Millionaire Cancels His Fancy Cruise, Never Imagining The Woman Rescheduling Will Capture His Heart

An Accidental Reservation

“Cancel the entire cruise,” Vincent Dero said flatly, tugging off his Rolex and tossing it on the marble countertop of his penthouse kitchen. “I’m not in the mood to sit on a yacht with champagne and strangers.”

His assistant on the other end of the call hesitated. “Sir, it’s a private cruise. You already paid in full.”

“Then refund what you can and give the rest away. I don’t care,” he snapped before ending the call, running a hand through his dark hair.

Three days ago, he caught his girlfriend of six months at his own charity gala in the coach room with someone else. He didn’t even feel anger, just tired.

Vincent, 32, a self-made millionaire and owner of Dero Ventures, could buy anything except, apparently, people who meant what they said. He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse, staring out over downtown Chicago.

The city glittered beneath him, but it all felt empty. Meanwhile, halfway across the city, Nola Brennan stood behind the front desk at Lake View Cruise concierge, staring at the sudden cancellation on her screen.

“Wait, he canceled the whole thing?” she said, blinking. “The entire cruise?”

“Yep,” her coworker muttered. “Vincent Dero. That’s the guy who owns like half the buildings on Michigan Avenue. Guess he bailed on his own luxury yacht rental.”

Nola looked at the open dates left by the cancellation. Her stomach tightened. Her parents’ 50th anniversary was next week. They hadn’t been on a real vacation in over twenty years.

Nola had been trying to find something—anything—last minute. She glanced up at her boss’s office, then back at the screen. She hesitated for one second, then she clicked.

Four days later, the sun was already setting over the water when Vincent’s driver pulled up to the harbor. He stepped out of the car, sunglasses on, suitcase in hand, annoyed and confused.

“Why are we here?” he asked his assistant, who was already sweating under the Florida heat.

“There was a technical error,” his assistant said quickly. “The cruise company never processed the cancellation. They said no refund was issued, and since it was fully paid, they gave it to someone else.”

“But, uh, your name is still on the reservation.”

Vincent’s jaw tensed. “So I’m just supposed to share my yacht with a stranger?”

“Not a stranger, a family. Just go on board and we’ll fix this.”

Vincent stalked up the dock and onto the yacht, expecting to find a crowd of loud tourists. Instead, he nearly walked straight into her. She was barefoot, standing at the railing in a soft blue sundress, her hair pulled up in a messy knot.

She spun around, startled. “Oh,” she said. “Hi. Are you one of the crew?”

Vincent blinked. “Crew?”

“Sorry,” she said, laughing nervously. “You just look not like a guest. I mean, you’re dressed like one, but you have this whole serious face.”

He didn’t answer. He was trying to place where he’d seen her before.

“I’m Nola,” she said, stepping forward and offering her hand. “I booked this cruise.”

“You booked my cruise,” he said dryly, not taking her hand.

Her smile faltered. “Technically, your assistant never finalized the cancellation. I checked twice.”

“You always hijack luxury yachts from strangers?”

“Only on Thursdays,” she said, crossing her arms. “Look, I didn’t know it was yours when I booked it. I just needed something special for my parents’ anniversary.”

“They’re below deck, by the way, probably raiding the wine fridge.”

Vincent looked around. The yacht was spotless. The staff was already moving about, setting up dinner. Despite the chaos, she looked completely at ease.

“You really didn’t know who I was?” he asked.

“I mean, I recognized your name when I saw the reservation, but I figured you were too busy doing rich guy things to care.”

He stared at her. “You’re kind of mouthy.”

She grinned. “You’re kind of broody.”

And then, to his horror, he laughed. It was short, barely a chuckle, but it caught him off guard.

“Fine,” he said. “One night. Then I’m leaving.”

“Suit yourself,” she said. “But we’re having shrimp scampi, and it’s amazing.”