For two years, I helped Grayson lead Livingstone’s global expansion, acquiring twelve new luxury properties and boutique hotels worldwide. Now the role has taken me back to the city I grew up in.
Touching down at Heathrow yesterday awoke something unexpected in me. Knowing that my parents and my sister Anna were a few suburbs away again brought a comfort I hadn’t realized I’d been missing. The tooting of cab horns,gray skies, and row after row of white terraced houses reminded me of everything good I’d left behind, instead of dwelling on the negativity I’d associated this place with because of Casey.
I started to feel slight remorse. The deeper I descended into the belly of London, the more homesick I felt. But I’m not back here to settle into my old life or to share Sunday roast at Mum’s, I’m only here for two months. This isn’t a homecoming—it’s business.
I’m launching Livingstone Hotels’ boldest venture yet: Gray Hotel. Grayson’s idea, naturally. It’s a sleek new luxury hotel brand, blending old-money elegance with a modern edge, set in London’s affluent Mayfair. Picture penthouse suites and infinity pools overlooking Hyde Park.
It’ll be the kind of place that draws in the young, hungry, and wealthy. A hotel where every Instagram story promises FOMO and every check-in feels like guests have finally made it. Guests will come to see and be seen. To flaunt their wealth.
It’s exactly the sort of project that made me fall in love with this world.
Growing up, I watched the elite from the inside as my father moved us between cities for his role as regional manager of luxury hotels. I saw how the rich lived, how they traveled, and the way they moved through spaces as if they owned them. While other kids were home watching television and playing Pokémon, I was listening in on board meetings from the corner of my father’s office, amazed by the million-pound decisions and power plays.
I couldn’t believe how much sway money and status could carry, and I wanted a taste of it.
The grandeur of it all got me hooked early, and it’s allowed me to follow in my father’s footsteps. I’m not just observing the elite anymore; I’m a major part of creating the world they want to live in. And this new project? I see a chessboard,except this time I’m the one orchestrating the next moves and shifting the pieces.
If Gray Hotel is a success, then we’ll expand our reach to other global hot spots. I can see it now: Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong, Dubai, Paris, Singapore, Barcelona—the possibilities are endless.
To turn this vision into a reality, we’ve come to Prestige Partners, the global leaders in luxury marketing campaigns.
What a mouthful. But we want the best of the best when it comes to developing a viral campaign tailored specifically to launch Gray Hotel.
“Gentlemen,” greets Henry Matthews, chief creative officer of Prestige Partners, as he steps through his doorway, gesturing for us to enter his office. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
We met with Henry informally earlier this morning to get the preliminaries out of the way before he sat us down to discuss the agenda for today’s meeting.
We’re here to meet the team bringing the Gray Hotel to life. Henry’s creative director is supposedly some marketing genius, having delivered several viral luxury hotel launches. Ironically, she’s running late, which usually means unreliable, but I figured I’d use the time to grab a coffee to fight this jet lag. That bright idea backfired spectacularly.
Stepping inside, I make for my suit jacket flung over the armchair opposite Henry’s desk. I slip my arms into the sleeves, buttoning it up to hide the coffee splotch.
“I understand we’ll be working together for a while, so I’ve had our secretary set up a spare office for you on this floor. I expect you might have your own arrangements with Livingstone Hotels, but we’ve made one up here just in case. You’re welcome to come and go as you please,” Henry says.
“Thank you,” Grayson replies. “I’m staying at the Livingstone Hotel and Max has made his own arrangements, but we appreciate the thoughtfulness. Having a workspacehere could be convenient for collaboration, so we’ll most likely alternate between working from home and coming in, if that’s all right.”
“Perfect. It’s yours to use whenever suits. I figured that since you’re both here in London, you might appreciate a change of scenery, to see some of the city,” Henry says.
“Thank you,” I reply.
Henry picks up his phone from the desk, frowning at the time.
While Henry fires off a text, Grayson claps me on the shoulder. We exchange a glance, a silent nod of understanding passing between us.
We’re ready.
After a year of preparation and countless late nights perfecting this project, we can’t wait to share our concept and ideas with the team.
I always get excited to meet the professionals who’ll be working alongside us; it’s one of the best parts of the job.
Henry’s phone chimes, his thumbs swiftly tapping across the screen as he checks the message.
“All right, everyone’s already down there. We better not keep them waiting. I’m so sorry about my colleague, Gemma—she’s usually very punctual. I can assure you this is most unlike her. She’s messaged to say she’ll meet us there,” he says.
Gemma.
Why does that name ring a bell? I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere recently.
It finally clicks—Anna had mentioned her friend works here. That must be her.
