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The afternoon dragged until I hauled myself to Preston Enterprises. Inside the boardroom, people around me were chatting, others preparing for our board meeting. Victoria, of course, was avoiding me, and the New York Times refused to retract the article saying their sources were reliable.
What fucking sources was what I wanted to know.
The room falls silent as I sit on one end waiting for her arrival. The other sheep in the room continue to sit quietly, twiddling their thumbs pretending not to notice how my fists are clenched ready to pounce on Victoria the second she walks through that door. Five minutes later, the devil herself appears.
“Good afternoon, everyone, I apologize for my tardiness.” She places a pile of papers down, adjusting the screen ready for the presentation. Avoidance only works for a certain amount of time, and her time is running out.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Edwards. Nice of you to attend our meeting here in London,” she says, not looking my way for even a second.
The projection screen slides down, and the lights turn off. The sheep turn around in unison to watch the screen. As the presentation begins, I can’t help but use this opportunity to castigate her for her childish behavior which fucked up my life more than she can ever imagine.
“You avoid all my calls and emails. Tell me, Victoria, did you achieve what you wanted by feeding bullshit to the press?” I whisper into her ear.
She remains still, her posture straight as she focuses on the presentation. “There’s a time and a place for this, Mr. Edwards, and now is not that time nor place.”
My anger spikes. The stupid whore. Who the fuck does she think she is?
“Don’t play games with me, Victoria. You and I both know nothing happened and nothing ever will. Find a way to fix this, or Daddy will see that lovely picture of his best friend with his cock in your loose pussy.”
She abruptly turns to face me. Even though the room is dark, I can see the shade of red forming on her face, her fury enough to satisfy me in this moment. I turn my chair to focus on the presentation, leaning back with a satisfied grin. Suddenly, profit and losses seem like the most entertaining topic in the world.
Sleep has become obsolete in the past few days. I gave up trying and instead focus on my counterattack while in the ring. My trainer, Hank, has never seen me so dedicated, even suggesting I play up against the big guns. Okay, I may have been angry, but being beaten up by professional boxers isn’t on my list of things to do.
After the initial anger wears off, I know I’ll have to fly
back to New York to win Charlotte back, no more drowning my sorrows and wishing the problem away. I have to take action and prove to her once and for all this is one big lie. Even if it means I have to sit outside her apartment for days on end waiting for her to return home. I’m determined, and nothing is going to stop me now, not even Nikki’s warnings.
***
Thursday night, eleven o’clock. I sit in the car opposite her apartment block, the windows dark, not a hint of life. I’ve been here for three hours and nothing. As every minute passes by, my rage grows uglier, slowly spreading to every part of me. My mind conjures up every possible place she can be staying, and as the bitterness starts eating away at me, I know there will be nowhere else she’d be staying out this late on a Thursday night except for Julian’s.
The thought alone is like acid, burning my soul bit by bit. It isn’t just her trust in question, it’s mine as well. As long as he is living and breathing, she will run to him.
When the sun rises, I give up.
With my head spinning and mental fatigue plaguing me, I drive back to my hotel for some much-needed rest.
***
My eyes wander across the several invitations to bid scattered across my desk. After dropping the ball on many things, I have no choice this past week but to work nonstop to make up for lost time. I’ve fallen back into the trap, trying to control my emotions by throwing myself into work. I can’t control my personal life, but this business merger is something I have complete command over.
Everything is ready to go, and I’m confident we’re making the right decision by purchasing this company. I glance over the contracts but notice a section is missing. Huh, this is odd. I go over the paperwork again but still can’t locate it. Fuck! With frustration, and running on zero sleep and bourbon for a staple diet, I dial Kate immediately even though it’s after seven on a Friday night.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Kate, where are the margin tables report for the Berkshire contracts?”
“It should be with your copy.”
“Well, it isn’t, okay?”
“Then I have a copy with me. I can bring it to you tomorrow.”
“No, I need it now. I’ll be at your suite in ten minutes.”
I hang up, grabbing my wallet, taking the next available cab. Usually, Kate and I will stay in the same hotel. However, due to my last-minute decision to fly to New York, The Waldorf had no available suites for Kate. Instead, I put her up in the Four Seasons.
When I knock on her door, she opens it quickly.
