After the death of Peter McKinley, the fate of the McKinley Inns was left in the hands of Peter's firstborn son, Alexander. Thrust into leadership, Alexander was determined to protect the legacy his father built from the ground up. But when he uncovered the company's seemingly unending debts and mounting pressure from creditors, he found himself drowning in financial ruin. Desperation clawed at him as he scrambled for a solution to save the family's name and keep the company afloat. Then came an unexpected offer-one that both intrigued and infuriated him. George Garrison, a young billionaire and hotel magnate, approached him with a proposal: he would buy McKinley Inns, settle its debts, and keep Alexander on as the face of the brand. But there was a condition-George wanted to marry Alexander's younger sister. The deal sounded like a lifeline, but to Alexander, it felt like a betrayal. His sister was in love with someone else, and the thought of trading her happiness for a business deal sickened him. Refusing to give up so easily, Alexander sought out other options, determined to find another way. Meanwhile, George Garrison, under pressure from his late grandfather's will, was required to marry in order to claim full control of his inheritance. The catch? He was gay-and had no desire for a wife or a marriage of convenience. He saw Peter McKinley's daughter as a solution, a name to satisfy the will. But when Alexander stormed into his office, angry and desperate, George found himself considering a far more intriguing arrangement-one that just might change everything.
Chapter 1 01
01
Alexander's POV
I felt the wind brush my face as I watched my Dad's coffin on the ground. Somehow, a part of me wished everything was just a horrible nightmare and that mere seconds from now I would wake up. But every time I blinked my eyes, everything was still the same. The cold air, the sound of whispers, the priest's voice in the background-it was all too real. And as sad and hurtful as the truth was, I had to accept it.
He was gone.
The man who raised me, who built a legacy from the ground up, who carried the weight of our family after Mom left-was gone.
I turned to the side and saw different people from the media with all their cameras pointed toward our direction like we were some kind of attraction. And I knew today every media outlet out there had us as their headline. I could already see it happening in my head.
"Today, a funeral is being held for Former CEO Peter McKinley of McKinley Inns, who recently passed away due to cardiac arrest. Peter's million-dollar company, as stated in his will, is now handed down to his firstborn son-Alexander McKinley."
Yeah. That's how they'd say it.
No mention of the kind of man he was. Just numbers and titles. Just another breaking news story.
I looked over to my side and I could see my sister sobbing into her boyfriend's chest. I was glad she had a shoulder to cry on. God knows she needed it. I did too. But I guess I was better off being on my own and grieving in silence. It was easier that way. Less explaining to do.
I walked over to my sister and instantly, she turned to me and gave me a tight hug.
"It's going to be alright, Katie. We will be alright," I whispered to her as I rubbed her back softly.
"I miss Dad already," she whispered, and the sound of her sobs slowly started to escape her.
"I know. I miss him too."
And I don't know how I was going to live my life knowing I would be missing him every single day.
I continued to rub my sister's back as I looked up at the sky, wishing my father was in a place where he was happy. He was always a busy man. Too cramped up in his job as he led a real estate company, and yet he always made time for Katie and me. Even without a mother by our side, he really was the best father anyone could ever ask for.
When my mother had left us when I was eight, he had stepped up and took care of us. I know now how hard it must've been, and I am nothing but grateful for how he did it. He never remarried, never even dated again-not that we knew of. It was like after Mom left, he poured everything he had into being our dad and building McKinley Inns into what it became.
And now that he's gone, I don't know what to do with what he had worked so hard for.
I was just fresh out of Harvard Business School. I was supposed to spend the following years working under him. Learning the dos and don'ts, understanding the ins and outs, figuring out what I would do if I were to inherit it someday.
But no one expected someday to arrive earlier than planned. Everything seemed to have happened so fast. One minute I was walking out of a meeting, and the next, I got a call from my father's secretary saying he was rushed to the hospital. And before we could even say our proper goodbyes, the old geezer had left.
And as much as I hate goodbyes, saying my goodbye to him when he was still alive is something that I could only dream of having.
I miss you, Dad. So much.
The priest's voice faded into the background as my thoughts drowned it out. I barely heard the final words of the service. I didn't even notice when the crowd started to disperse. Only when Katie pulled back from our hug and wiped her eyes did I snap back into reality.
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked me, her voice still trembling.
I nodded. "Eventually. You?"
She gave a small, sad smile. "Eventually."
We both knew it was a lie, but it was a lie we needed to believe in-for now.
People kept coming up to us. Business partners, extended family, board members from the company. They all had the same look of pity and polished condolences. "Your father was a great man." "He'll be missed deeply." "If there's anything we can do..."
All of it blurred into a single, meaningless string of words.
I didn't want to hear about how great of a man he was. I already knew that. I lived with that man. He was the one who taught me how to ride a bike, how to tie a tie, how to think like a leader. He wasn't just the CEO of McKinley Inns. He was my dad.
I looked toward the limo waiting for us. The driver had been discreet, standing a good distance away, but I caught his glance in the rearview mirror. Even he looked sad. Dad had this way of leaving an impression on everyone-no matter who they were.
When Katie and I finally got into the car, the silence was heavy. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, remembering the last phone call I had with him.
It was a week ago.
He called to tell me how proud he was of me for finishing my degree.
"You're going to do amazing things, Alex," he said. "I know it."
I laughed and told him he was getting sentimental in his old age.
He chuckled back and said, "I'm not that old."
I wish I had known that would be our last conversation. I would've told him so much more.
We arrived at the mansion-our family home. It looked the same, but without him in it, it felt hollow. Like the heart of it had been ripped out.
Everything was exactly how he left it. His shoes still by the door. His coat on the hook. His favorite mug in the kitchen, probably still with a trace of coffee left in it.
Katie went upstairs to lie down. Her boyfriend followed a few minutes later, leaving me alone in the living room.
I sat on the armchair Dad always used.
The silence was deafening.
I stared at the fireplace, the one he used to light during the holidays. Every Christmas, he'd insist on wearing that ugly red sweater Katie got him when she was ten. He said it was tradition.
Now traditions feel like something that belong to a different lifetime.
The housekeeper brought me tea, but I barely touched it. My phone buzzed with new emails, probably from the board, or lawyers, or worse-reporters.
I didn't answer.
I couldn't bring myself to think about the company right now. McKinley Inns was his dream, his baby. Now it was mine. Whether I liked it or not.
The weight of it all felt crushing. How was I supposed to fill his shoes? How was I supposed to keep it all running when I hadn't even been trained for this yet?
I thought about the letter the lawyer gave me earlier, handwritten by Dad and sealed in an envelope. I hadn't opened it yet. I wasn't ready. Maybe later tonight. Maybe tomorrow. I don't know.
All I knew was that I missed him more than I thought possible. And I didn't know how to carry this life without him.
But somehow, I would have to try.
For him. For Katie. For McKinley Inns.
For myself.
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