Make no mistake, I'd had a great evening with Lilah and her brother. Meeting Eddie had been awesome on many levels. It brought back all sorts of memories from my teenage years—memories of my rebellious phase before the responsibilities and duties that came with my family name, and the fortune had forced me to grow up all too quickly.
I was listening to my favorite Razor’s Edge album when I finally pulled off the main road onto the drive that led to my estate. I still thought of my grandfather every time I pulled into the driveway. Grandpa always told me to treat my private life like a treasure, those who are close to you and love you mean more than any money and any publicity your position could bring you.
I bought the land a year after he died and took his advice to heart when I made sure the house wouldn’t be visible from the road by leaving a considerable amount of forest at the front end of the property. In doing so, the gate protecting the drive was also a few hundred feet from the main road and not visible, but it was there and it was guarded. I waved at Adam, the night guard, as I slowed to a stop and waited for him to open the large, wrought-iron gate.
Adam was a former Army Ranger. When I hired him, I tried to entice him to be part of my security team that traveled abroad with me, but he’d turned the offer down. He didn’t want to be away from his wife for extended periods of time. I admired that about him and even envied him. Having someone in your life you don’t want to be away from even for a few nights—that’s more enviable than all the power and prestige I could think of. Adam smiled as soon as he recognized my face and returned the hand gesture. The gates slowly began to swing open.
A deer stepped out of the trees, followed by her fawn, just as I was almost through. I pressed the brake and let them pass in front of my Maserati before I drove in. There were a few gaps in the fence around the estate—gaps I'd specifically requested be left so that wildlife from the neighboring woods could come and go through the grounds as they pleased. Granted, it meant if someone wanted to get in, they could, but they would have to do some serious walking to find the gaps.
Once I’d parked my car in the underground parking lot where I kept my collection of sports cars, I grabbed my briefcase and laptop and started toward the elevator. I paused as I passed a white Lamborghini from the ’80s—one of my favorites. I glanced at myself in the window.
“What's going on in your head, Asher?” I asked my reflection.
I wasn't quite sure of the answer, but I did know that Lilah was spending a good deal of time in there. With a quick shake of my head, I made my way to the elevator and tried to turn my thoughts to other things, like the work I needed to get done before my next meeting with my advisory board.
I pressed the button for the top floor—my private space consisting of my bedroom, a private living room, a small office where I could work from home if I needed to, and, of course, my bathroom. I wanted to think about work, but I couldn’t. More than anything, I needed to properly relax, to try to get all of the distracting thoughts out of my head so I could get a good night's sleep and be energized for the rest of the week—a week that promised to be relentlessly busy. On top of everything, I had an upcoming business trip to Paris on Friday that I needed to think about.
I exited the elevator and headed straight to my office to drop off my briefcase and laptop—I'd initially planned to get a bit of work done that evening, but I was neither in the right frame of mind nor in the mood to get any work done.
On my way out of the office, I stopped to stare at the item displayed in a glass cabinet on the wall: Colonel Tanaka's family sword. I went back over to my desk, got the key to the cabinet, unlocked the case, and took the sword out. It was a beautiful piece of art—if a deadly one—that represented absolute mastery of a craft and tireless commitment to perfection. It was a fitting item of inspiration, considering who I had become and what drove me to succeed.
I drew the sword from its scabbard and studied the craftsmanship, the intricacies of the detailing on the blade, and the lethal sharpness of its edge. And as I did, I could almost hear the old colonel's voice in my head, reminding me to breathe, to focus, to gather all of my thoughts, and to bind them together.
Breathe.
Focus.
I sheathed the sword and put it back in its cabinet, knowing what I would do for the rest of the evening. I would spend some time in my steam room. That would allow me to both focus my thoughts and sweat out the toxins from drinking. After that and a long soak in the hot tub, I would no doubt be ready for a good night's sleep—and the 5:00 a.m. wakeup that was waiting before a long day ahead.
I walked over to the intercom on my desk and buzzed my butler.
“Sir?” he answered.
“Please get the steam room and hot tub ready. I'm going to be making use of them tonight.”
“Certainly, sir.”
I took one last look at Colonel Tanaka's sword before I headed to the steam room to put what he’d taught me into practice . . . if I could just get Lilah off my mind.
***
I glanced at my wrist—again. It was the third time I'd checked my watch in 15 minutes, anticipating my lunch break. I didn’t want to miss my window of opportunity, so I headed out of the office a few minutes before noon.
“Please don't order any lunch for me today, thanks,” I said to my assistant as I passed her desk. “I'm going out to get something.”
“Will do, boss,” she replied. “See you in an hour.”
I made my way to the area by the elevators and waited. Surely, she had to come by sometime. My game plan was to ask her if she wanted to go to the little café around the corner she’d mentioned had amazing bagels. I was sure she'd say yes after she gushed about the place. I mean, why wouldn't she?
A couple of my team members came past and asked if I wanted to join them for lunch. I politely declined. Finally, after what had seemed like an hour of waiting—though it was only ten minutes—Lilah came around the corner followed by two of the younger female members of the team.
“Lilah! Hi,” I said, beaming a smile at her. In hindsight, I probably looked like I had been waiting for her when my intention was to make it seem like a chance encounter at the elevator. “I’m heading to lunch at that café you like so much around the corner. Would you like to join me for a bite to eat?”
Strangely, she glanced over her shoulder at the other two before responding. “I appreciate the invitation, Mr. Sinclair, but we're going to the Italian spot a couple of blocks down to eat.”
“You are more than welcome to join us if you'd like,” the blonde woman closest to her added with a smile.
“Uh, no thanks,” I replied. “It’s kind of you to offer, but I'm pretty set on the café. Dying for one of their cappuccinos, you know.”