Page 1 of The Rebel

CHAPTER 1

ANTHONY

“Anthony,you’re definitely giving us a run for our money,” Grandpa David teased. We’d been out on the bayou for hours, fishing.

Felix nodded. “Congratulations on catching the most fish today.”

Everything in the LeBlanc-Broussard household was a competition. Frankly, I was surprised that I did so well, considering the two of them came here much more often than I did. Then again, I did distract them by asking for their advice on my latest business decision.

Both of my grandfathers used to run The Orleans Conglomerate, a selection of very successful businesses, eons ago as co-CEOs. My father ran it after them, and now my five brothers and I were in charge. I was closest to my grandfathers compared to the rest of my brothers, except perhaps Beckett. Both had already retired when I was a kid, so we spent a lot of time together—mostly fishing.

“I’m sure the grandmothers will be happy with what we’ve got,” I said.

David laughed. “Not at all. Celine keeps saying that a chef needs variety, and we can never bring back too many fish.”

My grandmothers had been involved in the conglomerate as well. They’d been the chefs at our flagship restaurant, LeBlanc-Broussard. It was located in the French Quarter on Royal Street. Even today, we often met at the restaurant for special family events and weekly get-togethers. It was also that we had our offices.

“Son, I think it’s the right decision for you to focus more on the larger venues,” David said. He’d been quieter than Felix after I asked them for input, but that was par for the course. He always thought things over for a while before offering any advice.

“Thanks.” That had been my intention as well, but it was good to hear that these two masterminds agreed with me.

I was in charge of all the music venues the conglomerate owned—from small jazz joints to huge concert halls.

Once we loaded all the fish in the trunk of the car, I asked, “Who wants to ride shotgun?”

The two of them started bickering, and I was trying hard to fight laughter. Things with these two never got dull. In the end, David won, and then we were on our way back to New Orleans.

Just before gunning the engine, I checked my emails, as it was a force of habit now. I wasn’t a workaholic by any means, but I liked to stay on top of my inbox so it wasn’t bursting on Monday morning.

The very first one made me groan.

Alicia put in her resignation, effective immediately. So sorry about that. I’ll see about finding you a new assistant right away.

I groaned, deciding not to look at my inbox any longer.

“What’s the matter?” David asked.

“I guess I’m looking for a new assistant.Again,” I replied.

“You change them often, don’t you?” Felix inquired from the back seat.

“I have very high demands for my assistants.” I was laid-back,but I expected things to be done a certain way. More specifically, my way. I couldn’t believe Alicia had flaked out so soon. We’d hired her less than a month ago. Though, if I were being honest, I saw pretty quickly that she wouldn’t be able to do the job.

“How long did you keep this one?” Felix asked, as if reading my mind.

“A little over a month.”

Both of them went silent. I looked at Felix in the rearview mirror.

He spoke first. “You might want to be careful with that. Word will get around that you’re difficult to work with.”

“I’m not difficult,” I countered. “Everyone knows that.”

“Everyone who isn’t your assistant. Last time we talked to Dorothy, she said it’s becoming very difficult to find assistants for you.”

Dorothy was the head of human resources and a friend of the family too.

I turned my head to briefly look at David in the passenger seat. “When did you talk to Dorothy?” My grandparents weren’t involved in the company anymore—not at all. It was an unspoken agreement in the family that once someone retired, they stayed out of the business—unless they were specifically asked for assistance.