Ian thought briefly that he ought to feel something at hearing the news that the woman he had once asked to marry him would now be exchanging wedding vows with another man. But instead of feeling jealousy or bitterness or regret, he only felt a sense of relief that Davina had apparently found happiness with someone else.

“Good for her,” replied Ian sincerely. “I’m happy for Davina, happy that she’s evidently found someone more suited to her than I was.”

Colin made a rather undignified sound, something resembling a snort. “You were perfectly suited to her, old man, and you know it. She would have made you a good wife, given you a couple of kiddies, done the family name proud. But that wasn’t enough for you, was it?”

Ian sighed. “We’ve had this conversation before, Colin. I broke off my engagement to Davina because it simply wasn’t fair to her to have a fiancé who was away on business trips three weeks out of four. And I knew that in spite of her protests to the contrary she wouldn’t have been at all happy to leave her family and friends behind in England to move to San Francisco with me.”

“Convenient excuses, old man. That’s all those are. I always knew that wasn’t the real reason you ended things with you. You can’t fool me, Ian, especially when it comes to women. So, spill. What’s the real truth behind your broken engagement to Davina?”

Ian scowled at his phone, thinking darkly that if his irritating younger brother was in the room at this moment he’d gladly throttle him. “If you must know,” he admitted reluctantly, “I suppose I just didn’t love her. I liked and respected her, enjoyed her company, but there simply wasn’t anything – there. No fire, no excitement, no missing her desperately when I was away and counting the minutes until I could see her again. And I realized that I couldn’t settle for anything less, didn’t want to get married simply because everyone expected it of me at that point in my life. If I ever do decide to marry, then it will be because I’ve finally met a woman who does stir up those sort of emotions.”

Colin gave a low whistle. “Well, I’m impressed, old man. You are a bit of a romantic after all, aren’t you? Not quite so much of a stuffed shirt or coldhearted bastard as you’d like everyone to believe, are you?”

“I can be when the need arises,” retorted Ian. “Especially when I receive a pointless, annoying phone call while I’m trying to get some work done. Now, was there anything else you wanted to tell me besides the fact that Davina has a new fiancé?”

“Actually, that wasn’t the reason I called,” admitted Colin quietly. “I was planning to call you before I saw her at lunch. It’s about the job. Specifically, the new job Father and Uncle Richard have asked me to take on.”

“Oh?” Ian’s interest was suddenly piqued. “And what exactly would that be?”

Colin hesitated for a few moments before replying. “I’m being appointed Regional Director of our Asia/Pacific Division. Moving to Hong Kong within the month. And quite frankly still reeling from the shock.”

Ian thought privately that Colin wasn’t the only one to be shocked at this very unexpected news. He knew that his younger brother had done a lot to curb his wild ways over the past year, and had become far more serious about his place in the family business, but he would have never imagined that their father and uncle were ready to place quite so much faith in him.

“Well, I suppose congratulations are in order then, little brother,” drawled Ian. “That is, I assume you’re pleased with this promotion?”

“Yes, of course,” agreed Colin. “I admit it will be a hell of an adjustment to live in Hong Kong, not to mention adapting to all the different cultures where our hotels are located. But it’s definitely an honor to be given a position like this one, especially considering my age. Not to mention – well, you know better than anyone, I suppose.”

“You’ve toned down the hellraising over the last year or so,” acknowledged Ian. “When was the last time your name made the tabloids?”

Colin chuckled. “About that long, I would guess. And believe me, Father and Uncle Richard raked me over the coals very thoroughly before they agreed to give me the position. I’m sure they’ll be watching me very closely for the first few months.”

“I wasn’t even aware the position was open,” admitted Ian. “What happened to Rupert?”

Rupert Chalmers had been the Regional Director of the Asia/Pacific Division – the newest and smallest of the three regions where the company owned properties – for the past four years. Ian knew that the other man had been in a bit of a snit when he hadn’t been given the directorship of the North and South American properties – the position that Ian had held for almost a full year – but hadn’t heard of any repercussions as a result.

“Let himself get lured away by the competition,” replied Colin. “He’ll be heading up the European division for Brookfield’s. Guess he was so anxious to return home that he didn’t bother to read Brookfield’s latest earnings report.”

“They’ve definitely left themselves in a very vulnerable position,” agreed Ian. “Ripe for the plucking for anyone looking to buy them out. In fact, it’s entirely possible that we could be the ones to acquire them if the circumstances were right. But let’s forget Rupert, shall we? You deserve this, Colin, especially after you’ve turned things around so completely this last year. Congratulations.”

The brothers talked for awhile longer, discussing where Colin planned to live in Hong Kong, the two day layover he would be taking in San Francisco en route to his new job, and the challenges he would face living in a very different sort of culture. The conversation ended with Ian reminding Colin to let him know when his flight would arrive in San Francisco so that he could arrange for his driver to pick him up.

Ian had a smile on his face as he disconnected the call, having admittedly been taken aback by Colin’s announcement. His younger brother had constantly been something of a hellraiser, dating back to their childhood when Colin had always been up for a dare, had always been the one of her three sons to cause their mother some sort of grief. Ian couldn’t recall how many broken bones, scrapes, and bruises Colin had suffered over the years, or how many times he’d needed stitches. As Colin had entered his teens, he’d wholeheartedly discovered the opposite sex and started causing the family – in particular their mother Joanna – a very different sort of grief. And once he’d graduated from university and began working for the family firm, the PR department at the London headquarters had worked overtime to keep his most recent exploits under wraps as much as possible. Still, even with their best efforts, hardly a week had gone by without a photo of Colin and some scantily clad model, actress, or socialite splashed all over the tabloids.