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On my way to Kaden's office, I ran into everyone I didn't really want to see. Kaia, Kaden's sister, was accompanied by one of her husbands, which was still an interesting thought, as I couldn't imagine ever sharing the woman at my side. Nevertheless, I was excited for them because they had found happiness. Or rather, they had taken the opportunity presented to them and forged their own happiness out of it.
I also met Nikau briefly, but successfully avoided a conversation with her. Kaden wouldn't like it but I wasn't here to talk about the last few weeks.
I finally reached the office, pushed open the door without knocking, and discovered Kaden behind the huge desk.
With a raised eyebrow, he waited for me to enter. "You know it's bad manners, barging in unannounced?"
Barging in... that wasn't how I would have described it. But I wouldn't bother with this discussion.
"It's good to see you too, Kaden. How are the parties going? Any problems yet?"
"Straight to business, huh?" Kaden set the documents aside and gave me his full attention.
The sudden tension between my shoulders irritated me. It wasn't really a sensitive subject– was it? With a sigh, I settled into the chair in front of his desk. "To be honest, I couldn't care less right now."
"That's new."
"Did you read the article?" The one that had ended up in the paper, even though I had advised Matthew to make sure no one said a word. From the wording, however, I suspected that the information had come from within– and the only one interested in seriously harming Audrey could only be Alexander. With his wounded pride, the problems with his ego, and the fact that he had lost something that never belonged to him in the first place, nor what he really wanted to possess.
"I'm afraid you'll have to be a little more specific," Kaden replied.
"The Runaway Bride of Alexander Graham."
"Everyone's talking about it."
So he had read it, as had the rest of the island. Audrey kept a low profile, but I was well aware that even at work she was harassed by curious people. Especially the women who had never had a chance with Alexander seemed to be trying to get closer to her. Either out of spite or because they hoped to get inside information to win his heart.
Audrey was a strong woman, but I was not comfortable with the idea that she had to expose herself to such a smear show just because she resembled an abstruse in the eyes of her ex-fiancé. A statement that still made my blood boil when I thought about it for even a second.
"I know her," I finally admitted. "The daughter of a good friend."
"What do you mean, Lei?"
Where should I start? It was a complex question. Kaden knew best what it was like to be judged for private, personal preferences, but this was not public information, and it was not really my place to bring it up. But I needed his opinion on something that had stuck in my mind.
"Audrey's fiancé left her at the altar because he found out that her sexual preferences didn't match his own. He doesn't make that public, but he's still on a campaign to make her life as difficult as possible."
Kaden stared at me. "How do you, of all people, have knowledge of her sexual preferences?"
I contort my face in pain. I could lie. "She called me after he kicked her out of the church."
"So you dropped everything to be her comfort? With your dick?"
"No. Because that's not exactly what happened." I didn't want to tell him that Audrey hosted webcam shows, that I'd been watching her do it for years, and that she was well aware of it. She'd probably been toying with me for a lot longer than I thought possible, which just added another layer to our night together that needed to be explored. Or maybe not, since I was on the outs with her at the moment.
"So you didn't have sex with her?"
"Yes, I did. But it's not like Alexander was her great love either."
"I'm not sure what it is you want from me right now."
Ah, yes. Here was the core issue. "If Alexander was going to turn the press against her, someone should tell the press that he wasn't exactly the model fiancée either. I know he visited the club regularly, which makes him a hypocrite. He can't be letting random women dance on his lap and then in the next breath be lynching Audrey for being an exhibitionist."
After I finished speaking, there was a long moment of silence. Finally, he raised his eyebrows. "Do you really think it's a good idea to attack him like that? What if the next thing you know, an article appears about what she's doing?"
"She doesn't want anyone to know."
"See? But you can't lie and hide the fact that the information about Alexander came from you. I don't know how close you two are, but I would feel betrayed if my secret was out in the open."
