Page 14 of Axel

But over the two years, she had proven herself to the editor and the others working alongside her. At first, she had been given fluff pieces which took very little thinking and not enough effort until she had demanded to be put on real stories.

Heartfelt pieces, stories that people could relate to. The editor had reluctantly sent her to interview a mother who had lost her sons to gang violence.

She had practically moved into the woman’s house, determined to get to the bottom of it. She had gotten to know Joan and the woman she was and the one she had become after the staggering grief.

The story had been written from the woman’s point of view. Joan had been forced to work three jobs to take care of her sons and in the process, the boys had been left to their own devices. The system had failed them and as a result of that, the boys had become just another statistic.

Ellie had written a very moving piece that had sent the ratings through the roof. The editor had not hesitated to put her on another assignment after that. Now, she had a column of her own.

She had rallied to get the Axel Lakeside story and was determined to do an exceptional work. It had been her idea to write something more personal so that people could see the man behind the success and the money.

With that in mind, she had set her alarm to get an early start to her day. First, she was going to swing by the Riverside café to partake of ‘their delicious omelet and buttered toast’ and work her way through the town.

The mayor had agreed to take time ‘from his busy schedule’ and talk to her. The man sounded like a pompous jerk, but she had experience in dealing with people like him.

He was in the spotlight now because of Axel Lakeside and she would bet her newest Romano’s pumps that when Axel and his family had been going through their crap, he had not been there to lend a helping hand. Now he was milking the publicity for allits worth. Shaking her head, she went into the bathroom to get ready for her day.

*****

Axel did not have to keep himself busy or find work to do. He was always busy and had to force himself to take a down time. Work consumed him and building an empire had taken everything out of him. He had been hungry when he started and determined to make enough money so that he could take care of his mother and sister.

That had been his motivation, and he had kept it in sight whenever he faltered, or it became too much for him. He had to get them out of the squalor, it was up to him to be the man of the house.

His day began at four in the morning, no matter what continent he was on. And even though this was somewhat of a vacation, his body was still trained to wake up at four.

The men who had been working on his place had been dispatched to take care of the museum and some other jobs. He wanted everything done before the Christmas season and was hoping to be out of here by the next couple of weeks. He had some deals that required his personal involvement.

He surrounded himself with geniuses and had done the interview when he was looking for his management team personally. They were a mixture of men and women who were at the top of their fields and had not hesitated to say yes, when he offered them a position.

He paid very well, and the compensation package was more than satisfactory. He studied business strategies and had an uncanny knack of knowing when to strike.

Reporters as well as his rivals called him ruthless and predatory, he did not discount that. He had come from nothing, fought his way through many an obstacle to get where he was.

He had done so out of necessity. His assets were scattered all over the world. He did not believe in cheating anyone out of their hard-earned labors. The IRS had investigated him at somepoint, but he had come out clean. He also believed in paying his taxes and giving the government its due.

He contributed to several charities and had personally backed the recent candidate for the White House, not because he was looking for special favors, but because he had read the policies and liked what the man had to say.

He despised politicians in general, thinking of them as greedy and dishonest. He also hated that people – ones who would never have had anything to do with him if he was poor, were now bowing and scraping to him.

The hypocrisy of being handed the key to the city had not escaped him. When he had been living here in River Glades, the mayor and all the major players had not even known his name. People had looked down on them because of their poverty. Now they were treated like royalty. Go figure.

Toeing off his well-worn tennis shoes at the doorway, he went straight into the kitchen to pour the coffee he had put on before he went for his run. His clothes were sticking to his damp body, his hair soaked with sweat. Taking the coffee with him, he went out to the porch to stand at the railing while he cradled his cup.

The house was set on top of an incline that gave him an unrestricted view of the entire town. There were hills and valleys everywhere and rivers snaking in and out. It was early, much too early for anyone to be up and running.

And River Glades had always been a sleepy little town where nothing much happened. He was changing that. His acquaintances in the business world and the members of his club had never heard of the place, which was not surprising.

Its beauty was unspoiled, and he wanted to keep it that way. It was going to be his go to home whenever he wanted some down time. And the two most important people in his life lived here.

He could have bunked with his mother and sister, but he craved his privacy and had become so accustomed to living on his own, that he could not bear the thought of changing it.

Lifting the cup, he inhaled the strong South American brand of coffee he favored and felt the kick of caffeine launching inside him. He had meetings lined up for the better part of the day and the dreaded interview to contend with. His sister had called to tell him about their visit and that had sat well with him.

“We were just trying to play nice.”

“As long as you were not there to make certain that she writes a favorable piece.” His response had been slightly sarcastic, and Cathy had picked up on it.

“There is nothing wrong with that.” Her response had been defensive. “You tend to come off as brusque and impatient.”