Sophia’s Prologue
I am the executive assistant of the man who happens to be the runner up to take over hell.
Where is hell? Surprisingly it’s not in some mystical place down under. Hell is better known as Baker’s Creek, a small town in Oregon just a couple of hours east of Portland.
Why is it hell?
Well, that’s where the Aldridge family settled back in the 1800’s. They’ve always been successful in their careers. However, their personal lives are a mess. They are damned to dwell into a loveless, angry, and disappointing existence.
The story of this family is fascinating. There are only six Aldridges left.
Thirty-some years ago, the philanderer, William Aldridge, spread his seed around the country. The cheating bastard had two kids with his wife and five out of wedlock. Pretty standard for a misogynistic asshole who thought he owned the world. Eventually, his wife dumped him, he neglected his seven children, and he lived alone until the day he died.
That should be the end of the story. Unfortunately for me, it’s the beginning.
So, the old man dies alone since he never cared about his children. He leaves a will and with it, he screws his six children—Carter, son number seven, died twelve years ago. They can receive their inheritance only if they abide by the stipulations. That includes that they have to live in his hometown for eighteen months. If they don’t, William left instructions to destroy most of the town.
Now, his offspring have to stay in hell—Baker’s Creek—for the next eighteen months. Sounds easy enough to do, but living among each other is a sentence of its own. They can’t stand each other.
Why am I involved?
Pure unadulterated bad luck. I’m pretty sure I walked under too many ladders. Maybe I broke one too many mirrors during my lifetime. I wandered across all the black cats in New York City…or simply, I was born unlucky.
What can I say about these men? Not much since I’m getting to know them too. All I know is that they are trouble!
Don’t let their hotness fool you, even when each are special.
Hayes, the doctor, and my best friend’s fiancée.
Pierce, the hot lawyer, and my other best friend’s estranged husband.
Mills, the hockey player, who I’d like to have in my penalty box—two minutes might be enough to melt the ice.
Vance, the broody, smoldering special forces guy—I want him to show me his tricks.
Beacon, the heartthrob musician—too young for me.
And I’ve saved the worst for last, Henry Lloyd Merkel Aldridge. The owner of Merkel Hotels and Spas. He also happens to be my boss. If Lucifer had a twin, Henry would be him.
All of them are hot. I’m pretty sure they were forged by a deity and given to their mothers as a gift for enduring William and as a punishment to the rest of us humans. They are not easy to handle.
The Aldridge brothers should all come with warnings like: dangerous, explosive, poisonous ...Too hot to handle, radioactive men, or addictive.
Do not approach.
They are so beautiful, you can’t stay away from them. And when you’re close, you’d want to run, but it’s too late. You can’t get away. I’ve been working on figuring out how to get rid of one and suddenly I find myself with five more.
Henry’s Prologue
Cyril Abbot Merkel, the guy who was not only my grandfather but my mentor and like a father to me, once told me, “The only way to make it in this world is by working hard and showing everyone who's the boss.
“You don’t need friends, Henry. You need allies—and watch out for your enemies. Always keep them close. The rest…they are here to serve you. Make sure they fear you. Once you try to be friendly with them, they’ll just take advantage of you.”
He always used my late mother as an example.
“Learn from her mistake,” he never got tired of repeating this same phrase again and again. In fact, those were his last words before he died.
But see, I’m the mistake.
My mother met William Aldridge—my father—when he was being groomed to take over Aldridge Enterprises. She had heard about him, but for most of his life, my father had lived on the west coast with his mother. Here’s a well-known secret among my people: This might be the twenty-first century but, in our world, marriages of convenience still exist.
We treat them like business transactions. A merger. We marry because of money or because of a name—prestige is important. We either become part of a dynasty or increase our net worth.
Love…well, that’s a messy transaction, and many of us choose to stay away from it. I’ve never been married, but I have acquaintances who are attached to a significant other. Yeah, sure, for a lot, our way of living sounds cold. But, it’s practical. If someone can’t deal with their wife, they get themselves a mistress. Most likely the wife is fucking their best friend, her yoga instructor, or some random guy she met while shopping.
Debra Merkel, my mom, was known as a cut-throat businesswoman. She was cold, calculating, and assertive. She knew that marrying William would be the best move of her career and would benefit her company. My father was hard to catch. A lot harder than she anticipated.
She played all her cards until she found herself desperate and—she thought a baby would convince him to take the ultimate step. Mommy dearest swore she had everything under control until she found herself pregnant with the child of a man who wasn’t interested in marriage—at least not with her.
Sure, he bought her a penthouse across from Central Park and pretended to be a hard worker and devoted boyfriend. He was never with us.
I was around eight when she found out that he had played her. He already had a wife and two children from that marriage. But there was more. He had seven children in total. Debra’s son, Henry Lloyd Merkel Aldridge, was one of the bastards—me.
Well played, William.
“You can’t trust anyone, Henry. The only person you can count on is you,” Grandpa would repeat. “The day I die, you will own everything my grandfather built and I’ve procured. The day your father dies make sure to claim your part and build an empire.”
Cyril Merkel died four years ago, and I became the sole owner of Merkel Hotels and Spas. I continue his legacy and keep building a bigger empire. Every year, I make sure Merkel adapts to the needs of our guests and the world.
I didn’t think much about William nor was I expecting him to leave me anything when he passed away.
It feels like an eternity since I heard the news that he died, when it was only a few weeks ago when it happened. I never had a good relationship with him. He was a difficult man and a terrible father. Every person who did business with him swore that he never lost. Every move he made was well planned, and whoever tried to cross him paid for it.
There was never a way around him. If he set his eye on something, it always got done the way he strategized it.
After his death, I thought it was the end of him. How foolish of me. It was just the beginning. All of a sudden, the brothers I barely acknowledged came back into my life. The money I don’t want is waiting for me.
Here is where things get interesting though. In order to get my cut of this giant inheritance, I have to move from New York City to his hometown. Thanks to the Merkel fortune, I don’t need to stick around.