[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.She reached into her pants pocket, removed her cell and found his number.She hesitated for a moment, gathered her thoughts and then called Zack Anderson.* * *To her surprise, he answered, but when he did, his voice was cool.Her name likely appeared on his phone.“This is Zack Anderson.”“Zack, it’s Leana Redman.”“Hellohoware?”“I was wondering if you and I might talk.”“I’m fairly busy right now, Leana.You have no idea how busy.”“I’d like to extend an offer to you.”“What offer?”“I’d rather do it in person.Are you available now? I can come to you.”“You’ll come to me?”“Of course, I will.”A silence passed.“I suppose this is about your new hotel, which is getting all sorts of flattering press today.”He meant to sting, but she wasn’t about to engage him.“Zack, if we could begin again on equal ground and let go of the past, I think you’ll be pleased with what I’d like to offer you.Can we meet?”“We can meet.”“Where can I meet you?”“I’m the general manager of The Hotel Fifth,” he said.“Your father hired me.You can meet me here now.And don’t worry—Pepper isn’t here.It’ll be just us.”She closed her eyes at the news that he was managing her father’s hotel, but then she remembered Anastassios’ words.She opened her eyes, shook it off and focused on her goal.“I’m not worried about Pepper,” Leana said.“You’re in my father’s hotel, not hers.I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”* * *When she arrived at the hotel, she gave the building a quick appraisal, noted that the damage to the top exterior of the building was repaired, and then looked at what was perhaps the most striking part of the building—its sleek, modern sign.It was so smooth in its conception, so spot-on when it came to where Manhattan was right now with design.It looked as if it were designed for the next century.Centered above the entrance, shining in the sun, were three words in ten-foot-tall steel letters:The Hotel FifthJust being here again caused Leana to pause.But not for long.She stepped inside the lobby, which looked nothing like her lobby just as this building looked nothing like her building.Where hers spoke to the past, this hotel, with its four thousand rooms, four restaurants, five bars, two nightclubs, and theater that seated 3,000 and rivaled any on Broadway, reached to the future.Zack Anderson was nowhere in sight when Leana entered the hotel, but neither was anyone else, which she thought was odd since they were opening in a month.Right now, her hotel was a hive of activity.She waited for a moment by the revolving glass and steel doors before she decided to walk around the lobby.Given all that had happened here, she moved through the space with mixed feelings, most of them negative.Some of them haunting.Take yourself out of it.Assess the competition while you still have the chance.She focused on the details.The lobby was just as she remembered it—huge, cavernous, and filled with seven floors of shops, restaurants and bars.Nothing had changed, which stymied her.Wouldn’t her father have gutted everything to mark this space as his own, especially since everyone knew that Ryan had owned it?She stopped to admire the waterfall at the lobby’s center.It was designed so that the water appeared to fall from nowhere that was visible, though in reality, it flowed from a concealed location high above in the ceiling.As it fell, the water didn’t ripple.It was just a wide, pure band of shimmering light that slipped into an illumined abyss.The sound of the waterfall was the only thing she heard.Where were the construction workers? On the higher floors? There was no buzz of people.None of the chaos she expected.It was just her, alone, in this spotless space that appeared to be ready for business today, not in a month.Behind her came Zack Anderson’s voice: “So, what do you think?” he asked.“Surprised by the changes?”She turned to him.Anderson was a slight, good-looking man with silver hair cut stylishly short.He was in a black suit and wore a gold tie.He was in his forties, but there wasn’t a line to be found on his tanned face.Must pay his toxes, she thought.“Surprised is an understatement.I was expecting something new.”He continued to move toward her.“Your father thought it was unnecessary.With the exception of opening night, the lobby and the hotel have never been used.Everything shut down when it all went wrong [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]