Roman pressed his index finger against the glowing screen of my phone. I held his sharp gaze for a second before pressing the power button down until the screen went black.

"Smart move," Roman said. He leaned back into the leather upholstery, resting his arm on the center console. "Let them freeze in their own mess."

"Take me to the Serenity Retreat," I told him. "We have a lot of work to do if we want to open by next season."

"You don't want to watch the Edelweiss burn a little longer?"

"I prefer building my own empire over watching someone else lose theirs."

Roman smirked. He tapped the glass partition, signaling the driver. The Maybach engine purred, carrying us away from the mountain and down into the valley.

Four hours later, the rusted iron gates of the Serenity Alpine Retreat stood wide open to the freezing winter wind.

"Pull the left cable tighter," I instructed the foreman, pointing up at the roof. "Careful with the masonry. I don't want the bricks chipped."

The rusted metal letters spelling out the old retreat name groaned in protest. The crane hoisted them away from the stone facade, leaving behind a pale shadow on the brickwork.

Two local women wrapped in thick wool scarves stopped on the sidewalk behind me.

"Did you hear the police scanners last night?" the taller woman asked her friend, her voice carrying easily over the noise of the construction equipment.

"The Edelweiss lost all power," the second woman replied, laughing loudly. "Total blackout in the VIP wing. They said the new vice president, that Clara girl, barricaded herself in the penthouse. She wouldn't even come out to talk to the guests."

"I heard Julian was screaming at the front desk manager," the taller woman added. "Something about the emergency heating contractors refusing to show up without upfront payment."

"Well, Clara certainly didn't pay them. She just hid in her room crying."

They kept walking down the icy street. I did not turn around. I just watched the final iron letter drop onto the flatbed truck with a loud metallic clang.

"Looks like your replacement is drowning," Roman remarked. He stepped out from the main lobby doors, holding two steaming paper cups. He handed me one. Black coffee, no sugar.

"She wanted the ocean," I said, taking a sip. The bitter liquid warmed my throat. "She can learn to swim."

"Julian called my office," Roman mentioned, leaning against the brick wall. "He tried to demand I send emergency contractors up the mountain."

"Did you?"

"I told him my men were fully booked tearing down this sign." Roman took a drink of his coffee. "He screamed something about ruining his life and hung up."

"He did that to himself."

At three in the afternoon, a battered yellow taxi slammed its brakes right at the edge of the retreat's driveway. The tires skidded on the slush, sending gray water splashing onto the curb.

The back door flew open. Leo tumbled out, landing hard on his knees in a freezing puddle.

Mud coated his expensive designer snow boots. They were the pristine white leather ones Clara had bought him just last week, the ones he had bragged about in the hallway. Now, thick brown sludge caked the laces and stained the pristine sides.

"Mom!" Leo wailed, scrambling to his feet.

He looked awful. His custom Italian jacket was smeared with dirt. His face was red, streaked with tears and grime.

He stood in the driveway, sobbing loudly. One minute passed. Then two. He just stood there, crying like a toddler who dropped his ice cream, expecting the world to stop and comfort him.

"Hey! Kid! You bled mud all over my floor mats!" the taxi driver yelled out the window, honking his horn. "Who's paying for the detailing? Are you going to pay the meter or do I call the cops?"

I pulled a twenty-dollar bill from my coat pocket and handed it to Roman. He walked over, paid the driver, and waved the cab away without a single word.

Leo kept crying. A full three minutes of uninterrupted sobbing echoed across the quiet valley. I stood motionless, letting the cold wind whip my hair around my face.

"Are you finished?" I asked, my voice flat.

"Clara kicked me out!" Leo screamed, his voice cracking. He wiped his running nose on his muddy sleeve. "She locked the master bedroom! She said I was being annoying because I asked for pancakes!"

"Sounds like a personal problem," I said.

"She didn't even make me breakfast!" He pointed an accusatory finger toward the mountain peak. "She told me to eat a protein bar! You never made me eat protein bars! You always made fresh waffles!"

"I'm not your mother, Leo. You made that perfectly clear yesterday."

"But I'm hungry!" he yelled.

He threw his arms open and lunged forward.

He expected me to catch him. He expected me to pull him into a hug, brush the dirt off his clothes, and promise to fix everything, just like I had for the last seven years.

I stepped back half a pace.

Leo grasped empty air. His mud-caked snow boots slipped on the icy pavement. He crashed face-first into a fresh snowbank.

He sputtered, spitting out white flakes, staring up at me in pure shock.

"You let me fall!" he gasped.

"Gravity let you fall," I corrected. "I just didn't catch you."

"My boots!" Leo cried, staring at the scuffed leather. "Clara just bought these for me! They cost eight hundred dollars!"

"Then Clara can buy you a new pair."

"Take me back up the mountain," Leo demanded. He struggled to his knees, his expensive boots sliding uselessly against the ice. "You have to come back and cook for me. Julian is yelling at everyone, and Clara is just crying in her room. It sucks up there."

"Then you better get used to it."

"You can't just leave us!" Leo shouted, pounding his fist into the snow. "You're supposed to take care of us!"

"I resigned," I told him, turning my back on him. "I suggest you go find your real family."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and held down the power button. The screen flared to life. Ninety-four missed calls.

I tapped Julian's name. The line did not even ring once before he picked up.

"Aria!" Julian's voice exploded through the speaker.

"Your son is at the Serenity Retreat," I said, ignoring his outburst. "Come pick up your trash."

Julian panted on the other end of the line, his voice thick with exhaustion and panic. "Aria, stop messing around. Clara can't read these financial reports at all. If you come back now, I can still give you back the VP position—"

"The Edelweiss is your problem now," I interrupted, and ended the call.

"The Edelweiss is your problem now," I told Julian, gripping the phone tighter.

"Aria, wait," Julian pleaded, his voice thin and desperate over the speaker. "You can't just leave me with this mess. The board is threatening a vote of no confidence. Mr. Tanaka is threatening to take his ten-million-dollar contract to a resort in Switzerland."

"I secured that contract," I reminded him. "If Clara has the right vision, she can convince him to stay."

"She doesn't know the cultural protocols!" Julian shouted. "She ordered room service for his delegation and sent them cold sandwiches. You need to come back and fix this."

"I'm standing in the courtyard of the Serenity Alpine Retreat," I said, making sure every syllable landed like a hammer. "I'm the new owner. You're speaking to your direct competitor. Don't call this number again."

I tapped the red icon and ended the call.

At eight the next morning, the Serenity lobby smelled of sawdust and fresh plaster. Roman stood near the grand staircase, unrolling a set of blueprints across a makeshift plywood table. Three interior designers hovered behind him, holding fabric swatches and color palettes.

"We need to completely erase the old aesthetic," I told the lead designer, tossing a piece of dark leather aside. "No more hunting lodge themes. No more cigar lounge vibes."

I picked up a square of ivory silk upholstery and held it up to the morning light. "Use this for the lounge chairs. We're targeting the female luxury market. High-end spa treatments, wellness retreats, and absolute comfort."

The lead designer nodded quickly, jotting down notes. "It'll cost double to import the silk from Italy by next week."

"Pay it," I instructed. "Julian always cut corners on the Edelweiss renovations to fund his personal hobbies. We won't make the same mistake."

Roman smiled faintly, marking a red cross over the old floor plan. "Order the silk. We start the tear-down of the west wing tomorrow. I want this place looking like a palace by the time the snow melts."

By noon, the quiet hum of construction broke. Tires screeched against the asphalt of the main driveway.

A silver Mercedes SUV slammed to a halt right over the yellow warning tape sectioning off the entrance. The driver's door flew open.

Julian stumbled out. He looked nothing like the polished executive from the boardroom. Dark, bruised circles clung beneath his bloodshot eyes. His usually pristine charcoal tie hung crookedly around a wrinkled collar. He had not shaved.

"Aria!" Julian yelled, marching toward the entrance.

He ducked under the remaining warning tape, his expensive leather shoes crunching over gravel and discarded nails. He ignored the hardhat workers staring at him.

"You have no right to be here," I warned, stepping down from the plywood platform.

"You took them!" Julian shouted, stopping three feet away from me. He pointed an accusatory finger at my face, his hand trembling with rage. "My head of marketing. My chief financial officer. Even my executive chef resigned this morning. You poached my core team!"

"I didn't poach anyone," I replied. "They prefer working for a competent leader. I received their resumes in my inbox at dawn."

"It's unethical," he spat, his chest heaving. "You're trying to bankrupt me."

"I gave you the entire Edelweiss fortune," I reminded him. "I signed away millions. If you lose it all in twenty-four hours, that's your own failure."

Julian's face flushed a deep, ugly red. He closed the distance between us, raising his hands. "We were married for seven years, Aria. Seven years of my life given to you. You owe me."

"I owe you nothing."

"You're my wife!" he roared.

He lunged forward, aiming his open hand right at my wrist to drag me away.

I did not even flinch. I just flicked my chin toward the entrance.

Two burly security guards stepped out from behind the scaffolding. The first guard intercepted Julian's arm mid-air, twisting it sharply behind his back. The second guard grabbed Julian by the collar of his custom suit.

"Take your hands off me!" Julian screamed, his voice cracking.

The guards shoved him forward. They slammed Julian face-first into the lobby wall.

Thick, wet emerald paint coated the plaster. The impact drove Julian's chest into the fresh coat. The pristine gray wool of his haute couture jacket absorbed the bright green pigment instantly.

"Hold him," I instructed.

Julian thrashed wildly, kicking his legs backward. "Aria, tell these thugs to release me! I'm the CEO of the Edelweiss!"

The guards pressed their forearms harder against his shoulders, pinning him flat. The wet paint squelched, soaking deeper into the expensive fabric of his lapels. The custom stitching tore slightly under the pressure.

Julian gritted his teeth and shoved his weight off the wall, trying to break the hold a second time. "I'll sue you for assault! I'll ruin this place! I'll make sure you never work in this valley again!"

The larger guard leaned his body weight forward. A loud smack echoed through the lobby as Julian's cheek hit the wet plaster again. His second attempt to escape died in a pathetic groan. Green paint smeared across his jawline, coating his cheek and ear.

"You ruined your own life, Julian," I said, walking closer to examine the damage to his suit. "You threw away a loyal wife for a girl who cries when the power goes out. You handed a five-star hotel to someone who can't even read a profit and loss statement."

"She's learning," Julian hissed against the wall, though his voice lacked conviction.

"Then let her learn," I countered. "But keep her off my property. And keep yourself away from me."

A squeal of brakes interrupted us.

A bright red Porsche Cayenne skidded into the driveway, parking haphazardly behind Julian's Mercedes. The driver's side door flew open, slamming against the side mirror of the SUV.

Clara jumped out. She wore a tight designer tracksuit, her hair a messy tangle around her face. She took one look at Julian pinned against the wet wall and let out a piercing shriek.

"Julian!" Clara screamed, sprinting up the gravel path.

She stopped at the edge of the warning tape, her eyes darting from the burly guards to the ruined gray suit, and finally landing on me. Her face twisted into a mask of pure rage.

"You vindictive bitch!" Clara yelled, pointing a manicured finger at my chest. "You planned this! You stole our staff and now you're attacking my fiancé!"

She picked up a chunk of discarded brick from the rubble pile and raised it above her head, taking a step toward me.

A tall figure stepped out from the shadows of the unfinished corridor.

Roman walked into the sunlight, holding two steaming cups of coffee, and stepped right in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking Clara's path.