Mendacious (13 page)

“Nice to meet you all,” I start with confidence, avoiding eye contact with both Libby and Holli. They both hate me for different reasons right now, but I’m a big boy and need to suck it up. “I’m looking forward to working with all of you. I’ve been introduced to the head office staff, but I’m happy to have met with all of you from different locations as well. We have plenty of ideas for this project, and I can’t wait to share those with you.”

There is a scoff, but I choose to ignore.

“Thank you, Alex. Right, well that brings us to the end then,” Daniel says as everyone starts grabbing their belongings and getting up.

I’m the first one out of my seat, making it no secret I’m in a hurry to leave. One pissed off woman I can handle, but two? Even I’m not prepared to dive into that shark infested pool of oestrogen.

Thankfully, I make it back to our shared office quickly, so I can grab my laptop and get the hell out of here for today. Taking sanctuary back at my own office sounds like the right idea.

But I’m not quick enough.

The office door flies open and Holli steamrolls in with Libby closely following behind. Closing my eyes, I take a harsh breath and brace myself.

“You!” Holli lunges for me, but I duck out of the way. “You absolute bastard,” she screeches.

Libby quickly closes the door and grabs hold of Holli’s arm. “What are you doing?” she barks, pulling her away from me. “Have you lost your God damn mind?”

“He ... He is a bastard! How can you let him work here?”

Still confused, Libby looks between the two of us. “Am I missing something here? It seems like you both know each other.”

“You could say that,” I spit.

I’m past caring at this point because I know I can’t do anything to stop what is about to come out. Libby is about to find out the real reason for our investment, and it’s going to kill her.

“Why do you say it like that?’” Libby turns to me and I see her grip loosening on Holli’s arm. “What’s going on, Alex?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on.” Holli leans across and smacks me across the face. “He is playing you for a fool, Libby. He doesn’t want anything to do with you or your business. His whole life revolves around money and revenge. Do you honestly believe he is trying to help you? No. He wants nothing more than to see you and your business run into the ground.”

“What?” Libby wrinkles her brow at Holli. “What the hell are you talking about? That sounds ridiculous.”

“He’s a liar. He’s trying to screw you over,” Holli hisses.

Libby looks confused now. “Tell me what’s going on because I don’t understand. How do you know Alex?”

“We met through his sister.”

“Alice?”

Holli nods. “He got really drunk one night and told me all about this plan he has for revenge. He said it was to get back at a woman and he was going to run her into the ground for what she did to him. Please, Libby, listen to what I’m telling you. This bloke is absolute poison and he is trying to tear you apart.”

Sucking in a sharp breath, I watch Libby turn toward me, her eyes wide, and disbelief coating her beautiful irises.

I know it’s all about to erupt.

But it’s fine. I deserve every slap, hateful word and abuse I’m about to get. But no matter what, I won’t ever regret my decision.

I’ve spent hours, days, even weeks, lying awake at night wondering how she’s been doing all these years, and now I’ve got the opportunity of closure. But only if I want it.

“Alex?” Libby’s wide eyes blink with disbelief. “Alex, is this true?” She prompts me again when I don’t respond. Her hands start to shake and her face drains of colour. “It is,” she croaks, “isn’t it?”

I should divert my eyes, but I don’t. My face is like stone. I’m rock solid and unmoving. There isn’t anything for me to say.

Libby comes to her own conclusion by my silence. “You are a monster,” she whispers, her voice wavering. “Why did I think you were different this time round? You are a self-centred arsehole.”

She is partly right there.

I am a self-centred arsehole—sometimes. And I did takeover her company to run her into the ground.

But she only knows half of this story.

There is one critical piece of information she is lacking. Something so hurtful I know it will sway the thoughts in her head in an instant.

Just walk away, Alex.

I keep my lips fused together, holding back the words threatening to spill out. She can’t know. It isn’t good for her to hear this from me. I’m being completely selfish in an attempt at saving my own arse.

She won’t believe you.

I listen to my head and keep quiet as tears fall from Libby’s eyes. She swipes them away angrily and takes a deep, steadying breath before fixing me with her steely glare. “Get out before I call security,” she cries.

“I can’t believe he’s not even got the nerve to apologise to you,” Holli scoffs, putting her arm around Libby’s shoulders, a smug satisfaction illuminating her face.

Rolling my eyes, I put my laptop in my briefcase and stand in front of them. “I have nothing to apologise for,” I say to Libby. “And you,” I mutter, turning to Holli, “need to keep your fucking nose out. You’re just bitter because I rejected your advances. There isn’t an ounce of class about you, at all. And I’m glad I made the right decision that night.” I take the opportunity to look her up and down, my eyes showcasing the utter disgust she makes me feel.

“Just leave,” Libby repeats again as I’m heading for the door.

She’s just angry. It will probably pass.

I know I’m better off giving her a couple of days to calm down over the weekend before I come back next week. But even then, I’m not stupid enough to think this will all be swept under the rug. I know this woman better than she thinks, so I’m pretty sure she will still be holding this grudge when I walk through the door on Monday. But that’s shit I’ll have to deal with next week, I guess.

I am not in the least bit surprised when Kelly tells me on Monday morning that Benedict and Sean are waiting for me in my office. It was inevitable they were going to want to discuss the plan and what happens next after Friday’s blowout with Libby.

“Can you tell Jack to come see me afterwards?” I tell Kelly, handing her the stack of portfolios I had spent the weekend reviewing. Because on top of everything else going on with Libby and her business, I’ve got another load of deals going through at the moment, and I have to juggle my time accordingly. “I think Alice is popping by to pick this up today. Can you make sure she gets it?” I pass over a brown envelope containing this week’s cheque.

“Do you not want her disturbing you?” Kelly asks, taking everything out of my hands.

“Just give her the envelope and she can leave,” I reply, pushing through my office door and closing it behind me. “Morning gentlemen,” I greet, rounding my desk and opening up my laptop. “I don’t need to ask why you’re both here. I’ve been caught.”

“Too right you have,” Sean snaps. “This wasn’t supposed to happen—”

“Remember who you’re talking to,” I remind him. “Yeah, I fucked up, but it isn’t that big of a deal.”

Benedict stiffens. “Alex, it
is
a big deal. I’ve been in communication with Libby’s solicitor this morning. Turns out she is appealing to nullify the contract under the grounds of fraud. She thinks you’ve deceived her and that she hasn’t signed a legitimate business deal.”

Raising an eyebrow, I pick up my pen and tap it against the edge of my desk. “Well, that’s surprising.”

And it is.

I didn’t expect her to try and pull out of the contract. I’d figured a few days would give her some breathing room, but clearly things are still raw.

“How the heck did she find out?” Sean asks, crossing one leg over the other.

“Irrelevant,” I say, waving my hand.

I haven’t had chance to fill Sean in on the Holli and Libby drama yet. I’ll most probably do it later when Benedict isn’t around.

“I received a statement from the solicitor. It sounds as if you let your little plan slip to a girl who happens to work for Libby.” Benedict leans back in his chair, and fixes me with a ‘you fucking idiot’ stare.

Shit.

The bastard knows.

“You slept with some girl and told her?” Sean’s jaw drops open. “Where is your common sense?”

They both flinch when I throw my pen down on the desk. “Enough. I made a mistake, alright? I didn’t know she worked for Libby. She is one of Alice’s friends who I met at my mum’s house one night. We haven’t slept together. In fact, I was the one who told her where to go.” My breaths come hard and fast as I try and fight my own corner. “I couldn’t believe it when she walked in that meeting on Friday. And I think she was just as surprised to see me. She didn’t know my plan was for Libby because I never mentioned her name. It was just a shitty coincidence.”

“One that’s probably lost us this deal and caused us a heavy compensation settlement,” Sean states, annoyance lingering in his tone.

Benedict nods. “Mmm.”

“Look, it’s not that big of a deal. We can recover from this. And I
was
starting to have second thoughts anyway,” I confess with a shrug. “I don’t think this was the right deal for us.”

Sean leans forward and points an accusing finger at me. “I knew it,” he calls. “She’s stolen your man card, hasn’t she? That’s why you don’t give a shit if this deal falls through. You weren’t going to go through with it anyway because she has you by the balls.” He stands up and kicks the chair from behind him. “Tell me, Alex, because this isn’t just about your personal life now, but the future of this company. Have you slept with her?”

My blood boils as it pumps thickly throughout my body. I narrow my eyes to dark and vicious looking slits as I bestow the almightiest of looks across the room at Sean.

“You need to back the hell up,” I hiss through gritted teeth.

I shouldn’t rise to it, but the bastard is pushing every one of my buttons. I’m defensive over anything to do with Libby. My cage has been well and truly rattled.

“I’ll take that as a yes then,” Sean spits. “We wanted you to romance her. But instead, you spilled everything to some random girl, slept with Libby, and then watched as it all went up in flames. You don’t give a shit, do you? This is your
reputation
we are talking about, Alex. What if this scandal is leaked? Do you know how unprofessional it looks? We have a fragile client base as it is with this Oakley bastard, so we don’t need you fucking it up further. Snap out of it—”

Sean doesn’t finish his little power trip because I round my desk and send my fist flying at his jaw. I feel the burn across my knuckles when the skin splits upon contact. Sean staggers back and falls against the chair. I gear up for round two when I see the look in his eyes, but Benedict quickly stands between us.

“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Libby. I’m not one to admit it, but maybe I was wrong about this deal. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought my personal life into things, because you’re right, I don’t want to go through with it. There are things buried so deep in both of us and I thought it would be a good idea to spend the time exploring them further.” I thrust my hand into my hair and tug it harshly. “Fuck! I just saw it as way to find out where it all went wrong. I was so close to finding out as well, but now I’m back at square one.”

Sean wipes the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and grimaces at the sight of blood. It’s the first time I’ve laid a hand on him like this. We do it at the gym, but that’s different. He knows he has pushed me too far.

“I think you need to take a few days off,” Benedict suggests to me. “Just go and clear your head and let me take care of things. I need to do some damage control. Hopefully things will have calmed down by the time you’re back and I can fill you in on what’s going to happen moving forward.” He sees my obvious disinterest in his suggestion and shakes his head. “As your
friend
, I’m telling you take a break, Alex. This is too much. Let Sean handle the day to day running for a few days. You can still check e-mails if you must.”

Benedict hands Sean a tissue that he spits some blood into. Guilt washes over me at the damage and destruction I’ve caused in the space of a few days. I’m the control freak here. I’m supposed to be the one resolving issues, but here I am causing them.

I’m falling apart.

The last seven years of hard work feels as if it’s disintegrating before my very eyes, and it’s almost like I’m back in that old kitchen again, sat at the shitty wooden table, clutching hold of the envelope and watching Libby walk out of the door. The buried chest explodes deep inside and I feel an overwhelming rush of emotion hit me like a freight train at full speed. It knocks the air out of my lungs and the wind from underneath me.

“Just go and work remotely for all our sakes,” Sean replies. “You’ve only been here a couple of days this week anyway because you’ve been at Libby’s office.”

It has only been a week.

Shit.

I’ve done all of this damage in such a short space of time. What a major fuck-up.

“Alex, go home,” Benedict says again when I don’t move. He gives me a friendly slap on the back which jolts my attention to the task at hand.

Maybe he’s right and I should take some time off. I haven’t had a break in the last seven years, so maybe this is overdue.

But then again, I have another deal in the pipeline that needs my attention. I can’t just drop my business in the hands of someone else.

“Alright,” I eventually murmur, closing my laptop and picking it up along with my phone. “I’m not taking a break because of the Harwood deal, but I’ll work remotely.” I see the instant relief on both of their faces, and fix them with a warning. “But I want to know what’s going on at all times, with everything. And I want every detail on this Oakley fucker.” I turn to Sean who is still leaning against the chair. “Sort yourself out. You’ve got a lot to take on over the next few days.”

Sean clears his throat. “Got it.”

Benedict nods. “We’ll keep things moving.”

Heading out of my office, I tell Kelly to cancel my next three days of meetings.

“So, Sean is in charge?” she asks me again.

“He will be in the office, but I’m contactable remotely by phone and e-mail. I’ll be working from home for a few days, so I’ll see you on Thursday morning.”

“See you then, Alex,” Kelly chirps as I step into the lift and the door closes on her.

~

Pulling the car onto my mum’s driveway, I turn off the engine and head for the front door. I jiggle the door handle to see if she has left the latch open, which she has, and I walk straight into the hallway.

“Hello, my darling,” my mum coos from her seat in the living room when she spots me.

I see she has her reading glasses on and a magazine in her hand like usual. Her feet are propped up on the poof and I can hear Jeremy Kyle wittering on the television in the background. It transports me back to my childhood where I’d be sitting on the floor in front of her, helping with various answers to the crosswords she used to do on the back page of the magazine.

“Are you not working today? Does the world not need saving?” She chuckles from her own joke and removes her glasses from her face, folding them neatly and putting them on the arm of her chair.

Although I’m standing in the doorway between the hall and living room, it doesn’t take her long to work out that something’s wrong, and I am in need of her advice.

“Oh boy,” she sighs, closing the magazine and stuffing it down the arm of the chair for later. She gets up and crosses the room, her arms spread wide, welcoming me into a motherly embrace.

I don’t fight it.

“I recognise this look. I’m going to start worrying about you again, Alex. I’ve heard about what happened from your sister, but I didn’t think it would knock you this hard.” She rubs my back reassuringly and pats gently as she pulls away. “Come on. I’ve got some lovely Battenberg cake in the cupboard. You look like you need a slice to cheer you up.”

I don’t know about a slice. I feel like I might need the entire loaf to overcome the guilt I’m feeling. But as always, I can rely on mum to spot a problem. Nothing ever slips past her watchful eyes, and for that I’m grateful.

I follow her into the kitchen and take a seat at the breakfast bar while she cuts me a slice of cake and pours me a glass of juice. There haven’t been any words from my lips yet, but she seems to know exactly what’s wrong and how to handle me.

“Now,” she starts, sitting down beside me. “Forget about everything that has happened. Tell me how
you
are feeling. That’s all that counts right now.”

Taking a bite of cake, I chew the chunk of marzipan slowly and think my answer through.

“I feel guilty about how she found out,” I admit quietly. “I don’t want to be without her, but then again, I don’t know what we’d be like if we were together again. I think, I think my feelings for her are still as strong as ever.”

The pressing weight in my chest releases, and I feel instant relief.

“I wanted to hurt her for everything. It was supposed to be easy, but instead I’m concerned I’ve let her back in. It’s only been a week, but I’ve enjoyed being around her.”

Mum grasps my hand and squeezes it. “Let it out. You’ve both got a lot of history, so I know this is hard.”

I smile gratefully and squeeze back.

Although mum and I have a close but frustrating relationship at times, I know no matter what she’s always here. She always has her ears open for whatever’s happening in both mine and Alice’s lives. We can tell her anything, and she usually reserves judgement unless absolutely necessary.

I mean, after our dad walked out and I had to step up and look after my family, I thought I was strong and untouchable; I was becoming a man.

When in reality, I was still a kid.

A young eighteen year old boy and I had the weight of a family on my shoulders. Not that I would change it. Our family is close for a reason and that’s because we stick together. We have our arguments like everybody else, but we always find our way back.

“I slept with her,” I finally confess. “She got really upset and I selfishly used it against her. I thought it’d help me succeed, but it trapped me instead.”

“Would you have gone through with this plan in the end?” Mum asks, her expression softening.

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I can’t justify doing that to her. It’d be different with somebody else, but not Libby.”

“This was always going to end badly, Alex. You should’ve had a bit more sense. Not only have you played with that girl’s feelings, but you’ve put your business on the line as well now.”

Picking up the glass of juice, I take a sip. “I know.”

“You’ve upset your sister as well. She won’t speak to that girl because of what she did to you. But you shouldn’t have put her in that position to start with.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mum sighs. “It’s not me you need to apologise to.”