“Well, you had a rough day so I thought I’d make you dinner and see if you wanted someone to talk to.” She took a chair opposite him and sat down, clutching the drink in her hand.
“Rough, yes. You could call it that I suppose.” He sipped at his wine and then laughed, the sound brittle to her ears. “My father would be gloating to see how bad this has gone for me, I’m sure. He would say it was karma for me leaving him in the lurch.”
Confused, Lena leaned forward in her chair. Who would have a parent like that? Surely not you, you’re too considerate to come from that dysfunctional a family. “I don’t understand. Why would you having to destroy your new stock make someone gloat?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Oh, my dear Lena, surely you know what the sharks of the world are like? You were married to one from what I hear. Didn’t he rip you off leaving you with very little after all the hard work you put in to make your business grow?” The reference to her ex-husband brought up emotions she didn’t want to share just now.
“Not exactly, but we aren’t talking about me.”
“Does it cause you pain when I bring up the subject? Forgive me, I didn’t mean too.”
The sarcastic tone of his voice grated on her nerves, but she let it slide knowing this wasn’t the real Adam. Amazing what a couple of bottles of wine could do. This attitude was coming from the bottom of a bottle riddled with grief and anguish. There was more going on here than just a bad day. Adam lifted the glass to his lips and drained it, before slamming it down on the table. He watched it wobble precariously before crossing his hands over his stomach. He looked at her again, his gaze faltering. “So, back to me then and my mess of a life. Well, I suppose to understand my father you would need to hear the whole sordid story. It can be such a bore but sadly necessary.” He feigned a yawn. “You might already know I was brought up in Sydney, part of the privileged society. My father is Peter Chapman, the almighty Judge Chapman.”
Am I supposed to know who he is? I don’t. “You sound as though you don’t really like him.” She wasn’t prepared for the smirk she received. Thank god I don’t have that kind of relationship with my parents. I’d never have been able to come home if I had. I’d still in Sydney doing what? Who the hell knows?
“I adored my father growing up. I dreamed of being just like him, mores the pity when I look back on it. He was a powerhouse of a figure as far as I was concerned. He could do no wrong in my mind.” He squinted his eyes and looked at her from across the room. “When I had school holidays I used to hang out in the back of the courtroom watching him handing out justice thinking that would be me one day.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to follow in your parents footsteps.” This was a whole new side of Adam she hadn’t known existed. She’d thought of him as the quiet, well-mannered neighbor. This Adam sounded very worldly and bitter. Somewhat like a harried businessmen who worked too hard and suddenly found himself up against a wall with his world crumbling around him. I wonder what went so wrong to cause this kind of aggression? Do I really want to know that much? Bet he doesn’t remember it tomorrow. Amazing what people come out with when they go on a bender.
“No, I suppose you would see it that way. Anyway, I did what was expected of me. I went to law school and was ready to join the family firm. I had the girl, the hunger, and the backing I wanted. Or so I thought. But things went a little bit off course when I started to challenge my father and my lecturers. I didn’t like the deals or the kickbacks that murkied the waters in the legal profession and I made sure my father knew it. Didn’t make any difference in the long run and I wonder if me hating those deals actually saved my skin?”
“What do you mean?” Was his father corrupt? Doesn’t sound great from this side of things.
“My girlfriend was very clever. Worked for one of the major banks, as a trader. Seemed she was busy with her own agenda when I was studying and got involved in some fraudulent deal at work.” He snorted and looked back at her. “Daddy didn’t want the press to get hold of it and tar my still pristine image so, like a good boy, I let him take care of everything for me. I got home from law school one day and she was gone. Lock stock and barrel, she’d moved out or been moved out. Not even a bobby pin to show she’d been there.”
A bobby pin, is that all you can think of? How about, why did she leave me without a fight or how come I didn’t fight for her? What are you, Adam, a man or a mouse? “Why is it your fault?” A ball of tension built in her stomach. I wonder if I even know you at all.
“Because I could have helped, that’s why. I could have given evidence or something, I don’t know. But I let someone else deal with it and save me the trouble. Sadly I couldn’t do that today. My stock, my problem. Daddy would be so proud I stood up and did my job, I’m sure. But I can imagine him saying something to the effect of, ‘should have stayed where you belonged boy.’ Derogatory bastard.”
“How many people were involved in this fraud scheme?” Is the world really this small? It
