“Have you?” I kept my tone neutral. “Because last I heard from dad’s old partner, revenue was actually down 18%. You’ve been cutting corners on quality to maintain profit margins and it’s starting to show.”
“How would you know anything about my business?”
“I pay attention.”
Charles cleared his throat delicately.
“Perhaps this conversation would be better held in private. We do have other guests checking in.”
“No,” Dererick said firmly. “I want answers now. Sophie, where did you get the money for this hotel?”
I looked at my mother, at Marcus, at Amanda, at Dererick’s furious face. They were all waiting, convinced they were about to uncover some scandal. Some proof that I’d failed just as spectacularly as they’d always predicted.
“I work for it,” I said simply.
“Tech support doesn’t pay this much.”
“You’re right. Tech support doesn’t.”
“Then what?”
My mother stopped.
“Sophie, what exactly do you do?”
“I told you at Thanksgiving 3 years ago. You weren’t interested in the details.”
Marcus frowned.
“You said you were working on a startup, something with software.”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what?” Derek demanded.
Victoria appeared at Charles’s side carrying a tablet.
“Excuse me, Mr. Morrison. The final numbers from the Christmas Eve gala are ready for your review. Revenue exceeded projections by 22%.”
“Excellent.”
Charles glanced at the tablet, then at me.
“Miss Chin, would you like to review these now or after you’ve settled in?”
My mother’s voice was faint.
“Why would Sophie review the hotel’s revenue numbers?”
Charles looked surprised.
“Because she’s the owner, of course.”
The lobby seemed to stop.
Guess walking past paused. Staff members who’d been studiously ignoring our conversation turned to stare.
My family stood frozen like someone had pressed pause on reality.
“Owner,” Derek finally repeated. “Owner of what?”
“The Grand Celestial Hotel,” Charles said, clearly confused by the question. “Miss Chin founded and owns the entire property. Has for 3 years now.”
“That’s… That’s impossible.”
My mother shook her head.
“Sophie works in tech support. He drives a Toyota. She wears clothes from Target.”
“I do wear clothes from Target,” I confirmed. “They’re comfortable.”
“But owner…”
Marcus looked around the massive lobby at the Christmas decorations at the evidence of wealth and success everywhere.
“This hotel must be worth…”
“The property is valued at approximately $240 million,” Charles provided helpfully, “though Miss Chin owns it outright, no mortgage. She purchased the land and financed construction through a combination of personal funds and investor capital. The hotel’s been profitable since month three of operations.”
Amanda sat down heavily in one of the lobby chairs.
“240 million.”
“Sophie,” my mother’s voice was strange. “Is this true?”
“Yes.”