Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The 3D model had cost Royal Resorts a pretty penny, but every time he looked at it, Matthew knew it had been well worth the money. His glass and steel vision had come to life, albeit in miniature scale, but he would challenge anyone who dared to say it wasn’t a fantastic design. Even Jordan with his obvious reservations about the new resort had been impressed. For his brother to offer any sort of praise was nothing short of a miracle.
This is all my own design. My work. I am proud of what I’ve done.
Now he just had to build the real thing. Tonight was the big test. If he could dazzle the planning committee with his presentation, and they went ahead and approved his design, the Brock family would surely have to cave and agree to sell.
No one else will take on the site. I must make sure I say that in my speech.
If he managed to pull off the deal, then the fifteen-thousand-dollar investment he’d sunk into the model would be nothing compared to the millions of dollars the new Royal Resorts Aspen would bring to his family’s company .
As soon as Rachel had left this morning, Matthew unlocked the door of the second bedroom and went to check on the model. He’d taken a few more photos and sent them to Bryce, along with the note.
Counting down the hours
Big day. Big plans. Go for it
Bryce had always believed in him, encouraged him to dream his dreams. His brother had been the one to steer him away from going down the obvious path which led into company management. He’d encouraged Matthew to enroll at Cornell University and pursue a degree in architecture.
Another message pinged on his cell. This one was from Jordan.
Chloe says I have 2 B nice 2 U. Good luck, bro
Thanks
U R still a pain in my ass
Always
With his brothers’ good wishes warming his heart, Matthew spent the rest of the morning dismantling the model and carefully packing the pieces back into their custom-built cases. If the project did get the go ahead, this model would be making a few trips back and forth between Aspen and New York before construction began. He couldn’t risk having it damaged.
There were fourteen pieces in all. They slotted perfectly together to form a site model some five feet by five feet. He could have gone smaller but worried it would have lacked the details that he felt it needed in order to give the all-important wow factor. The only way the planning committee were going to give him approval was if they fully understood the breadth of his vision.
Later that afternoon, he followed the courier van as it delivered the boxes to the city council planning offices. Once he and his model were inside a private ante room close to the main meeting space, Matthew called Mia.
“How’s it going? Nervous?” she asked. If anyone knew how much this project meant to him it was his assistant manager.
Matthew’s mouth was dry, and his hands were sticky and clammy. “Terrified, but eager to get this done and dusted. I think the video you put together will seal things. If I haven’t already said it, you are an amazing talent, Mia.”
Mia, who had a background in tourism marketing, had created a kick ass two-minute video presentation which superimposed a 3D version of the model at the Aspen site. Last summer she’d filmed the original lodge and using AI technology had replaced it with the new building. Matthew had later taken footage during the winter months. They’d created a year-round view of how the new hotel and resort would look like once it was completed. Anyone watching the video would think that the new resort had already been built.
“You will dazzle them all. Let me know if you need me to do anything at this end.”
“Thanks. Are you back in the office or still working from home? Make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
A nasty stomach flu had brought Mia down earlier in the week. “I’m still working from home. I don’t want to spread this around the office. Oh, and thanks for the flowers, they’re stunning. And The Impossible Collection Formula One book, is an extravagant gift, but again— thank you. You know one of these days we’re going to have to do something about finding you a girlfriend. Your talents with gift giving and caring are going sadly to waste.”
He hadn’t mentioned Rachel to anyone, and an hour before the most important meeting of his life certainly wasn’t the right time to reveal her existence to his work colleagues and family.
“Let’s get this resort contract signed and sealed, then you, my mother, and future sisters-in-law can battle it out to decide who gets to play matchmaker. I’d better go, I’ll call you once it’s over. Take care of you.”
“Good luck, Matthew. Bye.”
With Jordan soon to marry, and Bryce also engaged, it wouldn’t be long before Alice Royal turned her attention to her youngest son and his unacceptable— her words —state of bachelorhood. His mother was from New York City’s elite society and somewhere in her pile of hard-back journals, she would have a list of suitable potential brides already written down. And while Mia, Vivian, and Chloe could all be relied upon to help run interference with Alice, he knew it would come at the cost of him having to meet some of the women they had on their own lists.
I kinda wish Rachel was here today. It would have been nice to have her at the presentation.
But that would have meant him telling her who he really was, and dealing with what she might say, once she knew the truth of his family background. He worried it would change things between them, and not for the better.
Who could afford a fifty million dollar house in Aspen? My family could.
No.
Waiting until after today was a much better idea. After he’d got the planning committee out of the way, the sale contracts signed, and the path to building his dream was clear. Then he’d talk to Rachel.
Tell her that he wasn’t just a hotel accountant. If Rachel was the sort of woman, he thought she was, she would find a way to deal with the news that he came from a global family of billionaires.
She’ll find it a bit weird at first … jeez, even I find it strange at times.
But they would work through this, together. It might take a bit of effort on his part, but Rachel seemed grounded enough to be able to get her head around things. To understand that the size of his bank account didn’t change who he, or they were.
Okay, okay. I’ll talk to her as soon as the contracts are signed. I’m sure she’ll forgive my little white lie. Especially when she sees the magnificent design I’ve created to replace the old lodge at the Green Tree Resort.