Chapter 4
Chapter Four
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My head pounds. I drop it back, closing my eyes as I rub my temples, trying to get my anger in check.
I’ve been mad before, sure. I can snap out orders and be cold.
It’s the best way to deal with a lot of people.
But I need to get my anger in check before I head home.
It’s not going to do me any favors with Truly.
After she agreed to my deal, I had my driver come and take her home.
It was that or toss her over my desk and spank her ass until she understood she was going to remain my wife.
That was another reason I had to get her out of here.
I don't know where those thoughts came from.
Is that what people mean when they speak of intrusive thoughts?
Not sure it fits because intrusive thoughts are ones you don't want to act on, and I very much do.
Home. That one word does help me manage my anger. Things might not be going as planned, but my wife is back and now inside of our home. I initially thought the place we have now would be temporary, but I don’t foresee my wife wanting to shop for a new one anytime soon.
My hope was that when Truly finished school and moved home that she would be eager to start building our life together.
That she would want to find a home that fit us.
She loves history, and I knew the home she’d want to live in long-term would be rich with it.
It’s not one I can simply build and be done with.
In time she’ll be on the same page as me.
That’s really the only option. My wife may think she is just going to grin and bear our marriage for a year to appease me, but she should’ve paid better attention to the details.
I told her in a year we’d discuss our marriage.
I didn’t say I would agree to end it. This, however, does give me room to breathe and figure shit out.
It goes without saying that there are more than enough things that I need to begin to work on.
“Sir?” Emily’s voice is more cutting than usual.
How much longer until Rachel comes back from maternity leave?
She hadn’t been a fan of Emily either. Emily had worked under one of my executives, who retired about the same time Rachel was headed out for maternity leave.
It was an easy fill. While she might annoy me, and I can’t even put my finger on why, she is efficient.
"What?" I ask.
"I wanted to inform you that Mr. Ford is online and checked into the meeting."
"Thank you." I should reschedule it, but this will keep my mind off Truly and temper me.
"Would you like me to order us dinner?"
"No."
"Are you leaving early then?" By "early" she means early for me.
I live and breathe this place. It is sadly all I have right now.
It passes the time, and I don't hate it all the time.
I've brought this business back from the brink of destruction, both Truly's father and my own having made one terrible business decision after another in their endeavors.
That's how I got roped into this. When they first asked me, I said no.
It wasn't only me working here they wanted; they wanted my capital.
My father wasn't a self-made man. Hell, I can't call myself one either, but I did take the money my grandfather left in a trust to save this place and grew it far more than where it started.
My grandfather knew his son, my father, was shit at business. He'd even told me to stay away from my father's dealings, and that had been the plan. Until they dangled something priceless in front of me. The one thing they both knew I wanted more than anything else and couldn’t resist taking.
Truly. My Truly.
I guess as I grew older, and so did Truly, I didn't do well at hiding my feelings or intentions with her. I did try to keep space. Especially when the platonic feelings I once had started to morph. A couple of years when you're young is a whole lot bigger than when you're an adult.
"I'll leave when I choose. You can do the same." I dismiss her, pulling up the meeting. Mr. Ford appears on the screen, and we discuss the possibility of expanding a complex and whether it would require significant effort to rezone the adjacent building for that purpose.
"That will do it for me today," Ford says. "I promised the wife I wouldn't miss dinner this evening." He smiles at the mention of his wife. I glance at the time and see it's almost seven now.
"I understand," I tell him before getting off the call. I bet my wife would love me to be home for dinner too. Then she could stab me with a kitchen knife. I wouldn't blame her. I was a dick and made threats, but there is no going back.
She'd wanted to finish school. To find herself alone and grow before settling into married life.
I've more than granted that. Did it fucking hurt?
Yes, I thought we'd grow together, but she was young.
I couldn't force a girl barely out of high school into a real marriage. Except it was always real to me.
I stand and stretch. This is going to be bittersweet going home to my wife.
When I exit my office, Emily is still here. She quickly stands when she sees me.
"How was the meeting?"
"Fine," I tell her. "I told you that you could leave whenever."
"I know." She gives me a smile. "But I wanted to be here in case you needed anything."
"I don't," I say before heading to the elevators. She hurries to catch up to me.
"Sir, was that really your wife?" I hit the button for the elevator. I want to tell her to mind her fucking business, but she should know who my wife is.
"Yes, and let security know as well. If she comes to my office, she is to be let in, and I am to be informed.
" That shouldn't be an issue, but it appears my wife has a way of slipping through security.
"Do you understand, Emily?" I ask. "I don't care if I'm in a meeting; you inform me she's here.
" I make sure to spell it out for her so there are no further mix-ups when Truly is here.
"Got it." She takes a step back as the elevator doors open and I step in. "See you tomorrow."
I don't respond. I don't know if I will be here tomorrow. I'm not sure what this evening will bring. Hell, this place might be the only thing to keep me busy enough to stay sane.
Jack is waiting for me when I exit the building. “How was the drive home?” I ask him, curious to know how Truly was after leaving me.
“It was fine. She was very sweet and polite.”
I nod, unable to help the stab of jealousy that overcomes me. I slip into the car and pull out my phone.
Truly is polite and sweet. Even when faced with people who don't deserve her kindness, she remains unbothered outwardly. It is rare in this world we lived in. I thought by letting her go to college and not fighting it, I was doing what she wanted. What she’d requested.
I’ve been lied to, and I can’t see Truly being behind it.
Now that the shock of her showing up at my office has started to subside, I'm thinking more clearly. At least better than I was. It's still not helping me come up with a new plan of attack here.
I scroll through my phone, hovering over the number to her father, but I don't click it.
The last thing I need right now is for them to show up and meddle.
I want to lay into both of our fathers' asses. I will confront them, but that will have to wait. Right now, I need to start working on how I’m going to convince Truly that she wants to remain married to me.
It doesn't take long to get from my office building in the city to the riverfront where my loft is. There aren't a lot of them in this area. Most things have been built, torn down, and replaced with new buildings with a million or more floors.
At one point, it was an old warehouse, but a handful of them have been restored.
I knew I wanted to wait to pick out a more permanent home for us, but I also knew I had to have a suitable place for Truly for the time being.
One that she would be more comfortable with.
This was the best option for that while staying in the city.
"I'll be staying in for the night," I tell Jack when we stop in front of the building. I step out onto the sidewalk and give one of my security guys a curt nod of acknowledgement before punching the code for the first set of doors.
I step into an entryway that has a skylight.
There are a few planted flowers around, giving it a warmer feeling.
I had them put in a few months ago. I want this place to feel like a home.
I punch in another code for the next set of doors before putting my thumb on the pad.
The lock clicks over, and I step inside.
It’s an open floor plan when you first enter. I drop my coat over the bench next to the door. I see Truly’s head pop up from the large sectional couch in front of the television. Her eyes are wide but filled with sleep.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, going straight to the kitchen that overlooks the living room. There are only two other rooms that give you more privacy with the open loft layout: the bedroom and an office.
I had the whole place gutted and walls put up in parts to section off rooms. It was no easy feat, but the architect and builder pulled it off.
What is more impressive in my opinion about the place is that you have the massive stained-glass windows that line the entire side of the building facing out toward the river.
"Truly?"
"You're home." She blinks a few times. Her hair is adorably mussed, and I want nothing more than to tuck it behind her ears and kiss her soft lips as she slowly wakes.
I've thought about that many times. How it would be to wake with her in my bed each morning.
It would make this job and life I've been trapped in more bearable.
It would make it worth it.