The Chosen Heir (The Bolles Dynasty Book 3) Read Online Free

resting?”
    Olivia smoothed down the edges of her skirt. “It’s early in the pregnancy. I’ll have plenty of time to rest later on.” She sat forward. ”I wanted to talk with you about a business opportunity.”
    He raised his eyebrows. He and Olivia rarely spoke about business. She was firmly enmeshed in the fashion world and typically spoke about design or culture. “You have me curious.”
    Olivia stood up and began pacing. “Do you remember meeting Bridget North a year ago? She is a marketing genius and alerted me that my favorite hat company in Dublin is about to go out of business.”
    He remembered Ms. North. Where was Olivia heading with this? “Many of the garment-centered businesses can’t compete with the lower labor rates abroad.”
    She looked at him. “It’s an old family business that has been in existence for a hundred and fifty years. They make the most beautiful hats. I can’t imagine them disappearing.”
    She wanted him to save the company. “Have you asked Fionn about it?”
    Her voice rose with excitement. “He is not interested in taking on a small, family-owned business in Ireland. But you have based yourself here and you have a management team that is skilled at turning around failing companies.”
    He tempered his words. “Liv, some of the companies I’ve purchased are no longer in existence. In order to become profitable again, sometimes they need to be combined with other companies or broken apart and sold for the assets.”  
    Olivia remained silent and looked at him. Although he doubted they realized they were doing it, his sisters expected him to the fill the void left by their absent father. William had been given a huge advantage in that he had his father all to himself, but could he fill his shoes for his sisters?
    He stood up. “It doesn’t make sense to purchase one of your suppliers to keep them around so you don’t have to find a new source.”
    She crossed her arms. “You don’t understand. They make custom women’s hats that can’t be found elsewhere.”
    He couldn’t possibly take on another failing business. The golf resort was problem enough. “Do women even wear hats anymore?”
    “What?” Olivia blinked at him.
    William shrugged. “It’s a fair question. None of the women I have dated have ever worn a hat beyond maybe a baseball cap.”  
    “Maybe you are dating the wrong women.” It often came back to this.
    He ran a hand through his hair. “Liv, I have enough issues with a golf resort I’m trying to make profitable. I can’t take on a failing hat company. The garment industry in Dublin is doomed.”
    She pulled out her chair and sat back down. “I disagree. There has been a resurgence of skilled shops. You understand numbers, Will. How hard can one small company with less than fifty employees be to manage? It is ten minutes from here.”
    The timing was wrong for him. “I’ve learned there is a steep knowledge curve to each new industry.”
    Olivia waved a hand. “I can give you Bridget North for a year. She understands marketing, knows the industry and she is from Ireland. Did you remember meeting her at one of my events?”
    He was not going to admit to meeting the uptight Ms. North and he had no interest in working with her. “Does she have experience running a company?”
    Olivia shook her head. “No. But she is well educated and savvy. I’m sure with some mentoring she would be up to the task.”
    The housekeeper, Mrs. Blake, came in and asked if she could clear away the plates.
    William nodded and asked, “Should we get out of your way?”
    “Heavens, no. The girls want to help with dinner so I’ve sent them to change and thought I should take care of this before I lose track of time.”
    Olivia smiled at her. “Are you sure they won’t become a nuisance for you, Mrs. Blake?”
    The housekeeper stopped gathering the tea items for a moment. “I selected the ingredients for dinner with them in mind.”
    William stood up and