I’m anxious as I park in front of the large development my grandfather asked me to acquire. Grandpa didn’t even want me to focus on The Bellevue, but he was furious when I lost to Zane. All of a sudden, it was something that should’ve been ours, and ever since, he’s been berating me for it. Every chance he’s got, he reminds me that I spent so much time on it and don’t have anything to show for it, that I can’t compete with Zane despite my superior education, and that he doesn’t have any faith in me.
I’m scared to let him down again, unsure I’ll be able to take more of his disparaging comments. When I learned Zane was interested in Chateau Chiara, I nearly walked away, unwilling to put myself through more torment. If only Grandpa hadn’t found out that Zane wanted this chateau too.
The second he heard about it, he made it his mission to make this development ours, convinced it must be a sound investment if Zane wants it. It hurts how much more he values Zane’s investment decisions over mine. When I first found this project, he nearly dismissed it, convinced it’d be a money pit.
My phone rings over speakerphone, and I blink dazedly at Lily’s name on my screen before swiping to accept the call.
“Celeste!” she shouts excitedly. “I got the job!” I gasp, and she bursts out laughing. “Yes! Can you believe it? I had to sit through six rounds of interviews, but I made it.”
My mood lifts instantly, my heart filling with gratitude and happiness. “I told you!” I say. “I knew you’d get it. You’re brilliant, Lil. Of course you were going to get the job.”
“And you were right. I didn’t even see Zane once. I wasn’t sure about working at Windsor Hotels, but this might just turn out fine.”
“It will. You’re going to do great,” I reassure her, even as a hint of disappointment washes over me. I know it isn’t really like that, but it feels like I’m losing to Zane all over again. Lily should’ve been working with me, and I hate that she’s going to Windsor Hotels of all places.
“I won’t hold you up,” she says. “You’re about to walk into an acquisition meeting, right? You’ll kill it, Celeste. I just know it.”
“I hope so. I’ll call you afterward. I have a good feeling about this one.”
She hums and wishes me luck, her excitement rubbing off on me just a little. It’s ridiculous, and I know it, but I can’t help but feel like it’s unfair that Zane now has one of the best interior designers I know at his disposal, all because my grandfather was stupid enough to reject Lily’s application. He expects me to compete with Zane, but simultaneously, he’s the reason we just lost what would’ve been our best hire.
I sigh as I step out of the car, only to freeze when I find Zane leaning against his car, parked right across from me. He smiles, and my heart skips a beat when I notice the way he draped his suit jacket over his arm, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to just below his elbows, revealing his forearms. I bite down on my lip as my eyes travel back to his face, my heart beating a little faster than it did before. Everything about this man annoys me, but his most irredeemable quality is how unfairly handsome he is, despite his rotten personality.
He pushes out of his car and walks over to me, his steps confident and his eyes never leaving mine. There’s something so unnerving about being the center of Zane Windsor’s attention. For years, it was the worst thing that could’ve happened to me, but now… now I’m not so sure.
“Celeste,” he drawls, his gaze twinkling with something that just transfixes me. “You aren’t spitting fire at the mere sight of me today, so I take it you got the good news?”
I raise a brow and nod. “I didn’t think you’d keep your word.”
He reaches for me, and my entire body tenses when his hand wraps around my wrist. He smirks as he raises it between us, his thumb caressing my pulse point. “I made a vow, didn’t I? I’m many things, Celeste, but I’m not a liar.”
I look into his eyes, heat rushing to my face when he pulls our joined hands to his chest. I can feel his body heat through the thin fabric of his shirt, and something hot and needy rushes through me, making me want to step closer to him. The way he looks at me… it’s how he looked at me that night amongst the roses, when he laid me down and told me I was his goddess.
I turn my wrist and spread my fingers across his chest without thinking. His gaze drops to my hand, his heart thudding loudly against my palm, in sync with mine. “What’s this one?” he asks, tightening his grip on my wrist. I glance at my light purple nail polish, and bite back a smile as I try to pull my hand away, but he won’t let me. “Oh, this’ll be a good one, judging by the look in your eyes. Tell me.”
I part my lips, only to snap them shut, amusement bubbling just below the surface as I grip the fabric of his shirt. The way he’s holding my wrist in place makes my nails dig into his chest, reminiscent of how I touched him that night, five years ago. Zane’s gaze darkens, and his eyes drop to my lips for a moment.
“You’re Such a Budapest,” I whisper, trying my hardest to suppress a smile. Zane chuckles, and the sound rushes through me, dragging pure unbidden delight after it.
“Yeah?” he murmurs, stepping closer to me. I refuse to budge, and his body brushes against mine, his face tipped down while mine is raised to meet his. “This one is all for me, isn’t it? Did you buy that while thinking of me, Celestial? Are you wearing it for me?”
I part my lips to deny it, but we both know I’d be lying if I did. Zane’s gaze travels to my mouth, and he inhales shakily. “I’m still on your mind, huh? I was worried you’d forgotten all about me in the time you were gone, that perhaps I was just someone you left in the past.”
The vulnerability in his expression disarms me, and I suck in a breath, unable to look away. I should step back, shouldn’t play these games with him, but I can’t help myself. “I wish,” I whisper truthfully.
Something flashes in his eyes, and his expression softens. “Would you believe me if I tell you I don’t want to be a pest anymore?”
“Then tell me, Zane,” I mutter, my voice faltering. “Why are you here? This is the second time I identified a brilliant investment opportunity, only to find out that you’re one of the bidders too. This can’t be a coincidence. Are you spying on me, trying to thwart Harrison Developments’ growth?”
He lets go of my wrist, a hint of frustration crossing his face. “You’ll always think the worst of me, won’t you?”
He steps back, and I wrap my arms around myself, unable to refute his words. I’ve never seen Zane look at me with such regret in his eyes, and as I stare back at him, I find myself wondering about the man he’s become. So often I’ve had to remind myself that I’m no longer the girl I was before I left, yet I struggle to believe that I’m not the only one who changed.
Zane sighs and retrieves his phone from his pocket. “Look,” he says, his voice soft. I take a step toward him, my eyes widening when I recognize his parents in the photo he’s showing me, the hotel behind us identical to the one in the photo’s background. “My mother loved this place so much that we stayed here often, even though it wasn’t one of our properties. My grandmother tried to acquire it for her, but they weren’t willing to sell then. Maybe it’s silly, but when I heard it was finally on the market, I just… I wanted to have it. I just wanted to make my mother’s wish come true, even though she isn’t around to see it. This place holds a lot of memories, and the thought of it falling into ruins just… I couldn’t take it.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t know.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Celeste, and therein lies the problem, doesn’t it? You only know the worst parts of me, because that’s all I’ve ever shown you.” He tears his gaze away and shakes his head, helplessness marring his handsome face. “I’ll walk away from this acquisition if it’ll make you give me a chance.”
I stare at him, unable to figure him out. The man in front of me is so different from the one in my memories, and I can’t tell which is real. He can’t have changed this much, can he? The sincerity in his eyes… could it be real?
“There’s enough space in this industry for us both,” I tell him, meaning every word. “You can have this one, Zane.” I look away, heat rushing to my cheeks. “Not that I could compete with you if you really wanted to acquire this.”
His shaky laugh draws my eyes back to his, and the disbelief in them renders me speechless for a moment. “You could,” he says. “You’re probably the only one in this world that can genuinely compete with me and walk away victorious.”
I grin up at him, oddly pleased with his words. “Then count yourself lucky I won’t. Not this time.”
I step back, my stomach twisting as I try to think of a way to explain this to my grandfather. I’ll have to tell him a partial truth and say that the Windsors vastly overvalued the hotel, and that outbidding them would result in ridiculous losses.
I hesitate, my heart sinking as I think back to the last few weeks, and all of Grandpa’s comments. Last time, his ire felt unwarranted and unfair, but this time? This time I’m walking away from an investment knowing what the consequences will be, and I can’t find it in me to care, not when Zane looks at me like I truly am the goddess he proclaims me to be.
