Chapter 1: The Ex Factor

THREE YEARS LATER...

"I thought you said you were managing the resort well? Then what the hell is this?" Bree, my older sister, asked as soon as I stepped into the villa lobby.

Exhausted, both physically and emotionally, I let my heels hit the carpeted floor and sighed heavily. I'd just come back from a board meeting my dad had set up in D.C., and I was greeted by Bree's less-than-welcoming words.

"Lose more guests, and you'll find your business sailing out to sea and away from you," she added.

Bree's my sister, but she's also my advisor. I take her ideas, opinions, the spits coming out of her mouth, and even her snarky comments seriously. But sometimes, I just want to shove a mouthful of sand down her throat.

I stood by the grand piano, placed my baguette on top of it, and took the glass of orange juice offered by the staff.

"Bree, summer season is just approaching, okay? We've already received a lot of reservations. Give it time, we'll have the resort full. Just relax," I told her, but my nerves were screaming otherwise.

"Relax?" She repeated, showing me the tablet where everything about the resort was listed and recorded. "Last year and the year before, all the villas, suites, and even the huts were already booked three weeks before summer started."

I sat down, massaged my calf, and braced myself for her lecture.

"You know what? I saw this coming. This catastrophe. You know why? Because of your bastard of an ex-husband!" She exclaimed, making a few of the staff take notice.

"Hey, Bree, why don't we talk in my office, hmm?" I didn't wait for her to respond and led the way.

Three years ago, I divorced the only man I thought would give me the life I always dreamed of. But a signed piece of paper ended in another signed piece of paper.

Valerian gave me one of the three properties I wanted, this resort. I remember Attorney Eglin telling me I should be grateful. The resort did great in business for the first few summers, but it looks like it was planned to be taken down without even a wrecking ball.

Just a golf cart ride away from my resort, a new one had opened and started stealing my guests. And who owned it? Valerian Blackwood.

"Can you not shout about private conversations when we're not alone?" I told her as soon as we entered my office. "You're making a scene."

"What about it? Three years ago, that bastard even held a press conference just to tell the whole world that his cock was back to being free to fuck whatever hole he wanted!"

"Jesus, Bree! Can you filter that mouth?" I chided, sinking into my chair. "And I don't care about what happened in the past, okay? It's done, and that's a fact."

"A fact that you were bashed by a lot of women?" She scoffed. "Remember knocking on my door in the middle of the night, reeking of alcohol, crying like a heartbroken ex-wife looking for Valerian's cock to suck?"

"Have some decency, will you? Dad will surely shave your eyebrows if he heard you talking like that."

Valerian was a fine man, but I had my reasons. I needed a private life, and that was impossible with him. He's a magazine star, the headline of every internet buzz. And I got nothing but headaches whenever I saw him in the news, linked to prettier and sexier women.

I never had a moment of peace.

Even when I asked him to sign the divorce papers, he tried everything to change my mind. The last time we were together... amazing, I won't deny it, but it'll never happen again.

And we went our separate ways.

"And please, don't mention that man's name ever again." I massaged my head, feeling completely overwhelmed.

Today was not my day.

Dad kept bugging me about everything, especially my personal life, and now, this beach resort.

"Does it ever give you goosebumps?" She snorted, sitting on my desk with her arms crossed. "Got any idea how to get your payback?"

I raised an eyebrow, urging her to explain.

"He's still into you, right?"

"That was three years ago. Have you ever seen him come to me or call me? No, because he's over us. And it's fine, because I wouldn't want him bothering me either," I said, dismissing her thoughts. "What if he decided to pull some strings and take this property away from me? There's no way I'm not going to lose this."

"You're already losing the resort, E."

And that was the truth I couldn't accept.

"It started when he released banners and used his power to make his new resort louder, that's when your ratings..." She made a whooshing sound of a crashing airplane. "Your career in business? Kaput!"

"I don't give up easily."

She chuckled mirthlessly. "Since when did you become a clown? You're making me laugh."

Rolling my eyes, I knew my sister. She'd crush all my hopes and the lies I told myself before I could believe them.

"Use him," she said, her face beaming with pride.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"As your advisor, I advise you to play a little game."

I scratched my chin and opened my laptop, wanting to start working even though I was tired and wanted to ignore her. "And as my advisor, you're supposed to keep our business in good shape, not use someone or play little games."

She closed my laptop and leaned in close. "Ask him for a collaboration."

"You hate him more than I do, and now you're suggesting I have him around?" I scoffed, pushing her face away. "And to tell you, Bree, whatever you're thinking about, it's not going to work. He's not into me anymore, and he won't accept what I propose because he won't have anything on me."

"What are you saying?" She looked at me like I was the stupidest person she'd ever met. "It's pure business, E. It's a great strategy. Offer him a nice percentage, use your brain and your credibility in business. Show him professionalism and maybe, just maybe, he would bite the cheese."

Trying to catch a fish in the middle of the ocean using a fishnet with a lot of huge holes, that's how trying to capture Valerian.

"You will offer him an alliance. Talk about the event considerations, tell him that combining your skills would make a great outcome," she added as if she already planned everything. She even had the guts to check her perfectly manicured nails while talking.

"I'm sorry, but I know how to write and talk about business proposals."

"Great! Then you will meet him uh..." She checked her wristwatch. "In about twenty minutes from now at Callan's Plates. That would be in the Franklin & Franklin building, twenty-seventh floor. Table reserved for two."

I was lost. Completely lost again. "What?"

"Three days ago, I noticed that your business is not just going down, it's basically going to have a snorkel under the sea and planning to meet Krusty Crab. So, as your advisor, as an investor, and especially as your sister, I made the best decision for you. Plus, three months ago, you told me to do what I think what's best for the resort."

If there was a huge crowd having a rally inside my head, they were all shut up while waiting for Bree to drop the bomb on their feet.

"So, I sent him a proposal regarding collaborative events and package deals, bright, right?" She giggled. "It's a good thing you arrived today, I was hoping it would be earlier so you wouldn't face him looking like someone just gave you a suicide mission. But uh-- I think you'll dig it."

"You sent him a business proposal? Bree, what were you thinking?!" I didn't mean to raise my voice, but this situation was making my blood boil. I was freaking out in a pretty way.

"What am I thinking? E, you poured all your time and sweat just to keep this resort running. And if you don't want this to be left behind and go down in history, you have to take some action!" She pointed out. "Oh, and he accepted it. But he said he wanted to discuss it with you... 'personally'." And that was air quoted by her.

I think I'm going to faint.

"So, stop losing yourself in the trance and go meet your guy!"

I CAN'T believe this!

Three years that I tried avoiding this man, three years that I tried not to look at any magazines he was in or at any news he was interviewed, and now I'll end up meeting him face to face?

Would I make myself look desperate? I didn't even have a glimpse of that proposal Bree sent him.

Shit! I'm sweating like hell.

Pressing the twenty-seventh button, I let out a long exhale.

I was still clad in my black bodycon dress under a white blazer. My hair was done in a neat ponytail and my face wore light makeup, just to enhance the color on my face.

Checking my reflection on the wall, I quickly took my lipstick and reapplied it.

"Why am I doing this?" I questioned myself and cursed under my breath.

What's to be insecure about? It's not like I care about the women he dated after we divorced. Models and actresses, bitches who needed his dick to scratch their itch.

"God!" I groaned, getting a little too irritated by my own thoughts. Why was I thrusting myself back into his life? Whatever ongoing issue he had, I shouldn't care.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened.

"You're here just for business, Elodie. It's for your resort, not for him," I coached myself before stepping out of the elevator and began taking steps closer to the handsome devil.

The whole floor was the restaurant.

There were a lot of socialites filling up the whole place. Everything around here was luxurious, it's something that could attract a lot of people who are allergic to below five-star services.

Everyone was exposing their own wealth by the way they dressed and, frankly, singing their classy laughter, but out of all the people sitting on the tables, there was this one man that my eyes caught the soonest.

His brown hair was neatly brushed back, his charm was impossible to ignore, the aura he gives off. He looked majestic in his all-black three-piece suit.

He was sitting near the glass wall where the view of the setting sun and the beach could be seen. He was checking the time on his wrist. And just as I was unaware of it, his eyes shifted in my direction... then our eyes met.

"Holy shit..."