“Possibly,” he agreed, his smile wide enough to reveal that hidden dimple. “But I’m willing to risk it if you are.”
But even as I’d said it, I knew it wasn’t ridiculous at all. Falling in love with Noah made perfect sense. Sometimes thebest content was just life, lived honestly, with someone who saw you clearly and loved you anyway.
“I lied to Victoria,” I added, because if we were doing honesty, we might as well do it completely. “About us being just business. About everything being for content. I lied because I was scared of losing my career, but I ended up losing something much more important.”
The words felt like stepping off a cliff, but Noah’s smile caught me before I could fall.
A low growl, followed by a bark, drew our attention back to the world still happening all around us. Yeti watched us like a protective parent, tongue rolling out of her mouth. The entire festival had shifted focus from the departed grouse to our impromptu romantic scene.
My parents stood nearby, Mom looking smugly vindicated while Dad pretended to study the cloud patterns. Brie was openly collecting cash from Jenn, Maya, and Diego, apparently settling some sort of wager at our expense.
The crowd burst into another round of cheers, this one even louder than the last. Even Axel was clapping. But I didn’t miss his quick glance toward Maya afterward.
As the applause continued, Noah’s ears turned an endearing shade of red, but he kept his arm firmly around my waist, as if afraid I might vanish if he let go.
Marcus observed our embrace with all the warmth of a corporate restructuring announcement. “Well,” he said, straightening his tie and brushing a leaf from his pressed shirt. “It’s fortunate you two are on good terms again, because we’re going to be doing quite a lot of work together if we’re all going to spin this ecotourism angle. I have some thoughts.”
It was a career opportunity of a lifetime. Travel, adventure, authentic content creation with someone I loved. Six months ago, I would have seen it as a vindication ofeverything I’d worked for. But now I recognized Marcus’s offer for what it was, another way for him to sell what didn’t belong to him.
“That’s a generous offer,” I said, Noah’s arm tightening around my waist. “But I think we might have our own ideas about how to move forward.”
I was done with the manipulation. I’d spent the past few years trying to influence other people, when the only person I’d really needed to influence was myself.
But before I could fully process my own character development breakthrough, Victoria was already moving into her true element, seizing opportunities as the strategic landscape evolved. Her eyes fixed on the giant video screen where a replay of the sage grouse’s elaborate dance was playing.
“They are pretty remarkable, if I’m being honest. All that effort, all that performance, just hoping someone will notice.” She paused, caught up in the footage. “Kind of reminds me of Felix.”
“Felix?” I noticed her corporate composure soften; something almost like fondness in her eyes.
“Who’s Felix?” Maya asked.
The moment she realized she’d spoken aloud, Victoria’s hand moved instinctively to smooth her already-perfect hair. “Felix was my pet chicken. When I was a little girl.”
“You had a pet chicken?” I asked.
“And a pet piglet. And a pet donkey. And a pet goat. My parents had a small family farm in Wisconsin. Felix used to follow me around everywhere. To the barn, to the market, even to school sometimes when I could get away with it.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened, the memories playing out behind her eyes. “Until the family farm went bankrupt and Consolidated Agricultural bought my parents out.” She stared at the video of the grouse for a few moments longer. If I didn’t knowbetter, I’d have sworn the bead of sweat wasn’t the only moisture forming on her face.
“Guess you could say I learned early that if you can’t beat them, you’d better become them.” Whatever moment of humanity Victoria had experienced, she snapped out of it quickly. “And if you’re going to become them, you’d better be the best one in the room. Especially if you’re the only one wearing a skirt.” She looked back at me. “Isn’t that right, Samantha?”
The revelation re-contextualized everything I thought I knew about Victoria Sterling. Not a corporate ice queen, but a farm girl who’d weaponized competence to ensure she’d never be powerless again. I could see both versions of her now, the little girl who’d loved a pet chicken and the executive who’d built an empire on strategic emotional avoidance.
As her polished shield clamped back down into place, Victoria’s gaze moved between Noah and me. “What if you had complete operational control? Full decision-making authority. Complete creative and strategic autonomy.”
“Victoria ...” Marcus started, but Victoria cut him off.
“I’ve been watching the engagement metrics, the guest satisfaction scores. The traditional luxury model shows diminishing returns across all our properties.”
Her mental gears were turning, a strategic mind that had built an empire now pivoting to protect and expand it.
“We have resorts across the world. All operating on the same tired luxury model, several struggling with the same engagement challenges we were facing here. All sitting on authentic cultural and environmental resources we’ve been systematically ignoring in favor of generic amenities.”
We all gathered round. Noah, Jenn, Maya, Diego, and Brie.
“For this to work, I need partners who understand authentic engagement isn’t just better ethics, it’s betterbusiness. People who can help transform LuxeLife from a luxury accommodation company into an authentic experience designer.”
The mountain air was still cool, but Marcus was sweating bullets. “Victoria, I really don’t think …”
