Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele

Chapter 9 [Atlas]

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A letter from Cordelia's lawyer arrived two days later requesting that I schedule a day for us to meet and go over the terms of our divorce.

When she left that stormy night, I never thought she'd seriously go through with it. I expected her to come crawling back the next day, wet and resigned. She never learned how to take care of herself alone. She moved from her parents' house directly into mine. She's neve When her lawyer's aide dropped this letter off at my office he was swift and kind. It has all been handled In such a mature and professional manner I find myself glowing in pride for how much Cordelia has grown.

I guess she grew up while I wasn't watching.

Eventually, I'm going to need to call her lawyer, Set up an appointment to speak with Cordelia. Maybe even convince her to not go through with this divorce.

But not today. Today I am finally finalizing the deal with Bryant Textiles. The letter has been on my desk for a week now. They can wait a few more days.

"Hey, Boss, ready to go?" Sydney pops her head through the door. In a recent effort to seem more professional, she has taken to wearing less pink and wearing her hair up in a tasteful updo. The transformation is almost startling. She is starting to look more like my protege Intern.

When we arrive at the party, the celebratory buzz in the air is contagious. Everyone is smiling. Representatives from both companies are mingling and building the relationships that might lead to true lasting cooperation and friendship.

"There you are," a boisterous man comes up behind me and hits me hard on the back. "And I see you brought my beautiful daughter. I'm glad I caught you both together."

"David," I smile at the much larger man. With his bright red hair, he is hard to miss in a crowd. "It is good to see you as well. Did you have something you needed to share with me?"

"Nothing serious, I promise," he winks and then hands me a card inside of a thick cream-colored envelope."I just wanted to invite you to an art exhibition and charity auction."

He leads me by the shoulders as we talk about the event, Sydney is behind us, speaking with a group from Bryant Textiles visiting for the signing. Her body is shaking with laughter at something one of the other girls is saying and I smile.

"You know," David says in my ear, noticing me watching his daughter. "Sydney would make an excellent. plus one," he nods towards her. "She was raised to be a corporate wife. Our company has been in the family for generations and it would be an honor to have more tha merger happen this year."

A quick flash of Cordelia lying beneath brings my heart to a standstill. I shake it away as I take a deep breath and remind David that I am still married, a

"Oh," he hesitates. "I heard the two of you were getting a divorce."

19

I guess Sydney must have said something because none of my other employees know. I think we might need to have another conversation about boundaries.

"We're working through some things right now," I turn my back to Sydney. "All marriages go through rough spots. We'll get through this one."

"I see," he looks over at Sydney one more time, his face serious, more contemplative as he adds, "1 appreciate your honesty. Someday, I hope to have a son-in-law just like you."

I can sense he is expecting more from me, but he lets the topic drop. We say

We say our goodbyes.

As I begin to make my way through the crowd. Others shake my hand and clap me on the back, proud that I am in charge of the company as CEO. Many of the people here watched me work my way up through this company at my grandfather's heels from the time I was a But this is my first true success since the company came into my control. I'd like to think that my grandfather would be proud to see how far I have come, confident that the company he built is in good hands.

April greets me as I enter the house when I return home that evening and I let her know that I'll be eating dinner in my room again. As I settle into my evening, I can't stop thinking about Cordelia.

Fingering the invitation for the fundraiser in my hand, I flip the card over and wonder if Cordelia might consider going to this with me.

Maybe we can use it as an opportunity to talk and reconnect.

Picking up the phone I dial her number. It goes immediately to voicemail. I leave a message asking her to give me a call back.

An hour passes. Two hours.

I try again. This time it rings but still no one answers.

"Where is she?" I grumble under my breath, wondering if she is really missing my calls or just ignoring them.

After three more tries, I give up. Tossing my phone across the room, it lands on my bed with a thud. What could she possibly be doing that has her so busy that she can't return a phone call from her husband? Is she dating someone else? Someone younger?

As the wheels in my mind start spinning through a thousand different possibilities, I feel my anger rising as I think of her moving on with someone new.

If she has moved on, maybe I should too.