DONOVAN
(THE BILLIONAIRE CLUB)
Book
1
By
Vanessa Stone
This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are
products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not
to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright
© 2015 Vanessa Stone
Get 99 Cent Books, Free
Books, and more
Chapter 1
Donovan
I left the
guests of my party downstairs after receiving a message from one of my house
staff that I had an emergency phone call. The get-together at my home on Long
Island was a success, but then, they usually were. I enjoyed having small
get-togethers at my house, where I could mingle freely among friends and
acquaintances and not have to worry about business, decisions, or competition.
I had been especially pleased to see one of my best friends, Damien, in
attendance with a young law student with whom he seemed to be developing a
serious relationship, whether he realized it yet or not.
At the
landing of the stairs, I turned right and headed down a short hall. The last
door on the right was my personal home office. It was a warm, welcoming room
and I enjoyed working there. One wall was lined with bookshelves. The other,
facing my desk, was equipped with a widescreen TV and Surround Sound speakers
recessed into the wall. My large oak desk sat at the other end of the room. I
sank into the comfortable leather office chair as I reached for my
"old-fashioned" landline telephone. While I certainly had a cell
phone and was technologically advanced enough to have the newest and latest, as
well as the greatest devices and gadgets on the market, I felt more comfortable
using my old-fashioned landline telephone in here. Sometimes, conversations
with clients lasted an hour or more and I didn't like using my cell phone for
such long discussions.
I didn't
often get emergency phone calls. However, as I owned a number of gyms in New
York City, as well as several out-of-state, and continually attempted to expand
my business as a gym owner and developer from the east coast to the west, I
dealt with emergencies frequently enough that I didn't feel especially concerned
with this one. Probably a glitch in the deal I had recently made in Montana. I
picked up the phone, leaned back in my chair and announced myself. "Donovan Sanderson here. Who am I speaking to, and
what's the problem?"
"Donovan."
The voice
instantly got my attention. I hadn't heard it in years, eight years to be
exact. The voice belonged to Shane, my younger brother, named after my parents'
whimsical adoration of the movie by the same name. Shane was two years younger
than me, but I also had an older brother, Cameron, who was two years my senior. I had two younger sisters as well, Julie
and Tammy.
"You
do know who this is, don't you?" the voice on the other end asked.
Recovering
from my surprise, I instinctively nodded. "Yes," I said. "Hey, Shane. How did you get my number?"
"Doesn't
matter," he replied. "I have some news."
I
instantly sensed that something was amiss. "What is it?" I asked, not
sure I wanted to know.
"Dad’s
dead."
Mention of
my father sent a myriad of emotions rushing through me, but I felt too stunned
at the moment to take them all in. "What? When?"
"This
afternoon," Shane replied. "They think it was a heart attack."
I sat back
in my chair, stunned by the news. "How's Mom?"
"As
you can imagine," Shane said. "Then again, maybe you can't."
I closed
my eyes at the jab and sighed. I had left home eight years ago, and hadn't
spoken to my father, my brothers or my sisters since then. I didn't want to
recall the incident that had effectively estranged me from my family all those
years ago, but I did worry about my mom. I had spoken to her occasionally,
keeping her up to date on my whereabouts, sometimes my business ventures, and
calling her on special occasions and holidays. I wasn't sure
(THE BILLIONAIRE CLUB)
Book
1
By
Vanessa Stone
This
book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are
products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not
to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual
events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright
© 2015 Vanessa Stone
Get 99 Cent Books, Free
Books, and more
Chapter 1
Donovan
I left the
guests of my party downstairs after receiving a message from one of my house
staff that I had an emergency phone call. The get-together at my home on Long
Island was a success, but then, they usually were. I enjoyed having small
get-togethers at my house, where I could mingle freely among friends and
acquaintances and not have to worry about business, decisions, or competition.
I had been especially pleased to see one of my best friends, Damien, in
attendance with a young law student with whom he seemed to be developing a
serious relationship, whether he realized it yet or not.
At the
landing of the stairs, I turned right and headed down a short hall. The last
door on the right was my personal home office. It was a warm, welcoming room
and I enjoyed working there. One wall was lined with bookshelves. The other,
facing my desk, was equipped with a widescreen TV and Surround Sound speakers
recessed into the wall. My large oak desk sat at the other end of the room. I
sank into the comfortable leather office chair as I reached for my
"old-fashioned" landline telephone. While I certainly had a cell
phone and was technologically advanced enough to have the newest and latest, as
well as the greatest devices and gadgets on the market, I felt more comfortable
using my old-fashioned landline telephone in here. Sometimes, conversations
with clients lasted an hour or more and I didn't like using my cell phone for
such long discussions.
I didn't
often get emergency phone calls. However, as I owned a number of gyms in New
York City, as well as several out-of-state, and continually attempted to expand
my business as a gym owner and developer from the east coast to the west, I
dealt with emergencies frequently enough that I didn't feel especially concerned
with this one. Probably a glitch in the deal I had recently made in Montana. I
picked up the phone, leaned back in my chair and announced myself. "Donovan Sanderson here. Who am I speaking to, and
what's the problem?"
"Donovan."
The voice
instantly got my attention. I hadn't heard it in years, eight years to be
exact. The voice belonged to Shane, my younger brother, named after my parents'
whimsical adoration of the movie by the same name. Shane was two years younger
than me, but I also had an older brother, Cameron, who was two years my senior. I had two younger sisters as well, Julie
and Tammy.
"You
do know who this is, don't you?" the voice on the other end asked.
Recovering
from my surprise, I instinctively nodded. "Yes," I said. "Hey, Shane. How did you get my number?"
"Doesn't
matter," he replied. "I have some news."
I
instantly sensed that something was amiss. "What is it?" I asked, not
sure I wanted to know.
"Dad’s
dead."
Mention of
my father sent a myriad of emotions rushing through me, but I felt too stunned
at the moment to take them all in. "What? When?"
"This
afternoon," Shane replied. "They think it was a heart attack."
I sat back
in my chair, stunned by the news. "How's Mom?"
"As
you can imagine," Shane said. "Then again, maybe you can't."
I closed
my eyes at the jab and sighed. I had left home eight years ago, and hadn't
spoken to my father, my brothers or my sisters since then. I didn't want to
recall the incident that had effectively estranged me from my family all those
years ago, but I did worry about my mom. I had spoken to her occasionally,
keeping her up to date on my whereabouts, sometimes my business ventures, and
calling her on special occasions and holidays. I wasn't sure
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