Chapter 2
DARIUS
Darius Wayne stood at the tall windows of his Miami waterfront home, gazing out at the glittering expanse of Biscayne Bay.
The late-afternoon sun painted the water in shades of gold and rose, the kind of view most men his age would pay a fortune to wake up to every morning.
He had paid that fortune twice over, in fact, and yet today the beauty felt almost distant, like a painting he admired but no longer truly lived inside.
He turned as Penny Rawlings stepped into his home office, her heels clicking softly on the polished marble floor.
At sixty, she still carried herself with the quiet confidence of a woman who had built her reputation on sharp legal instincts and unwavering loyalty.
She had been his attorney and business advisor for nearly thirty years, and in all that time, she had never once sugarcoated the truth.
“Congratulations are in order, I hear,” Penny said, setting her leather folder on the wide mahogany desk. “You finally secured one of the beachfront properties you’ve been after… well, since I’ve known you for… what… forty years?”
“It was unfortunate that the owners never got to enjoy the benefits of the money that I paid for it.” Darius allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. “How many times have we approached the late owner of that house to sell to us?”
“At least every two years for the past forty years,” Penny answered. “I brought all the paperwork to finalize, and the paperwork you wanted on the parcel of land beside the house and the other property that joins it.”
“If the rumors are true,” Darius told her, taking the folder and opening it, “it won’t take a lot in the property’s current state to acquire it.
” He frowned as he thought he’d feel a lot more elated about the current property he’d purchased and the other two he was about to swoop in and acquire.
But he didn’t. There was a heaviness around his heart, and it intensified as his mind pictured the magnificent stretch of coastline that ran along the front of one of his new properties.
“The private reserve between the two properties makes the whole thing perfect. Once I have those two pieces of land, the entire coastal stretch will be mine.”
“Then why—” Penny studied him for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
“—don’t you look a lot happier than you do right now?
” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you having second thoughts?” Her brows shot up at a realization.
“You haven’t gone and grown a conscience on me, have you?
” Her eyes didn’t leave his face. “Darius, you’ve been after that property since before your father died. It’s been your one elusive goal.”
“I know,” Darius said and drew in a heavy breath. “I’m just tired, I guess.”
“Well, you have been burning the candle at both ends since you took over this company from your late parents,” Penny pointed out. “And in all that time I’ve not known you to take an actual vacation.”
“I’ve taken many vacations,” Darius told her, a little defensively. “Heck, I’m always jet-setting off to some exotic destination or other with sparkling blue water and lazy, untouched stretches of golden sand as far as the eye can see.”
Penny rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Again, that’s called research, not a vacation.”
His eyes fell on the deeds to his new property, and again his mind pulled up a picture of the beautiful bay his parents had loved.
Darius and his sister had loved vacationing with his parents when they were kids.
It held all their happiest family memories together.
Because of his parents’ accident that took their lives when he was in college, and his sister had just finished high school, he had immediately stepped up and ensured that Isabel had a home and stability.
Darius had to step in and take over the company to prevent the stock from tanking and appease shareholders.
The weight of those early years still sat on his shoulders some days.
He had been barely twenty-one, suddenly responsible for a grieving teenage sister, a sprawling family business, and thousands of employees who depended on the Wayne name.
Nights blurred into days as he attended lectures during the day and pored over balance sheets and contracts at night.
It had been such a relief when Penny had joined the Wayne Group and became his rock.
She had stood by his side for the past forty years, quietly guiding him, protecting him from the worst of the board’s skepticism.
Penny’s voice softened. “You were so young when you took it all on. Most men your age were still figuring out who they were. You had to become the head of a major development and hotel chain almost overnight, as well as the father figure to your younger sister.”
Darius gave a small nod. “Isabel needed me. The company needed me. There wasn’t time for anything else.”
“And now?” Penny asked gently. “You’re sixty-one, Darius. You’ve built an empire. Maybe it’s time to let yourself enjoy some of it instead of always chasing the next piece of land.”
He didn’t answer right away. The truth was, the acquisition that should have felt like victory left him strangely hollow.
The private reserve between the properties held a fragile ecosystem that his parents had once walked through with him and Isabel, pointing out birds and mangroves and telling stories about the old Florida they remembered.
He had promised himself he would protect what mattered.
Now he wasn’t so sure his plans would allow it.
Penny watched him closely. “You’ve changed these past few years. The old Darius would have been celebrating with a bottle of the best scotch and already planning the next resort. This Darius looks like he’s carrying the weight of the world again.”
Darius managed a faint smile. “Maybe I’m just getting old.” He rubbed his eyes. He was really tired, and he knew Penny was right. He needed a real vacation.
“Or maybe you’re finally realizing there’s more to life than the next deal,” Penny said quietly. “Your sister and Emma need you present, not just providing. And you need them too.”
He thought of Isabel’s tired eyes, and Emma’s bright laughter, and something in his chest eased just a fraction.
Darius’s eyes fell on the property deed in front of him, and excitement gripped his stomach as an idea took root.
This particular bay had once been their family’s happy place.
Perhaps it could be again. Goodness knew his sister and her granddaughter could use a little sunshine and a change of scenery for the summer.
Maybe a working vacation there was just what he, his sister, great-niece, and Penny needed.
He flipped through the second set of papers, which were the land survey for the reserve wedged between the two properties and belonging to the one he was about to buy up.
He remembered that land. He and his sister collected frogs there one summer to help some ecologists who were surveying the land.
A twinge of guilt hit him at what he had planned for it, but he pushed it aside.
“Tell me again about the piece of land connecting the properties?” Darius frowned, changing the subject from his need for a vacation.
Penny sighed, realizing what he was doing, and shook her head.
He saw the disapproval again over what he intended to use the land for and knew what was coming before she started to speak.
Penny hated this part of her job. “Darius, I have to say this again, so you know, while I will help you acquire the land, I don’t approve of what the Wayne Group is going to do with it.
” Her eyes narrowed and flashed. “That reserve land between the two properties, it’s not just empty acreage.
It supports an entire fragile ecosystem.
Mangroves, nesting birds, and the natural filtration system that keeps the bay healthy.
Destroying it to connect the two developments would be a mistake. A big one.”
Darius leaned back against the window frame, arms crossed. “I’m not planning to destroy anything. I’m planning to build something better. Something that will bring jobs and tourism to the area while preserving what matters most.”
Penny arched an eyebrow. “And your cousin Baxter? Does he know about this latest acquisition yet?”
The mention of Baxter Johnson made Darius’s jaw tighten. His ambitious cousin had been with Wayne Group International for twelve years, climbing the ranks with a speed that sometimes left Darius uneasy.
“Baxter is on a very tight leash,” Darius said firmly. “I know all his tricks. He won’t step out of line this time.”
“I hope not,” Penny replied, her voice quiet but edged with concern. “I really hope not. I don’t want to have to bail the company out again when he messes up. The last time cost us millions and nearly damaged our reputation in three states.”
Darius waved a hand. “He’s learned his lesson. I’ve made it clear that any more shortcuts will end his position with the company.”
“If you say so.” Penny looked as though she wanted to say more, but she simply nodded.
The conversation shifted back to the new property he’d just bought and the two he was pushing hard to get.
Darius described the quiet charm of the area, the way the two properties there sat on either side of the protected reserve, and how perfectly they would complement the final piece he still needed.
Penny listened, taking notes, but her brow remained furrowed.
They were deep in discussion when the sound of footsteps and light laughter drifted down the hallway. The study door swung open, and his great-niece, eleven-year-old Emma, burst into the room like a small hurricane of joy.
“Uncle Darius!” she cried, flinging herself into his arms.