All I Want // H.S. // A.U.

Chapter One

I always loved New York in the summer. Hell, I loved New York during any season, but summer was one of a kind. It was, somehow, more vibrant, colorful, and eccentric than any other time of the year, and it made me feel alive. It was this time two years ago that made me reevaluate my life. Well, that and a nasty breakup that resulted in me crying alone on my cold bathroom floor. Again.

This morning, two years later, felt so immensely different than that day, for so many reasons. For one, I wasn't alone anymore. I had ditched my so-called friends and found myself a new group of people that loved me for me and not because my last name was Konrad. Meeting Sadie, my best friend, was a game changer. She was honest and funny and would tell me when I was being a straight-up bitch. She also had an uncanny ability to read people and their intentions so she was what we called the gate-keeper. She was the one any of us went to regarding a new friend, boyfriend, or girlfriend. She was that good. She introduced me to her small group of friends who ranged from musicians who played in shitty bars, to aspiring writers, and to accountants. I brought in my childhood friend AJ, who grew up in a similar sense as me, dealing with parents who cared more about their reputation than actually caring for their children. He had grown up in LA and only moved to New York three years ago to start up his own fashion house and I had convinced my father to invest a small amount of money to help him get started.

That was the start of my chosen family. We had just gotten back from a weekend trip to the Hamptons, staying in my families house on the beach, which is probably why I was in such a great mood. It also helped that I had hot sex with a bartender in the wine storage room at my favorite bar on the beach, finally reaching that high that has escaped me from the last few men that I've fucked.

I couldn't help but smile as I entered the large building that had Konrad Investments written at the top. Sure, I hated what my family put me through growing up, and I hated the way my last name caused me so much heartbreak, but I loved my job. And I was damn good at it.

I had worked in this building since I was 18, starting out as one of the board members, Art Minkle's, assistant. My father wanted me to go straight into shadowing my Uncle Todd, but I convinced him that I needed to start from the bottom, so I could gain respect from my colleagues. Art was like a grandfather to me and taught me valuable lessons that I still used today. He was old school, as he liked to say it, and was a main reason for my success, and when he passed away two years ago, another reason for my meltdown that horrid summer, I felt as if I had lost a family member. Now at 26, I had risen the ranks faster than any other employee in the history of Konrad Investments. At first there were whispers that followed me around everywhere, mostly assuming I kept getting promotions due to my last name, but that didn't bother me. People always whispered about me. I grew up in the Manhattan Elite. A circle of people so self-absorbed and ruthless they could make you cry just by looking at you. I had to have thick skin to survive my life up until now, so hushed whispers concerning my last name were nothing compared to the torment of a 14-year-old Blair Waldorf wannabe.

None of that mattered anyways, because once I made my first million for the company everyone shut up. Now people knew how good I was. I had been profiled by several business magazines and The New York Times, been named as one of New York's 30-under-30 twice now, and, most embarrassingly, one of New York's most eligible bachelorettes. That one had Sadie laughing on the floor, literally.

"Hello, Ms. Madison." The elderly doorman of the building said to me as I walked in.

"Jack, I finally got you to start calling me by my first name," I smiled at the man before continuing, "now please drop the miss. That's way too formal for two people who have known each other for over twenty years."