Page 32 of Arrogant Heir
‘Grandfather sends in mystery customers, you know, to make sure the experience here is alwaysdelightfulas he calls it.’
‘He’s shrewd,’ I say.
‘Yes, he doesn’t miss a trick. Despite his years. He’s always been tough, but fair.’
‘And you’re treated like royalty here,’ I say. ‘It must be incredible to be born into this.’
‘It has its pros and cons. Croissants definitely count as pros.’
‘The staff idolises you,’ I say, pushing my empty plate to one side and sipping my coffee.
‘Wait until you see their reaction when my grandfather shows up! This is nothing. You should visit one of our businesses with him and you’ll see what I mean. He is a legend. They like seeing me only because I remind them of him.’
‘You’re too modest,’ I say. ‘You’re the face of the Rochesters, just like this store.’
‘I don’t think you’ve accused me of modesty before.’ His black eyebrow shoots up and reminds me of our usual fiery banter, which doesn’t involve complimenting each other.
I ask him to tell me about the department stores.
‘We employ thousands of people, Jackson. Rochesters is a family business in every sense of the word. It’s run by our family through three generations, and while I won’t pretend it’s a charity, we strive to hire great people and, in turn, we do our absolute best to give them a feeling of belonging to something greater than themselves. We’re in it together. Our vision is that the Rochester name and stores will thrive through many generations to come and outlive us all.’
His phone pings, and he takes a minute to respond to a message. One thing I’ve noticed about him is that he doesn’t let things slide. He takes quick action and responds to people immediately. This is a habit I’ve seen in many of my high achieving clients. Perhaps it’s one of the keys to being super-productive and successful.
He slips his phone back into his trouser pocket and continues. ‘Many of our customers have a Rochester membership, which gives them discounts and privileges across our various companies. We think of this as a store for all the family. You should see the decorations and the toy department at Christmas.’
‘I’d love to. My mum raves about this store and regularly pops in. When I told her we were visiting today, she was as excited as a kid at Christmas!’
Damian’s green eyes sparkle and again I think about the contrast between his austere manner and how he’s behaving today. ‘You’re enjoying yourself. I’m pleased,’ I say quietly, hoping I’m not crossing the imaginary line.
‘Well, you told me I must have more fun,’ he says, his tone lightly mocking.
Rolling my eyes, I say, ‘I didn’t say you must have more fun! I just mentioned it would be good for you not to work constantly. It can’t be good for anyone’s soul.’
‘I didn’t have you down for a spiritual person, Jackson,’ he says.
I shake my head. ‘No, not spiritual as such. Whatever that means… But I do believe we all have a soul that needs nurturing.’
Shut up, Jamie. He’s being friendly and letting me glimpse behind his armour, but that’s no reason to blabber. I must remember this is strictly business, and it’s not an invitation to baremysoul.
But I can’t help responding to him and we’re connecting in a way that makes my nerve endings buzz. He’s witty, fun, and light. All the qualities I love in a man. All the things I never imagined or expected to see inthisman.
He rises and gestures for me to join him. ‘Come on, Jackson. Let’s get back to work and complete the tour. Five more floors to go, I’m afraid. It’s not all fun and games being the heir to a billionaire dynasty, you know.’
I laugh at the irony. The last thing he’s made it look like before today is fun and games. I pipe up before I think twice. ‘On the contrary, today is the first time I’ve seen you have anything resembling what I would call fun. Usually you’re all:My name’s Damian and I’m a workaholic.’
His eyes narrow as he appraises me, and I wonder if I’ve taken our newfound camaraderie too far. He is my boss for this assignment, after all. But I needn’t have worried, and he barks out a laugh and strides out of the coffee shop and towards the lift, beckoning for me to follow.
We’ve been in the store for hours now and my feet are feeling it. My high heels look great when I glimpse myself in a mirror in the clothing department, but they are not designed to walk around in all day.
Everywhere we go, staff members mob Damian and can’t get enough of him. Some say they have worked at the store for years and remember him when he was a child. They clearly love the family and are thrilled to see him, which warms my heart. It’s fabulous to see a gigantic business that feels so personal to so many, and I make a quick audio note to remind me to make this point in the book.
Damian shoots me a sympathetic look. ‘How are you holding up in your stilts? We’re almost done now and can shoot off soon, back to the peace of Greystone.’
I look up at him and smile. ‘Today has been brilliant. Thank you for inviting me and letting me see behind the scenes. I admit my feet are sore, but it’s been worth every step.’
‘We’ll fix that before we leave,’ he says with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
My heart skips as I wonder what he means. I don’t want this day to be over. I feel like a princess with her prince charming in a fairy tale and I think of my novel. We had the most amazing lunch in the restaurant, and I had Damian all to myself. He regaled me with stories of his childhood and how he and Sebastian used to go everywhere together when they were kids and get into all manner of scrapes.