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The words hit me like a slap to the face, and I can feel my control slipping away. How many times do I have to prove myself? How much longer do I have to endure being treated like a child?
I snap, my voice rising, “I am not a little girl, Uncle Walter! I am fully capable of running this company, and I won’t stand here and let you belittle me!”
The look on his face reveals that this is going exactly as he planned. The fury inside of me is almost physically painful, but I try to breathe myself to a calmer state, before I let myself speak again.
“We’re not discussing this,” I maintain. “The fact that you talked to a potential buyer and arranged a meeting behind my back shows how little you respect me. But it won’t work. I’m not giving in.”
“Not even to this buyer?” he probes. “Did you even look at his offer? This guy is swimming in money, Madison. His offer is above what I could have imagined, and I’m sure we could get him even higher if we—”
“I don’t care!” I cut him off. “I don’t care how much money Cha—Mr. Keaton throws on the table. He would kill everything my father accomplished. And you know what? I’m pretty sure I’m not wrong about anything.”
I lean back, enjoying the perplexed expression on Walters face a little too much.
“I saw you even highlighted it in the documents you prepared for him,” I go on. “So, you’re basically using my innovation to leverage this buyout, while telling me that it’s a bad idea? I’m so sick and tired of men dictating to me what to do! Cha—Mr. Keaton won’t get his way and neither will you!”
There it is. I’m screaming again. I couldn’t help it. I never can.
My uncle slowly shakes his head and rises from his chair, his patience clearly worn thin. “Your outburst only proves my point, Madison. You’re not ready for this responsibility. Maybe it’s time you step aside and let someone more experienced take the reins.”
His words hit me like a sucker punch, and I feel tears prickling at the corners of my eyes.
He’s won. Again. I watch as he turns and leaves the room, the door closing softly behind him.
Alone in my office, I sink into my chair, my hands covering my face as tears stream down my cheeks. I’m a failure. I couldn’t even control my temper when it mattered most. Why is it so damn hard for me to stay level-headed when I need to be?
Everything has gotten so much harder ever since that Chase guy entered my life. He flusters and upsets me in a way that makes it impossible for me to think straight. And to keep my goddamn act together.
This is all his fault.
Chapter 12
Chase
My muscles are still humming from the intensity of the training as I walk out of my first private session with Raymond. He really is as good as they say.
Visiting the Tensho comes with a little extra excitement because I know there’s a chance I’ll run into Madison. After my phone call with her uncle a couple of days ago, I’m even more fixated on solving the conundrum that is her. Mr. Hailey was kind enough to provide me with some information about Madison that could help me get closer to her.
Since I didn’t want to leave things entirely up to chance, I arranged for my private lesson to be scheduled right before Raymond’s ‘blue belts and up’ class of the day, which I know Madison is most likely to attend.
And as luck would have it, I walk right into her when I leave the building and step out to the parking lot.
She’s walking toward the entrance, and looks at me with a sardonic smile, her lips curling in a way that simultaneously riles me up and piques my interest.
“Wanna get your ass kicked by a girl again?” she teases, her tone dripping with a mix of challenge and amusement.
I can’t help but chuckle at her audacity. She’s got fire, I’ll give her that.
She’s wearing athletic clothes that emphasize her fit figure. Her long hair is tied back in a sleek ponytail, giving her an effortlessly put-together look that contrasts with the chaos she seems to radiate whenever we’re around each other.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I retort, my grin matching hers in its playful edge.
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t deny the fact that I’ve caught her attention.
“So, are you stalking me now, Chase?” Madison asks as she comes to a halt right in front of me. Her tone is teasing, but there’s an undercurrent of suspicion there.
I scoff, playing it off with an air of nonchalance. “Don’t flatter yourself. Do you think I have nothing better to do than to run after you?”
She swallows dryly and adjusts the bag hanging over her shoulder in an awkward manner.
