The Collector | 18+

【41】Mr. Big Boss

Ulrik

The weather outside was particularly splendid. In the past few days, the rain had cleared the air, dampened the dust, and left nothing behind but a crisp and limpid atmosphere. The sky was just as clear, blue stretching above and beyond without a spot of white.

As I distractedly observed the view from the wall-to-ceiling window, I caught myself wishing Mila could have enjoyed the estate in the spring.

Autumn was a beautiful season, with the surrounding forest dusted in hues of reds, yellows, and oranges, the few trees that weren't pines getting ready for their yearly rest. I enjoyed autumn more than I did summer or winter, but less than I did spring.

The months following winter were always gushing with life, so full of the promises of a new year coming. It was a rebirth, a clean slate, a new page... And the beauties it offered still managed to surprise me despite how many times I'd witnessed it.

Which was why I wished she could have seen it even once, so she would experience the fjord in its greatest splendor. Nature seemed to call to her, even if she was a city woman. Several times now, I'd found her staring at the vastness outside with longing in her eyes. But between the rain and her long work hours, she hadn't found much time to enjoy the estate. And when she had, she'd nearly injured herself out there.

Maybe tomorrow, after I'd driven her to the airport for her flight back home, I could mention that she'd love the spring here. I could slip that I'd gladly welcome her back if she had a break then, so she'd see it for herself. Not for work, not for the collection, but for her enjoyment—and for mine as well.

The thought of her leaving soon left a sour taste in my mouth. Despite my resolution to stay away from her, I'd failed more often than not, getting to spend much more time with her than I'd intended. And yet, somehow, it still wasn't enough. I craved for more moments like the one we'd had in the sauna or the one we'd had during lunch earlier, craved to know more about her, be it the good, the bad, and the silly.

For the hundredth time since she'd shown it to me, the image of the dodo flashed into my mind, along with the story behind it. This was the kind of useless, simple pieces of information I longed to know about her. Anecdotes of her life.

I wanted to know them all.

"Mr. Westergaard?"

Remembering I was in the middle of something, I spun the chair around and focused on the call again. Three faces, parted in their respective corners, were looking at me through the screen, awaiting an answer to a question I hadn't heard. Hell, I couldn't even remember what this whole meeting was about.

New York. The investment company in New York.

Bill Rankin, who handled that branch, was there, as well as the head of the legal department, Andre Lemelle, and Monica Rascon, who was my invaluable right hand on the American continent, North, Central, and South. She was based in the US, but even more airborne than I was, handling most of my businesses on the other side of the Atlantic with an iron fist. If I wished, I could leave her to handle it all, and the machine would still run without a hiccup. I had several other associates just like her, helping me handle my multiple assets scattered all around the world. The only reason I wasn't letting them do it for me was because there were only so many ways to trump boredom, and working was one of them.

"Do you think you can make it?" Monica asked, repeating the question I was failing to answer.

Ah, right... Going back there to meet with the Westons again. "Can't you handle it this time? I was there last week."

"They say they only want to deal with you."

With an annoyed sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn't want to be doing this. In fact, I'd been wanting to head downstairs for the past two hours and watch Mila work from above. I'd done this a few times since she'd arrived, observing her from the upper lever as she walked around the reserve to check on items and then sat back to type and catalog them. She was usually so deeply focused that she didn't even notice my presence. Only once had she realized I was there, so I'd come down to check on her, to not look too much like a creep.