“Sorry I couldn’t pick up earlier, I was in a meeting. I am so glad that you decided to call me. To be honest, I didn’t think that you were going to. I apologize for leaving abruptly the other night,” Edward said.
“No need to apologize. There was no guarantee that I was going to speak to you that night anyway,” I replied.
“Well, I apologize anyway. How have you been?”
“I’ve been okay. It’s the same old—work, work, and more work.”
“Listen, I would really like to get to know you and hear more about your work. Any chance we could meet up for lunch, or dinner perhaps?” Edward said.
“I don’t know Edward. judging by how you left the restaurant the other night and just your whole vibe, I don’t think you’ll have the time for me.”
“For you, I would make the time,” Edward replied.
“Hmm, you are quite the charmer,” I said.
“Well, is my charm working?”
“Ha-ha. On a different note, I looked up Edom Group. You own the company. It doesn’t say that on your business card?” I asked.
“I didn’t think there was a need for that. Not everyone needs to know that I own the company.”
“That’s fair enough. You are quite an accomplished man though. I can only imagine that you dedicate a lot of time to running such a huge company. I just don’t think you’ll have time for romance. That is what you are proposing, isn’t it?”
“Gosh, straight to the point, huh?” Edward said.
“What’s the point of playing games, we are both adults, and we need to be upfront about what we want out of this, don’t we? By the way, I need you to understand that your money doesn’t impress me. I have my own money. I’m only interested in being treated with respect,” I replied.
“Hey, I have a sister, and a mother that raised me the right way. All I have ever known about how to treat ladies is to be respectful. Now regarding not having time for you, I understand why you would think that. I’m not always busy, though. One of the perks of being company chief is that I can delegate most of the work to other people. I will make time for you. So, what about it?” Edward asked.
“Okay, Edward. Don’t mess me around, I mean it.”
“I won’t, I promise. Do you want to meet up soon? You pick the place.”
“Okay, how about dinner at the Big Fish Friday evening?” I suggested.
“That sounds good. For the sake of transparency though, you should know that I own that place. Actually, there are three others with the same name. One in New York, one in Miami, and another in Los Angeles. All three are part of Edom Group,” Edward replied.
“Oh, I did not know that. It all makes sense now that I think about it. You seemed to be getting special treatment from what I observed. The reserved table, the level of service from the staff, and the bottle of champagne. There was also the fact that you didn’t pay for anything before you rushed out of the restaurant with your friend,” I said.
“Yeah, that wasn’t my friend, it was my chauffeur. He came into the restaurant to hand me my cell phone. I left it in the car, and he came in to inform me that it had been ringing. I had to leave urgently for an impromptu meeting. This doesn’t happen often, so don’t worry,” Edward said.
“Okay. I have to go now, but see you on Friday?” I said.
“Yes, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I am really looking forward to it,” Edward replied.
“Yeah, me too. See you soon, bye!”
***
Edward and I met up for dinner, and the rest, as they say, is history. We’ve been married for twenty-three years, and we have two wonderful children. When the story about Edward broke, the kids were quite upset and didn’t understand what was going on. Jonny, Carlie, and I had a three-way comms conversation. Apparently, some of their fellow students had been asking them questions about the situation, and they didn’t know how to deal with it. I reassured them that everything was going to be okay. I told Jonny that we would discuss it when he got home from school. Carlie was flying home from Connecticut this weekend, so I told her that we would catch up when she got home.
The house comms had been going off all afternoon, and after eight or so calls I decided to stop accepting incoming connections. Edward’s mother, called my personal comms to find out what was going on. She asked if I wanted her to stop by, but I insisted that she didn’t have to. She lived in the annex about fifty yards from the main house, and she could have easily popped round. I said it was probably best to come over after Edward and I have had the chance to discuss what was going on. I told her that I would send someone over with the golf cart to bring her to the main house. Edward’s mother and I had a wonderful relationship, so asking her not to come by at that moment wouldn’t have offended her.
Edward called me to let me know he had already landed in Milwaukee and was on his way home. I was anxious and finding it difficult to relax. I even had to take the day off from work. I decided to go into the study. Through the massive arched window, I would be able to see the limo as soon as it drove through the gates of the main entrance. There was the drinks cart in the far corner of the room. I poured myself a glass of cognac to
