Chapter 56 - Chapter 56. A New Venture

Kevin spent the night in Officer Emmett's living room as he recovered from his injuries from the bank robbery. The next day, he went to his office and saw that Williams Media was still losing money. Things finally turned around after Tyler threw KWTD's support behind him. Kevin left Cook and the others to keep an eye on things in his office while he headed over to see Phoebe."Is this what you were looking for?" Phoebe asked .He picked up one of the books and started to thumb through it. "Yes, thanks," he replied absently as he looked at the photos and drawings.""A lot of the stones are simply decorative," Phoebe Anderson explained, "But there are some people who swear that certain stones can help with different physical or mental ailments. What exactly are you researching?"Nothing in particular, just a sudden interest," Kevin replied casually.Phoebe nodded in understanding.After a long pause, Phoebe looked at Kevin, who was lost in the book, and lightly bit her lower lip as she said, "I hope you're not still upset by what my father said the other day. Please don't take it to heart. He has a pretty bad temper, especially when family is involved."When she finished speaking, she couldn't look Kevin in the eye. It had been a pretty strange and embarrassing scene. She really couldn't blame her father for getting upset, even though he was mad at the wrong person. "That's okay, Phoebe. It's understandable," Kevin said casually.Suddenly, Kevin put down the old book in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he looked at Phoebe and asked, "After we left your home, did your dad say anything?"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked a little tentatively. She really didn't want to tell Kevin about the awkward conversation she had with her father after Kevin, Lily, and Rachel left."No. Nothing special," Phoebe stammered, "I explained everything to him as clearly as I could and I think he felt better."Oh? What did you tell him?" Kevin asked with great interest."Of. of course I told him the truth," Phoebe said quietly.Phoebe didn't know why she was having so much trouble talking about it."That's a relief," Kevin said. "Thank you for letting me borrow these books,"Then Kevin picked up the old guides and started to head for the door.Phoebe suddenly asked, "How about if I walk you downstairs?"Kevin gave her a quizzical look."Why are you still standing there? Come on. Let's go!" Phoebe said as she gestured for Kevin to walk with her toward the large staircase.As Kevin and Phoebe walked through the main showroom to the front door, the customers and employees watched them with interest, wondering what they could have been meeting about.*When Kevin got back to Corwin Tower, Lily wasn't home yet.Kevin didn't think much about this and went straight into the study. He took out the bracelet and compared it with the illustrations in the books that he'd borrowed from Phoebe.Finally, he found what he was looking for. While he'd been focusing on herbal medications, which could often have the same effects and benefits as modern medicine, certain stones and crystals were claimed to help increase those effects.The information in the books was pretty old, but Kevin couldn't deny that he had felt a lot more focused while holding the bracelet. According to one of the books, this was probably from the tourmaline stone, which he and everyone else had originally mistaken for an emerald. He was still kicking himself over that gaffe.*The next five days seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. During this time, Kevin went to his office at Williams Media every day. In the evenings, he would return to his penthouse at Corwin Tower and prepare dinner for Lily. After that, the two of them would take a leisurely walk around the neighborhood or in the park.Under the seemingly calm surface, the relationship between Kevin and Lily was quickly warming up.Finally, the huge economic turmoil that had been stirred up by the Williams family ended on the eighth day.It was obvious that, although the Williams family had gathered a lot of forces to help them, faced with the backing that Kevin had gotten from Tyler and the Orion Group, their attempt was doomed to fail."I'm so glad it's finally over!" Mitchell Cook said as he let out a heavy sigh."That really wasn't easy!" Adriana said as she rubbed her eyes."That's an understatement," Emo said wearily, "Even though we won, we had some pretty heavy losses!"It had been an expensive battle for both sides. In the end, there weren't many casualties, but the total funds that the Williams family and Kevin's associates had poured into the fight exceeded thirty billion dollars.The fight hadn't been without its risks. If any of them had made the slightest mistake, they would have been eaten alive by their competitors."They'd originally planned to sink a hundred and twenty million into taking us down, even though it meant sacrificing themselves," Kevin said as he put down his coffee cup. There was no joy on his face. Instead, he looked a little wistful. "Mitch, now we can put our plan into action."Kevin, what plan do you and Mitch have in mind?" Adriana asked with a puzzled look on her face."We've been planning this for a while," Cook explained. "We're going to open the largest hotel in Chicago and, at the same time, take over the city's catering industry." "That's a fantastic idea. Kevin, is there anything you need our help with?" Adriana volunteered."Not yet, thanks. We'll be happy to join forces with you later. But we've all suffered a lot lately. You, Emo, and Gilbert should take some time to help your companies recover," Kevin said thoughtfully.Adriana and the others nodded in agreement when they heard him say this. A few Chicago companies hadn't survived the financial battle that had just ripped through the local economy.*Three days later, the whole city of Chicago was buzzing with the latest news.The Salix Leaf Hotel broke ground with much fanfare. The ceremony was attended by Mitchell Cook, the owner of the Witsler Hotel, Adriana Wright, the president of the West Chicago International Group, Gilbert Rhodes, the owner of the Chartreuse Mill bar, Emo Squire, a leader in the private security industry, and Sandra Wilson, the chief of staff at Williams Media. Everyone in Chicago knew that these people had helped the city to survive the recent economic crisis.Even though no one knew who the CEO of Salix Leaf Hotel was, judging from the distinguished attendees, they knew that it was someone very powerful.The highest ranking dignitaries and government officials were also there to congratulate them.The most excited attendee was the new vice president and general manager of the Salix Leaf Hotel, Rachel Butcher, who had decided to go by her maiden name, Rachel Collins. It seemed that the local media outlets were interviewing her constantly. The entire complex was planned to take up over ten city blocks. Over the next two years, the corporation would build luxury hotels and apartments for a cost of at least three billion dollars. Within a day, the Willow Leaf Corporation became a household name. And Rachel's net worth skyrocketed too. She was suddenly one of the most influential people in Chicago. And she was attracting the attention of a lot of movers and shakers.*That night, after Lily called Kevin, she returned home with Rachel."Oh, Rachel is here! Quick, quick, sit down so we can talk!" Dorothy greeted her warmly, "I really never expected you to be the vice president of the new hotel. If you make any connections, don't forget to include Lily!"Don't flatter me, Dorothy. I'm really just working for someone else," Rachel said modestly."That's okay!" Dorothy said happily.Just then, Lily touched Rachel on the shoulder. "Tell me honestly, how did you get to know someone so important?"Lily was well aware of Rachel's family background. It must have been difficult for her to suddenly be dealing with all these rich and powerful people like Mitchell Cook."What important person? It's just that the CEO thinks highly of me," Rachel struggled to explain as a look of panic flashed across her eyes.Without Kevin's permission, Rachel could never reveal his identity."Oh really? When will you introduce me to your boss?" Lily teased."No. no problem. I'll introduce you to him as soon as I have the time," Rachel said with an awkward smile.Kevin slowly pushed the door open and entered the room. Rachel began to stand up when she saw him but was stopped when he shot her a quick look that reminded her not to let on that he was her boss."You're back already?" Lily asked with a smile."Yes!" Kevin nodded and looked around the room. "When did Rachel get here? You guys keep chatting. I'm a little tired, so I think I'll go upstairs to rest."Rachel breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't revealed Kevin's secret. But she didn't know how much longer she could keep it up.