Finding happiness (previously known as Billionaire playboy's secret past)

Chapter 45: Knox rebuilding ......

Wowooh, another chapter down.

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The project team have come up with the stage plans. There will be four major stages for the site. The aim is to stagger the development so that the existing Peruglia Resort can continue operations while the first and second stages are being completed. The first stage will be our deluxe villas and the premium rooms, located in the west wing. Stage two will consist of major changes to the front office. The front office needs to reflect modernity and tranquillity. This is the first room guests will see and we want it to leave an unmatchable memory in our guests' minds. Their first impression will be the beginning of a great experience. The third stage will be the East wing including the family villas and double rooms. The grounds, the pool and landscaping will be the final stages.

It should take about three months for everything to be finalised.

On Thursday we are ready to travel to San Diego to meet the staff and assure them that we will look after them. Dad is joining me, Corey – my PA, and Gary the Public Relations manager. He has to spin this to the public somehow. This resort is almost an icon in this area and we need the people to look at us in good light. That's Gary's job, and he's very good at it.

The meetings don't take long. We meet with the managers of the different departments first and then the rest of the staff. The managers are malleable, anything we say or suggest they just agree. We've encouraged them to voice their concern, but they seem happy to just go with whatever we are saying.

"So none of you have any questions or suggestions? Remember this is your business as well and whatever concerns you concerns us." I say trying to be gentle with the team. I hate it when people are not honest and don't seem to want to share their opinion, except for one lady.

"Umm, hi, my name is Melanie, and I have a question, well a concern really." She says standing up so we can see her properly.

"Go ahead Melanie." I encourage her.

"Well I am just not sure what will happen to my position now that we are under new management." She says wringing her hands.

"Go on, what's worrying you?" I respond.

"I am responsible for all the trainees that come through our doors. Per year we receive about ten of them and sometimes even more. At the moment we have two, are we going to continue with this program or will this stop." She finishes her question then sits down.

"I don't foresee any changes that we will need to do at the moment. I am not promising that there won't be changes and positions shuffles but all this will be done in consultation with you managers." Dad responds and I see heads nodding.

The meeting with managers finishes and an hour later we have another meeting with everyone. It goes exactly the same way as the earlier meeting. We also let the staff know about the building stages and an email will be sent to all staff advising them of when and how their department will be affected and also what to do in the interim.

We finalise the meeting by letting people know that change is good. Gary as always manages to put a positive spin into the whole process, letting staff know that even though there are changes happening, some positions will change and there will be other positions to be created. This should give staff an opportunity to move around the company and to do something new. Everyone seems happy with that and by the time everyone leaves, they are happy conversations.

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Our Human Resources team have been busy working on the new position description for the new positions we have created for the resort. We have also changed a number of positions and position titles and we are positive the team in San Diego will love them. I will share these with the management first and they can discuss what it all means with their teams.

I have spent almost every week of the past month travelling to and fro San Diego. The first wing has been fully renovated and it looks grand. Today they start stripping the front of house. I want to be there when they start work on it. My sister has been here twice already and her input has been invaluable and the design team seem to work very well with her. She loves this place.

Two weeks pass and I once again have to travel to San Diego. This time I will be there for longer than just one or two days.

I've invited my sister once again and mom is tagging along. She hasn't seen the place and wants to have an input too. Ari has been working non-stop with the designers and today she'll get to see the progress of the first and the front of house. The project seems to be on time and it look like we will finish earlier than we expected. It's amazing how quickly things get done when you have money to throw around.

We spend most of the day working and mom getting fidgety. This is definitely not her scene. Mom spends most her time raising money for her two charities and having lunches with her friends. She is very good at organising events, hence her excitement at helping Steph organise her wedding. She is generous and she will do anything for us, her kids. Her charities include Act for kids, which helps look after abused and neglected children. Mom loves kids. Her other charity is For Women, With Women, which supports and looks after sexually and physically abused women. She started the women's charity after Ari's ordeal.

When Ari was about seventeen, she met and fell in love with a guy who was about sixteen years her senior. In the beginning, according to Ari, he wooed her and was a good guy. Once Ari fell for him and his bullsh*t he started getting too possessive. He wouldn't allow my sister to meet with her friends, if she did he wanted to know who it was and where she went. Ari says that sometimes, she felt like someone was following her. Not only that, he was married. I don't understand how he managed to spend so much time checking on Ari and his wife not noticing.

Anyway, once our family met Dave, we had our reservations about him. Well I didn't like him instantly and I told Ari. She was very defensive about it and ended up telling me no one was perfect, and that I shouldn't judge other people, considering my drinking habits and lifestyle. Yes that was before I enlisted in the army.

Long story short, his possessiveness got worse, especially after he saw our disapproval of their relationship. Dad just said he was too old for Ari and hoped Ari will get her senses back. That was the last time he was ever welcome in our home.

Dave started smacking my sister here and there, whenever she didn't do something he wanted, or if she was late for something and he waited for her.

The smacking turned to full blown fists one day when Ari received a text message from a male classmate from school. This went on for a while and Ari didn't want to tell anyone, because she was so scared of Dave. She also thought that we wouldn't be there for her since she didn't take our warnings to begin with.

The final straw for Ari was when she found out about his other life, and she broke up with him. He didn't want to accept it and he stalked her everywhere. It got worse that she started fearing for her life and that's when she told Jordan, and that's how we all found out.

The son of a b*tch was arrested and hopefully he will rot in hell.

Anyway my sister hasn't dated much for fear of attracting the wrong men. Mom doesn't push for her to get anyone either for the same reasons. Ari has been concentrating on her studies and now that she's done with that she has been working hard. This is her first project and she is raring to go and why she's spending so much time with me in San Diego.

Mom decides to drag Ari with her to have another look at the finished areas and meet some staff and then do a bit of shopping. According to mom, a female can never have too many diamond earrings.