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“You never gave him a chance to explain,” Max says, looking at me with a somewhat maternal look. “Did you?”
“No,” I admit, suddenly feeling very small. “I threw a glass of water in his face and yelled at him—all in front of his mother.”
“That’s right,” Max says, laughing. “I still can’t believe you did that! Like in the movies.”
His amusement is infectious, and for a moment, I can’t help but join his laughter, when I think about the absurdity of it all. It was a pretty hilarious scene, now that I think about it. And I remember seeing a little smirk on the face of Chase’s mother, when I turned around to run away.
I wonder what happened after I left? Did he tell her what was going on between us? How much does she even know about what her son is doing? From what he told me about her, they seem to have a pretty close relationship, and she must be a tough woman to raise him alone like that. Did she scold him after I was gone? The thought of it makes me smile.
“It didn’t feel very movie-like in the moment,” I say eventually. “But I’m glad I did it. He deserved it.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Max notes.
“Yes, we do,” I object. “Even if he told the truth about not being the one who talked to our investor, he still deserved it for all the other things he put me through.”
Max nods in response. “Fair enough. Still doesn’t make him less of a hero.”
He glances at his phone, a subtle reminder of the video he just showed me. Of course, the fact that he helped some random kids in a dangerous situation isn’t enough for me to think better of Chase’s action in regard to my company. But I can’t deny the fact that it gets to me, just like his charity work and all those things he told me about his background.
He’s not all bad—but does that mean I can trust him?
Chapter 45
Chase
I worked it out. There’s no chance in hell that she can say no to this.
I’m sitting in my office, all alone, because it’s a Saturday, and only desperate people work on a Saturday. People like me.
I’ve been working tirelessly to come up with a solution that could solve everything between Madison and me. And I can’t believe that this idea didn’t come to me earlier. I was too focused on bulldozing toward my goal that I didn’t even think of any alternatives. I didn’t change course even after I met the real CEO of the company I’m trying to acquire—and that was my biggest mistake.
Funnily, this idea didn’t even occur to me until I heard what she said to me at the restaurant, with my mother present. I wasn’t the one who called the investor to bad mouth her in front of him, it was my friend Gabe. I made the mistake of involving him in all of this, without thinking twice.
Gabe admitted his mistake after I gave him an earful when we talked on the phone just now. When he called Mr. Johnson, he had no intention of going this far, but the words simply poured out of him, before he could stop himself.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking straight and went far beyond what we discussed. I’m not in my right mind right now.”
He said that his thoughts were poisoned by his own woman troubles at the moment. I didn’t want to hear more about it, because I’m sure this involves Ella, the biggest mistake of his life—and that’s a can of worms I have no intention of opening right now.
In the end, I blame myself for all of this. I should never have gotten him involved. It was a cowardly move to begin with. Instead of wasting my time venting about my dilemma with Madison, I should have actively tried to find a solution that makes both of us happy.
And now that I feel like I found that very solution, I cannot wait to share it with her. But she won’t answer my calls or answer any of my texts and emails. Even her secretary refused to patch me through to her. So, there’s nothing left for me to do but to ambush her again—which I know she will just freaking love.
My gaze wanders across the skyline that spreads before my window, as I contemplate my options.
I consider waiting for her at her home, but that feels a little too predatory, even for me. Besides, she could easily run away from me and lock the door, or—even worse—call security on me. I don’t want to scare her like that, so it’s better to find her at a public place—a neutral place that feels safe to both of us.
And then it hits me.
I jerk up in my seat, my back suddenly as straight as an arrow and my eyes wide, while a new notion manifests inside my head. Yes, this is it. This could work. She will have no other option, but to hear me out. I just have to make the arrangements accordingly.
I reach for my phone.
Chapter 46
Madison
The familiar scent of the Tensho’s dressing room surrounds me. I have been going to class almost every single day, ever since things have gone awry with Chase—and I hate that I can feel his presence here, too, even though I haven’t seen him at the Tensho for weeks.
