Love in the Shadows of Legacy

I fumbled with the key card, struggling to make the green light flash. After the third attempt, the door finally clicked open and I stumbled into what was supposedly the most luxurious suite in Miami's Grand Palms Hotel.

"Finally," I breathed as I dragged my bag behind me. The room was nothing short of stunning with marble floors that probably cost more than my yearly rent and furniture that screamed luxury.

I fell into the king-sized bed, still in disbelief. Only three days ago, I had been mixing paint in the back room of Martinez Art Supplies. Now here I was in a five-star hotel suite, all thanks to my boss who'd practically dragged me onto the plane.

"Lily, you're working yourself into the ground," Mr. Martinez had said, paying no mind to my protests, "You've been here every day for the past six months. It's either you take this trip or I'm firing you for your own good,"

After a long, hot shower that undid the tension in my shoulders, I wrapped myself in the hotel's impossibly soft bathrobe and sank into the velvet couch.

The privacy of the luxurious suite, the wonderful ocean view, and the way the skip robe felt against my skin all made my body relax.

And slowly, I let my eyes drift closed and my hand moved under my robe. Soon, my breath grew uneven as I let the stress slide out with each stroke of my finger.

I arched into my own touch, biting my lip to hold back the moan...

The door swung open.

"Whoa. What the..."

Standing in the door frame was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with eyes that were taking in every inch of my compromising position.

"Oh, hell no," I yelled as I yanked my robe to cover up, nearly falling off the couch in my haste, "What the hell are you doing here?"

He leaned against the door frame, clearly not in a hurry to look away, "Well, this is interesting. I was expecting some room service not...this kind of entertainment,"

"Get out!"I screamed, "This is my room!"

He raised an eyebrow, smirking, "Your room? Princess, I think you're confused. This is my room."

He stepped inside and let the door close behind him, "Though I have to say, the amenities are better than advertised,"

"You arrogant pig! I have the key card, I have the reservation confirmation, and I was here first! And what kind of psycho barges into a woman's room that way without even knocking?"

"The kind of psycho with a room key that works. Which means – guess what? – It's mine too. Exclusive suite, penthouse level, non-refundable,"

"Unbelievable," I hissed. I stared at my plastic key card, "This can't be happening,"

"Oh, but it is, sweetheart. Deal with it," He said, "I'm Alexander by the way and you are?"

"Leaving," I grabbed my bag, "Right now,"

When I got to the door, I paused and turned to him, "Actually, no. You're leaving. I'm not going to move out of my room for an entitled rich boy who thinks he owns the world,"

"Rich boy?" Alexander chuckled, "You're good with names,"

I rolled my eyes, "I'm going to get this thing sorted out,"

Downstairs, I stormed towards the receptionist's desk.

"Excuse me, there has been a mistake with my room," I said to her.

Her professional smile faltered slightly as she looked at me, "Of course, Miss..."

"Rose. Lily Rose. Room 2847. Someone has the key card to my suite,"

Fingers flew across the keyboard and I watched the receptionist's face become more concerned, "Oh my. Oh...I'm so sorry, Miss Rose. It appears there's a booking error in our system. Both reservations for you and Mr. Thompson were confirmed for the same suite,"

"Well, fix it,"

"I'm afraid..." The woman said, looking between her and the computer, "We're completely booked. There's a medical conference, a wedding...I don't have a single room available,"

"What?"

"I can offer you a full refund and help you find full reservations in another hotel..."

Me? Why couldn't she do that for him?

"No! I need this vacation. I need this room. I need..." Realising I was about to have a breakdown in the middle of a five-star lobby, I paused, "Just...never mind,"

The elevator ride back up was even worse than the one down.

I found Alexander exactly where I had left him. He was sprawled on the couch like he owned the place.

He didn't look up from his phone when I stepped in.

"Let me guess. All booked?"

I pointed a finger at him, "Don't. Don't dare to be smug about this,"

*Wouldn't dream of it," He said, but his time suggested otherwise, "So I suppose we'll be roommates for the week,"

"There is no 'we'. There are no 'roommates'. There is you finding somewhere else to sleep,"

"And where exactly do you suggest? The lobby? Perhaps the pool deck? Or maybe the hallway, like a homeless person,"

"I couldn't care less if you sleep hanging upside down from this balcony. You're not sleeping in this room,"

He stood up in one fluid motion, "We can be adults about this, you know. The suite is big enough. There's a couch and we're both too tired to fight about this all evening,"

"Share," My voice cracked, "With you? After what just happened?"

"What happened is an unfortunate misunderstanding. I'm sure you're mortified and I'm...I'm certainly not complaining about the view,"

"Oh my God," I threw a pillow at him but he caught it easily.

"Here's the deal. You can either storm about here in your bathrobe and sleep on a park bench or you can be practical. Your choice,"

I looked at him from head to toe, "Fine. But I get the bed. You can sleep on the floor for all I care,"

He looked genuinely amused, "Sure. Whatever makes you happy, princess."

I watched in utter horror as he began undoing his shirt buttons, revealing a chest that belonged to a magazine cover.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable," He said, "Unless, you'd prefer I sleep in a three-piece suite?"

I turned away from him, saying nothing while he settled in with his laptop.

For minutes, there was silence, interrupted only by the clicking of keyboard keys.

After what felt like hours, Alexander looked up.

"Poker?"

"Are you serious right now?"

"It's either that or we sit here in awkward silence all night," His smirk returned, "Unless you'd prefer to continue where you left off when I arrived?"

"You are the most insufferable human being I have ever met," I said slowly.

He smiled, "I'll take that as a yes to poker."

I raised a brow, "You carry cards everywhere?"

"You never know when you'll need to distract a pissed-off woman."

He leaned back against the headboard shuffling a deck of cards with one hand. The muscles in his forearm flexed, and I mentally slapped myself for noticing.

"I hope you're good?"

"Not just good. I'm competitive. I never lose,"

"Neither do I," He said, smoothly. "Let's make it interesting,"

"Define interesting,"

"Loser sheds a layer,"

"You're joking,"

"I'm dead serious," He said, "What's life without a little risk...uh..."

"Lily,"

"...Lily," He tapped the desk, "Come on, Lily. What's life without a little risk?"

"This isn't a risk. This is blackmail."

He chuckled, "Well, good thing you're not a loser then,"

We stared at first hand and he lost.

"Shirt," I said sweetly as I leaned on my elbow.

"You're enjoying this already," He muttered as he shrugged the shirt off.

My eyes ran down his brief, bronzed chest and I gulped, forcing my face to stay neutral,"

"Not bad," I said, "Do you moisturize?"

"Want to rub it in for me?" He asked as his lips curved into a smile.

"Pass!"

***

Two rounds later, I lost my socks.

"This makes no sense," I said as I pulled it off with a dramatic sigh.

"You sound like someone who knows she's going to lose the robe next."

"You wish," I glared at him.

Unfortunately, he beat me again in the next round.

"You're cheating," I clutched my robe tighter.

"I don't need to cheat. You just need to get better."

"Maybe I'll just quit while I'm ahead."

"You're not ahead."

"I'm ahead in dignity," I shot back.

"That's rich. Coming from someone who was moaning on the couch when I walked in here. That ship has sailed,"

"You're unbelievable,"

"And yet here you are, still playing,"

The next round, I won.

"Pants," I said, triumphantly.

He pulled his slacks off easily. My eyes ran down the length of his muscular legs. Kicking the pants aside, he dropped back into the couch.

"See something you like?"

"Nope. Just... admiring how dumb those boxers are."

"Liar."

As the game dragged on, more items of clothing fell off. By the time I was in bra and underwear, my heart was racing.

"You know, I'm starting to think you wanted me to walk in earlier," Alexander said as he leaned forward.

I gawked at him. "Excuse me?!"

"Don't get me wrong, it was awkward as hell. But...if you were desperate for an audience, you could've just asked."

I threw a pillow at him, "You're disgusting,"

"Disgustingly charming."

"Try disgustingly cocky."

He leaned closer, voice dropping. "Cocky works better in bed."

My breath caught.

"I'm not sleeping with you," I blurted before I could stop myself.

"Good. Because I wasn't offering sleep." He said.

Then he set the cards aside. "Look. About that orgasm I ruined...I could make it up to you."

I laughed nervously. "Is that your line? Do women actually fall for that?"

"Do you want me to answer honestly, or do you want me to prove it?"

My heart literally stopped. I should have pushed him away.

But I whispered,

"Prove it."

The familiar scent of oil paint and fresh paper hit me as I walked through the glass door at Martinez Art Supplies.

After a week in paradise with a strange man, being back in the little art complex felt like being back home.

"Ah there she is," Mr. Martinez beamed from the other side of the room where he was supervising the paint parcel. "My pale little artist returns bronzed and beautiful. The vacation did you good, yes?"

I smiled, trying to push away thoughts of Alexander and our little encounter from my mind.

Before leaving, I'd slipped a piece of paper with my number on it into one of his slacks but up till now, I had gotten neither a call nor a text.

"It was definitely memorable,"

"Good, good. You do look like you got some life back in you," He winked knowingly, "Met a nice man?"

"Something like that," I muttered as I hung behind the counter. If only Mr. Martinez knew how 'nice' Alexander had been.

"That's good. Rafael dropped by earlier. I swear, he's going to lose it if he doesn't see you soon," Mr. Martinez said and I laughed.

Rafael was my art instructor turned friend.

The morning passed in a comfortable routine.

I did a little painting in the backroom to start off the day. Then I mixed custom paint colours for the local artists, helped a confused college student pick out brushes, and arranged a new display of canvas boards.

I was just done wrapping a small landscape for Mrs. Peterson who made it a point to buy a piece every month to 'support local artists', when my phone buzzed.

My heart leapt, thinking Alexander had finally decided to call me. I glanced at my phone – unknown number – it was definitely him.

"Martinez Art Supplies, this is Lily," I said, in the sweetest voice I could muster.

"Miss Rose," The voice was crisp and professional, nothing like Alexander's. I stood straighter, "Miss Lily Rose?"

"Yes. That's me. How can I help you?"

"My name is Barrister Willis. I represent the law firm of Willis, Hartwell and Associates. I need to speak to you regarding a matter of utmost urgency. Would it be possible for you to come to my office this afternoon?"

I frowned, "I'm sorry but what is this about? I haven't done anything –"

"Miss Rose," He interrupted, "I assure you. You're not in any trouble. This concerns an inheritance matter that requires your immediate attention. I'm afraid I cannot discuss the details over the phone,"

"Inheritance matters?" I asked, "I think you have the wrong person. My grandmother died five years ago and she left me her recipe book and a set of china. That's about it,"

"Miss Rose, I'm certain I have your information correct. Born 15th March, 1995. Currently employed at Martinez Art Supplies, Collins Avenue? Former foster child of the Miami system,"

The blood drained from my face at that. There were not a lot of people who knew about my foster care background.

Well, I didn't exactly advertise that part of my history.

"How do you – who are you exactly?"

"Like I said earlier, I'm a barrister in charge of an estate matter. Miss Rose, I cannot stress how important it is that we meet today. Are you available at 3pm?"

My eyes went to the big black clock. It was barely past noon and Mr. Martinez had been encouraging me to take more time off anyway.

"Sure," I said, "I suppose so. But I still don't understand..."

"Wonderful. My office is on the fortieth floor of the Meridian Building downtown. The receptionist will direct you to the Thompson Estate Conference Room,"

"Thompson?" The name hit me like a slap. I was sure I had heard it somewhere but I could not remember where.

"Yes, Miss Rose. I'll see you at 3 o'clock sharp. Good day,"

The line went dead before I could say anything else. I stared at my phone, bewildered.

"Everything okay, mija?" Mr. Martinez asked, as he came to stand beside me.

"I'm...I'm not sure. I need to leave early today. If that's okay with you. Something came up,"

"Of course. Take all the time you need."

Two hours later, I took a cab to the Meridian Building. As I stepped into the gigantic steel monument, I felt woefully underdressed in my sundress and cardigan, especially when I had to ride the elevator with men and women dressed in thousand-dollar suits.

The law office of Willis, Hartwell, and Associates screamed old money and even older power. As I walked in, the receptionist smiled warmly, "Miss Rose? Mr. Willis is expecting you. Please follow me,"

We walked down a long hallway lined with portraits of distinguished lawyers and judges until we reached a set of heavy wooden doors.

"The Thompson Estate Conference Room," The receptionist announced as I walked in.

Inside, a man in his sixties rose to welcome me.

"Miss Rose," He said, "I am Charles Willis. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Mr. Willis." I managed to say as I shook his hand, "I have to say I am completely confused about why I am here,"

"Please take a seat. Can I offer you something? Water? Coffee? Fresh juice?"

I suddenly became aware of how dry my mouth felt, "Water, please. Thank you,"

As he poured the water, my eyes strayed to a stack of legal documents on the table. They stood beside what looked to me like photographs.

"Miss Rose, what I am about to tell you now," He began, as he settled back into his chair, "may come as quite a shock. Three days ago, Richard Thompson passed away,"

I didn't know anyone by that name and it must have been evident to Mr. Willis who continued gently,

"Mr. Thompson was one of Miami's most prominent businessmen. He built Thompson Enterprises from the ground up. The company is worth about 2.8 billion dollars now,"

I neatly choked on my water, "I'm sorry. Did you just say, billion? With a b?"

"Exactly. And according to his last will which was properly witnessed and legally binding, " Willis paused for some time, studying my face carefully "He had named you sole beneficiary of his entire estate,"

For a long moment, there was complete silence, the only noise being the sound of my chest hammering against my ribs.

"That's impossible," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "I've never known any Richard Thompson all my life. This must be some sort of mistake."

Willis opened a manila folder, withdrew a photograph, and slid it across the table to me.

"Do you recognize this man?" He asked.

I stared at the photo of a man in his seventies. He was silver-haired with kind eyes and a gentle smile, but there was absolutely nothing familiar about him.

"I've never seen him before. Never,"

"Miss Rose. I do understand that this is overwhelming. But I can assure you that Mr. Thompson was very specific in his instructions. He left detailed notes explaining his decision...though I'm afraid they raise more questions than they seem to answer,"

"How could he possibly know anything about me? I work in an art supply store. I can barely balance a simple checkbook. How in the world am I supposed to run a billion-dollar company?" I asked, still trying to wrap my head around everything.

"Mr. Thompson was known for his unconventional business decisions. He valued character over connections. He saw something in you,"

I stood abruptly and paced to the windows. The view of Miami from here was beautiful but I couldn't focus on anything except the impossibility of what I was hearing.

"This doesn't make any sense. I can't run a company. I don't know anything about business or finance..."

"Miss Rose, if I may, Mr. Thompson anticipated your concerns so he arranged for a transition team to guide you through your initial period. But the fact remains that you are the CEO and primary shareholder at Thompson Enterprises,"

"CEO?" The word sounded big to me now.

"Yes. The board of directors has been notified. Your first official meeting is scheduled for Monday at nine am,"

"Monday? As in four days from now?"

"Exactly,"

I sank back into my chair, rubbing my temples, "I think I'm going to be sick,"

Willis poured another glass of water for me, "This is definitely a lot to process. I must inform you, Mr. Thompson's nephew, Alexander Thompson was expected to inherit the company. He's not at all pleased with the development,"

At the mention of Alexander's name, my fingers gave way and the glass slipped through them, shattering on the floor.

"Alexander Thompson?" I managed to ask.

"Yes! He's been groomed to take over the company since he was a child. Yesterday's will reading was quite a shock for him...Miss Rose, do you know Alexander Thompson?"

I closed my eyes, remembering how strong his hands were as he claimed me and made me whisper words in the dark that even I didn't understand, the way he'd looked at my face the day I left as if he was trying to memorize every part of it.

"Oh, God. What have I gotten myself into?"

One day ago.

I adjusted my Italian silk tie and checked my Rolex watch for the fourth time in ten minutes, sitting tight in anticipation of what was about to transpire.

For thirty-two years, I had been trained for this particular day – the day I would officially inherit Thompson Enterprises.

Richard Thompson, my great uncle, mentor, and the closest thing I had to a father, was gone, but his legacy was going to live through me.

"The reading will begin momentarily," Charles Willis said as he walked into the room, "I trust everyone is present,"

I looked around the conference table. Everyone was indeed present – from the board members and key executives down to the long-time housekeeper, Mrs. Chen, who had been in the house for as long as I could remember. There were also a few relatives there to pick up the scraps that would undoubtedly fall to them.

But all eyes were on me, waiting for the 'coronation' that was thirty years in the making.

"Let's get on with it," I said, "I have a company to run,"

Willis cleared his throat and opened the folder that contained Richard's final will and testament.

"As you know, we're all gathered here to execute the last will of Richard Thompson..."

I zoned out, wondering how long it would take before we got to the good part. I was already mentally planning the changes I would implement in my first weeks as CEO.

I was going to take Thompson Enterprises to heights Richard never imagined.

"The estate includes all assets, properties, investments, business holdings," Willis said, "After careful consideration and multiple revisions over the past year, Mr. Thompson made his final decision regarding succession,"

Multiple revisions? Richard had never mentioned anything to me about changing his will. Perhaps, it was something of no consequence.

"To my great nephew, Alexander Thompson, I leave my personal effects, including my watch collection, vintage wines, and a sum of five million dollars," Willis read.

My blood turned to ice.

Personal effects? Watch collection? This was the inheritance of a favourite relative and not a CEO.

Murmurs ran through the rooms and I felt every eye turn to me. But I remained calm.

"Continue," I said.

Willis nodded, looking at me with unsolicited pity, "The remaining of my estate, including all shares of Thompson Enterprises and the position of Chief Executive Officer, I bequeath to Miss Lily Rose of Miami, Florida."

The silence that followed was deafening. I felt as though I had been punched in the chest. I sat up straighter, unable to process what I had just heard.

Was this some big joke?

"I'm sorry," I said, "Could you repeat that?"

With an irritating nod, Willis read through it again, keeping his tone carefully natural.

"Who the hell is Lily Rose?" I asked as several board members shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"I'm afraid I do not have extensive information about Miss Rose. Mr. Thompson was quite discreet about his reasoning,"

I shot to my feet, the foot of my chair scraping violently against the floor, "Discreet. Discreet! He handed a billion-dollar company to some random woman. And you call that discreet?"

"Alexander," Mrs. Chen spoke up, "There must be some sort of explanation –"

"Explanation?" I asked, eyes wide, "What possible explanation could there be for giving away my birthright to a total stranger?"

I turned back to Willis, "I want answers, William, and I want them now."

"I understand your shock, Alexander, but –"

"Don't," My voice dropped to a deadly whisper, "Don't you dare tell me you understand. I've spent my whole life preparing for this. And here you are telling me he gave it to nobody?"

Willis reached out and opened another folder, "Mr. Thompson did leave a letter explaining his decision but I doubt it would give you the closure you're looking for,"

"Read it."

"Alexander, perhaps in private –"

"Read it now!"

Willis sighed and pulled out a handwritten paper, "To those who may question my decision regarding Lily Rose, I offer this explanation. Leadership is not inherited by blood but earned through character. And although Alexander is intelligent and has the drive to succeed in business, he also lacks the heart to lead with necessary compassion,"

Humiliation burned through me as Willis spelled out each word.

"Miss Lily faced adversity that would break most people but she emerged with her humanity intact. She creates rather than destroys and she sees potential where others see problems. I have no doubt that she is the future this company needs,"

He went on to read more but I stopped listening. Each word felt like a blow, one that cut too deep.

"That's enough," I finally said.

Willis stopped reading and folded the letter, "Alexander, I understand this is difficult..."

"Difficult?" I laughed, but it lacked humor: "Difficult is an understatement for this betrayal."

I paced the conference room, "I want to know about this Lily Rose. Who is she? What is her background? How does she know my great uncle?"

"Well, I'm afraid I can only share limited information but I can tell you she's currently employed in an art supply store..."

"Interesting. He gave his billion-dollar empire to someone who works retail," I said in utter disbelief.

One of the board members spoke up, "Alexander, perhaps we should discuss the legal options. I'm certain there are grounds to contest –"

"No," I cut in, surprising everyone and myself too, "If Richard wanted to play games, then fine, we'll play games. But what I'm not going to do is contest the will like some desperate relative fighting for scraps,"

I straightened my jacket and walked back to my chair, "I want every single detail about this Lily Rose. Where she works, how she came to know Richard, and what she eats for breakfast. I want her entire life story on my desk by tomorrow morning,"

"Alexander, what are you planning?" Willis asked.

"I'm going to find out what's so special that my great uncle thought was worth destroying this family for. And then," I paused, my eyes filled with cold determination, "I'm going to take back what's mine,"

With that, I picked up my coat and briefcase and moved towards the door with quick steps.

Willis' voice reached me, "Where are you going?"

I paused at the door with my hand already on the handle, "To meet the woman who stole my life. Don't worry, Willis. I'll be the perfect gentleman. After all, I wouldn't want to disappoint Uncle Richard's memory by showing my true colours,"

With that, I left her room and took the elevator ride down, stepping into the sunlight with one thought burning in my mind.

Let's see how special you really are, Lily Rose.