Chapter 2

Sam Harrington frowned distractedly at the piles of papers in front of him, wondering what the heck had gotten into Daniel Wakefield and his team.

Blast it all! They should have had phase one sorted out months ago. Since the commencement of this project, however, they’d only managed to buy fifteen of the twenty houses he had his eyes on. At this rate, his plan to build a luxurious resort hotel right in front of that spectacular beach would never happen. And Sam wasn’t the type to allow the will-never-happen to happen.

He’d been an entrepreneur since he’d hit twenty years old, like his father and grandfather before him. His grandfather, bless his good soul, had told him many times when he’d been but a mere boy that Sam had the nose for the money. Sam had an extremely sharp business acumen with the natural ability to see unseen opportunities and sniff out great deals. And this particular zone of the city, which at the moment held a block of rundown houses, was certainly a great deal indeed. Sam refused to let the opportunity to build in one of the most prosperous and fastest growing cities in Australia go to waste.

“Let me take care of it, Sam,” Jeremy said, drawing Sam’s attention. “Let me talk to them. You’re too busy with your other deals, aren’t you? Besides, good old Jayden is coming to meet you this month, isn’t he?”

Sam had to agree with his cousin. He had three big deals going on at the moment, and one of those was with his childhood friend and business partner, Jayden McCartney, the man who had invited him to his grand wedding a year and a half ago in New York City. Even though he hadn’t been there to celebrate with the happy couple, Sam had heard from a very reliable source it was one of the hottest weddings of the decade and Jayden’s wife, Alexandra, was a pretty little thing and very likable. That reliable source was his mother, Fran Harrington. Of course, he didn’t doubt his mother’s words, as she had excellent eyes and exceptional taste.

Sam glanced at Daniel now, who was standing before them nervously, waiting for further instructions as to what to do with this sudden fallback in the progress of their project. The man shifted uncomfortably in his spot, knowing he’d failed his boss miserably. He and his team of seven couldn’t even convince the good people along the small, isolated block of Bay View to sell their ramshackle homes for just over a million dollars. It was supposed to be as easy as taking candy from a baby, but his team had misjudged the few who lived there and took things for granted. Now the project was delayed; the deadline was tight, and on top of that, they’d wasted their big boss Sam Harrington’s, multibillionaire and head of the Harrington Empire, time and money.

Everyone, Daniel included, respected and worshiped Sam Harrington, a most hardworking, disciplined, generous, and honorable man. Sam was like the sun to them all, giving light to those in the dark and warmth to those in the cold. He helped many grow under his radiance through his ability to save companies that had gone under, startup inventive businesses before anyone saw the opportunity, and do ludicrous deals everyone was too afraid of.

He’d saved many people’s livelihoods, and this included Daniel, a fifty-eight-year-old manager who’d been found redundant before Sam took him on. Of course, Daniel knew Sam could have taken on a much younger, brighter man than himself. What had made Sam choose him, Daniel wasn’t sure, and to be frankly honest, he was just glad. He was glad to have a job and a regular income to feed his family again and save for his and his wife’s retirement. Indeed, he was very grateful to Sam.

Be damned! He’d vowed to work his hardest and smartest to make Sam’s empire grow. And that was why Daniel felt rather sick knowing he’d let the good man down thus far. But it wasn’t over yet. Daniel was smart enough to know his limitations and knew when to ask for help. And that was what he was here for.

He said, “I will personally make sure we get the rest of the properties by the end of this month, Sam. I just need a little more time and help.”

Jeremy chimed in. “We understand how hard you work, Daniel. From what I’ve heard, you’re having a hard time dealing with a few of the owners, aren’t you?”

Daniel nodded. “Only two.”

“What about the other three of the five who haven’t yet decided to sell?” Sam asked.

“Two are getting back to me next week, and one is still thinking about it.” Of course, Daniel took the interpretation of not selling as still thinking about it. The exact words were from the three young women who’d just moved from New Zealand, the Chandler sisters. They’d said the property was an inheritance from their dead father and they weren’t selling.

Daniel was the kind of man who could tackle a bunch of hard, shrewd businessmen any day of the week to sell properties and make Sam and Jeremy a good bargain in the process. But when it came to the three Chandler girls, he’d lost the battle before he even heard the words not selling from their mouths. He just couldn’t force those girls to sell simply because that house was their inheritance, the home they loved. They had that much power over him. That was why he needed reinforcements. That was why he needed Sam Harrington, with his stern personality and firm hands, to deal with the girls. To get them to sell the property.

“Like I said, how about I take care of it?” Jeremy’s voice penetrated Daniel’s thoughts.

Sam turned his attention to his cousin. Jeremy was right. As of now, the younger man would be the best person to seal these deals. With his good looks, charming smile, and gift of gab, Jeremy would make any stiff old crone smile and agree to whatever pacts he offered.

Sam relaxed back in his leather chair, his eyes on Daniel once again. “What happened?”

The elderly man knew what Sam was asking about. “Well, you see,” he began, “there wasn’t much I could do. They don’t want to sell.”

“Did you perhaps offer them too little?”

“Oh, no, Sam. A very good price we offered. They… well, they just don’t want to sell.”

Sam sighed and rubbed his temple, wondering himself what these people were like. Perhaps they were holding out for a higher bid. Though, to be honest, a million was a very fair price for those four-bedroom houses out of the city that almost no one wanted to buy.

“They’re mostly Cambodian,” Daniel chimed in, disrupting Sam’s thoughts. “Jolly good people if you ask me.” He smiled brightly, thinking about the Chandler sisters once again who lived in number six Bay View Avenue. Pretty lot with disarmingly charming personalities. Bright smiles. Just nice girls.

Sam noticed the older man was off in la-la land and cleared his throat to get Daniel’s attention. Daniel jolted in his spot and went bright red.

Jeremy laughed merrily. “Sounds as if you’re rather cozy with them, Daniel.” He winked at the man. “Now I’m eager to lead the deals.”

Daniel looked as though he were about to choke on the air he’d just breathed in. He shook his head furiously. “No. I was just stating a fact.”

Sam shuffled the papers and came to a stop. “Number six,” he said. “The owner lives in New Zealand? A Mr. Michael Chandler.”

Daniel nodded. “Deceased. The property is his daughters’ now. Their names are… Hold on a second.” He shuffled through the papers in his hands. “Ah, yes,” he said as he found the one he wanted. He quickly handed it to Sam. “Chandra, Dara, and Soriya Chandler.”

Sam glanced at the report. “Have you contacted them?”

“Yes. Just moved in a couple weeks ago, actually.”

“Which are they? The ones who refused or the ones who’ll get back to you next week?”

“The ones who are still thinking about it,” Daniel supplied helpfully.

“They’re from New Zealand, too, yes?”

“Yes.”

“And are they migrating to Australia?”

“Ah, that I don’t know as yet.”