Chapter 20

Entire drive back to the city I wanted to turn around and get back to her. Every minute with her was intoxicating and addicting.

I want more of that.

And I will have it.

All my rules don’t apply with her.But I do need to focus. I have Adele to deal with, Taylor and the investment for her company so I get back home and go straight to my study.

Finding the investment documentation and Madison’s business plan in my inbox I decide this will be my priority. Good this is just the material I need to return to my normal setting. Being distracted is the exact thing worked so hard all these years to avoid and I can’t let it spiral out of control.

Materials are good, well prepared and detailed in all the right segments, clearly giving answers to most of my questions.

I couldn’t find a flaw to the overall package, which is in opposite of what Adele used to tell me about Madison. She painted her as a superficial and lazy, not the best employee. I didn’t have much contact with her apart from one occasion where we prepared for a presentation, and she was the only one there who wasn’t prepared. I was sincerely concerned that the entire thing will flop. But on the day of the client meeting, she came through beautifully. Presentation and data – everything was on point. Like this investment pitch I’m reading. Writing style of much of the documentation is familiar, certain phrases and the way of structuring the information as I have seen it before. Especially the business part. Then it hits me. This reads like the documentation Adele used to submit to me. The reason why I promoted her and recommended her for even a better position after we started having sex.

I fish out a project proposal from three years ago. The last thing Adele did while working for me. Scanning the document quickly I find it. Language fillers are usually unique for a person, and they use it unconsciously. Madison uses basically and actually as her fillers, Adele does not. And those find their way into her documents as well. She edits but never manages to clean them all out. She also has a specific tone of writing.

Is it possible that Adele used the work Madison did to submit it as her own? There was no doubt in his mind she did. Proof was right in front of him. Shit! We got involved right after Madison left. I was distracted, Adele was nearby.

The very thing I was so careful to watch out for, the very thing because of which I didn’t want to have anything with Madison, happened with Adele. She used me to climb up the social ladder and it was all on my fucking terms and rules.

I find my phone and dial Adele. This stops now.

“Two calls in a day – It most be my lucky day,” she answers.

“Meet me for dinner this evening,” I tell her coldly not even bothering to ask her if she had any other plans. I know that even if she did, she will change it.

“Wow, what did I do to deserve such attention today,” Adele responds.

“We will meet in our usual restaurant at 07:00 pm” I continue not even hearing.

“Will you pick me up?” she asks.

“No Adele, I will meet you there.” I answer and we end the call.