Chapter 50

Seeing Red

VICTORIA POV

This park was my favourite place in St Albans, and a place I often to escaped to when I wanted to relieve stress. But today I bought the stress with me. All I could think about was punching Sean Hyatt in the face. I wondered if I could tolerate him if we weren’t talking business, but he managed to say all the wrong things … ALL the time. He wouldn’t know what hard work was even if it hit him between the eyes. I could tell he was a fancy suit with a precious name standing in front workers that probably worked harder than he did.
“I feel very uncomfortable Victoria. And you seem to be slamming every door in my face. I am here to talk about my recent investment, and you manage to turn this into some kind of personal attack against me and my work methods…” Sean said.

“It is personal! I like to know I have confidence in my business partners and the work they do. Major hotels is everything my family built and you’re trying to take it away…” I stopped to look at him with a serious look on my face. He looked away and I could see him thinking, but his expression was a little hard to read. He was unsure, conflicted and I watched him shaking his head before he sighed out. I knew he wasn’t giving up, but I felt as if he understood me on a personal level even if it was just for a moment.

As we finished walking over the duck pond bridge, Sean gestured to a park bench just beside the water,
“Shall we sit for a moment?” he asked.
“Ok…” I replied hoping he had an answer to my comment. But he fell quiet. It was as if he didn’t know what to say.
“What are your long term plans for Major Hotel?” I wanted to laugh again. He knew my financial problems, and saw my hotel as an easy target to take down.

Why the hell was he asking about its long term plans?

My beloved hotel was a sinking ship, but I was never going to let Mr Hyatt know that. I was hoping that I could keep my head afloat for a few more years and try and dig myself out of these financial problems. The only trouble with that plan was that we were sinking quicker than I hoped.
“I wish I had a secure enough future Mr Hyatt to form long term plans for my hotel,” I said leaning forward.

At the moment Sean Hyatt was the only buyer interested in Major hotel, but I wasn’t ready to release it into his clutches. I knew he would modernise my historic building, strip it of its name and ruin every memory I ever made in it. I was waiting for the right buyer that would let it keep its name and it’s glory. But The Hyatt was a chain name and that is why I had no intention of letting Sean take it. He was powerful with all his money behind him, but I saw him as an incompetent fool who had no idea how to run anything other than his bar tab.
“Okay, that’s fair. But what if you did have the money Miss Major. What would you do with it?” I knew I would get myself out of debt to start with, but that was none of his business. But endless amounts of money could bring it back in a way I had only dreamed of in the last 8 years.
“Build a modern kitchen and hire some dining room staff to open it again. It would also bring in great profits with room service …” I said excitedly.
“You don’t have a kitchen? What about last night’s wedding?” he asked.
“I have had to cut costs and cut staff to keep my head afloat Mr Hyatt. And I hired a caterer for last night’s event…” I admitted. It made me feel a little uneasy for a moment because I didn’t exactly want to tell him that.
“You’re actually worse off than I thought,” he blurted nearly as a joke. And that did it. I saw red. The last thing I wanted from Sean Hyatt was his pity. He had everything handed to him on a silver platter. He was a smug little git and I couldn’t stand him a minute longer. I stood up ready to storm away and Sean stood up with me,
“You’re going to take my hotel anyway and I won’t ever get to see any of these things come to light from my doing … so steal my ideas and just go away. I hate you!” I said feeling rage surge right through my whole body to the point when I shoved him backwards as hard as I could in the chest.

Sean lost balance and stumbled backwards to land on his arse in the duck pond behind him.

 Normally I would have found it hilarious and feel extremely good about it, but my rage had turned into tears of anger and I found myself storming through the park and back to the hotel.

I felt humiliated. All my family’s hard work was going to fall into this playboy’s hands and there was nothing I could do to stop him. And now he knew it.