Chapter 30 CHAPTER 30
Michael’s POV
The thoughts of the kiss drifted to my mind more times than I appreciated that morning. I had woken up in the sitting room, slightly sore and with a disturbing dream. Evelyn and I kissed passionately. Then I realised it was not a dream. I had kissed her and broken the terms of our contract.
I paced in the office. The news of the emergency meeting was what I needed to escape from the house so she didn’t confront me. Yet, I still thought about it. Her soft lips, my arms around her waist sitting there so perfectly like it was meant to be there and the gentle gasp from her when my lips touched hers.
I grunted and slammed my fist against the table. I was losing my shit. First, I had spent more time than I had intended with Rosaleen last night. Then I returned home to kiss Evelyn. So when the door opened and she rushed in angry, I waved the secretary away.
“It’s okay,” I said and poured some drink into a cup.
“How could you?” she started, keeping a distance from me.
“It’s not what you think,” I said, rising up.
“Not what I think? You spent the whole night with your mistress and now you gave my proposal to her?”
I stopped walking. “What are you talking about?”
She walked closer ,her eyes flashing with so much anger. “Why did you come to my room to tell me to work hard to remain by your side only to give my proposal to Rosaleen?”
“I think you are mistaken, Evelyn. And you need to calm down.” I walked towards her. “I never gave your proposal to Rosaleen, it's right here on the desk.”
She reached for it and opened the folder. Her eyes scanned through it in seconds and she collapsed, sobbing. I was confused. I thought her anger at me was from the kiss last night. What was the ruckus about a stolen project?
“Have you seen it is intact now?” I asked.
She flung the documents away. “These aren’t mine. My proposal was stolen from your desk and this nonsense was put in place.”
“What are you saying?”
She broke into tears. “They’ve taken my company away from me, and my project. It isn't fair, Michael.”
I squatted closer to her and held her gently. “Talk to me, Evelyn. What happened?”
She told me of her proposal, the meeting with Alpha Roman and the agreement with her brother as well as their conversation that morning.
“So you are saying Rosaleen worked with your brother to steal your proposal as well as your company?”
She nodded. I recalled the text I had seen from Alpha Roman on Rosaleen’s phone. She had said they were old acquaintances and wanted to catch up. Could Evelyn’s story be true?
“That is a serious allegation, Evelyn.Are you sure?”
“I’m certain.”
There was a tap on the door and it swung open. My father walked in and the smile on his face vanished as soon as he saw Evelyn.
“What is going on here?” he asked, looking at both of us.
Evelyn stiffened and I stood up and walked towards him, almost as though I was shielding her from him.
“There is a problem," I said. “Evelyn’s proposal was stolen from my desk.”
He huffed. “Stolen proposal? In Greywoods? Micheal, please. Rosaleen did a very good job today and I expect something as good. Not drama."
She sniffed and rose to her feet.
“That’s the problem, dad,” I said. “Evelyn claims the work Rosaleen presented today is hers.”
He looked at me incredulously then burst out in laughter. “That brilliant project was her idea?”
I felt the need to protect her even though I didn't know if she was lying or not. “That’s what she said to me.”
“And you believe her?”
I was silent.
“It was my idea," she spoke up. “I brought it to him but he never read it. He sent it to me and she insulted the same project she just presented.”
He stepped forward. “You are a lying piece of shit.”
“Father..”
He faced me. “She should work if she wants to stay here instead of accusing people of stealing her imaginary work.”
I felt a bit responsible. She was going to tell me about the project last night before I messed things up. “Do you have proof that it is yours?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, I -” Then she stopped. “My laptop crashed today. Everything is in it.”
“How convenient," my father scoffed.
“Do you have any other means of evidence? Anything?"
She shook her head. “The only person I told about the project was Rosaleen.”
It was going to be tough to prove it was hers if what she was saying was true. I pulled her aside. “Wait for me at the VIP lounge. I’ll come take you to the hospital.”
She left without saying a word.
"She's lying,” my father started. “This is what you get when you marry a tramp from a low grade family.”
I finished the last gulp of gin. “She’s a bit under the weather, dad. Give her a break. The drugs may be making her hallucinate.”
“No,” he continued. “She won’t insult my future daughter-in-law and just get away with it. She cannot compete and she is scrambling. I’ll make sure I deal with her.”
I clenched my jaw. “She is my wife!”
“She is nothing to me!”
I walked around, eyes red and searching for nothing in particular. Finally I picked my jacket. “I’l get to the root of this. Stay out of it, dad.”
I tapped lightly on Rosaleen’s door. She smiled brightly when I walked in. “Hey!” her voice rang. “We had so much fun yesterday.”
“Rosa,” I started. “I need to see the framework for your proposal and to talk to your team members.”
Her face fell. “What for? We just made the presentation."
“It’s urgent," I said. “How soon can I get it?”
She stuttered. “I have a pile of work on my desk, Michael."
“First thing, tomorrow morning, Rosa.”