Beautiful Rose (Elixir Billionaires #1)

2. Zander

2

ZANDER

I enter the hotel room in this small town of Cherrywood. Looking around at the beige walls that I’ll call home for the next few days, I sigh at the sterility of it all. Collapsing onto the mattress, I call my brothers.

Zach picks up after a few rings, and I can barely hear his greeting over the loud background noise.

“Where are you?” I almost yell into the phone so they can hear me.

“I decided to take baby brother clubbing. He needs to learn to have some fun,” Zach drawls. “Although I must say, St. Peppers has lost some of its shine since Zander Teager, the sexiest bachelor, has been away.”

“It’s only been a few hours since I’ve been out of St. Peppers. Or are you just upset that you’ve been dethroned from the sexiest-bachelor-in-town title by your big brother?” My body shakes as I suppress the burgeoning laughter, knowing my brother doesn’t take jokes, especially those at the expense of his image, too well.

“Grow up, bro. I’m happy those magazines are no longer following me with a camera on my face.”

I don’t believe him for a minute but still let his comment slide.

The phone is pulled away from Zach, and I hear my youngest brother’s stutter. “How’s-s Cherrywood-d? S-same or any different?”

“So far, things don’t look too different.”

“You ready to drop t-the big news-s tomorrow?” Zane asks.

They must have stepped out of the busy club, as the background noises fade significantly.

“Yes. Let’s see how it goes.”

I end the call, knowing my brothers deserve an occasional fun night.

After an early dinner, I amble toward the grand terrace attached to my hotel room. I place a glass of whiskey on the circular glass table and my laptop on the gray couch before walking toward the railing.

How will my staff in this whimsical town react after hearing the big news? Maybe it’s not the best idea to break the news of firing employees on the day they meet the CEO for the first time. A cell phone ringing interrupts my musing.

“Tell me you haven’t already fallen in love with my town.”

A deep chuckle leaves me at hearing Oscar’s excitement. Cherrywood is partly Oscar’s town. Established by his great-great-great or some of those grandfathers, a major portion of the business in this town is controlled by Hawthorne Estate.

“That depends on how tomorrow goes. Are we all set?”

“Yes, we meet at eight and don’t be late.” That smartass ribs me.

“Isn’t this something you should be telling your team? They’re the ones meeting the CEO for the first time,” I comment while walking back to my drink.

“As you say, Mr. CEO. Have a good night’s sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

With a smile on my face, I flop down on the couch and take a sip of the single malt whiskey. I fire up my laptop and go through some of the emails as the light night air hits my face.

After coming inside my room, I place the empty glass on my nightstand and change into sweatpants before getting under the covers. Quiet nights alone are usually my time to reflect upon life, my day, and ponder about what’s waiting for us in the future. So many thoughts and memories flash across my mind. My brothers and me working in our company headquarters at St. Peppers in those early days. We three driving down to Cherrywood, scouting locations for our research division.

Four years ago, when we started Elixir, no one had imagined that we’d someday be the largest growing pharmaceutical company in the country. A year after we opened our main office in St. Peppers, we were able to setup our research division in this small town. But none of that success was handed to us on a silver plate. We have worked hard for every dime. We were boys who had seen too much too soon.

As they do every night, my thoughts drift to those early dark days. I try to bring them back to now, when things are simpler, safer. But I know it won’t be easy. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day when, years ago, our lives changed in ways we never imagined. It’s also the death anniversary of the woman who taught me an early childhood lesson: this world is a savage place and it preys on the weak.

And I have taken a vow to never be in that helpless position ever again.

As soon as I hit the pavement for my run, I’m greeted by the beautiful morning. Mixed hues of red, orange, and gold paint the sky as the sun eagerly rises from the mountains. It’ll be a heavenly experience to go cycling on these rough terrains.My favorite workout garage band buzzes in my ears as my feet hit the ground on the way back to the hotel. I tell myself I should visit Cherrywood more often. Not to my liking, this is only my second trip in this town. The first was before the office was even up and running.

I look around as the small town slowly wakes up. Smoke rises from the chimneys, shops open and the line outside the local café continues to grow. Everything mundane yet a bit magical.

Giving a final glance at my surroundings, I enter the hotel building and return to my room. After taking a quick shower, I open the closet and my hands, due to some reason, halt for a beat at the tie rack before I pull out the cherry-colored tie.

Finally, I’m all ready and out of the hotel. I open the door of the white rental SUV and stop dead in my tracks. My eyes focus on the ornament hanging in the rearview mirror. Small pink roses made from something soft, like velvet, are woven in a circular ring. My legs shake, and I tighten my grip on the door to avoid falling as memories flash through my mind.

“Aren’t they pretty, my boy?”

“They are, Mommy! Beautiful. Just like you. Rose is my favorite flower because it’s named after you.”

The kid who looks like me runs around the garden filled with rose bushes.

“Fuck.” I squeeze my eyes, trying to push the mental images away.

“Get ahold of yourself, Zander.” My voice quivers.

I shake my head, fighting through the haze of nightmares, and pull that shitty shiny thing and throw it out of the car without even noticing where it lands. Once I get inside, I fix the mirror displaced by my jerky movements and take a deep breath.

Fuck. It’s already seven forty-five. I hate being late.

With a hammering heart, I start the engine, program the address on the GPS, and drive toward the company office. I speed on the way, and a few minutes past eight, I’m in front of the building reception.

I give a nod to the receptionist, who stands as she watches me marching toward the opening elevator door.

When the elevator car reaches the fifth floor, I find two men punching the call buttons with full force. When I step out, they look up expectantly before their hopeful expressions die.

Okay. I hadn’t hoped for flowers or anything, but I was expecting my staff to greet me with at least a smile.

“Zander, you’re here.” Oscar joins me and the other two men in the lobby. He introduces me to the two interns before leading me to his office. “Sorry, we’re little distracted,” he explains.

“What’s the matter?”

“We’re unable to find Rose, our lead data scientist. She should be somewhere in the building.”

Unexpected panic seizes my brain upon hearing her name. Rose .

What the fuck?

Is nature playing some sick joke on me? Every year on this day, I try so hard to keep myself away from this word, this name. But today, it seems there’s no escape.

Unbeknownst to my state, Oscar continues, “We had a new software’s live release this weekend, and she was in the office. Now we can’t get ahold of her. Security confirmed that she hasn’t checked out of the building.”

“What can I do?” I ask, only after I’m sure my breathing has returned to normal and I’m not going to sound like a squeaky teenager.

I try to loosen my muscles, which have bunched in the last five minutes. Even if I’m uneasy, there’s no way I can ignore any of my employees, especially an assiduous one, from the way Oscar speaks.

“Look around. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last ten minutes.”

I nod and exit his office.

Releasing a heavy breath, I look around the corridor and hustle toward a row of conference rooms. I open each door and peek inside but find nothing. When I exit out of the empty coffee corner, my gaze lands on the small door labeled Office Supplies in a mounted gold label. I turn the knob, expecting it to be locked, but it opens with a soft squeak.

The small room is dark with only a stream of dull sunlight filtering through the small vent. I open the door wider, and it takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust before I spot the light switch. When I flip it up, there’s faint swishing sound behind me.

Swiftly turning around, I find a small frame dressed in a green flannel shirt, jeans, and red Converse, bunched in an old two-seater leather couch.

Her face is turned away from me, hiding in the backrest, but then she turns on the couch, which isn’t quite big enough for her to move around on.

On reflex, I take a step in her direction. Instead of falling face-first onto the floor, she lands in my arms.

Her face squishes against my neck, and I feel the press of her eyeglasses on my chin. My grip on her tightens in an attempt to support her, and she stills in my arms for a beat before struggling to get away.

I immediately let go, as she scampers until her back hits the front panel of the couch. I shift back, trying not to scare her further .

The young woman fixes her red-framed glasses before looking up at me.

Fuck.

My heart stops the moment those blue eyes meet mine—it’s the deepest blue I’ve ever seen. Her eyes almost shine behind the red frames. There’s something in her gaze that sucks all the air out of my lungs, and I’m struggling to breathe. Her gaze drops the next second, and only then am I able to take in the next breath.

What the heck was that?

“You must be—” I chew the insides of my cheek. How can I finish the sentence without panicking and also not coming off as a weirdo? “—who I’m looking for.”

A V forms on her forehead as she furrows her brows.

At the very second, a redhead accompanying Oscar rushes into the cramped space.“Rosie. Thank god we found you. Are you all right?”

I get up and make way for the new arrival as she fusses over the woman I found sleeping on the couch.

Standing by the door, Oscar calls someone, letting them know we’ve found the missing woman. But my gaze doesn’t waver from the two girls as the redhead leads the couch girl out of the room.

My gaze remains on her as she passes by me. And then when she glances at me over her shoulder, her eyes meet mine and the odd spark hits me again.

Judging by the way her eyes widen and the V on her forehead deepens, I know she felt it too.