Page 81 of Taming the CEO

He shook his head. "No. The way Whitley Industries is set up is that every company is basically its own entity. That's why it was easy for each of us to take over a branch."

"How did you decide to go into this one, dealing with office spaces?"

"It was the newest of them all. It wasn’t developed, so I had a lot of freedom to shape it the way I wanted. In a way, that branch was like a stepchild of Whitley Industries. Along with the fitness branch."

"How come?" I asked.

"When Dad opened the two of them, everyone thought he was just wasting his time. He had an empire-building problem."

I frowned. "I don't know what that is."

"That's when someone wants to grow their business just for the sake of it. He didn’t pay attention to profits.”

"That's insane."

"I know. But no matter what he did and all his faults—of which there are many—he was a visionary. Since I took over the business, the office layouts have changed considerably. Companies constantly have to adapt."

"So how come you’re starting another project with Gabe? How do you two even have time?"

Maddox leaned back in his seat. "Gabe doesn't actually have that much time. He's already in over his head since opening the bar. It's one of the reasons I wanted to go into business with him, so I could shoulder the lion’s share of the work."

Oh, be still my beating heart. His words touched me—Maddox was a very kind person.

"And I have to say, it feels great to do something together with one of my brothers. Especially because Gabe is a half brother."

"You know, I can't even imagine what it must be like to suddenly find out that you have five other brothers."

Maddox didn't say anything as the waiter came with two of the courses: the duck breast and the steamed mussels. He'd already warned us that he’d bring things as they were ready, which was more than fine.

"In the beginning it was dreadful," Maddox said, his voice tight. "And then it wasn't, because suddenly we had more family than we ever knew. It was a big change from thinking it was just us and Mom. And Dad whenever he could spare a weekend."

I wasn’t sure what to say. It was a delicate situation. “I’m happy your family found a way to heal and see the bright side.”

“So am I. But let’s start eating while it’s warm.”

I started with the duck breast. It was prepared in an applesauce glaze with a side of potato puree.

"Oh my God. How is this so good?" I commented.

We kept dousing the puree in the sauce because it was so delicious.

Maddox nodded. "I agree. This is excellent. I'm going to remember this place."

"You haven't been here before?"

"No."

I liked that it was a new experience for both of us. I was curious to know more about his family, but it didn't seem to be his favorite topic, so I didn't want to push.

As the waiter brought one more course, I fidgeted in my seat.

Ah, damn it. I shouldn’t have bought a dress that was this molded to my body. My belly was so full, it was about to explode.

After the waiter left, Maddox asked, "What's wrong?"

"I think we might have overdone it with the food."

He started to laugh. "I'm sure of it. Let's just eat a bite of everything."

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