open the file, I find a picture of Normandy Blake, who is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Victor wasn’t much to look at, so I did not expect his offspring to be so breathtaking. While beautiful, the long blonde hair, sharp jawline, and cheekbones are nothing compared to her intelligent dark eyes. I could see myself getting lost in those eyes for an unreasonable amount of time.

She also looks like she doesn’t take any bullshit. I don’t know where this picture was taken, but she seems to be in an intense conversation with someone. I like women who can hold their end. I think I might like this Normandy Blake.

She’s thirty-one, so a few years younger than me, I can handle that. Went to live with her mother when her parents divorced when she was pretty young. Then moved permanently to Sacramento after college. A Stanford business grad, which isn’t too shabby. Maybe she won’t wreck her father’s business after all. Not that I assumed she would in the first place. Bonus points because she runs her own business consulting firm, turning around lost causes, and focuses on women-owned businesses. Very nice.

I’m starting to regret not talking about our families to each other when Victor and I would have lunch. I would have liked to learn more about Normandy directly from him, instead of an impersonal private investigation firm with just facts and figures. I’m almost offended that he kept her existence from me. But I haven’t been the relationship kind of guy for a few years now.

The sister, Chelsie, is another story. Similar features to Normandy, though a little darker. Definitely a different mother. Twenty-five. A string of dead-end casino jobs. To each their own. I’m not one to judge. I’m curious how that dynamic will play out at Mischief Motors between the two sisters. They seem like they couldn’t be more opposite in lifestyles.

“Mr. Carmichael, I have the funeral arrangements for you. I’ve sent you an email.”

You don’t need to tell me you sent me a fucking email. I can see it.

“Thanks, Diane.” My clenched jaw barely lets the words out. I could be a ventriloquist with how hard my teeth are shut together. I know it doesn’t stop my frustration from coming through my voice.

I’m a billionaire. At 34, I’m still considered one of the youngest billionaires ever, and I run one of the most successful companies in the world. Until Alexandr Wang came along, I was the youngest to reach that milestone at 25. And moments like this, where I’m annoyed by my fucking assistant being good at her job, make me question how the fuck I got here in the first place. Never mind all the hard work I’ve put in to be where I am. When the pressure gets to me, and I’m a dick for no reason like this, I don’t deserve a penny.

Chapter 2

FELL ON BLACK DAYS

NORMANDY

This can’t be right. These books cannot be right. There is no way my father left his business in such shambles.

“On the bright side, the ex-wives won’t be paid another dime now.” The accountant for the company, Sora, is trying to cheer me up, but it will take a hell of a lot more than that. “It looks like most of the money from the business went to them.”

One of those ex-wives is my mother. She never mentioned that Dad was still paying alimony. She didn’t live like it either.

“But at least the business is yours free and clear. Well, yours and Chelsie’s.” He pushes his glasses up higher in classic nerd fashion. “So, there’s not a mafia loan shark after you or anything. It’s just the typical line of vendors with their hands out for what’s due.” His laugh is nervous and is not comforting at all.

“Great. That makes this all so much better.” I can’t keep the sarcasm from my tone no matter how much I try. Ever since my dad died, I’ve been on the edge of a migraine trying to put the pieces of his life back together and figure out what to do with it all.

I’ve had to put my life in Sacramento, including my business consulting job, on hold to come here to deal with all of this. My half-sister Chelsie does not have a mind for business and basically volunteered me to straighten everything out. The control freak in me is perfectly happy with this, but the grieving side just wants to curl up and cry my eyes out and let someone else, anyone else, handle all of this. Keeping busy has kept the tears at bay so far but discovering the mess the business is in is threatening to change that fast.

“The good news is your father’s biggest account, LC Consolidated’s, annual reservation is coming up. That will relieve a lot of this pressure. Temporarily, at least.” He frowns with guilt, like any of this is his fault. I know it’s all my father’s doing.

My father was a hopeless romantic in a city full of sin. He always fell for the wrong woman for the wrong reasons and paid for it dearly in more ways than one. And it appears he continued to pay for it long after the marriages were left in ashes. Luckily, Chelsie and I are the only products of the failed marriages, all four of them. Otherwise, this nightmare could be worse. I can deal with Chelsie. We’ve always gotten along, though we’ve never been what I would consider close. We both understood what a cluster our families were and had no delusions on that front.

“What’s so important about LC Consolidated’s reservation?” I know the company. Everybody knows the company. It’s one of the biggest tech conglomerates in the world. But I don’t understand the connection to our business.

“Their annual charity ball and meeting is coming up in a couple of weeks. Mischief handles all the transportation for the company’s Board of Directors.”

I raise an eyebrow. That could be a decent injection of funds into this cadaverous company. If these numbers are to be believed, we need all the business we can drum up.

“We handle their business often?” It sounds like this is a standing order or something. I know there are accounts with frequent or regular users, but I never thought my father dealt with the likes of LC Consolidated.

“As far as I know, yes. They use Mischief exclusively.” He clears his throat nervously. Sora doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who gets nervous easily. “Well, at least they used to.” That sounds ominous.

“What do you mean, ‘used to?’” We can’t lose any business right now. Especially someone as important as LC Consolidated. “Why wouldn’t we still have their business?”

He adjusts his tie, looking at the exits as though he wishes he were running out of one of them right now. If I’m stuck here, so are you, buddy.

“Since we’re fielding the business calls temporarily, we had a call earlier from the CEO’s office inquiring about the status of the business. They seemed a little concerned.”

“The CEO?” I know the company but I can’t think of who the CEO is off the top of my head.

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