Page 136 of Misdeeds of a Billionaire
A hand shot up, and it was then that I spotted him. He sat alone at the table and I groaned inwardly. He said his wife would be here too. Smoothing my hands down my simple green dress, I made my way to his table.
“Maddy.” He put his hand over his heart. “You look gorgeous.” I bit my lip, forcing a polite smile. Byron didn’t like Marco and was convinced he was in love with me. He and Billie were in agreement when it came to that. I inched toward the table. “Thank you for meeting me,” he stated.
I nodded. “Where’s your wife?”
He didn’t look at me. His eyes darted somewhere behind me, but when I followed his gaze, I didn’t see anybody there.
“She couldn’t make it.”
I lowered myself into a chair across from him. “This should be quick, then. Like I said over text, I’m not going to take the job with George Washington at this time.”
He stiffened, an expression flickering across his face. But it disappeared as quickly as it came.
“It’s a mistake,” he stated. I studied his face until suddenly, an alarming feeling shot through me. Marco looked weary. His hair was a mess and his clothes were wrinkled, sporting a few stains. I had never seen him look this way before, so unkempt.
“Are you okay?” I asked, ignoring his comment. It wasn’t a mistake. Byron asked me to trust him, and I would.
He shook his head. “I lost my job.”
He lifted a hand and delicately wiped it under his eye. Was he seriously crying? He had to be fucking with me.
“Okay… I’m sure you’ll be able to find another. What is it that we used to say? One step forward, two steps back. Your next step will be forward.”
“I remembered you like the raspberry tea. I ordered it for you before you arrived.” He gestured to the cup in front of him.
“No, it’s yours.” I wanted to get out of here.
“Nah, I ordered it for you. I have my drink.” He pointed to his mug of beer.
“Sure, then. Thanks.”
He handed it to me, and I smiled uncomfortably.
“I’ll try to find another job,” he started casually, but his shoulders were tense. Too tense. “I have a few opportunities in Europe. Has your husband talked to you about it?”
I took a sip of my tea and made a face at the bitter taste. I swallowed the disgusting liquid out of politeness, then answered him. “No, I don’t think any of his businesses are in the fashion industry.”
Truthfully, business endeavors weren’t my thing, so even if he had mentioned something, it probably went right over my head.
His eyes appeared sad as they settled on me. “I miss you.” My smile fell a bit. I missed home, but not him. Life had changed so much, and so had we. “Remember the good old days? Things were easier then. ”
My fingers traced the handle of my mug. “We had to grow up eventually.”
His expression turned dark.
“Yeah, some of us grew up sooner than others.” I took another sip of my tea absentmindedly. “The Ashfords ruined us all.” I froze mid-sip, wondering what he meant. As far as I knew, he’d never met any of the Ashfords apart from that one night in the bar all those years ago. “I saw his father pay you a visit in the hospital. He even tried to bribe me to ensure you stayed away from his family.”
Anger flared in my chest, and I had to clench my teeth to stop my words from spewing out. But I didn’t interrupt, waiting for him to spill the beans. “He even put in a good word with my then girlfriend. It was the only reason she agreed to marry me. That and the engagement ring I was able to buy her with the money Senator Ashford gave me.”
I gritted my teeth. Somehow it didn’t surprise me that Senator Ashford would go so fucking far, but Marco succeeded in surprising me. I never imagined him to go that far. Even when he was broke and working three jobs to help his family, I always pictured him honorable.
“Hmm,” was all I could find to say from under my mug while my rage simmered. I drank my tea, trying to wash it away, swallowing back my grimace at the taste. But it was better to drink bad tea than spit all the mean words that seared my tongue.
“You and I could have been so much more.” His dark eyes were full of turmoil and irritation. My pulse quickened, but still I stared at the woodgrain in the table and tried to remain calm. “If only you’d given me the time of day.”
My stomach churned, while a dull ache throbbed in my chest. “How could you? We are…werefriends.” That was definitely a thing of the past now.
“I can’t see you, not with him,” he said. “He ruined my career.” I frowned, not following his rambling. “I took you from him once before, and I’ll do it again.” My temples throbbed, not liking the threat laced through his tone.
