Chapter 87

Victor picked me up the next day after school.

Neither of us mentioned swimming the night before, and I try not to think about the feel of his body against mine.

“Alex told me it’s time for you to get more familiar with his business and the Wilson Foundation charities.” Victor smiled as he closed the car door.

“Is that we’re going now?”

“Yes,” Victor replied and walked around the car to get behind the steering wheel. “You’ve never been to his offices before, right?”

I shook my head. “But I’ve been looking forward to it.”

Victor handled the car just as well driving in the city as he did on the country roads, and before long, we were driving down a concrete ramp into a parking garage.

“Is this Alex’s building?” I asked as we walked toward a bank of elevators.

“Yes, it’s one of several buildings your father owns. Alex uses the top four floors of this one for his offices, and the penthouse is used when he occasionally wants to stay in the city.”

“What about the rest of the building?” I didn’t know my father owned property other than the mansion where we lived.

“The rest of this building is rented out for office space, as are three others in the city. And he owns two condominium high-rises and three apartment buildings.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of rent to collect,” I said.

“That’s why he has building managers that report to the rental supervisor,” Victor explained.

“Your business lesson for today is you must delegate responsibilities. In other words, you hire the best people you can find to handle the day-to-day details of your business because you never have nearly enough time to do everything yourself.”

“That makes sense,” I said. “Do you pay the best people a good salary?”

Victor smiled at me as he pushed the button to call an elevator.

“If you find they are as good as you thought when you hired them, you pay them a salary that makes them want to stay with your company.”

“That sounds fair to me,” I said and followed him into the elevator just before the doors closed behind us.

The elevator was high-speed, and It made me feel a little bit dizzy. But it didn’t take long before we were on the forty-eighth floor.

We walked down a short hall and entered a large room with a dozen cubicles to the right of the door. Large offices lined the exterior wall.

“I brought you here first because this is the section of the building reserved for your mother’s foundation,” Victor said.

I looked around in awe. “I didn’t realize the foundation was this large and organized.”

Victor took my hand and led me to the large office in the south corner. “This office will be yours when you’re ready to take the reins.”

I couldn’t help smiling as I walked around the large desk and checked out the gorgeous view from the windows.

“Do you like it?” Victor asked.

“Oh, my Goddess, I love it,” I gushed. “But what do I do here?”

Victor spent the next half hour explaining how to raise money and distribute it to the poor who needed it the most.

Alex seemed to have good employees in his offices. I intended to keep them all.

Next, Victor took me through the other two floors of offices and introduced me to the heads of the various departments.

I couldn’t resist a quick peek into the penthouse and was pleasantly surprised by its beauty and elegance. Maybe someday I will stay here for a while.

There’s some fantastic artwork in the penthouse,” I told Victor as we took the elevator to the first floor.

Victor looked at his watch. “We have plenty of time. Let’s stop at the museum. I’d love to show you some of my favorite pieces.”

He took my hand and let me out onto the street. One block away from my father’s building was the City Museum. I was there a few years ago.

The magnificent marble and concrete building took up most of a city block. The statue of a wolf rearing up on its hind legs as it stood on top of a globe always takes my breath away.

“Did you know that Gennutti Gerolne carved this statue in 1609?” he asked.

“That was the year that the revolution started,” I muttered.

It must be the original statue carried ahead of the first armies in our war for independence. How did I not know this before?

Victor offered me his arm as we started up the stairs to the lobby. “I can see in your eyes that you understand the statue’s significance.”

“There’s so much to learn in the world, and I am enjoying discovering it all.”

We walked inside and went first to the paintings. Victor especially enjoyed eighteenth-century watercolors and landscapes painted in oil.

“What’s your favorite type of painting?” he asked.

“I don’t think there’s any type of artist or medium I prefer over the others,” I replied. “I know when I like a piece by how it makes me feel.”

“How it makes you feel is the most important thing,” Victor agreed.

Drawn to a watercolor, I crossed the gallery by myself and stood in front of it. It was the most enchanting painting I had ever seen.

There was a field of wildflowers in front of a cabin, and behind the cabin was a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Victor came up behind me. “I take it you like this one?”

“It makes me want to live in the cabin,” I replied. “I can see myself picking those wildflowers and sitting on the porch of this cabin while watching the ocean for hours.”

He put an arm around me, and we examined the painting without speaking. Tiny details like a butterfly or a patch of mushrooms in the front yard delighted me.

I gasped when I saw the signature at the bottom of the canvas. “Arthur Wilson! Isn’t that an ancestor of Alex’s and mine? The one who helped form the United Association of Alphas?”

“Yes. It’s the very same Arthur Wilson,” Victor said. “Read the plate under the painting. Maybe there’s a short biography.”

“There’s only his name and the date the piece was painted. Do they have more of his artwork or more information about him?” I mused.

“Let’s check the gift shop,” Victor suggested.

The gift shop had little information about the painting and nothing about Arthur Wilson.

But I bought some books about the wolf statue outside the entrance and some about early watercolors.

Victor offered me his arm again when we got outside. “There may be more about Arthur Wilson at the Library down the street.”

“Do we have time to check?” I asked. It would be wonderful to have a book about my antecedent, who was not only a revolutionist but a talented artist too.

We walked to the Lamborghini to place the books inside for safekeeping while we went to the library.

But after Victor placed my books under the passenger seat, he noticed the car leaning toward one side.

“Wait a moment, Daisy, “ Victor said. “Somehow, I got a flat tire, and I need to call Findlay.”

“Oh no.” I walked around the car with Victor and saw the rear driver’s side tire was totally deflated.

Victor pulled out his cell phone. “Don’t worry, the library is just up the street, and Findley will have this repaired by the time we get back.”

“Does Findlay know how to change a flat, or will he bring you a new car?” I joked.

Victor rubbed his chin. “Hmm. That’s a wonderful suggestion. I am getting a little bored with this one.”

“You are such a spoiled Alpha,” I giggled.

Victor called Findlay. I didn’t hear what he said, but he had a massive grin on his face when he disconnected the call. “Let’s go to the library.”