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I let out a sharp gasp.
“Yes. I’m not proud of what I did, but I was desperate. Here was a man I loved and wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but his philandering ways kept him from me. So, desperate times called for desperate measures.” She sighs. “I love Amber to death, but I wish I could turn back the hands of time. I would have ended the affair with him and moved on with my life. It’s one thing to hook a man with pregnancy and make him marry you, and it’s another to get him to be faithful to you. I asked for a divorce when I couldn’t take the knowledge that he was still sleeping with his employees.”
I blink with befuddlement. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Is Linda really Gareth’s former employee? I find it hard to believe that he was sleeping with Susan. I haven’t caught such vibes from the two of them. They’re just friends.
“I can see you’re finding it hard to believe me. Suit yourself. Amber speaks highly of you. That’s why I came here to warn you that you have no future with him. I see you’ve already fallen in love with him just as I did, but please save yourself the heartache. He isn’t the marrying or commitment kind. It’s a pity I didn’t realize that until it was too late.” She rises fluidly to her feet. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you doubt what I just told you, ask him how we met and got married.”
I regard her with confusion as she sways her hips to the door, obviously enjoying my discomfort.
“Wait. How did you find out?”
She whirls around at the door. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Anger blazes in my eyes.
“It was easy as pie. I’ve been in your position before. I thought Gareth was sleeping with only me, and he wanted us to keep it a secret. The signs are there to see. All you have to do is look. I started suspecting when Gareth passed on a romp with me some weeks ago.”
My eyes widen.
“Oh, yes, Hailey. He still graces my bed whenever I give him the green light. Sometimes I want to remember how it was between us since he knows how to take a woman to cloud nine. When he turned me down, I knew something was up. He does that whenever he has a new conquest. It wasn’t difficult guessing that you’re his new bedmate. It used to be Jackie, but I know he still sleeps with her and Susan now and again. With such a healthy libido, it’s hardly surprising he keeps all of you. Stay away from his bed. That’s both a warning and advice.”
I sit there for a long while after Linda leaves, still not believing all she said. She claimed to have come here to advise me, but I noted the bitterness in her voice and her smiles.
But what if all she said is the truth? Then again, what if her aim is to hurt me?
I hurry back to my room to pick up my phone. I need to know the truth from Gareth, particularly as I might be pregnant. I grit my teeth when he doesn’t answer my call. I keep calling, but he doesn’t pick up. He usually answers my call on the first ring.
Is he already fucking the new robotics engineer in the inner cabin of his private jet the way he did with me on our way back to New York?
Tears glisten in my eyes. What if Linda spoke the truth? What if the weekend getaway was his way of saying goodbye because he’s moving on to someone new? Am I crazy to have assumed he loved me with the way he treated me like a princess in Aspen?
I climb into bed and cry myself to sleep.
CHAPTER22
GARETH
“It was nice doing business with you. Thank you.” I shake hands with my newest clients and watch them walk out of my office. Another contract in the bag.
The smile wipes off my face as I resume my seat. I haven’t seen Hailey since I returned from Miami two hours ago. From our stilted conversation this morning, I know she’s still miffed that I barely checked in with her over the past few days. My meetings were frantic, and by the time I had a moment to call her, it was already late in the day. Since she didn’t respond, I figured she was asleep.
Falling in love with her has me all worked up. I don’t want to lose her, but at the same time, I’m scared. My previous experience with love didn’t turn out as planned. And for it to be almost the same scenario has me second-guessing myself.
It all started like this with Linda. Unlike Hailey, I wasn’t instantly attracted to Linda. My love for her developed over time when she showed her caring self as I struggled to keep my business afloat. As we spent hours working together, one thing led to another and the affair began. I loved Linda with every breath and didn’t mind marrying her when she told me she was pregnant, even though I didn’t want a family back then. I loved her and tolerated her behavior, but during an argument she revealed that she never loved me and only saw me as a means to an end.
“I was down on my luck. Working as your secretary was the only way I could survive such tough times. When I saw that you would strike gold soon and become a billionaire, I put on the caring woman act and seduced you, but you were more interested in your business than in me. I thought you would propose, but you only wanted to sleep with me.
“My only interest was becoming Mrs. Payne, the wife of a billionaire. I was also afraid that your other female employees had the same plan. And so, I deliberately got pregnant and, of course, got my wish. So, don’t think that you’re such a magnificent catch that I ought to be grateful for the rest of my life. I thought marriage would change you and make you more attentive to me, but no, your business always came first. I’m sick and tired of this sham of a marriage.”
I was tired of her too. Learning she didn’t love me pushed me into seeking a divorce.
And now, here I am again. I’m in love with my employee. Hailey is incomparable to Linda, but it doesn’t stop me from being concerned. Linda had pretended to be a saint until I put the ring on her finger, and her true colors only showed later. Will Hailey do the same after she becomes Mrs. Payne?
Whoa! Who’s talking about marriage? My heart thunders against my chest at the thought of walking down the aisle again, but it slows down rapidly, and a bright smile crosses my face. Yes, I would marry Hailey in a heartbeat. I love her more than I loved Linda. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with her. This time, I will make my marriage work, come what may.
Yearning to hear her voice, I pick up my phone and call her. I grimace when she doesn’t pick up. I push myself to my feet to go to her office, but I suddenly stop. I don’t even know where she is. Now that the election project was successfully completed, there’s no reason for her to be on my floor. Has she moved to her office in the Cyber Security department three floors below? I scratch my head at the wisdom of going down there to look for her. Whenever I have a project with any of the departments, they usually come up here. It’ll look weird for me to go there. I don’t care about what my employees think, but I want to protect Hailey from malicious gossip. I want to know Hailey’s response to telling her how I feel about her. Returning to my desk, I buzz Susan.
“Where’s Hailey?”
