The Wildcat that Tamed the Tycoon (15 page)

“I want you to come back to Phillips
Financial Corporation.”

“Daddy please no!  It will kill me!
Banking is not the life for me and I can’t leave him now!”

“That is my condition, Madison.”

“I promised him Daddy!  I can’t
leave!”

“Let me know your decision.  I won’t
start on anything until you do.”

Madison was devastated when she
slipped her cell phone back in her pocket.  Her face was pale and drawn by the
time she carried the tray with the tea out to the patio.

Logan stood up and took the tray from
her and served everyone, keeping an eye on her all the time.  He frowned.  She
looked very upset and hurt. He put the tray down and went to her where she
hovered in the doorway. 

“What is wrong, Wildcat?”

His soft, warm voice laced with
concern nearly undid her and she swallowed the tears back.  She gave him a
quivering smile and shook her head.

“Nothing Babe.  I guess I am just more
tired than I thought.  Would you mind if I went back to the cottage?”

“Why don’t you just take a nap in my
room?”

She shook her head and nodded in the
other’s direction, her voice thin, but she tried to sound chirpy.

“We don’t want your mother to have a
heart attack right here and then the hired help might have to give her CPR!”

He shook his head at her, laughed and
walked with her outside and handed her his car keys. 

“No … I want to walk.  I need some
fresh air.”

He leaned down and kissed her
lingeringly.  “I’ll see you later, Wildcat.”

Logan turned back and stood looking at
his mother and felt nothing.  He had wondered how he would react when he saw
her again, but there was nothing of the kind woman he remembered as a ten year
old boy, left.  She aged well.  However, how much of that was assisted by face
lifts and Botox he could not say.  However much he tried he could not conjure
any feelings for the woman in front of him other than resentment and dislike. 
He had no time for anyone that used others to benefit themselves.  The fact
that she had no compunction to hurt people in the process struck him square in
the chest.

“Why did you leave us?”  

The question was abrupt and cold. 
Stella started and carefully looked at her eldest son and anger started to
bubble inside her.  He lived the high rise life.  He was a billionaire many
times over whilst she had to scrape pennies to survive.  Even though Jonathan
claimed he rose to these heights through hard work, dedication and clever
investments, she didn’t care.  It was time she collected on their riches!

“Why hash on what is past my son?  Let
us forget about the bad things and focus on the good that will come from us
being back together.”

His eyebrows rose sardonically.  “Back
together?  What makes you think you being here offers you the opportunity to be
part of our lives?”

She blanched and looked at Shane who
watched her unflinchingly.   “I thought … is that not why you invited me here?”

“No.  We decided it was time to bury
the past and only wanted to close the door.  Dad felt he had to forgive you and
needed to face you.  He has done that.  I still want to know why you left.”

“We should never have gotten married. 
You know that, Jonathan!  We married for all the wrong reasons, but I loved you
boys!  I loved you very much and wanted to take you with me. Your father
wouldn’t let me!”

“So you just accepted it and left
anyway?  What about all the years in between?  Why did you never make any
effort to make any contact with us?”

“I … Logan, please let’s forget about
this!  What is the use?”

“Nothing it seems and you are right. 
It does not matter anymore.  It hasn’t mattered for twenty three years.”

“Does that mean you accept me back in
your lives?”

Jonathan stood up and looked down at
her for a long while and then smiled.  He shook his head.

“No, Stella.  I don’t want you back in
my life.  You have become empty and cold.  I swore I would never expose my
children to that kind of behavior again – it is what I became for years, until
Logan took over the Company and made me see what I became.”

“But … Jonathan …” She tried to
beseech him, seeing the easy route to quick money diminishing rapidly.

“I already signed the divorce papers. 
Quite frankly I don’t know why you never did it.  And before you even ask …
there is no settlement in it for you.  The fact that we have been separated for
twenty five years with absolutely no contact voids any agreement that ever
existed.”

“You … Shane!”

“I’m sorry, Mother.  I have no control
over what Dad and Logan does.  I will still keep contact with you, as I have up
till now.”  They agreed in advance that it would be best to pretend he still
wanted to retain a relationship with her for now, rather than alienate her
totally.

“In other words, Stella, you are not
welcome on Logan’s property.”

“Logan’s?  This place belongs to …
Logan?”

He nodded.  “But, let us not go our
separate ways as we have before.  I booked a table for us in Dallas for
dinner.  We will say our goodbyes for the last time then.”

Stella was not happy but decided to go
along with the dinner. If Shane was the only one that was prepared to build a
relationship with her, then she would stay close to him.  He has been a good
source of information so far.

Logan was upset that Madison did not
wish to join them for dinner, but understood her reason and he piloted the
chopper himself into Dallas.

The
moment Logan walked into the cottage he knew Madison was not there.  She had a
presence whenever she was in a room and that was missing.  He stood for a
moment gathering his strength before he reached out and switched on the
lights.  He walked to her bedroom and noticed the letter on the bed as soon as
the light filled the room. He stood looking at the letter with his hands fisted
by his sides. For the second time in his life he felt his heart shatter.  He
didn’t need to read the letter to know she was gone.  He ripped the letter open
and read it over and over again.

Logan

My life has so many similarities to
yours, it is frightening.  For years I have hidden away from reality. Meeting
your mother today made me realize, we are what we make of ourselves.

Sometimes we are what someone else
makes of us and before I can become me, I have to close the door on that part
of my life. It is the only way I will ever be really happy and build a future.

And please, Babe, believe that future
is with you.  I knew that the first time I looked into your eyes at the Bistro.

I know leaving this way is the
coward’s way out, but I would not have been able to do so if I had to face
you.  Please Babe, please, please, please believe that I will keep the
commitment I made to you.  I just need a little time to safeguard our future
together. And be assured Logan Dalton, we have a future together!

I will be back soon.

Please keep my heart safe within you …

Madison

P.S.  I managed to get hold of Drew
Stratton, you previous pilot and he will be back on Monday.

Logan ripped the cupboards open and
his heart started beating again.  Very slowly and very hopefully.  The cupboard
was still full of her clothes.  He opened the drawer on her bedside table and
uttered ‘Thank God’ when he found her passport.  She would not have left her passport
behind if she didn’t intend to come back.  A small voice still threw disbelief
his way.  It was easy enough to replace clothes and a passport.

He ran his hand over his eyes,
desolation ran through his body.  Listlessly he walked back the lounge and his
eye caught the bright red motorbike helmet on the dining room table where it
always was.  He went outside and opened the garage door and relief washed over
him when he found her Ducati parked in its usual place.  She told him the night
before that she bought the bike in memory of her Grand Pops.  He loved bikes.
Specifically Ducati’s and still rode one until the day he got sick.  Even
though she didn’t ride the bike that often, it was her link to him and she
would never sell it.

Only then did he believe she would be
back.  He read between the lines that she did not want him to contact her, but
he needed her to know what he felt about the way she left.  He typed a text
message and sent it with a rigid jaw.

He was angry and the longer she stayed
away, the higher it would feed. She should know him well enough by now to
realize that.

Shane noticed the look on his face the
moment he walked into the kitchen where he was busy brewing some coffee.

“What is wrong?”

“She’s gone.”

“What!  I thought you sorted everything
out last night?  Everything seemed fine this morning!”

Logan slumped on one of the breakfast
chairs and rested his head in his hands.

“Big bro, are you okay?”

“Honestly … I don’t know.  I … opened
myself to her yesterday and today … Lord, I don’t know!  I do know I am angry
as hell with her.”

He pulled the letter from his pocket
and handed it to Shane.  He took it hesitantly, but read it when Logan nodded
at him. He frowned and read it a second time.  He glanced at Logan.

“We don’t really know much of
Madison.  Do you have any idea what she is referring to?”

Logan shook his head.  “She has only
told me about her Grandfather. She was very close to him.”

“Do you believe that she will be
back?”

“She left her bike here.”

“Then she’ll be back, big bro.  I’m
sure of it.”

“The worse of it is, even if I wanted
to find her, I don’t even know where to start looking.”

Shane realized Logan has changed.  He
never would have been bothered before.  The way he treated her this morning was
so natural, so … loving and he looked happy. 

“I know you Logan, you most probably
already set a deadline for her to be back before you set Marcus White on to
find her.”

“A
week.”

I give you a week, Wildcat.  If you’re
not back, I am going to find you.  I cannot guarantee how angry I will be by
then. It seems you need another lesson in willfulness!

Madison read the text message through
tears.  Thank God, he believed she would be back.  A week!  It was not enough
time!

“How could you allow him to force you
back here, Mad?”  Madison sighed and glanced at David who sat glaring at her
from across his massive desk. 

“I have to stop that woman, David.  I
cannot allow her to destroy his life and hurt him any further.”

“I understand that but do you really
believe he is going to let you go now that he has you back here?  Why didn’t
you just ask me for help?”

Madison leaned back in the chair. She
told David about Stella and what effect it had on their lives for twenty five
years.

“When I met that woman and I spoke to
Daddy … I realized how much I missed them in my life.  No matter how he pushed
me into the Banking industry, they always made me feel loved.  While I still
lived here I at least saw them, even from a distance.  I can’t start my life
with the man I love and not share it with them.  I want them to be part of our
children’s lives … I need them to be part of my life!  I was just as hard
headed when I left, and maybe if I explained my feelings better, Daddy would
have understood.”

“I understood, Mad, my darling
daughter.”

Madison gasped and jumped up.  She
turned around and saw her father standing just inside the door; her big,
imposing and wonderful father.  He opened his arms and she ran into them.  He
folded her in his arms and held her tight, stroking her back as she sobbed in
his arms.  He allowed the sobs for a while to give him chance to get his own
emotions under control.  He pushed her away and tenderly wiped her cheeks dry.

“There, that’s enough tears, my girl. 
Come, let me look at you.  You are still the most beautiful young woman in New
York.”

She laughed.  “Daddy that only worked
when I was ten years old!”

He smiled.  “But it is still the
truth!  You look so much like your mother when she was young.  Mad, can you
forgive me?”

“Why Daddy?  Why did you chase me
away?”

“I love you, Madison, both your mother
and I do.  I pushed you for years and was so proud of what you achieved and I
was sure it is what you wanted too.  It was a shock to realize it was not your
passion.  You were absolutely brilliant … all of you are … brilliant, and I am
so very proud of all of you.” 

He swallowed and looked at David.   He
drew Madison to the chair and they both sat down.

“When you came to tell me you didn’t
want to be part of the Business, I already knew it.  Your Grand Pops made sure
of it before he died.  I also knew that if I accepted that you wanted out …
Mad, my girl, you wouldn’t have gone.  You would have stayed in a career that
you hated and you would have lived a lie, to keep on pleasing me.  I couldn’t
do that to you, so your mother and I … took the hardest decision of our lives …
we set you free.  I can’t tell you how many times your mother cried herself to
sleep missing you over the years.  We gave you eight years to find yourself.”

He hesitated and cleared his throat.

“I very nearly intervened when you got
engaged to Andreas Watts two years ago.  To him, you were nothing more than a
permanent paycheck.  Luckily it didn’t get to that.  His actions are what led
you to finding yourself … really finding yourself.  And you did … with Logan Dalton,
didn’t you?”

She sat crying again and she nodded. 

“I love him Daddy … he makes me
whole.  With him I feel so free … but he is also the most annoying maddening
man!  You and he … in a way are very much alike. Only, he didn’t give me eight
years … he gave me a week.”

Bill laughed.  “Sounds like the Logan
Dalton I know.”

She sobered.  “You know him?”

“Yes.  They approached us for
corroboration on their environmental project and we spent quite a lot of time
together.  Very impressionable young man you found yourself, Mad.  Very
impressionable indeed.  So, have you filled David in?”

“Not on everything, but a week is not
much time. I can’t go back until we find a way to destroy that woman.”

Bill nodded and Madison quickly
repeated everything she knew.  He shook his head when she was done.

“I can’t believe that anyone,
especially a woman can be so cruel and have no regard for human lives just for
money and against her own children.”

“Mad, I need to explain why I wanted
you here.  I know your heart is not with the business and I don’t expect you to
fall in again.  What I do believe is that you should be the one to resolve the
problem and deal with Stella Dalton.  Does Logan know you were willing to give
up Grand Pops inheritance to help him?”

“He doesn’t even know about the
inheritance, Daddy. I am giving it to you as promised.”

He shook his head and chuckled.  “We
never wanted the money, darling, but it was the only thing we could think of to
force your hand enough so you would walk away.  Grand Pops knew you needed
freedom, and he gave it to you.  It is yours and your children’s, Mad.”

“Okay, enough of the chit chats.  If
we only have a week, we have a lot to do.  You’ve had two days, Dad.  What have
you come up with?”

Bill smiled at David.  “The insolence
of the youth!  This is what we have to work with.  Forty percent of the shares
were sold to a private investor,
Rodney Davell and ten percent recently
to a Vernon Miller.  I can only ascertain he might be involved in their shady
dealings.  He has no financial portfolio and been involved with fraud before. 
Starlight Oil, or rather Stella Dalton applied for a loan a while ago with us. 
We’ve been stalling because something bothered us with her application and we
have been doing some forensic investigation.   She is literally broke.  Even
though the company has grown substantially over the past two years, she has
managed it poorly and lived a high flier life.  There is no cash flow in the
company and they trade on credit, which they can’t honor at this stage.”

He looked at Madison and shook his
head.

“This woman is dangerous, Mad you have
to realize that.  If we take her down, who knows how she will react.”

“That is what I am worried about.  She
didn’t think twice about hurting innocent people.  Logan has a forensic team
examining all aspects of the operations at the Gulf and they are investigating
arson and sabotage on all the other sites.  He is positive they will find
enough to convict her.  I don’t want her to have any resources at her disposal
to come back and hurt my future!”

“Should you not find out first what
their team found so far?  Maybe they have enough to put her in jail already.”

“Even if she goes to jail, I don’t
want her to have any resources and funds at her disposal to get to them from
there.”

David and Bill looked at each other at
her passionate plea.  She really loved Logan Dalton.

“Very well.  The private investor is
not happy with the results as he has seen no return over the past year even
though the company books show growth.  He wants out and I have already drawn up
an offer in your name.  He is coming to see us this afternoon.  Stella Dalton
offered twenty percent of her shares as collateral for the loan. However she
needed money desperately and just put fifteen percent of her shares on the
market.”

Bill pulled a sheet of paper from a
folder he placed on the desk when he sat down.   “They already belong to you. 
Albeit at an astronomical amount, but if we want to do this quick, it is the
only way to go.”

“So if we buy the forty percent shares
from the investor, we will be the majority shareholder?”

“You … you will be the majority
shareholder.”

“And as the majority shareholder I can
lodge a vote of no confidence with the courts and force her to sell her last
thirty five percent shares to me?”

“You could, but you need to think out
of the box, my girl.”

“What do you mean?”

“She is still Logan and Shane’s
mother.  Would they really want to see her totally destroyed even though they
hate and resent her?”

“I see what you mean.  We still get
the court order, but then I don’t want any of these shares Daddy.  Can you get
them all transferred equally between Logan and Shane?  It will then be their
decision how they end it.  She will most probably end up in jail, even if they
don’t prosecute, the state will.”