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We sat at one of the tables in the middle of the restaurant. This place was huge and screamed money—decorated with the gold chandeliers, marble floors and walls, and the breath-taking paintings that had probably cost a fortune. The classic music came from the speakers, fitting the luxurious atmosphere perfectly.
We did less eating than talking as we discussed the deal, but it didn’t matter, because my adrenaline was so high that I didn’t even have any appetite. It was extremely important for us to finish this meeting successfully, and I was more than glad whenever Madison jumped in with her helpful remarks, impressing our clients over and over again.
“I think you’ll find our plans meet your needs perfectly. The modern design, matched with the latest technologies with put you at the forefront of the medical community in this area. Breaking into this locale will broaden your business and create new opportunities for you and your investors.” The group nodded in agreement.
“And these figures? You believe these are accurate?” The one man asked her.
She sat up straighter, and I couldn’t be prouder. “Of course, we wouldn’t have brought them if we weren’t sure.” She smiled devilishly only further reeling them in.
“Well that settles it, I think the investors will agree that this is definitely something we’re interested in pursuing.” Heads around the table bobbed and smiled at us. We nailed it, or rather Madison did. I would give her credit for that.
“I’ll toast to that,” I added raising my glass.
“Cheers,” one of our new clients said and we clank our glasses. I looked at Madison, smiling with satisfaction, but the smile she returned to me was rather fake, and my insides churned for a moment. What was going on with her? We made a deal, why wasn’t she looking satisfied?
We spent another half an hour with the clients before they called for a town car and headed back to their office. I looked at Madison, who was staring at her glass of wine, unusually quiet. Actually, for the last thirty minutes she’d barely said a word, and now I really wanted to know what the problem was.
“Madison? Is everything alright?”
She flinched and looked at me, as if she’d been deep in her thoughts.
“Yes,” she muttered, not looking me in the eyes.
I frowned. Something definitely wasn’t right. “We managed to close the deal, and this meeting went really well, thanks to you, so what’s the problem?”
At first, I thought she wasn’t going to tell me—the insecurity and anxiety written all over her face.
Several moments later, she looked at me and pursed her lips into a thin line. “I-I heard something about your company, Grant.” She cleared her throat and continued, “I heard about the foreman who died on the job last year.”
Everything stopped. “What?”
She cleared her throat again, and this time she kept my stare. “I heard that he was killed last year on LQT’s job site and the company covered it up.”
I needed a few moments to fully understand what the fuck she was talking about, and then the anger settled in. “That’s bullshit,” I hissed, feeling hurt that she actually believed in rumors.
“Is it, Grant? You know, I was actually scared to come to work yesterday. That is why I called in sick. This is just too much, and it made me afraid, to tell you the truth.”
It bothered me that she felt this way, but I was also angry that such rumors existed and were spread about my company. That wasn’t what we needed at the moment. Hell, this was the worst moment ever.
“I didn’t know anything about it, Madison. In fact, the company wasn’t liable for what happened. We gave his family a nice settlement because he worked for us, but what happened at that site didn’t have anything to do with us. It was horrible. I felt terrible for everything that went down. But that is an old story and I’m angry that it came up just like that—at the most inconvenient time, and that you believed it.”
“I am sorry, but it sounded too terrible for me.”
“It is terrible, and it is unfortunate that such a thing smears our company’s name. What is past is in the past, and we must focus on the future and positive things. Who told you about it?”
“My friend Lauren. She heard it from her boss.”
“Damn it.” I took her by hands and squeezed them gently. “Madison, my company isn’t like that. We don’t do those kinds of things. Hell, I hate when people deal with problems in that way. From the moment we started our company, Oliver, Colten, and I swore we wouldn’t go down that criminal road. We have been always working hard and clean. Everything we accomplished so far we accomplished on our own—in an honest way. You have to believe me.”
I caressed her soft skin, moving my fingers over hers, and smiled reassuringly to her as I waited for her response.
Finally, she sighed. “I am so sorry, Grant. I really didn’t want to doubt you, but hearing that someone got killed was awful for me.”
“I understand, but please, believe me. I’m not that kind of man. I will never be.”
“I get it. I realize that you are a good guy after all. Now I know that Lauren was being paranoid and I made a mistake for not clearing this with you when she told me that. I should have talked to you immediately instead of running away just like that.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m glad that you talked to me about it now.”
