Chapter One

Hal

"Alright! I think we"ve covered all the details. Thank you very much," I say smiling whilst shaking hands with the Mayor. My colleague and partner, Jay Adams, winks at me. I smile back in satisfaction.

"Thank you, Mr. Torres," the Mayor replies. "I"m just glad we were able to agree. You drive a hard bargain." Jay and I, at Torres Holdings — my Father's well-established architect company, now owned by me — has just been chosen to create the design for the new city hall and renovations for an entire new estate in Beverly Hills.

"That may be the case, Sir, but don't forget, this deal will benefit you greatly."

"Ahh ... cut the bullshit," he signals for me to follow him out of the building to his car parked out front. "I just hope this is the beginning of a solid relationship between the city and Torres Holdings ... How"s your dad anyway? Probably retired somewhere in Greece, eh?" He winks at me as his valet opens the door to the back seat of his stretch limo.

"Something like that." I respond. "He doesn"t travel much these days … thanks for your time today, Mayor." He nods, then sits in the back of the limo. I watch as his small convoy drives off.

"That was amazing man!" I turn around as I hear Jay behind me. "I had no idea he was going to sign! Do you know how many other firms have been angling for this?! Seven. Seven!" Jay grins as we head back to the elevator. Jay has been a part of Torres Holdings since I took over from my dad, two years ago. Though he was easygoing and unassuming, he was also extremely intelligent and dependable. I trusted him to come on board and share my vision for the company.

We met at Harvard and got along almost immediately. Even though we"re opposites, there was this instant connection. I always knew we would work well together, even back then.

"So, how are we celebrating this Hal? There"s this new club in town. You have got to check it out."

I look at Jay briefly and his expression immediately went from enthusiastic to disappointed.

"Come on Hal! Not even on a day like this? So what are you going to do? More work? Stay here for the rest of the day and go home? You need to live a little, Hal."

"Of course I have plans to celebrate." I watch Jay"s eyes immediately light up as he sits down.

"Excellent. Finally! So where are we going?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I plan on celebrating at home by chilling out with a beer and relaxing. I may even watch a movie or two. We've worked hard these last few months. I need time to unwind."

Jay"s expression is one of utter disbelief. "You can still go out and have fun, Jay," I say as I begin collecting my things from my office. Jay picks up my briefcase and holds it to ransom.

"You know sometimes I still don"t understand how you and I have been friends for this long. Movies? Really?! That"s your brilliant idea of celebrating one of the biggest deals we"ve ever closed?"

I was tired, and wanted nothing more than to go home and chill out. I knew that Jay was trying to get a rise out of me. But at the age of 30, I'm a big boy and can handle this type of peer pressure. "Absolutely! In fact, I may even push the boat out and watch one of those animal documentaries," I mock, seeing how far I can make Jay's head explode. He's so easy to wind up.

Jay"s face turns red and I hold my hands out to catch my briefcase he attempts to throw at me.

"Careful buddy. This is real leather!"

Jay rolls his eyes and begins walking out of my office, "Ok, well, if you change your mind, I'll be at that new club in town. I may text Jesse, see if he fancies a fun night out."

Jesse Edison; my childhood buddy, best friend and now newly married to my step-sister, Olivia. I smile as I remember how they have me to thank for that!

Jay and Jesse met two years ago and have been good friends ever since. When the three of us are together, we always have a great night out. But I just can't tonight. The last few months have really taken it out of me.

"Ok, we'll have fun," I say, turning back to my desk before leaving the office.

"Oh, we will. Have fun watching your animals," he mocks and leaves the room smiling, pleased with his last little dig.

I laugh out loud and turn my attention back to reorganizing my desk, glad that I can now do something for myself now that the deal was closed. I finish reviewing my schedule for next week.

Once satisfied that I'd completed the last of my jobs, I head out to the garage feeling somewhat expectant. It was as though something was waiting for me out there but I didn"t know what it was. Perhaps it was just the excitement about the city hall deal. Part of me itched to get started on the designs but there was plenty of time for that. Besides, I had earned a day off.

I slowly drive into my condo on South Bay Boulevard. It's a sprawling complex with 12 stories. One of the many investments I'd made. I was involved in the design of the entire complex five years ago, when my dad still owned the business. It has 44 three-bedroom luxury apartments. I live in the penthouse on the top floor, and the view from the top is breathtaking.

As I reach my floor and open the front door to my apartment, I let out a big sigh. "Finally," I say out loud. I head straight to the bathroom for a quick shower and return to the kitchen to make dinner.

While it's cooking, I pour myself a glass of high-end Scotch that my father had given me on my last visit, and head over to the balcony. As I enjoy the view, my mind wanders, as it sometimes does, to the strained relationship I have with my step-mom, Tasha.

When she first came on the scene, and was involved with my dad, I was just a young boy and struggled to understand their relationship. My biological mom had died and it felt like she was being replaced by this much younger version. She's 20 years younger than my dad, and only 10 years older than me. That was a tough pill to swallow.

Now that I'm older, and hopefully a little wiser, I can see how she makes my dad happy. And that's good enough for me. But over the years, so much damage has been done. I wish things were better as I miss my dad and would like to see him more often. The older I get, the more I realize just how precious life is and how important the people closest to you are and shouldn't be taken for granted.

A taxi pulls up in front of the building, pulling me from my thoughts. A young brunette stumbles out with a lot of luggage. She's probably the owner of the condo on the same floor as mine, I think to myself. She looks oddly familiar but I couldn"t quite see her face.

Harrison Wellman, my accountant, recently told me that a young woman from Connecticut was purchasing a condo a few weeks ago, but I hadn"t thought about it until now. What did he say her name was again?

I take one last hard look at her before swilling the last of my scotch around in its glass, finishing it, then I head back to the kitchen. But my mind is still on the young woman currently entering my building.

What was her name again?

What did Harrison say it was? Annabel Windom? For some reason, I can't get it out of my mind so I pick up the phone.

"Hey, Harry! What"s up?"

"Hello, Mr. Torres. What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Remember that young lady you told me purchased the condo next to mine? What"s her name again?"

"Oh yes. Miss Annalise Wilson. Lovely young woman."

"Thanks, Harry. Have a great weekend."

Annalise Wilson. I turn the name over and over in my head. It sounds so familiar. Surely she couldn"t be related to ... No. No, it can"t be.