Chapter 22

• LIAM
• Two days after the hotel launch, I had done my best to stay off the grid. I needed to reset, regroup. The launch night still lingered in my mind, the low turnout, the whispers about her—the damn Queen of the West. She'd managed to pull off a spectacle, sure, but I wasn't worried about the fireworks and flash. I had longevity on my side. Running a hotel in Midtown Manhattan was about more than just showmanship. It was about staying power, strategy, and knowing how to pull the right strings in the right places.
• She could pull a big launch show, but let's see if her business strategy was worth anything. Launching a hotel is one thing, keeping it thriving in a city like this is a different beast entirely. And I intended to own this city, one way or another.