Fighting Destiny

by Annalisa Simon

  He, the hotel’s management team and the Derrien Island Tourism Board had been working overtime to make sure that all the plans were in place and so far everything was going well. This could mean that his hotel could win the highly coveted Caribbean’s Best Hotel travel award so it wasn’t something he was taking lightly at all.

  With this kind of pressure it wasn’t surprising for him to realize that he hadn’t been downstairs or even outside of this suite in the last two days. Having his office paired with a live-in suite was the ultimate convenience for the consummate workaholic he’d become. In fifteen minutes, his attorney’s would be here as well as Sally’s legal team for the final contractual arrangements for the show. She would be arriving tomorrow afternoon and the filming would begin the following morning.

  At that thought, his thoughts once again drifted to Candasee. She was a brilliant corporate attorney with a real knack for closing even the toughest deals in the interest of her clients but unfortunately, she didn’t love it. She was his right hand, his partner, and she handled his business deals in the past very professionally. She always made sure that he knew the fine print and what he was getting into with every deal. More than once she’d helped him secure lucrative contracts which expanded his wealth exponentially. But that life with him did not make her happy. It just wasn’t enough! He remembered bitterly.

  He was building an empire for her and the family they could’ve had, but none of that mattered to her. She didn’t care about the money; she just wanted to be happy. He’d often told her how irresponsible and immature it was of her to want to live her life like that, although he knew it never made any sense the way he felt about her decision to quit being an attorney. It wasn’t a crime for her to choose a career that she enjoyed. People did that every day, so that clearly wasn’t the real reason why he was so vehemently opposed to her decision to throw it all away to become a dance instructor. With every class she took it seemed she just slipped away from him and everything he did to keep her close, just served to push her further away.

  He recalled that it was through her work as an attorney that they met for the first time. Even now he could remember with startling clarity the day he walked into Kiering and Plessette Associates located on the island of Barbados to seal the deal to finalize the purchase of the land on which this hotel now proudly sat in Derrien Island. It belonged to a wealthy Barbadian retired justice of the peace, who no longer wanted to develop it and after pulling some strings, he was able to secure one of the best stretches of beachfront property on the entire island. Most of the early negotiations were done by video conferencing but that day he went to sign the official documents indicating that the sale of the land was now finalized. It was a one-day trip which ended up lasting almost two weeks; all because of her!

  Derrien Island was his mother’s home country and he moved here with her at the age of ten. He was born in Scotland but his experiences there had forever closed his mind toward ever wanting to make that country his home. It wasn’t anything to do with the country itself per say because from his vague memories it was a really beautiful place. The problem lay with his father’s side of the family who were so abhorrent to him that he’d forced them from his mind a long time ago. He even found it difficult to recall what his father looked like sometimes. All he knew was that they made the early years of his life and his mother’s life such a nightmare that eventually she was unable to take the abuse any more. It was then that they relocated to her former home on Derrien Island.

  So, purchasing the land the hotel stood on was therefore very important to him. It was his way of making sure that his mother would be taken care of financially and have part ownership of something she could really be proud of.

  Candasee just happened to be the attorney assigned to close the deal. Never in his wildest dreams did he think the Ms. Maxwell he was expecting would turn out to be a young, dark-skinned and exquisitely gorgeous woman who to his immediate delight was wearing no wedding rings. His usual demeanour of steely indifference worked wonders in his business meetings but on that day it seemed totally out of place. It was very difficult to concentrate on anything else but her during that brief meeting.

  As he signed the many documents, he found himself watching her fluid movements discreetly from under his eyelashes. She was so calm, aloof and business-like, but beneath all of that radiated warmth which was both magnetic and calming to him. Just being in her presence set him at ease and on fire all at the same time.

  Miss Candasee Maxwell was about five foot eight and had a slender, shapely body that not even her tailored, black business suit could hide. Her skin was the dark, smooth, deep even tone of rich Arabica coffee grounds. Long straight hair that clearly reached way past her shoulders was parted in the centre of her forehead and pulled back into a neat ponytail. A pair of rimless glasses was perched on her pert nose. She had the fullest, softest honey-coloured lips he had ever seen and thought should ever be legal on a woman’s face covered in only a thin sheen of clear gloss.

  But nothing could have prepared him for the beauty of her slanting slate-grey eyes, which the lenses of her spectacles couldn’t hide as she looked up at him from under a fan of long jet-black eyelashes when she sat. It still amazed him till this day that her eyes were the exact same colour as his and from that moment forward he considered them to be his long-lost matching pair.

  She was all business that day, but he was a mess of hidden emotions. Over the years, he had learned how to conceal them quite well and he was at least thankful for that skill. While she went through the finer details of the contract, he listened and enjoyed the almost musical sound of her voice and her accent. By the time the meeting was over and the papers were signed, he’d already decided that before he left the island he would return to her office, not as a client but to get to know her better.

  He remembered with a smile his clever ruse to leave his monogrammed gold pen in the boardroom and how well it worked when he returned after work hours, to retrieve it claiming it had much sentimental value for him. It worked like a charm and soon with a little small talk Candasee was smiling and talking to him. Taking the chance on her good mood, he’d nonchalantly asked, “Will you have a drink with me later to celebrate the signing of the contract?”

  He remembered how her eyes narrowed as she considered the appropriateness of his invitation and could almost read her mind as she debated within herself as to whether or not her associates would consider it to be the proper thing to do. She’d always had those kinds of internal conflicts throughout the years he’d gotten to know her. Maybe that was why she didn’t have the stomach to continue working as an attorney-at-law. Her idealistic way of viewing the world often got in the way in his opinion, of making decisions based on the cold hard facts of reality. But they discovered just how different they were on that score much, much later.

  That day he reminded her with a coaxing smile that they had concluded their business and he was no longer her client so she didn’t have to worry about it affecting their working relationship.

  “Just a drink, to celebrate before I leave tomorrow!” he’d coaxed gently till finally she’d relented.

  He’d taken her to a waterfront tapas bar and restaurant and by the end of the first drink, he’d convinced her to stay longer and to have dinner with him. At no point during the night did they even discuss the contract. Instead he got to know more about her and he found himself opening up and sharing details about himself that he had never told another soul. It was as though her eyes were just part of the indicator that she was his other half. Usually for him, women came and went due to his singular focus on developing his businesses. Truly, until that point no woman meant anything to him except for his mother and aunts. But in that moment, he could see that Candasee was the woman who would change all of that for him.

  He talked and she shared and together they drank an entire bottle of wine. They ended up being the last to leave the restaurant around eleven that night, totally oblivious to the
time. He chuckled at the memory of how her eyes widened in shock as she looked at her watch when the restaurant manager politely reminded them of the time and that they were ready to close up.

  For him, it was truly love at first sight and till this day he knew that he still hadn’t gotten over her. She was his first love and instinctively then he knew she would also probably be his last.

  How had such a deep connection changed to this empty gnawing space which now occupied his life?

  He’d cancelled weeks of meetings just to be with her after that night and flew in on many weekends disrupting his work schedules unable to be out of her presence for very long. They did that until it became clear that being separated from each other was pure madness and they got married after a brief but excruciating six months. Her parents told her she was making a huge mistake and that their relationship would end in divorce. He’d hated them for that especially when it came true. It was as though they’d planted that seed of doubt in her mind every chance they got over the years.

  Letting her go from his life without a fight was sheer pride on his part and a decision that made no sense when he considered how he truly felt about her still. Trying to move on turned out to be a waste of time because so far no woman he knew could hold even a flame to the bonfire she had ignited within him.

  Over the last few weeks, he’d even begun to entertain the idea that he would fly out to Barbados to surprise her for her birthday in two months time. It was a crazy plan that had the word failure stamped all over it considering the way things stood between them when they separated. But he had to know if there was still a chance that they could somehow resolve this mess between them. Without her he knew he’d allowed his life had become pretty unbalanced! It wasn’t so much that he didn’t have opportunities to enjoy himself or that business diminished but it was a certain happiness, joy and peace to living he had with her that was gone now. She brought out the best in his creativity, his humorous and fun loving sides, and even sharpened his intuitive capabilities. He missed her terribly!

  “Mr. Brogan, your guests have arrived for the meeting!” spoke the voice of his secretary Portia through the intercom, interrupting his latest daydream. The adjoining room to his office had been converted into a reception area for his clients and an office for his secretary Portia and his private security team. He also had an adjoining conference room where he held meetings.

  Darius leaned over and pressed the button, “Thank you Portia and please send them into the conference room immediately!” He felt a little relief knowing that at least for another few moments his mind would have some respite from thinking about her. A business matter of this magnitude would require his full attention and he couldn’t afford to mess up the details with these fantasy mind trips of his.

  “Sir, before I do that I need to let you know something first. I am coming in!” said Portia in an agitated tone.

  “Okay, but make it quick, I don’t want to keep these people waiting!” he replied gruffly gathering the necessary files on his desk for the meeting. Okay so he was more than a little annoyed that his fantasy trip was indeed interrupted.

  Within seconds the door opened to admit Portia inside and she was wringing her hands nervously.

  “Mr. Brogan I just received some very bad news!”

  “What is it?” he replied, his head snapping upward to take in the nervous wreck his secretary had become.

  “Sloane Arts and Media cancelled their appearances for next week. The lead singer in the production suffered a fall due to a diabetic episode and is in the hospital and the dance team has come down with food poisoning. Apparently they ate some bad seafood at an event last night.”

  “No way, you are kidding me!” exclaimed Darius, thinking of the long months his team would have spent looking for the right entertainment group to provide a professional entertainment package at the hotel during the travel show. “The filming for the show begins one day from now, did we have a backup group?” he asked anxiously.

  “Well that’s the thing, we did but seeing we couldn’t offer them a definite yes, they went on to book another show and are currently performing at a music festival in Australia,” she said twisting her features apologetically.

  “This must be some kind of joke!” exclaimed Darius at the implications this had for the final evening’s program for the travel show being held at the hotel that week.

  “I assure you it isn’t a joke sir! The events team is looking for a replacement right now but they aren’t holding out much hope at such late notice!” replied Portia.

  “No, there must be a solution to this. There must be some other group we can find to replace these two. This recording will be shown globally and a lot was invested to ensure that we host this show with excellence,” Darius almost shouted with exasperation.

  Portia noted his stressed appearance and decided that she had said enough. “I will check back in with events team and let you know if anything changes in an hour or so!”

  As Portia left hurriedly, Darius swore softly under his breath and pinched the area between his eyes wondering where in the world would he find a replacement of the quality needed at this late hour?

  Chapter 2

  The plane landed safely and now they were standing outside the terminal with throngs of visitors who were also trapped there until the weather improved. All of the roads leading from the airport were completely flooded. Could it really get any worse? Candasee asked herself after it became clear that no taxis were available for airport transfers.

  “Nathan, this doesn’t look good at all, I wonder how the other delegates are managing with this weather?” she asked with concern.

  “Yes, I am wondering the same thing! The weather report didn’t indicate this kind of bad weather. I’m calling the hotel now to see if everything is okay!” replied Nathan pulling his cell phone out of the slim travel case attached to his carry-on bag.

  It didn’t take very long for his call to connect with the front desk at the Meridian Hotel.

  “Good afternoon, Meridian Hotel, how may I help you?” answered a polished and polite voice.

  “Hello, may I speak with Miss Solange Hassell please?”Nathan asked, while twirling a loose lock of Candasee’s long hair around his finger and smiling at her affectionately.

  “Sure, whom might I say is calling?”

  “Tell her it’s Nathan Carthswright!”

  “Sir, please hold while I connect your call to Miss. Hassell!”

  The line became silent as the secretary linked the call through to its destination.

  “How do you manage to look so gorgeous all the time sweetheart?” Nathan asked Candasee, covering the mouthpiece with his hand and admiring the way her hair curled around her beautiful face in lustrous waves.

  Candasee smiled back as the compliment warmed her inwardly. Nathan always looked at her like she was the centre of his world.

  “Hello, this is Solange Hassell!”

  “Yes Solange, its Nathan! I just arrived at the airport but we are stuck here in this weather. Have any of the other delegates arrived as yet?”

  “Oh Nathan, I am so glad that you called. Yes many of the delegates arrived before lunch, so they got in before this freak rainstorm hit. This place has turned into a zoo of epic proportions, Nathan. The roof on our conference building has been severely damaged by the heavy rain and a fallen tree. We are also experiencing some flooding as well. So, we had to make the decision to close the hotel without further delay.

  “What?” exclaimed Nathan in complete shock.

  “I know it sounds bad but I am about to call up a friend of mine to see if I can help you shift your venue at this eleventh hour. I am so sorry about the inconvenience. Just sit tight I will call you back within the hour with the details. The delegates and instructors have been taken to the restaurant and in the meantime we are serving them some light refreshments,” said Solange apologetically.

  “Oh no!” said Nathan holding his forehead in his hands.
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  “What’s wrong Nathan?” asked Candasee alarmed at seeing his previously warm expression turn to one of anxiety!”

  Shaking his head at Candasee, he continued to speak to Solange.

  “Solange you know how important this media and arts intensive is to the academy, please try your best to save the event! Some of these delegates would have done major fundraising just to make it here this week and I don’t want to disappoint them,” he pleaded.

  At the back of his mind another important reason was searing a hole into his brain. The Academy needed this intensive and if he failed he would be failing his family and all of the instructors who gained their employment with him. They’d lost a significant government grant which took care of many of their expenses. No one knew but he and his family and it had to stay that way.

  “I know and I am on it right now, I’ll give you a call back very soon!” Solange replied.

  Candasee was on the verge of bursting to find out what had happened and her questions poured out as Nathan disconnected the call.

  “Nathan, what happened, what did she say? Are the other delegates there? Will we have to cancel the intensive?”

  “Whoa, whoa there Candee,” said Nathan raising his hand affectionately to her cheek, to slow down her barrage of questions. “There is a problem at the hotel due to all the rain. The conference hall’s roof has been damaged and Solange is trying her best to resolve the issue by finding us an alternative location,” he breathed in frustration.

  “I knew it!” exclaimed Candasee,” I felt that somehow that storm was an omen of some kind but I shook it off on the plane,” she said with a visible shudder.

  “Now let’s not get too negative and talk about omens just as yet. I know I looked completely stressed out just now, but Solange is pretty well connected here on Derrien and I am sure that she will find us a suitable replacement. In the meantime let’s find something to eat. I think we’ll be here at the airport for a little while!” he replied trying to remain upbeat.