A lot of his competitors were still fighting for the chance to meet the king and, even more, to merge their businesses with his. But Valliard House was the one who had managed to make it till the end of a very strict selection process, which involved six months of long and serious conversations.
The king was known for being absolutely severe when analyzing who could or couldn’t associate with him. He hated scandals and had ears everywhere. By that point, he’d probably already heard the rumor spread by that treacherous Milliburne.
“Mr. Valliard,” Bhuran’s king firmly said. “I’ve been informed of a little inconvenient regarding your company in Australia.”
Caine tightened his jaw.
“Your majesty, the truth is that it’s just a malicious rumor. Nothing that can’t be easily solved,” he stated with determination.
“I wouldn’t like to lose such a promising ally. Bhuran is a prosperous country with an impeccable reputation in international commerce.”
The subtle reproach and threat didn’t sit well with Caine, but he probably would’ve acted the same so he let it be.
“Everything is under control. There’s no threat that could affect the image of my company or yours,” he replied calmly.
“I’m glad to hear it. Zarick Amuhallar, my secretary, will communicate with you shortly to give you the date of our next meeting.”
Or maybe you’re just going to wait and see how I’m going to solve this issue and if the rumor is true or not, Caine thought expertly reading between the lines. He drummed his fingers on his office’s desk.
“I’ll be waiting for the call, Your Majesty.”
“See you soon, Mr. Valliard. Have a good day,” he hung up.
Pressure and more pressure, Caine thought resting his head against the back of his leather chair.
He closed his eyes. What a mess, for God’s sake!
Hours later, once he was ready to go home, Rannia asked for a few minutes with him. The woman was a mother, efficient, discreet; she was always on time and didn’t hesitate to put in more effort when it was needed.
“I wanted to remind you that my vacations start in three days,” she announced evenly.
Oh, shit, he thought. His assistant knew back and forth the way he worked and how the office was ran. He needed her more than ever.
“We’re in a difficult situation right now,” he said in a tone laced with the tranquility he didn’t feel. “Could you postpone your vacations for three weeks?”
She smiled with hesitation and looked at him with sorrow.
“My husband has already scheduled his vacations too. And my kids are very excited. You approved these vacations a month ago. I've always postponed my free days every time I've could but this time…”
“No, no,” he cut, “you're right, I'm not being fair to you.” He ran his fingers through his hair, let out a sigh and added, “You have the right to go. Find a replacement immediately. I don't want to deal with an incompetent person.”
“You don't have to worry, sir. I'm sorry for not being able to change the dates this time…”
“You're one of the best workers I have. Sometimes you do more than you should. Thank you for reminding me that,” he smiled. “I won't need anything else for today.”
“See you tomorrow then.” She got out of the office and closed the door with a click.
What a fucking work day, Caine whined internally.
***
Ashley looked at her phone. He usually got out at six in the afternoon but it was already eight in the evening. She didn't remember the last time he'd took a break. He worked and worked all the time, always trying to build a solid financial ground but, except for their honeymoon, he hadn't taken any real vacations.
“Ashley?”
She automatically lifted her head with a smile across her face. She left her iPhone aside and pushed a button to turn off her computer.
“Hi, Doug, what can I do for you?”
Doug Pritchard was one of the best sellers. He was 36 years old and earned crazy commissions. Maybe it was his natural charm and charisma what really convinced —usually the buyers’ wives— to close the deals. Those amazing blue eyes, black hair and his impeccable fashion style made him look more like a TV actor than a real estate agent.
“The guys are thinking about going to Cricketsland, you know, the bar that is twenty minutes from here, to relax for a bit. Do you want to join us?”
In another circumstances Ashley would've refused, mainly because she liked being at home when Caine arrived. But due to the tension in her marriage at the moment, she didn't feel too inclined to be back so soon.
“Sure, I'll see you there.”
Doug’s smile got bigger and he gave her a wink.
“I’m glad. You’re too young to isolate yourself and not enjoy life. We always need to break out of the routine.” Finally he walked out leaving behind a speechless Ashley.
That’s how her coworkers see saw her? Like a boring young woman?
Maybe it was time to take some of the fun back. She was a 29-year-old, professional, married woman who went to fancy events all the time but in reality… How many of those events were actually fun? None! They all had some business purpose. That night she was going to have a blast with her coworkers.
***
Caine got home feeling exhausted.
In spite of the chaos, things had cleared up little by little throughout the work day. The meeting with his shareholders was a wreck because Milliburne wasn’t the only issue on the agenda; they also talked about the new tax that incremented the cost of a machine. They needed to readjust things so they didn’t have to raise the price of the garments and make them less competitive.
Once the meeting had ended, Caine got together with Todd Martin, the financier of Valliard House, and Hector Ferrassotta, the account manager of the Honorable Life Foundation. During the meeting, they confirmed that Milliburne’s threat was correct. Some of the donations had been used to pay commissions to outsiders who didn’t have anything to do with the organization. It was impossible to find out how this journalist had discovered it because of the confidentiality of the sources. However, the information helped Caine restore the organization he presided.
An exhaustive investigation needed to be done.
The accountant’s carelessness couldn’t be ignored. Guilty or not, incompetence wasn’t something Caine could tolerate so he fired Ferrassotta. Even though it was confirmed that some of the foundation’s funds were diverted, it had also been verified that Valliard House hadn’t evaded any taxes, which was a relief.
Caine was going to have lunch with Mabel Adams the next day. The idea of saying goodbye to her didn’t make him happy but he would at least do it personally and not through a letter from human resources.
The only relief in the middle of that chaos was that his human resources team was already working on reinforcing the company’s image and generating press notes that talked about House Valliard’s virtues and the foundation’s merits. Although Sheyla didn’t work for the Honorable Life Foundation, Caine offered her an extra bonus for taking care of both accounts and presenting the embezzlement issue so diligently in order to emerge unscathed to the public opinion. Sheyla took the additional challenge without hesitation; who wouldn’t want some extra thousands of dollars? Besides, it was fair; he knew how to reward his employees.
Sydney Today, the most popular sensationalist newspaper in the nation and the one that Francesco Milliburned worked for, was going to make the most out of the foundation’s issue for their nightly edition. That’s why Caine pressed Sheyla to anticipate the hit with a press conference.
The foolish journalist told Sheyla that unless he received new substantial financial news, he was going to keep digging into Caine’s personal life. That wasn’t a subtlety at all.
Caine was sure Francesco suspected the existence of a possible commercial alliance between House Valliard and Bhuran Sources, the king’s textile industry. The continuous tri
ps he made to the Middle East weren’t just for tourism. However, he couldn’t share this information with anyone outside the corporation’s main representatives without violating the confidentiality agreement and ruining the possibility of expanding his commercial market.
To return back home from that disastrous work day, he called a cab. He wasn’t in his right mind; his mind was too exhausted and couldn’t focus on being behind a wheel. So he left his car parked in the office’s garage.
Damn Milliburne, he thought with anger while he drank a glass of bourbon from the bar he had in the mansion’s dining room.
The house was quiet, and he hadn’t heard from Ashley the whole day. He tried to call her when the storm in his office had passed but her phone was turned off. He didn’t know how to reach her and was starting to get worried.
He’d wait fifteen more minutes before looking for her. He didn’t see himself as a paranoid person; calling Carry —his wife’s best friend— would only make him look like an idiot and he wasn’t willing to endure Carry Hubster’s mocking tone.
He was about to serve himself a second glass of bourbon when he heard the front door being opened. He turned around and saw his wife looking impeccable as always but she was also… zigzagging?
“Ashley…”
She smiled.
Was his wife drunk?
“It's my hubby!” She said. She had to leave her car at the bar because she didn't know mixing cocktails could be so interesting… or was it potent? Yes, that was the word, potent.
Caine got close to her skillfully to catch her in his arms as she tripped with the room's white carpet and was about to fall face first.
“What the hell, Ash? It's almost midnight. Where were you?” He asked in a worried tone. It was so unlike her that it was almost funny if it weren't for the worry her absence had caused.
“I went out for some drinks with a few people from the office.” She gave him a funny look. “Have I told you how handsome you are?”
Caine couldn't do anything but laugh; his first laugh in the whole damn day.
“And you're a very sexy drunk. Come on, let's go to bed.”
She chuckled. The truth was she was quite lucid but the exhaustion and the alcohol made her look more fearless… and maybe zigzag a bit. She wasn't drunk but her husband was a fool who wasn't used to seeing her so witty, therefore he didn't believe her.
“Are you going to make love to me?” She asked. “You're eyes are getting darker, like they do whenever you see me wearing a tight skirt,” she flicked her eyes to herself, “like the one I'm wearing today. You know what? I'm fine; it's just been an awful day. One thing led to another and well…” she shrugged, “I guess that sped up the alcohol's effect, but I'm fine, Caine.”
He shook his head without hiding his smile.
“Nothing would make me happier than making love to you, but I'm afraid you could fall asleep during the best part. You have bags under your eyes and you're exhausted, so imagine how frustrating it'd be for both of us,” he replied laughing and getting up the stairs with his wife on his arms. “Why was your phone turned off?”
“My battery died…”
“Who did you come home with?”
“I don’t enjoy third-degrees, Caine…”
“I was worried about you. I think it’s a more than fair question.”
She sighed; it was true. She had forgotten everything. She talked, laughed, shared and was also able to relieve some of the burden from the day before and from that morning, enough to realize how unfair she was acting with Caine. That night, she just wanted to hug him, feel his skin against hers and take him deeply inside her body.
“Doug brought me. He’s way too flirty for my taste but I don’t care. He’s a great seller and, at the end, those sells affect the commissions of the whole team and they’re pretty high…” she leaves her bag in the closet and takes off her shoes, letting out a sigh of relief. “Today I realized that I’ve been spending the last several months going to meetings like a robot, without truly enjoying them. And the truth is that Doug is a good guy and made me realized that I’m too stern for a 29-year-old woman.” Caine clenched his jaw. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy spending time with you, just when we’re not in a room full of people in order to fulfill a social requirement. How much time has it been since the last time it was just us, like we used to be? Not counting Joshua’s dinner, which was a really lovely evening,” she sighed.
He frowned. He knew Dough and he couldn’t stop thinking that the man thought of Ashley as something more than a boss. His wife was gorgeous and he was sure she didn’t use that beauty to attract other men on purpose, in fact, she seemed oblivious to it. Something he appreciated enormously.
“We can try to go out a bit more if that makes you happy.”
“Doesn’t it make you happy?”
He shrugged. The fact was that going out or not made him feel indifferent, as long as he was with her. If she wanted to dance, have a drink, play at the casino or whatever made her happy, he’d gladly comply.
“Ashley, did something happen with Doug?” He asked in exchange, and without actually believing that question had left his mouth. What the hell? Jealousy was a tricky companion. “I’m sorry, forget it.”
She frowned.
“It was just a couple of drinks, Caine… I’d never, ever would do that to you…”
He shushed her with a kiss that tasted like strawberries and vodka.
“I know. I’m sorry, Ash. I’ve also had a terrible day.” He ignored that his wife’s awful day had more to do with him that anything else. “Forget my stupid question. Come on, let’s go lay down. You’ll have a terrible headache tomorrow morning.”
She made a face before going to the bathroom’s sink to remove her makeup, brush her teeth and then put her pajamas on.
“I told you I didn’t drink as much. I’m not reckless.” She sighed and closed the bathroom’s door behind her. “Caine?”
“Yes?”
She gazed at him with shame.
“I’m sorry…”
He finished undressing until he was only wearing his boxers, his occasional sleeping attire.
“It’s no big deal. Sometimes I have a little too much to drink sometimes too… although I admit it openly and don’t go out with my employees.” He chuckled when he saw Ashley sulking. “It’s fine if you go out, I think it’s healthy. But, please, don’t get me so worried again. Let me know what’s going on or tell me that you’re fine or that you want me to pick you up. It doesn’t matter how late it is. I’m your husband; I don’t like the idea of another man —even if he’s your colleague— bringing you home.” And there was Caine’s possessive side.
“I wasn’t talking about the drinks. I was referring to what happened last night…” she slid her hands over the silk fabric of her nightgown, “I understand that you want a family… and I…”
Caine’s eyes got darker.
“Maybe our marriage isn’t ready for that,” he interrupted. If he had to add a fight with Ashley to that day from hell, things were going to end up badly. He wasn’t in the mood to argue. He just wanted to sleep and not think about anything else until he was able to wake up clearheaded. “It’s not something I want to do under pressure, Ash. I want that moment to be special and that our hearts are in sync.” She was about to reply, but Caine inched closer and covered her warm, sensual lips with one finger making her quiet, as he continued. “We’ve both had a long day.” He walked to their bed and put the covers aside to accommodate himself on the bed. “It’s best if we just sleep.” He patted the spot next to her, inviting her to join him. “Lay down, Ash.”
Ashley sighed heavily and circled the bed to lie down. She turned off the light and stayed there looking —without really seeing— the dark roof.
“Caine…” Hold me, she wanted to say. “Talk to me.”
He grunted. His brain was too tired.
“Our time to talk ended, Ashley, the moment you preferred to go out wit
h your colleges and arrive home so late,” he replied dully.
“That’s unfair, you’ve just said…”
“No, Ashley, it’s not unfair. You had your share of fun and relaxation. I had to endure an exhausting work day, an absurd argument in the office, a work emergency and, to top it all, getting worry sick for not knowing where you were. I haven’t had time to breathe and you want to start a fight about a topic that hurts us both. It’s past midnight. Let’s just leave each other alone,” his voice was purposefully exasperated.
Ashley stayed quiet. He'd never know how hard it was for her to make the decision to talk to him about Tim, looking for a little empathy and trying to come to terms with the idea of being a mom, for Caine and for herself.
“See you tomorrow then,” she responded softly, trying not to let out a sob.
Damn it, damn it, damn it. He hated fighting before going to bed.
“Ashley…” he mumbled full of regret for taking it out on her. Yes, maybe it wasn't the time to talk, but he shouldn't have told her all those stupid things. She was a fantastic wife and except for that delicate issue regarding parenthood, living by her side was more than pleasant. Damn it, he felt like a jerk when he heard her contain a sob. “Honey…” he whispered as he caressed her arm.
She pushed away.
“It's better if we just sleep,” she said coldly as she closed her eyes and turned around.
“Ash… baby…”
There was no answer.
“Honey, can I at least hug you?” He asked in a tone full remorse.
“You ask me to leave each other alone. I'm just fulfilling your wishes.” She managed to say it firmly, even though there were tears running down her cheeks. “See you tomorrow.”
Caine felt like an ass. Knowing his wife, if he tried to get close to her and kiss her, she'd gather her things and move to the guest room. He didn't want her to be in any other place but his arms, but that night he didn't deserve it, so he swallowed his frustration.
The only one who took pity on Caine was Morpheus. The moment he closed his eyes, he took him into a peaceful dreamland.
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