Emerald Island: A Billionaire Bedroom Romance

Chapter 5

Sophie had never seen the world look so green. But while peaceful, it wasn't quiet in the least. Leaves rustled, birds chirped, insects clicked.

The path was winding and overgrown, and kept forking, spinning off new paths in different directions. She followed her nose, choosing first left, then right without any particular rhyme or reason.

She hadn't realized how much of the island existed totally outside of the glamor and polish of the spas and beaches.

She looked around. The whole island was beautiful, but there was something about this part that was different. Special. Quiet. It reminded her of her own little stretch of beach in Santa Monica that she'd retreat to at the end of a long day.

It's funny, she reflected, how sometimes you had to be totally alone to really feel like yourself.

She dipped her toes in the water and sighed. Would she ever figure out how to save her company?

How did it end up like this? She wondered, for maybe the thousandth time in the last month alone.

Unlike for a lot of entrepreneurs she heard about or read about, Sophie hadn't always dreamed of opening up her own business. She never had any particular career aspirations, if she was being honest. Her parents had worked hard, but it was never about spiritual fulfillment for them. It was about putting food on the table and covering the rent checks. Based on their example, she had wanted something that did a better job of covering her bills, maybe even made enough for her to take vacations, get her nails done from time to time. Enjoy the everyday luxuries she saw her friends take for granted.

But how she would do that always seemed fuzzy. She guessed she had imagined herself in an office of some kind, typing on a computer and wearing a cute outfit. A pencil skirt, she thought, and glasses. Something professional enough for work, but stylish enough to look great during an after-work happy hour or date. In fact, that was usually where she had always gotten stuck when thinking about career options—what clothes she'd wear to the office.

Even when Kristen had suggested she start her own boutique instead of applying for summer internships, she hadn't thought of it as a calling. It just seemed like an easy way to indulge her favorite hobby while putting off the inevitable hunt for a real job.

Once business started booming, it was gratifying, of course, but it still didn't feel permanent. She never really knew what the next steps were supposed to be. She'd meet with other small business owners and feel intimidated by their big dreams, their clarity of purpose. Did she want to become a global brand, or stay local? Start designing her own products, or just carry other brands? What should her approach to marketing be? Should she hire someone to run social media strategy?

That's when the attention started to roll in. A couple of celebrities bought outfits at her shop—not absolute A-listers, but some up-and-comers. Buzz around her shop led to more buzz, and the next thing she knew, she was being profiled in magazines and invited onto talk shows to discuss her overnight success. She said yes to everything. Everyone seemed to want a piece of the college dropout made good story

And then, of course, it had all fallen apart. A couple of bad decisions, too much focus on things that didn't matter, letting the finances slide. And Jason...

But that was too painful to think about. She didn't let herself think about Jason, not ever.

And who needed the trappings of fame, anyway? Right now, she would settle for a steady revenue stream. Or even an unsteady one. Anything to stem the tide of her rapidly depleting bank account.

The familiar cold dread washed over her again. What was she doing here? A vacation was nice, and it was easy enough for Kristen to say she needed a break, but her business was falling apart. And with it, her entire life.