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“Excuse me!” My mother interjects, loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear.
Madison pauses and stares at my mother, as if she hadn’t even noticed her before. Then she looks at my soaked clothing and her eyes widen with horror.
“Madison, my mother,” I say, in a deliberately calm voice. “Mom, this is Madison.”
Time seems to stand still, all of us freezing, Madison and my mother staring at each other, while I try to decide what to do next. Madison has caused quite the scene, and all the other guests in the restaurant are side-eying our table, some women shaking their heads in disapproval. I lock eyes with a waiter and let him know that the situation is under control by suggesting a subtle nod in his direction.
Is it under control, though? I’m not so sure right now.
“Madison, maybe we could talk another—”
“Oh no we can not!” she yells at me. “You’re just afraid that your mother is going to find out what a cruel, self-centered, and greedy asshole you are! You lied straight to my face, because all that matters to you is this goddamn buyout!”
She pauses to gasp for air, and from the corner of my eyes I can see my mother leaning back in her chair, her eyes focused on Madison.
“You said you would think about my proposal and then you go behind my back to make sure the investor pulls out?!” she goes on—and my heart jolts, when I see tears dwelling in her eyes.
“Wait, what, how did you—”
“How did I find out?” she bellows. “I talked to him, just now actually! He said he wouldn’t invest unless we sell and work under a new CEO. Apparently, someone put the idea into his head that I can’t be trusted as much as the CEO of Keaton Care Solutions! I wonder who that could have been!”
“Chase! You did what?” my mother chimes in now, tilting her head to the side, as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.
“It wasn’t me!” I retort truthfully, defensively raising my hands.
What the hell did Gabe say to Mr. Johnson? He said he would make a call in my favor, but we never said anything about dethroning Madison in this manner.
“Of course it was you!” Madison insists. “Who else would do this! And who even knows about this impending investment! You are the only one who benefits from this outcome, Chase! Don’t you fucking try to deny it!”
“I’m… I wasn’t the one who talked to him!” I try to explain. “I just talked to a friend, who—”
“Oh, you talked to a friend!” Madison intercepts. “Well, that makes it so much better.”
“Madison, please listen to me,” I say, rising to my feet, to be closer to her.
I try to lay my hand on her shoulder, to calm her down, but she jerks away from me, and I can’t blame her.
“I swear, I never meant to undermine your position,” I say. “I was simply looking for a compromise that could work for both of us.”
“A compromise that still robs me of my father’s legacy,” she says with a bitter voice.
I sigh. “It’s not that simple.”
“Yes, it is, Chase!” she snaps.
She clears her throat, and then—as much as she’s obviously trying not to—she starts crying.
“Chase!” my mother reprimands me, nodding toward Madison with an empathetic look on her face.
But when I try to approach Madison to console her, she shies away from me again, violently shaking her head as she steps away from me.
“I should have known,” she says, her lips quivering. “I should have known that this was a stupid idea. I never should have trusted you with anything. I should have listened to my gut.”
She chokes on a swell of tears, and now my mother jumps up and fetches her napkin to give it to Madison.
“Oh, my dear,” my mother says, as she hands her the napkin. “Here, take this.”
Madison stares at my mother through tear-filled eyes, before she takes the napkin from her hand. “Thank you.”
