I don’t bother doing either one because when I turn on my computer there’s an email from him with spreadsheets from Aldry’s Sweets. That’s the factory the Aldridge family founded in the early 1900’s. And my special project. Henry is an expert at giving me the problem children to fix.
William Aldridge let the place go, just like he did with The Lodge. That’s the hotel his family built last century to accommodate tourists and skiers. Saving them is proving to be more challenging than I expected at the beginning. Henry’s focusing on The Lodge, since he’s the hotel whisperer. It sounds like a joke, but he knows hotels like nobody else in the world. His life has always revolved around hotels and hospitality. He worked for his grandfather since the age of sixteen, starting from the bottom.
On the other hand, I’m stuck with the factory. He never said anything directly. The one time he hinted I’d be taking over was when he said, “Sophia, we need to go to the conference room. I need a human approach, because if it’s me, I’d sell the place and wash my hands of it.”
Needless to say, I had to explain to him all the reasons why firing half of the staff was not only wrong but counterproductive. Henry is a brilliant man, but sometimes he concentrates too much on the bottom line. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do the same with The Lodge. He fired a few people and demoted many more.
During my flight to Portland, I go through the reports he sent earlier. We’re purchasing new equipment, rebranding, and focusing on production for the next few months. Maybe I should stay until Monday so I can speak with the current director of operations. He doesn’t like to work outside office hours. With all due respect, the man is old school and should’ve retired twenty years ago. We need to hire new management. I never met William Aldridge, but sometimes I feel like he let everything go just to make this situation that much more difficult for his sons.
Once I land, I see the one and only Henry Aldridge. All six foot and some inches of him leaning against the hood of his Bugatti La Voiture Noire. He wears a dark blue pin striped suit. His dark brown hair is longer than usual; it almost touches his expensive sunglasses. He gives me a slight smile, which is uncharacteristic of him.
“Sophia,” he greets me with that thick, raspy voice that makes any woman who listens to him fall at his feet.
Not me.
“Henry,” I answer, nodding slightly toward his luxurious car. “I thought we were flying.”
“I chose to drive so I could pick up Blaire’s package before you arrived. Did you have a good trip?”
“As usual,” I confirm.
“What’s on your mind?”
“What?”
“Something is bothering you,” he states.
You?
There’s something so annoying about him. He’s so hot, but then, he’s…well, him. I can’t deny I’m physically attracted to him but also repelled by his personality. I blink away deliberately trying to avoid staring at him.
“I could’ve packed your things and have them shipped. You don’t need me,” I explain.
He smirks. “Funny, that’s for me to decide, Ms. Aragon. What bothers you? Traveling or sacrificing your weekend?”
Both. I glance at him and roll my eyes. “I refuse to work all weekend,” I warn him.
He opens the passenger door and closes it once I’m inside the car.
“Don’t worry. I promised your friend that we’d be done by tomorrow afternoon, since we’re celebrating Hayes’ birthday,” he states once he takes a seat and turns on the engine.
“Woohoo,” I say sarcastically. “I’m only working twenty-four hours of overtime.”
“I don’t care for your sarcasm.”
“I don’t care for many things, and yet, here we are,” I answer with the phrase he hates the most.
To push his next button, I pull out my noise canceling headphones and make an entire show of setting my music and tuning him out.
Henry
It’s said that we all start off in life with a dream. Like making a million dollars, traveling around the world, or having a career that fulfills us.
I don’t have any dreams. At least, I don’t think I do.
My life was decided way before I was born. I’d be the heir of two wealthy and powerful families. Here’s the kick: Mom chose the wrong man. William Aldridge, my sperm donor, was wealthy but not single. He was a philanderer, not a philanthropist. He cared about women—all of them.
I was born with a silver spoon, bred to become one of the most powerful men in the world, and taught that there’s nothing more important in life than to close a deal. Not even family. It comes as no surprise that my life is just a sequence of meetings, business deals, and mergers. My only goal is to ensure that Merkel Hotels & Spas are the best in the world. The only thing worth celebrating is when I buy a new lot, an old hotel, or a business that can benefit me in the long run.
I was raised to win.
For some, owning their own business is just a dream that they never accomplish. For me…well, lately it has become a process as similar as breathing. I can do my job with my eyes closed. Unlike my brothers, what I do is meaningless. It doesn’t enrich my life. It’s as simple as tying the shoelaces of my thousand-dollar oxford shoes.
You know what thrills me?
Looking at the beauty next to me chasing a deal, fixing an old hotel, or just being infuriated with me.
Sophia Aragon makes everything more…vivid. She brings life to everything she touches. Which is refreshing and maddening at the same time. How can someone so beautiful, smart, and sassy, invoke so many emotions in a matter of seconds?
She’s a puzzle, and maybe that’s why I haven’t fired her yet. Every single day we spend together, she surprises me. After so many years working for me, I can’t afford to lose her. She knows my business better than I do. The entire company depends on her.
By now, I’m just the guy who closes deals and signs the memos.
Her new venture is Aldry’s Sweets. Having her in charge of the factory is the smart thing to do; I know it. It scares me that she’ll be concentrating most of her time on that project. She’s now the brain of my company—and the heart. But I am sure everything will work out the way I planned.
I hoped we could discuss what’s to come during the drive, but it’s obvious that she’s not having it. Maybe later today or on Sunday we can discuss what I plan on implementing within the next couple of weeks. I expect some backlash on her part. She never takes change without a protest or a bonus. She’s smart and knows her worth.
When we arrive at the house, she looks at me and then at the mountain of dirt close to the lake. The construction company broke ground this Monday.
“Hayes is building a house,” I answer her silent question.
“Aren’t you supposed to live in the same house for eighteen months?”
I nod twice and sigh. She knows the stupid stipulations of my father’s testament better than I do.
“Pierce is trying to find a loophole to help them move once Rodin Construction finishes the house. If he can’t amend that part, then they’ll stay in the main house until the ordeal is over.”
“The kick-ass lawyer quit his practice so he can find loopholes in the will?” she asks with an insolent tone. I don’t get upset. Actually, it turns me on.