The Heiress CEO

Chapter Five

“…Attention passagers, nous allons bientôt atterrir. Veuillez remettre vos plateaux et vos sièges en position vertical. Merci de voyager avec AirFrance…”[1]

Caden DaLair sighed, listening to the announcement. He stretched, immediately grateful for the legroom of his first-class seat. This was not the first time he had endured this flight, but it was the first time he had done so alone.

Since he was five, he lived most of his life in France with yearly visits back to the States to spend time with his extended family. He ran a hand through his strawberry-blonde hair. Normally, he kept it trimmed short to avoid the wavy curls as it grew out. He had been so busy the last few weeks he hadn’t gotten it cut and now he was paying the price.

At thirty, he looked very much like his father aside from his hair and green eyes, both of which were inherited from his mother. In fact, all his siblings inherited his mother’s red hair to varying degrees. When he was younger, it had been much lighter, but it had darkened considerably over the years. At five-eleven, he was average height and followed a regular fitness schedule that kept him trim but not muscle-bound. But he honestly didn’t concern himself with his looks like his younger brother did.

The airplane jerked as it landed, stirring him from his thoughts. He waited until it taxied to its gate before unbuckling his seatbelt and stood. Caden adjusted his tan, leather Roadster jacket. It was several years old and, despite the fact his sisters complained about it, it was still his favorite coat. Grabbing his small duffle carryon, he followed the other passengers off the plane and headed for customs. There, he was able to quickly pass through procedures. Duel citizenship had its perks.

Caden strode through the terminal, bypassing baggage claim and heading for the doors. He preferred to travel light and had only a single carryon for luggage. The rest of his things were being shipped and would arrive within the week. This move had been planned since January when he had his audition. Since then, his family worked diligently to make the transition as smooth as possible.

“Excuse me! Hey! Excuse me! I said excuse me!”

Caden paused, finally turning around when he noticed others also pausing. Off to the side, he saw a young woman with a large cart piled high with matching luggage. She stood with her hand on her hip, staring at him and tapping her foot. One of her bags had toppled off the precarious stack and now lay on the floor. Not only that, but it had broken open, exposing several unmentionables.

“Excuse me, hello!” the woman snapped her fingers, staring directly at him. “Are you going to help me or not?”

Caden frowned, wondering why she was bothering him.

“Hello? Are you not a gentleman?”

“Je suis désolée, je ne comprends pas ce que tu dis, espèce de salope égoïste, au revoir,”[2] Caden nodded with a smirk before walking away. There were advantages to being tri-lingual. His sister was right after all.

He continued on his way, finally reaching the doors and stepping out into the fresh air. Breathing deep, he took out his phone and scrolled through his messages.

“Hey! Hey you!”

Caden looked up to see the woman with the massive cart of luggage had followed him out.

“How dare you turn your back on a lady in distress. Do you not have any conscience? I guess chivalry really is dead, huh?”

Caden sighed. Were all women this crazy? He had seen his fair share and it seemed nothing changed regardless of country. It was one reason he had avoided relationships.

When she finally seemed to exhaust herself, Caden finally spoke, “Lady, and I use the term loosely, I don’t know you. I don’t owe you anything. You’re rude and obnoxious. Next time, don’t pack your entire closet for a simple plane trip.”

The woman’s mouth fell open in utter shock. Did she really think he was going to stand around and take her abuse?

“Y-you speak English.”

“I speak three languages,” Caden said, “which means I have an ample vocabulary to tell you to f**k off. If chivalry is dead it’s only because you buried it under that mountain of luggage.”

Before the woman could retort, a honk drew their attention to the curb. A Mercedes pulled up and an older woman stepped out. She sported a short, bob-style haircut and her thin frame was sensibly dressed. Stepping out of the car, she smiled brightly, “Caden! There you are!”

Smiling, he sidestepped the annoying woman and immediately approached the new arrival to accept her welcoming hug. Normally, he hated to be touched, but family was different.

“How are you tante?” he asked.

“Oh, let me look at you,” Rose said, petting his cheeks. “You’ve grown up so handsome!”

“Really?” Cade smirked. “You just saw me at Christmas. I can’t have changed that much!”

“Oh, I’m just being a fussy aunt,” she laughed. “Come on, I can’t wait to show you your new place. I know you’ll love it!”

Caden followed her to the car, tossing his bag in the backseat before climbing into the passenger side. He didn’t spare a glance at the woman who accosted him twice as his aunt pulled away and headed into the city.

“So, how is everyone? How are your parents?”

“Everyone is good,” Caden said. “They’ll be up for the winter holidays so they don’t miss grand-père’s birthday.”[3]

“Oh good. I can’t wait to see them. What about Aria? I know she and Theo had some sort of fight over Christmas.”

“She’s doing all right, I guess,” Caden shrugged. He didn’t want to go into details when his sister had gone to such great lengths not to involve their family.

“It’s such a shame. They were always with each other, even when all of you were kids. I think we were all expecting them to make an announcement.”

Caden nodded, but remained silent. The less his aunt knew, the better. In fact, sometimes Caden wished he didn’t know as much as he did. Aloud, he finally said, “Well, she started seeing…someone.”

“Oh? Is he nice?”

Caden shrugged, “I guess? He’s polite, but he rubs me the wrong way. I don’t think dad likes him either, but Aria gets mad anytime I bring it up, saying I just don’t understand him.”

“Aria is a bit of a free spirit,” Rose nodded. Aria had always been the impulsive one and she made a mental note to speak with her once they came home for the holidays. “So, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

“What? No,” Caden shook his head.

“No? No girl had caught your eye? Invited you out to dinner?”

“No.”

“Really? Surely, there is someone.”

“I’m not good with people and casual conversation,” Caden said. “I never know what to say. That’s why I always let Aria do the talking.”

“Caden, you carry on conversations just fine.”

Caden shrugged, “Family is different.”

* * *

Rose pulled into the secured underground parking area using her real estate code. They rode the lift to the penthouse floor. There, she handed him the keys. Caden hesitated before opening the door and stepped in.

He breathed deep as he entered what would be his space. Immediately on his right was a sleek modern kitchen with slate countertops and stainless steel appliances. A kitchen island separated it from the dining table large enough to serve six with ease.

On his left was a large living room. A flat screen television hung on the wall above the fireplace mantel. On either side were built-in bookcases, currently empty. A massive sectional was arranged in front of it with matching coffee and end tables. One wall was made of glass and looked out onto his private balcony complete with hot tub currently covered in a thin layer of snow.

In front of the windows was the crown jewel of the apartment: a medium grand piano. Setting his bag down, Caden moved toward it. He flipped open the protective cover and tapped one of the keys, listening to how it reverberated through the room’s acoustics with a satisfied nod.

He looked at his aunt who gave him a knowing smile and said, “As I told you over the phone, it’s three bedroom, two bath. The guest bedroom on the first floor shares its bath with the rest of the apartment, but the master bedroom has a private en suite.”

Caden picked up his bag and followed her to look at the bedrooms and baths. The guest bedroom and bath on the first floor were rather basic but possessed everything needed, including their own television. The master bedroom, walk-in closet and bath took up almost the entire second floor had been finished with luxury in mind: dual sinks, slate countertops and tile, Jacuzzi bathtub and shower stall with multiple water and temperature settings.

His aunt had gone to great lengths to furnish it tastefully and according to his preferences. The sectional was microfiber and the bedspreads soft. Caden didn’t like busyness, so the color pallet was neutral and décor minimal. The only artwork was some of his mother’s photographs and a painting by his maternal grandfather. There was still quite a bit of blank wall space, but Rose knew Caden still had some items coming from Paris.

“So, what do you think?” Rose anxiously asked.

“Thank you, tante,” Caden offered her one of his rare smiles. His siblings had warned him on more than one occasion that his usual pensive expression made it difficult for others to approach him.

Rose sighed in relief. She and Macey had conferred over hours of video calls to ensure everything suited him right down to his preferred shampoo. Though Caden generally wasn’t fussy, he did have particular preferences when it came to his living space.

“So, we are having dinner at your grandpa’s and I’m supposed to tell you that attendance is not negotiable,” Rose warned. “He’s really looking forward to seeing you. It was hard enough keeping him from the airport to pick you up.”

Caden snickered. He certainly wouldn’t try to argue with that. If there was one thing he would never doubt, it was his grandfather’s love. He would never ignore such a summons.

“All right, I’ll freshen up and then we can go,” Caden agreed.

“Of course, I’ll be in the living room,” Rose hurriedly stepped out of the bedroom and Caden was left with a moment to collect himself.

He stepped into the bathroom and splashed water on his face. Moving to New York had not been an easy decision, since his family still spent the majority of their time in Paris. He would have to keep in mind the six-hour time difference whenever he wanted to talk to them. As much as he loved his extended family, they weren’t the same as his parents and siblings. But this was something he had to do. As Aria told him, sometimes you had to gamble and take a chance, otherwise you would never know.

It hadn’t worked out for his sister, but maybe he would have better luck.

Maybe.

Returning to the bedroom, he rummaged through his bag and changed his shirt before throwing his jacket back on and rejoined his aunt. He would take it one day at a time. Hopefully, his patience would be rewarded.