Chapter 4
Not peaceful.
Empty.
For eighteen years, a small part of me had wondered if maybe I had misunderstood.
Maybe I had been too young.
Maybe there was some explanation.
Maybe my parents had made a terrible mistake.
But there was no mistake.
There was a choice.
They had chosen.
The next morning, I called my executive assistant.
“Cancel my schedule for Saturday.”
She looked surprised.
“The Silver Creek wedding?”
“Yes.”
There was hesitation.
“Are you attending as the owner?”
I looked at the invitation sitting on my desk.
“No.”
A pause.
“Then why are you going?”
I stared at Ethan’s smiling face on the wedding website.
“Because they spent eighteen years telling a story about me.”
I picked up the invitation.
“I think it’s time they heard mine.”
Silver Creek Resort had always been beautiful.
That was why I bought it.
Not because of the numbers.
Not because of the investment opportunity.
Because when I first walked through the property after the acquisition, I saw something familiar.
A place that had been forgotten.
A place people had underestimated.
A place everyone assumed could not be restored.
I knew what that felt like.
The resort sat between tall pine trees outside Flagstaff, with stone buildings, a lake, and gardens that stretched across the hillside.
It was exactly the kind of place where people came to create memories.
Ironically, it was also the place where my family would finally have to face theirs.
I arrived Friday afternoon.
Not in a dramatic entrance.
Not with security.
Not with a helicopter.
Just my own car.
I parked near the main entrance and walked inside.
The employees knew who I was.
They had seen me during acquisition meetings.
They knew I was the owner.
But they respected my privacy.
That was one thing I had built into Northstar.
No unnecessary attention.
No worship of wealth.
Just results.
The wedding coordinator, Rachel, greeted me.
“Ms. Carter.”
“Please. Maya.”
She smiled.
“Your family arrived this morning.”
I nodded.
“How are they?”
She hesitated.
“Very confident.”
I almost smiled.
Of course they were.
People who lived inside a fantasy usually defended it aggressively.
“Any issues?”
Rachel glanced at her tablet.
“The Whitmores requested several upgrades.”
“Such as?”
“Additional floral arrangements. Premium champagne. A larger fireworks display.”
“And?”
“They asked if the resort could delay final payment until after the wedding.”
I looked at her.
“Did they explain why?”