Semua Bab A Secretive Deal with My Billionaire Boss: Bab 361 - Bab 370

MadisonThe afternoon dragged on. I kept my head down, avoided the executive floor, and worked methodically through my tasks. By five o'clock, I had cleaned out my personal items from my desk and organized all my files. I took one final look around my office, then walked to the elevator. As the doors closed, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. Whatever came next, I was ready. At home, I found Mom in the kitchen, humming as she stirred something that smelled delicious. "You're home early," she noted, glancing up from the pot. "I had a light day." I set my bag down. "That smells amazing." "Just beef stew. Nothing fancy." She turned down the heat. "Are you alright? You look... different." I hesitated. "Mom, we need to talk." Her face immediately creased with concern. "What's wrong? Is it Alexander?" "Sort of." I sat at the kitchen table. "I've been thinking about making some changes." "What kind of changes?" "Big ones. I'm considering leaving Knight Industries. And maybe Ne

Madison"We're pretty casual around here," Ellen explained as she showed me my desk. "No staying until midnight unless there's a genuine emergency, and even then, we'll probably just tell the client to wait until morning.""That sounds healthy," I said, setting my bag down on my new desk. It was simple but functional. Just a regular office setup with family photos of people I didn't know still in the frames.Ellen noticed me looking at them. "Oh, those are from the last person who sat here. Feel free to toss them in the drawer or bring your own.""Thanks." I glanced around at my new coworkers. "So what's our current project load?""We've got three major developments in progress," Ellen replied, handing me a folder. "The Riverside apartment complex, the Main Street revitalization, and the Hartford medical center expansion. I'm putting you on Riverside to start."I flipped through the folder. The project was similar to ones I'd managed at Knight Industries, but at about a quarter of the

Alexander5 Years Later I stood in the conference room, watching as the last board member filed out. The acquisition of Oakridge Holdings had been contentious, but I'd managed to secure the votes I needed. Another win for Knight Industries. "Excellent work, Mr. Knight," said our CFO, pausing at the door. "We'll finalize the paperwork by the end of the week." "Make it tomorrow," I replied, gathering my notes. "I want this locked down before their shareholders get cold feet." He hesitated, then nodded. "Of course, sir." The room emptied, leaving me alone with the smell of coffee and expensive cologne. I checked my watch: 2:17 PM. I'd been in meetings since 7 AM, barely stopping for lunch. My phone vibrated in my pocket. Katherine. Again. I silenced it without looking at the screen and headed back to my office. She'd called three times this morning, each time more persistent than the last. Whatever she wanted would have to wait. I glanced at the desk outside my office, now occupi

AlexanderThe highway stretched before me, concrete and asphalt blurring beneath my tires as I pushed the Aston Martin to uncomfortable speeds. My knuckles whitened around the steering wheel while my mind raced faster than the car. What the hell was I doing? Chasing after a woman who'd walked away without so much as a goodbye? "This is beneath you, Alexander," I muttered, easing off the accelerator slightly as I passed a state trooper. The last thing I needed was to explain to some cop why New York's most eligible bachelor was speeding to Connecticut like a teenager late for prom. The GPS informed me I was thirty minutes from my destination. My stomach clenched in a way it hadn't since my first major acquisition meeting. Alexander Knight, nervous about seeing a former employee. Pathetic. I flipped through radio stations, unable to settle on anything. Classical. Pop. Talk radio. Nothing could distract me from the ridiculous errand I'd embarked upon. "Harper's Haven," I said aloud,

AlexanderMadison stared at me, her mouth a tight line. She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. For a long moment, she simply observed me, the way she used to study complicated contracts before finding their fatal flaws. "You drove all the way from New York," she finally said, her voice cool and measured, "wasting your precious CEO time, just to ask why I left the job five years ago?" She shook her head. "Go home, Mr. Knight. Go back to your wife. I'm sure Katherine is wondering where you are." I flinched at her assumption. "Wife? I'm not married." "Fiancée, wife, whatever." She waved dismissively. "The point is, I'm just an ex-employee. You've wasted your time coming here." "I'm not married," I repeated, leaning forward. "Katherine and I never went through with it." "Still engaged after five years? How modern of you." Her tone was dry as desert sand. "Regardless, it doesn't change anything. I don't want to talk about why I left." "Why not?" "To be precise, I don't ev