Maddie picked her tote bag off her bed and hurried out of the room. She really needed to stop keeping Drew and Aiden waiting. Aiden had been around since eight a.m. The time they all had agreed to. Which was forty-five minutes ago.Sincerely, it was never her intention to take so much time. It was just that choosing a cloth that was not revealing too much skin but still had the ability to cause Drew’s jaw to drop was no easy feat.Her messy bun bounced as she raced down the stairs into the living room. Aiden seemed to be playing a kind of game with Bane and Marlowe. Drew was talking with a young man who she didn’t know but who seemed to be a close friend of her husband.“I am ready. I am sorry for the delay.”Drew’s head shot up. His eyes crinkled in a smile of pleasure, sending a shot of satisfaction through her. “You are always forgiven, Madeline.” He stood up and stretched his hand to her. “Come meet Adrian, Aiden’s brother.”She looked at Aiden. “You have a brother?”Once she had

Aiden called them that he had received feedback from Xavier, the mole they planted in the accounting department, and that he was coming over to relate the news to them.Aiden arrived in the middle of their breakfast with sleep bags under his eyes, looking completely drained out. He looked like he slept in his clothes.Drew eyed his friend with concern in his eyes. "Don't tell me it's our case that has got you looking like this."Aiden dropped on a chair and shut his eyes. "No. It's a new case that landed in my laps three days ago.""What is it about?""You know I can not go discussing cases with you. Client confidentiality and all."Feeling that the two friends needed time to themselves, Maddie stood up and excused herself on the pretense of getting Aiden breakfast.When she looked back, the two friends were whispering to each other.She took her time serving Aiden's breakfast and delivering it to him. When she returned to the breakfast nook, the private conversation was over."Thank y

Madeline was curious about his games.At first he thought it was just a way of her trying to distract him from the latest development in operation save McBride Foods, then he looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity in them."What do you want to know?" He cocked his head towards the stairs, silently asking her to follow him."Everything.""You can get bored.""Your passion would make up for your bad teaching skills.""I am not a bad teacher. I taught you water skiing.""That was a practical course. This is more theoretical.""I am not a bad teacher.""Alright. A boring teacher then."He laughed. "The reason I mentioned that you might be bored is because of the jargon I will be using to explain my games. And not because I am a boring teacher.""You will break them down.""Even then, it can be overwhelming.""Not if I am interested in what you have to say. And I am.""Alright then." He opened the door to the study and stepped back for her to step in first. "Have you ever been here?"

"Give me a minute." Drew answered Aiden through the intercom. Maddie threw a loose gown over her head while he shrugged into a joggers, choosing to go bare chested. Together they hurried downstairs. She turned into the living room while Drew went to get the door.She wondered kind of update from Kendall had caused Aiden to rush back when he had just left few hours ago."Hello, Maddie." Aiden sat on the couch opposite hers. "Apologies for interrupting what was obviously going on.""Oh, for Pete's sake!" Drew exclaimed. "You just could not look and pass away, could you?""What? And miss a chance to razz you?""There's a lady present. My wife, in case you are suffering from temporary amnesia."Aiden chuckled then winked at her. "I'm sure Maddie is used to me already."She couldn't help but laugh. Drew was right. She might not have known Aiden for long, but she did know him. Knew how much he loved Drew and his parents.Unless he was a master con artist, and how sad that would be. She li

“It is not what you are thinking, Madeline.” Drew approached the couch slowly, his hand stretched out in a placating gesture.The hell is it not what I am thinking, Drew? She screamed in her mind, it is flipping written on your face.“How do you know what I am thinking?” She asked with a calm she was not feeling.“It is in your eyes, Madeline”“I want to ask you some questions and I want you to answer me sincerely.”“I will.”“This lady in the picture, do you know her?”Drew nodded. “Yes, I do.”She swallowed and added, “romantically?”“I knew her romantically.” He emphasized ‘knew.’“Your reaction does not exactly say knew.”“I blanched because I know how the pictures would look to you.”“Do not make this about me.”He folded his lips. Inhaled deeply. “This,” she raised the picture up, “did it really happen?”He shut his eyes. “Yes.” His eyes opened, pleading. “But…”“The yes would suffice, Drew.” She cut in. she closed her eyes. Tears burned her eyelids. God, she was a thousand tim