CHAPTER 16
It was good being home.
Matt smiled, mobile pressed to his ear as he listened to his wife’s exuberant chatter.
He’d returned from Egypt three days ago after a two week stint, almost gagging for the sight of her.
Quite embarrassing really, the way his heart fluttered at the prospect of holding her in his arms.
“So I told him to calm down and do it again,” Madi continued.
“He executed it perfectly. Honestly, he’s a superb dancer and I’ve told him so numerous times. He’s going to ace his RDA exams.”
The door to his office opened and Rachel strode in with an impatient look on her face.
She tapped her watch twice and pointed to the paperwork on his desk.
Matt nodded before waving her away.
When he was alone again he took the reins of his poppet’s conversation.
As much as he enjoyed the sound of her voice, there was work to be done.
“Sweetheart,” he interjected warmly.
“Can we continue this discussion when I get home?”
“Of course,” she replied, then quickly added, “Love you. Oh, and I might be late home tonight. Bye.”
Matt shook his head, thoroughly amused as he hung up and put away his phone.
She could always bring a smile to his face.
Sighing softly he put all amorous thoughts aside and focused on the tasks at hand.
Hours later with a blossoming headache, he answered the ringing handset on his desk.
“Mr Bradley,” Rachel’s no-nonsense tone did nothing to help the ache in his head.
What did she want now?
“What is it, Rachel?” Matt queried curtly as he signed some documents.
“Ms Gilliford is here to see you.”
Matt put the pen down, frowning at this unexpected announcement.
“I see. Give me five minutes then send her in.”
He hung up the call and reached for the discarded jacket of his suit.
A number of things ran through his mind.
The main one being: why was Louisa here?
As instructed, Rachel ushered the ever beautiful Louisa into his office after the required time.
Matt stood up and walked around his desk to greet her.
A polite smile graced his face, one that masked the annoyance he felt over this interruption.
“Matthew, it’s been ages,” she said, offering up her cheek for the customary kiss hello.
“Louisa,” Matt pecked her cheek lightly and stepped away from the cloying perfume that surrounded her.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
She adjusted the strap of her bag and moved towards the ceiling to floor windows of his office.
Matt scowled at her back, definitely annoyed and remaining where he stood.
“Louisa,” he pressed.
“How have you been?” she asked, turning around to face him.
The knee length navy blue dress she wore complimented her statuesque frame.
Matt allowed himself a cursory glance before folding his arms.
He had neither the time nor the urge to engage in idle chit-chat with her.
And his one word answer reflected that.
“Busy.”
Louisa nodded, politely choosing to ignore the curtness of his tone.
“Always busy, darling. I remember when we would make time for each other.”
Matt cocked his head at her, a sardonic twist on his mouth.
“Why are you here, Louisa?”
“Don’t be that way, Matt,” she retorted, flicking her hair over one shoulder.
“Despite our failed relationship, I am still your friend.”
Matt raised one eyebrow at her tense remark and slowly unfolded his arms.
“Can ex-lovers ever truly be friends?”
Louisa frowned for a moment before chuckling softly.
“Perhaps not, darling, but I have the highest hope for us.”
Matt smiled over her very dry tone before gesturing towards the far side of his office.
“Would you care for a drink?”
“Please,” Louisa murmured, slipping off her bag and placing it on one of the seats in front his large desk.
“The usual?” Matt asked as he sauntered away.
“Yes,” Louisa called out.
Matt went to fix some drinks for them both and returned to where she stood.
The polite expression on his features hid the growing curiosity he felt.
Taking a sip of the drink in his hand he gestured for her to take a seat.
Louisa gave a slight shake of head before flashing him a decidedly nervous smile.
Matt’s curiosity increased.
“Well?” he drawled.
“Are you planning on telling me why you’re here, or am I expected to guess?”
“So direct,” Louisa mused as she took a dainty sip of her drink.
“I’ve missed that about you.”
Again he raised an eyebrow in her direction, this time he allowed a touch of irritation to seep into his face.
Louisa peered at him, registering the change in him and knowing him well enough to understand his patience was wearing thin.
“How is your wife?” Louisa asked.
Matt stiffened immediately, his tone was cold with warning as he replied.
“My wife is fine.”
She fell silent, clutching the glass tightly in her hand.
Matt narrowed his eyes at her.
It could simply be a polite enquiry, but he knew Louisa, and she wasn’t fond of Madison, as such her feigned interest put his guard up at once.
Louisa put the glass down on the desk, demurely clasping her hands in front of her as she levelled him with an unblinking stare.
“She’s making a fool of you, Matthew,” Louisa advised softly.
“And as your friend, I can’t stand by and witness this.”
“I beg your pardon?” Matt placed his own drink on the table, perplexed over Louisa’s cryptic statement.
“In what sense?”
Louisa took a deep breath, wringing her hands anxiously as her blue eyes filled with worry.
“She’s unfaithful, cheating on you-”
“Get out.” Matt snapped, immediately cutting off the tripe coming out her mouth.
“Matt, please listen to me,” Louisa reached for him but Matt was having none of it.
“I want you gone,” he said coldly.
“I have no time to listen to your jealous fantasies-”
“I have proof!” Louisa grabbed her bag, quickly searching through it for her mobile.
Matt checked the impulse to physically drag her out his office the second she said she had proof.
Proof of what?
His dark beauty would never-
“Here,” Louisa said in triumph as she scrolled through her phone.
“I knew you wouldn’t believe me without proof. Look, Matt. Look at your wife .”
Matt took the offered phone, a derisive sneer on his lips as he said, “I am surprised at the level you’ve sunk to, Louisa. I had hoped you had moved forward from our failed relationship but it’s obvious you still harbour an unhealthy fixation on the past.”
“Look at the picture.” Louisa pleaded.
Matt snorted, disgusted at the lengths she would go to in order to bring strife within his marriage.
He glanced at the screen, fleetingly; then took a second look, and a third.
“What is this?” he growled in anger, peering intently at the image.
His mind warred with his eyes, unable to make sense of what he saw.
This couldn’t be true.
Raising his head, he glared at Louisa before returning his gaze to her phone.
“What in the bloody hell is this?”
“Proof,” Louisa stated self-righteously.
“That she’s cheating on you.”
“Where did you get this?” Matt asked, his grip on the mobile was tight.
Louisa bit her lower lip, her demeanour was quite remorseful.
“I was undecided as to whether I should tell you, darling. You have no idea how I’ve battled with my conscience.”
“Where did you get this?” Matt repeated in a low, hard tone.
She ran a hand through her blonde hair, blinking earnestly at him.
“Don’t hate me for giving you this news, Matt. Regardless of how things are between us, I couldn’t keep this from you.”
Matt exhaled loudly.
“Louisa,”
“I took the pictures-”
“Pictures?” Matt asked in alarm.
Louisa nodded and leaned over to swipe a manicured finger over the screen.
Another image of Madison, in bed, with a naked man.
Matt felt sick and confused, but he knew Louisa.
With iron-clad control over the seething mass of emotions erupting inside him, he calmly sent the pictures to his own mobile.
There were four in total.
“Are these the only pictures you have? On your mobile? Are these the originals?”
She confirmed with a quick nod.
Deleting the explicit images on Louisa’s phone and the message to himself before handing it back, he said, “If I find out this is some sort of sick joke,”
“Matthew,” Louisa gasped at his unspoken threat, her eyes filled with tears.
“I would never do anything to hurt you. Why do you think I took those distasteful photos? I knew you wouldn’t believe me without hard evidence of the fact Madison is cheating on you. ” She dabbed at her eyes as the tears slipped free.
“Do you know how much it hurts me to show you this? I didn’t want to, truly I didn’t; but I couldn’t let her do this to you. God only knows how long this has been going on.”
Matt scrutinized her, frigid eyes searching her face for any indication of deception.
“When did you take these pictures?”
“At some function while you were recently in Egypt,” she admitted with a vagueness that unsettled him.
“I tried to see exactly who he was but I didn’t want them to see me. I knew if she realized her secret had been found out,” Louisa sighed, looking away from him.
“I knew she’d only twist it, turn you against me. That’s the only reason I took those pictures, Matt. To prove she’s nothing but a lying wh-”
“Don’t.” Matt cut her off tersely.
He took a deep breath.
“Who else knows? Have you shown these pictures to anyone else?”
“Of course not.” Louisa grabbed his arm.
“Should I have confronted her? I’m so sorry, darling. I think she was terribly drunk and I just – I was so shocked at seeing her in that state – I didn’t-”
Matt uncurled her grip on his arm and took a few steps back.
He swallowed hard, unclenched his jaw and asked, “So you have no idea who the man is?”
Louisa shook her head, then noticing the suspicious gleam on his face, hastened to say, “You must believe me, Matt.”
Matt rubbed his chin slowly, his stare didn’t waver.
“You must understand why I’m a quite reluctant to take you at your word, Louisa.”
“But there are photos,” she cried out in exasperation.
“And I saw them engaged in, well the pictures speak for themselves.”
Matt nodded once.
“Yes, but it all seems a tad too convenient. We both know how you feel about my wife.”
Louisa huffed, no doubt insulted.
“I may not like her, but I respect you and your marriage. I know you may not believe me, but I am your friend and our families have been close for so many years. I would never lie to you about something of this magnitude!”
He assessed her clinically.
To all outward appearances her distress was genuine, but Matt was still unwilling to believe his poppet would ever be untrue to him.
Madi was not that type of woman…
but she did like her alcohol.
He had seen her various stages of inebriation, and she could drink with the best of them.
Running a hand over the lapels of his jacket he reiterated harshly, “I swear if this is some pathetic attempt of yours to turn me against my wife, you’ll sorely regret it, Louisa.”
She threw her hands into the air and her limbs shook in frustration.
“Really, Matt! Do you think I enjoyed hiding my presence like some dirty voyeur as your wife fucked another man? Do you think so little of me to believe I would deliberately try to ruin your marriage? I thought you should know what I happened upon, perhaps I should have said nothing. Left you in ignorance while she made a fool of you behind closed doors.”
Again Matt observed her intently, and again she seemed genuine.
Her cheeks were flushed, her blue eyes wide and silently pleading for his trust.
He frowned as the first stirrings of doubt settled in his mind.
Louisa knew him, and she knew any underhand machinations on her part would result in dire consequences.
She knew him.
If he discovered this was naught more than a despicable lie, Louisa knew damned well Matt would stop at nothing to make her life a misery.
Yet she held his gaze and said, “I’m sorry I had to bring this to your attention, darling. Whatever you decide to do,” She closed the distance between them.
“Know that I am here for you, as a friend. Maybe marriage counselling-”
“I think you should go, Louisa.” Matt pointed at the door.
“Matt,” she touched the sleeve of his jacket.
“Leave.” Matt bit out with eyes hard and aloof.
Louisa nodded and reached for her bag.
“I’m sorry.”
Matt remained silent as she strode out his office.
The moment the door shut behind her, he returned to his seat behind the desk and called Rachel’s line.
“I am not to be disturbed.” he grated down the telephone before hanging up.
Seconds later he gingerly picked up his mobile, loathed to look at the pictures but needing to do so in order to get his head around this.
There was no way Madi would cheat on him.
Matt hissed sharply when he opened the picture messages he’d sent himself from Louisa’s phone.
The first photo was definitely of his wife, apparently naked under some sheets with a man’s whose face was turned away.
Who was he?
These pictures had to be fake.
Grinding his teeth, Matt reached for his office phone again.
The person he called would be able to get him the answers he desperately needed.
His private investigator picked up on the third ring.
“James, it’s Bradley here. I need to see you today.”
“Of course, Mr Bradley,” Came without delay.
“Where would you like to meet?”
Matt stared at the image on his mobile.
“At your office. I need you to confirm the authenticity of some photos taken via a mobile phone.”
There was a small pause here, then the man said, “I’ll need to call in one of my techs. When shall I expect you?”
“I’m leaving now,” Matt advised, his disbelieving gaze was still fixated on the picture.
“Depending on traffic, maybe an hour at the most.”
“I’ll be ready, Mr Bradley.”
Matt ended the call without further ado.
Moving on autopilot, he shut down his laptop, gathered up the reports he needed to work on tonight and shoved them in his briefcase, then locked the drawers of his desk.
All this he did while his thoughts were buffeted with unending questions.
There had to be some valid explanation for this, although for the life of him he could not conjure any.
The pictures were fake, and once this was proven, he would deal with Louisa and her filthy lies.
Matt added his laptop inside the briefcase, grabbed his car keys and hurried out the office.
“Rachel,” he said on approaching her desk.
“I’m stepping out for a while and I’m uncertain as to what time I’ll be back.”
Rachel gave him a startled look.
“But your father is in today, Mr Bradley. You have a meeting with the board-”
Matt narrowed his eyes as he cut her off.
“Cancel whatever meetings I have for the next few hours. I’ll call you.” With that resolute order, he marched towards the doors.
The sooner he got to the bottom of this, the better…
Four hours later Matt was halfway through a bottle of whiskey and in the grips of a mental battle.
Vacillating between fearsome rage and mind-numbing anguish, he paced the confines of his home like a wounded beast; bottle in hand as he awaited the arrival of his wife.
George had long since made himself scarce.
Matt’s terse command for him to pack a bag for Madi had been met with silent questions, none which George would ever dare ask.
Glancing at his watch, Matt finally settled in his home office, morosely staring at the printed and wholly vile evidence of his beautiful wife’s infidelity.
Why had she cheated on him?
How could she do this?
Knowing full well the one thing he would not tolerate was a betrayal as such.
Was it a drunken one-off?
Was he to blame?
Had he not paid sufficient attention to her needs?
What bloody reason could there be to drive her into another man’s arms?
Matt closed the folder which held the pictures, hurting in a way he never thought possible as he desperately tried to make sense of it all.
Perhaps she had grown tired of him.
There was the ten year age gap between them to consider.
When he was Madi’s age, sex with a variety of partners had played a major role in his life.
Had he smothered her?
Or did she regret not experiencing all the things someone her age did?
And he travelled so much with work, leaving her alone, sometimes weeks at a time.
Good God!
Had he neglected her to the stage where she sought comfort elsewhere?
It had to be a disgusting drunken one-off.
That was the only explanation.
Or was it?
Had she been carrying on behind his back for months?
He had been so cold towards her recently.
Could that be why-
“Fucking bollocks.” He scowled at the folder, the rage he felt obliterated his laughable attempts to excuse her infidelity.
She had cheated on him.
That was unforgiveable.
Matt set the bottle aside, wanting to drown his sorrows but knowing a clear head was needed as he picked up the phone and called his solicitor.
When his unfaithful wife came home he would ask his questions.
Madi obviously didn’t believe him when he’d warned her how much of a bastard he could be.
Well, she would learn.
I skipped through the front door, buzzing off the extremely productive day I’d spent in my studio.
Tossing my keys on the table in the foyer, I toed my sneakers off and let my bag slip to the floor.
“Hon?” I called out as I shrugged my blazer off and hung it up.
Matt’s car was out front and I hoped he hadn’t been home long.
The lights in the foyer were dimmed but I could see the bright glow coming from the front sitting room.
Grinning, I quickened my steps, eager to see my knight and tell him about my day.
The grin widened as I entered the room and my gaze rested on Matt.
“Hello,” I travelled the length of the room in record time to where he stood by the unlit fireplace.
On tiptoes I went in for some much needed lip loving, which lacked our usual fervour.
And there was a light trace of whiskey on his mouth.
Hmm.
“How was your day?” I asked quickly.
If he had a bad day at the office I would dial down my exuberance.
Matt’s grey eyes observed me intently before he answered.
“Interesting, quite enlightening actually.”
“Nothing is more honourable than enlightenment, nothing is more beautiful than virtue.” The Mingjiao quote fell from my lips with ease.
I was certain Matt would be impressed by my internal Zen-iness.
Was Zen-iness a word?