The Billionaire Blueprint
The next day, Amber Ann met Julia and Mark Jacobs—Trace Progressive's new property assessor. Mark was a tax lawyer by profession, but the reason Amber hired him was because he minored in architecture and had a unique, keen sense for business that Amber liked.
The three got out of the sleek SUV, looking at the property before them. It was a large warehouse within an industrial park. It was the largest and was actually four of the warehouses that had been combined into one.
All three of them had already looked over blueprints and previous business information. Mark spoke first as he looked over the parking lot. "I think the parking lot can accommodate for a high-volume business. We should add an aspect that can potentially attract warehouse workers around us."
Amber nodded. She had not told them her ideas for the location yet. She had come up with it when she first looked at the blueprints. Her gaze moved over the parking lot and she nodded again. She agreed with Mark; it was a good-sized parking lot for a warehouse, and they owned three-fourths of it.
They entered the building and did a full walkthrough. At the end, Amber turned to Mark again for ideas. The assessor pursed his lips and allowed his eyes to roam over the property again as he spoke. "What are you thinking, Mrs. Lance-Trace?" He looked into a specific corner and pointed. "I really think this would be a nice location for a café. It could open to both the inside and outside of our space and allow access to warehouse workers and our clientele alike."
Amber's eyes lit up as she walked to the indicated space. She nodded as she saw the potential. "Agreed." She looked up to the high ceilings and then the catwalks along the walls to help with stacked merchandise. "I think we are going to bring advanced laser tag to the citizens of Carson City. We can easily put this back into four separate areas." She looked to the area they would designate as the bar or break room. "Four, if you count the eatery, and with it, the third laser tag area can be smaller and simpler. Also, the courtyard can serve for at least two areas we can easily change to make unique laser tag experiences."
As she spoke, Mark's eyes went wide as he nodded. He smiled at her. "With VR and AR tech, this could be a very profitable enterprise."
"Exactly. Julia, look into the equipment. Mark, start working with the architects and designers to come up with four designs that will fit the space. If possible, make aspects of each changeable so they can seem fresh. Once we have that, we will work on scripts to give clients actual missions through the courses. Let's go look at the other space. When I looked at the blueprints and researched the area, I felt nail salon, but let's go and see it."
As Amber worked to make two of Trace Progressive's properties profitable, Dan had switched gears and was working to make their lives simpler.
He had purchased two new helicopters for the company and was arranging things with the two airports in Carson City to allow them to land there. They could bring clients directly to properties from the airport this way. He also set up channels with the city so that they could use their helicopters whenever and however they liked. After this, he began upgrading all of the equipment they used to rehab the properties and made plans to sell or donate the old equipment.
As he worked, he felt the stress rise from his shoulders—a stress he had known was ever there. It made him think about Amber and all she had done for him. For the umpteenth time, he berated himself for not valuing his wife more. He had brought her into the company and she had taken off running. She had posted employment ads while they were still in the Himalayas and hired several people, including Mark Jacobs, during the flight back to Carson City.
He had been a bit deflated when she was doing distance interviews, but when he met his new—and very efficient—assistant, he was left in pure awe. The woman had reorganized his world, and after working with her for two days, he wondered how he functioned without her.
His phone buzzed beside him on his massive, antique wooden desk. The thing was so huge they had to reinforce the floor for it. He smiled as he thought about the need to do the same at the lake house. His heart beat a bit faster when he thought about starting over with Amber.
His smile froze when he looked at his phone—Jessica. David was right; he really should have blocked her from his phone. He allowed the call to go to voicemail and three texts quickly followed one after another.
Jessica: "Danny 😢 why won't you answer my call?"
"Won't Amber Ann allow us to remain friends?"
"Weren't we always friends?"
Dan took a deep breath. He deleted the texts then blocked his sister-in-law. The woman angered him to a point beyond words, and he would no longer play her games. He opened his texts to Amber and sent her a quick message.
Dan: "Hey love. I just wanted you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. I know you are doing a great job. I trust you and your abilities."
Amber: "Thank you darling ❤️. I will tell you all about it at lunch. 1:30 right?"
Dan: "Yes. At the lake. I need to tell you something else. Jessica just tried to call me then text. I have blocked her number so you don't need to worry about me speaking to her."
There was a long pause and Dan thought she was not going to answer.
Amber: "Okay. I am sorry. She is very stubborn. I will talk to her."
Dan: "No need. I do not want her thinking she has some sort of sway over us. I just wanted you to know. I don't want to hold anything from you ever again. Thank you again for doing such an amazing job. I love you."
Amber: "I love you too 🥰🤗"