The Billionaire's Wife

7 - Old Friend

CHARLES

I asked Miranda for the third time about Madison, but she wasn't back. Why did it take so long to have a meal with someone?

Finally, after hours of waiting she arrived.

"Hey, what are you doing here at my new office?" she said calmly.

"I've called you six times, why didn't you answer any of it?" I asked her.

"My phone is in silent mode, I'm sorry." she replied.

"What took you so long?" I asked her.

"Alfred and I talked for awhile." she replied.

"Alfred Nolan?" I asked her.

"Yeah, he is nice. We're friends now." I replied to him.

"Isn't it strange that he speaks to you more than he does with me." I replied. Alfred and I haven't talked since then.

"Oh, well maybe I can help you reconnect with one another." She replied.

"How did it go?" I asked her.

"It went well, he will be signing the contract." She responds.

"Great job, Mrs. Newman" I said to her and she smiles.

"I don't think I'll get used to being called Mrs. Newman." She replied.

"Then I'll call you Mrs. Oldman" I replied. She laughs.

"Or Mrs. Newoman" she replied.

"I'd still be Madison with you, and you will be my Charles." she replied.

------
The next day, Alfred arrived to meet me. We talked inside my office where the contract signing will be happening.

"It's been awhile, Charles." he told me.

"Yes, how long had it been?" I replied.

"Two or three years?" he wasn't sure like I do.

"Well, thank you for agreeing to this project, my wife and I are grateful." I replied.

"Your wife looks like Helen." he said. Things started to feel awkward the moment he brought up Helen.

"They're sisters," I replied shortly.

"I'm hearing stories about how you are your wife met. It's kind of a huge scandal, don't you think?" he said. I feel that there's tension around here.

"People talk, we can't do something about it. What matters now is we are going great." I told him.

"But do you remember the past?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Helen was my girl before you met." he said.

"You broke up before we began dating, Alfred." I reminded him.

"You didn't give us a chance to be back together, you just came and then she's gone." he said. I don't want to fight over something from the past.

"That's all in the past." I replied.

He grabbed the pen and signed the contract. He didn't respond immediately.

The moment he finished signing, he looked at me.

"Yeah, it's in the past, and so we have to dwell in the present." he replied.

"What does that mean?" I asked him.

"You tell" he replied.

"Alfred..." I didn't know what to say.

"Well it's a pleasure to work with you. I must be going. You can contact my team when the project will begin" he said then he stands and leaves my office.

After that, Madison went inside my office.

"Did he sign?" she excitedly asked.

"He did." I replied in a normal tone.

"Aren't you happy?" she asked. She then comes towards me and caresses my back.

"Madison, I have to tell you something." I said to her. I need to tell her about Alfred and Helen.

"Helen was with Alfred before we were." I said to her.

"Oh, is that a problem?" She asked me. I touched her face, she really looks like Helen, and I am afraid of what Alfred might do.

"Just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt." I said to her.

"Why would I be hurt? You're with me, nothing bad will happen to me as long as you are here." she said. I smiled and kissed her.

I touched her skirt.

"We're at the office" she said.

Suddenly, Dylan arrived. "Oh sorry, am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"Oh it's okay Dylan, go ahead" Madison said as we separate from each other.

"Sir, the police called this morning, there was a fire in the state prison. Xavier Di Traglia was confirmed to have died." Dylan said.

"What caused the fire?" I asked him.

"They are still performing an investigation, sir." he replied.

"Did his family know?" Madison asked.

"Xavier doesn't have any living relatives, he told me that before." I replied to her.

"Dylan, please take care of the things about it." I said to him.

"Is there going to be a funeral, sir?" he asked.

"Yes, just a simple one." I replied to him.

Madison embraced me after that.

"Is it just a coincidence? Your mother then Xavier, passing away?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I hope it is" I said to her.