The Secret Heiress (19 page)

The Secret Heiress is the second book in a six book series. Each book is a stand-alone romance and tells the story of one of the Bolles family members. 

A forgotten heiress inherits a crumpling empire… as she struggles to protect herself from the ruthless billionaire who is seeking to salvage it

Raised by a guardian in Ireland, Olivia Grey is shocked when the secret details of her birth are leaked to the media as she tries to come to terms with the unexpected death of her father.  Drawn into her estranged family, the shy and reclusive clothing designer finds her way through the media spotlight, an imploding empire and the expectations of the elite New York society.

Olivia is thrown together with Fionn Lynch a hot, obscenely wealthy math genius who seeks her out to squash the media speculation. Olivia is more of a challenge than he expected and he has to change his game plan to save the company he helped to build.   

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LDU740A

A driven entrepreneur decides to honor his disgraced father’s memory… and finds himself falling for a woman who insists on exploring each scandal and half-truth

Until he was seventeen, William Bolles had led a privileged life in New York but his world was shattered when his billionaire father, Oliver Bolles, died unexpectedly in a motorcycle accident and far-reaching scandals were revealed in every tabloid paper and news outlet.

By thirty, William had taken his small inheritance and increased it by hundredfold through smart investment and taking enormous risks. Partly to escape his family’s clutches and partly to stay clear of rumors and gossip, he based himself in Dublin. But his sister, Olivia, insists that he invest into a failing company and hire her employee, Bridget North. He has no interest in hiring the woman who has nothing but contempt for his family but finds it tough to disappoint his sister. 

Bridget is a beautiful, obsessive marketing whiz with an extraordinary fashion sense who pursues the truth even if it becomes difficult or challenging. She was raised by dreamers in a chaotic environment and has vowed to create order and stability in her life. William is not what she expects and she finds herself drawn to him even though she knows he is trouble. 

Please keep reading for an excerpt of The Chosen Heir due out in November 2015.

Susie Warren spends most of her time writing intense and complex stories about falling in love.  Her beloved characters are real living and breathing people thrown into unusual circumstances.  Besides being drawn into a make believe world each day, Susie keeps tabs on her inventor husband and her three challenging yet mostly perfect teenagers. She has five novels published and is working on her 6th.

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Prologue

William Bolles glanced around the conference room. He saw defeat. It permeated all aspects of the discussion. Purchasing this golf course and hotel to the south of Dublin was a bad investment. If he were being honest with himself, it was a sentimental investment.

Leaning back in the leather conference chair, he observed the man trying to justify the expenditures look around the room for a lifeline. Unfortunately, no one was coming to his rescue. He expected more of his management team. At the very least, they needed to stick together.

He kept his voice neutral. “By your own estimations, this project has cost overruns exceeding a million pounds in the prior four weeks alone.”

The chart accountant loosened his tie slightly. “Yes, well. It wasn’t supposed to happen but the terrain is impossible. You must know that. There is nothing but rock.”

“Jeremy, if you are unable or unwilling to get these costs under control then I’m going to replace you on this project. You are allowing the local vendors to take advantage.”

“With all due respect, William, they have refused to work for a set amount instead insisting that we pay for machine time.”

William turned toward the window and looked out at the expansive lawns. Years ago, his father had taken him to this shabby resort and they had spent countless hours learning how to approach each hole.  This course had been a premier location decades ago. Now it had fallen into disrepair and needed essential updates and investment.

He ran a hand through his hair. He was not going to give up. The project would not defeat him.

Standing up, he turned back to his management team. “Gentleman, we knew turning this golf course around was going to take huge sums of money and the willingness to accept risk. And yes, it is out of our usual comfort zone.”

One of his senior managers said, “William, I’m worried. We could lose our shirts on this deal. It’s not worth it. We should cut our losses and move on.”

A few of his managers murmured agreement.

Shaking his head, he said. “If we walk away now then we will lose millions. We need to change tactics. Let’s interview more experts.”

Jeremy ran his hand through his hair. “It’ll muddy the water, Will. They don’t know how to make this old relic profitable again. Times have changed. No longer can we count on families to travel to a local resort. They all want to go to the Mediterranean or Belize.”

He had overextended his company to acquire the resort but he would not run from the accelerating costs. He would stay and fight. “We are not trying to reclaim the past. We are attempting to make the course worthy of the European Tour.”

His marketing executive, Alex, said “It’s impossible. They are refusing to even visit until the course is ready.”

“It’s not impossible, Alex. All of you. You need to put your game face on. We will not allow a golf resort to defeat us. When we bought this property two years ago, there were a few locals that had attempted to resurrect it. Get in touch with them.”

Alex waved his hands in surrender. “That’s a bad idea. We bought this property for a song and they had lost their life savings. I can’t imagine they know anything more than we do.”

William closed his laptop. “If you have lost faith in the experts then reaching out to the locals is the next logical step. Go back over the history. Set up a meeting. I’m going to London for a fortnight but when I return I want a new strategy in place.”

“One of the three previous owners died recently. I believe another is in America but I can reach out to Thomas North. He has stopped by a few times.”

After a few more minutes of discussion, he left his management team to make decisions about the work in progress and reminded them to email him a financial report at the end of the week.

Instead of getting into his vehicle, he placed his bag in the boot and took a walk. He called his personal assistant and put off his afternoon meeting. He needed time to contemplate his next move. The golf course was draining his capital reserves and he had a decision to make. Pushing aside his memories, he walked the course. They had widened some of the fairways, removed plots of ball-swallowing rough and added intricate sand-traps. The result was a faster pace of play considered to be more challenging. The golf course was a beast when the wind howled, but would draw in the elite and beginning players alike.

Deciding not to question his motives too deeply, he decided to stay the course. The place was magnificent. The rolling hills ending at the rough and rocky coastline of the ocean spoke to him. He would play this course frequently and remember his father. Even if his family and most of the world pretended that Oliver Bolles, and all of his scandals and lies, never existed.

He checked the time. He had promised his girlfriend that he would meet her for a drink. He was tempted to cancel but she wanted to discuss their relationship. They had been seeing each other for a few months and she insisted on meeting his family. He rarely allowed a woman he was dating to meet his sisters. It wasn’t worth the effort. In her case, it wasn’t the right move. He had no intention of continuing the relationship. 

Much later that evening, he climbed onto his racing cycle and headed out to claim his favorite fifty kilometer circuit. It was the only thing that calmed his nerves and allowed him to escape his thoughts. The sheer effort of pushing his body past his comfort zone brought him a measure of satisfaction. His empire may be bleeding money, his personal life was superficial and empty but his body didn’t disappoint him.

His sister, Olivia, was flying into a private airport that morning with her daughters. What did she have on her mind this time? He was heading to London in a few days. What could be so important that it couldn’t wait until then?

If he didn’t make an appearance every three months in London, Olivia would text him a day or two in advance and show up on his doorstep expecting him to welcome her. The problem was he would drop everything to see her. Everyone else may despise his Bolles lineage, but his sisters were curious about their father and treated his memory with respect. He wished his mother could do the same.

It was nearly two o’clock in the afternoon and he had already put eight hours of work in. Waiting at the small, private airstrip, he returned a few calls while watching for the sleek Pilatus PC-12 turboprop to come into view.

His sister and her husband, Fionn, had no shortage of money. They had made smart choices. Olivia’s fashion empire was thriving and Fionn had launched his own equity investment firm a dozen years ago and it was booming. He on the other hand had taken too many risks in the past five years and if he wasn’t careful, he would be bankrupt. 

The plane made a smooth landing and he watched the two person crew secure the plane. Stepping forward, he saw his two growing nieces, Beatrice and Addy, gracefully walk down the movable steps and run towards him. He tossed Addy into the air and heard a shriek of delight before turning to Beatrice and gathering her into a tight hug. His nieces were the image of their mother.

Olivia stepped down onto the runway in a stylish outfit but she looked worn out. Hopefully the visit wasn’t to warn him of a problem. He had assumed it was merely a chance to catch up before the baptism of their other sister’s, Anna, infant son.

He kissed her cheek and when the girls were far enough ahead, asked her “Is everything fine?”

Olivia smiled at him. “Yes. I was hoping to speak with you about a business concern before you come to London. And it will be a madhouse with all the events scheduled.”

He placed an arm around his sister’s shoulders and guided her to his Range Rover. His nieces had already climbed into the back seat and were buckling their seat belts. He opened the rear hatch and took the overnight bags from the pilots.

“I have your rooms ready for your stay. What will you be doing over the next day or so?” He glanced into the rear view mirror.

Addy answered. “Mum said we are visiting a company that makes hats and then we will collect samples of lace.” 

He glanced over at his sister and she smiled. “Tomorrow’s plans. Let’s go back to your place and chat.”

William asked his nieces about their studies and hobbies on the short drive back. Olivia mentioned not feeling well and asked him to slow down.

His housekeeper greeted them at the door and said she had set-up their favorite tea and sandwiches on the back terrace. Olivia had taken a call from her husband, Fionn, and joined them a few minutes later.

The girls chatted amicably and then disappeared the moment their tea was consumed.

“They are growing up those two. How old are they now?”

Olivia took a sip of her tea. “Seven and eleven. I would have thought you would remember that as you never miss a birthday.”

Tension would its’ way through his shoulders. He had a few things to take care of before he headed to London. “They are wonderful girls, Liv.”

She put her cup down. “It’s a good thing as I’m expecting a baby in January.”

Delight swept through him. His sister and Fionn were made to be parents. Their dedication to the girls never faltered. “Fionn must be over the moon.”

Olivia was an exceptionally kind and involved mum. She was nothing like his mother. He wished Olivia’s children could count toward his allotment of future offspring. But Diane had made it clear that she had no interest her husband’s ‘mistakes’ as she termed both of his sisters. It was the reason he rarely saw his mother.

His sister’s face light up. “Yes. He is thrilled.”

“Shouldn’t you be home resting?”

Olivia smoothed down the edges of her skirt. “It’s early in the pregnancy. I’ll have plenty of time to rest later on.” She sat forward. ”I wanted to talk with you about a business opportunity.”

He raised his eyebrows. He and Olivia rarely spoke about business. She was firmly enmeshed in the fashion world and typically spoke about design or culture. “You have me curious.”

Olivia stood up and began pacing. “I have a buyer on my team, her name is Bridget North. She is a marketing genius and alerted me that my favorite hat company in Dublin is about to go out of business.”

Where was she heading with this? “Many of the garment centered businesses can’t compete with the lower labor rates abroad.”

She met his gaze. “It’s an old family business that has been in existence for a hundred and fifty years. They make the most beautiful hats. I can’t imagine them disappearing.”

She wanted him to save the company. “Have you asked Fionn about it?”

Her voice rose with excitement. “He is not interested in taking on a small, family owned business in Ireland. But you have based yourself here and you already have a management team that is skilled at turning around failing companies.”

He needed to temper his words. “Liv, some of the companies I’ve purchased are no longer in existence. In order to become profitable again, sometimes they need to be combined with other companies or broken apart and sold for the assets.”

Olivia remained silent and looked at him. Without realizing it, his sisters expected him to the fill the void of not having grown up with a father. He had been given a huge advantage in that he had his father all to himself.

He stood up. “It doesn’t make sense to purchase one of your suppliers to keep them around so you don’t have to find a new source.”

She met his gaze. “You don’t understand. They make custom women’s hats that can’t be found elsewhere.”

He couldn’t possible take on another failing business. The golf resort was bad enough. “Do women even wear hats anymore?”

“What?” Olivia blinked at him.

William shrugged. “It’s a fair question. None of the women I have dated have ever worn a hat beyond maybe a baseball cap.”

“Maybe you are dating the wrong women.” It always came back to this.

“Liv, I have enough issues with a golf resort I’m trying to make profitable. I can’t take on a failing hat company. The garment industry in Dublin is doomed.”

She paced the terrace. “I disagree. There has been a resurgence of skilled shops. You understand numbers, Will. How hard can one small company with less than fifty employees be to manage? It is ten minutes from here.”

The timing was wrong for him. “I’ve learned there is a steep knowledge curve to each new industry.”

Olivia waved a hand. “I can give you Bridget North for a year. She understands marketing, knows the industry and she is from Ireland. Did you remember meeting her at one of my events?”

He was not going to admit to meeting the uptight Ms. North and he had no interest in working with her. “Does she have experience running a company?”

Olivia shook her head. “No. But she is well educated and savvy. I’m sure with some mentoring she would be up to the task.”

The housekeeper, Mrs. Blake, came in and asked if she could clear away the plates.

William nodded and asked, “Should we get out of your way?”

“Heavens, no. The girls want to help with dinner so I’ve sent them to change and thought I should take care of this before I lose track of time.”

Olivia smiled at her. “Are you sure they won’t become a nuisance for you, Mrs. Blake?”