Page 18 of His Perfect Woman

That morning’s meeting left a bad taste in my mouth. What the hell was Trent’s deal? I was trying to keep a professional, unbiased stance—even though he’d fucked up the moment I first saw him standing side by side with Victoria. But now he was shamelessly attacking both of us and the arrangement, which was none of his business.

Thankfully, I had a leg to stand on. My most recent media scandal aside, which left me feeling vulnerable to criticism, he had no right to question me and speak to me that way in front of my staff.

He knocked on the door to my office and I waved him in.

“You asked to see me?”

“Have a seat,” I barked, not even bothering with niceties. “And shut the door.”

He grew tense but shut the door behind him before taking the seat across from me. “I hope everything’s alright,” he sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees to rub his hands flat against each other.

I couldn’t help but smirk. He knew damn well why I had called him in.

“Enjoying your time here so far, Maddox?”

“I certainly am. Always grateful for the opportunity.”

I nodded, smiling wider. But it was a smile of anger, not politeness. “You didn’t seem so grateful this morning.”

“Just speaking frankly.”

“Well, no one asked you to do that, now did they?” I snapped. “It’s obvious you have something to say to me. Something that started to seep out in all the wrong ways this morning. So, in the interest of a peaceful work environment...I’m giving you a chance to air your concerns to me privately.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He laughed. “I said anything I had to say in the breakroom the other day.”

“Fine. I’ll say it for you. Maybe you were harboring a little something for Victoria before she introduced you to everyone here. But...whatever that is will have to be put aside.”

His face tightened, twitching with annoyance. “I think you’re projecting, Lucas.”

“Mr. Meadows,” I corrected him.

“You’re the one who’s obviously been harboring some kind of feelings for her. And maybe you thought this little arrangement would give you an in to get everything you want with her that she would never give you any other way...But I’m just looking out for the best interests of the company. Better than you are, apparently.”

It took everything in me not to lunge across my desk at him. “You don’t know the first thing about the best interests of my family’s company.”

“I know this whole thing with you and Victoria is a sham. And when it all goes up in flames...and believe me, it will...she’s going to walk away from it looking like a saint. And you’ll be exposed for the manipulative player that you are. As you would have already been definitively coined had you not used her and lied to everyone like you did.”

He stood up and started for the door. “I can’t believe I delivered her straight into your arms by coming in for that interview. But don’t worry. This facade of yours is just going to deliver her right back into my arms.”

I stood and cornered him. “She was never yours to begin with.”

Suddenly, the door behind us opened and Victoria was standing there, looking pissed as ever. “You’re right, Lucas. I wasn’t. But I’m not yours either.”

“This is a private meeting,” I warned her. “But you showed up just in time to see me fire your buddy here.”

“Lucas, stop it,” she said in a barking hiss. “I don’t belong to anyone, and no one is getting fired over this.”

“Oh, the only thing he’s getting fired for is inappropriate demeanor towards the CEO, aka his employer. He’s been disrespectful and hasn’t stopped questioning my authority since he was hired.”

“Maybe if the authority was more trustworthy,” Trent defended, squaring up to me.

“What’s going on here?” Camille appeared over Victoria’s shoulder.

“Lucas. I need to talk to you.” Victoria shoved Trent out for Camille to deal with him and slid herself into his place, securing the door again. “What the hell has gotten into you? How are we going to make this work if we can’t go a single day without something threatening to ruin this whole thing!? Trent’s right. This isn’t going to stand a chance under the media’s lens.”

“The only thing causing a problem right now is Trent. You said nothing happened between you. So, why is he walking around like he owns you?”

“No one owns me, like I said. Not even you.” She buried her face in her hands in frustration. “Ugh, this is the exact thing I’ve wanted to avoid in my work life. All that should matter is the work I do and how fucking great I am at it. I don’t like my personal life being in the spotlight.”

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