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Chapter Seven
Damian
Damian could tell Joseph was judging him. During his years as Damian’s lawyer, he’d never questioned his actions, until now. Over time, Damian had come to confide in him about more than legal matters.
“You went out on a date?” Joseph asked. “With Aldridge’s daughter?”
Crossing his ankles on his desk, Damian nodded. “That’s what I said, Joe.”
“The one with the fake blonde hair and fake everything else?”
“No, the one with the natural everything who just moved back home.”
“Huh. I suppose that’s why you wanted this information.” Joe held a file in his hand.
“Precisely.”
He rubbed his chin. “You don’t trust the woman, yet you went out with her.”
“And I’m going to do it again.”
“And you decided that before taking a look at what’s in that file?”
“Yup.” Damian reached for the file, his eyes meeting Joe’s. “What?”
Joe steepled his fingers and sat back. “Alright, not as your lawyer but as your friend. Have you lost your fucking mind? She’s an Aldridge. You hated the father, and you’ve claimed to detest the entire brood. You stole their company.”
“I bought it,” Damian said.
“Right. Out of spite. And you’re about to take everything else they own. You’re about to slaughter them financially and without remorse. Now you’ve decided that you want to date one of them. Do you get how twisted that sounds? I mean, how does a relationship like that even work?”
“She’s different, Joe. At least, I’m about to make sure she is.” He held up the file with everything that could possibly be found on Abigail Aldridge. Damian was almost afraid to look inside, afraid that he’d be disappointed.
Joe shook his head. “You’ve lost your mind.”
“She hates sports cars,” Damian said.
He received a blank expression from Joe.
“She wears jeans and t-shirts.” The expression on Joe’s face remained blank. Damian huffed with annoyance. “I haven’t come across anyone like her in a long time. Not since I built my fortune, forcing me to maneuver amongst the superficial rich crowd.”
“Good god ... I think you need a vacation. Maybe the pressure of the cruel business world is getting to you, man.”
“I don’t need a goddamn vacation, Joe.” Damian waved the file. “Thank you for this.”
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
“I’d rather do so in private.” That way, no one would witness his anger and regret, if it turned out that Abigail was a liar.
“I already know much of what’s in there.”
“I don’t care.” Damian lowered his feet from his desk and powered on his laptop. His expression became shuttered. Joe knew him well enough to know that when Damian closed off, there was no point in sticking around.
He stood up and grabbed his briefcase. “Well, I guess I’ll see you at Arlet’s tomorrow.” Damian narrowed his eyes slowly, raised his head from behind the computer screen, and pinned Joe to the spot.
Joe’s face turned red. “She uh, invited me over for dinner.”
“My mother invited you over for dinner?”
