A Secretive Deal with My Billionaire Boss (by Gregory Ellington) novel Chapter 378

**Wram 378**

**Chapter 378**

**Alexander**

I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone, my fingers hovering uncertainly above the screen. I could easily call Leo right now, enlist his help to dig into Madison’s life in Connecticut. Within mere hours, I could have a complete dossier on her current situation, every detail laid bare for me to scrutinize.

Yet, something about that notion felt fundamentally wrong. It was invasive, a breach of privacy that even I, with all my resources and connections, couldn’t rationalize.

With a sigh, I slipped the phone back into my pocket and made my way to my car instead. The Aston Martin shimmered in the soft morning light, its sleek curves and polished finish a testament to my hard work and accomplishments. It stood as a symbol of everything I had achieved in my career.

Everything, that is, except for the one thing that truly mattered.

As I navigated the streets back to my office, the drive felt painfully prolonged. The traffic was slow, almost mocking, granting me far too much time to ponder. I couldn’t shake thoughts of Madison, the enigmatic man I’d spotted at the café, and the child Anthony had mentioned.

Could it be possible that Madison was married? That she had a child?

The mere idea clenched my chest tightly, evoking feelings I was reluctant to confront.

I finally parked in my designated spot beneath Knight Industries and took the elevator up to the top floor. As I stepped out, Josephine looked up from her desk, her professional smile firmly in place, as always.

“Good morning, Mr. Knight. Your messages are on your desk, and the Tokyo office called again,” she informed me, her tone brisk yet polite.

“Thank you,” I replied, barely allowing myself a moment to pause. “Please hold all my calls this morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once inside my office, I walked over to the window, gazing out at the sprawling Manhattan skyline. Somewhere out there, Katherine was likely orchestrating yet another fashion show or negotiating with investors. Meanwhile, Madison was probably serving coffee, crafting a life that I was completely oblivious to.

Five years.

I had squandered five years of my life.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message. Katherine.

I dismissed it without a second thought.

Instead, I found myself rummaging through my desk drawer, retrieving Madison’s old business card. I had kept it all this time, like a lovesick teenager clutching onto a memento of a lost crush.

Madison Harper, Project Manager, Knight Industries.

So simple, so elegant—just like her.

“What happened to us?” I murmured to the card, as if it held the answers I desperately sought.

But deep down, I knew the truth. I had gotten engaged to my ex without so much as a word to Madison. I had taken her for granted, assuming she would always be there in the background, waiting patiently while I sorted out my life.

And then she had left. Quietly, decisively, without glancing back.

I glanced at my schedule. Meetings lined up until two, a conference call with London at three, and a board review at four.

Suddenly, it all felt utterly pointless.

I buzzed Josephine. “Cancel my afternoon meetings.”

“All of them, sir?” she inquired, her voice laced with surprise.

“Yes. Something urgent has come up.”

“Of course, Mr. Knight.”

I ended the call, standing there with my hands shoved deep into my pockets, wrestling with the notion that this was a terrible idea.

And it was a terrible idea.

Madison had made it abundantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with me. She had moved on, built a new life—possibly with someone else. I had no right to intrude upon that.

Yet the thought of that child lingered in my mind like a stubborn shadow.

What if it was her child? What if I had missed everything? Her getting married, having a baby, constructing the kind of life she had always deserved?

The kind of life I had been too foolish to offer her when I had the chance.

“Fuck it,” I grumbled under my breath.

I pulled out my phone once more and dialed Leo’s number. It rang three times before he finally picked up, his voice gruff with exertion.

“This better be life or death, man. I’m in the middle of a set,” he said, the sounds of clanking weights and muffled gym music filtering through the line.

“I need information,” I stated, urgency lacing my tone.

“Can it wait? I’m at two-twenty-five on the bench right now. Trying for two-fifty,” he replied, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.

I turned away from the window and sank into my chair, pulling up the Tokyo files that demanded my attention. Numbers swirled across the screen—profit margins, quarterly projections, market share analyses. The kind of data that usually captivated my full focus.

Today, however, it might as well have been written in a foreign language.

I forced myself to concentrate. The Tokyo office was seeking approval for three new development sites, properties worth a staggering two hundred million dollars collectively. Critical decisions awaited my immediate attention.

I read the first report. Then, realizing I hadn’t absorbed a single word, I read it again.

“Christ,” I muttered, rubbing my tired eyes.

Just then, my phone rang.

Leo.

I snatched it up. “What did you find?”

“Hello to you too,” he greeted with a chuckle. “You know, most people start with pleasantries.”

“I’m not most people,” I shot back, urgency overriding my politeness.

“Clearly.” I could hear papers rustling on his end. “Alright, here’s what I got. Madison Harper is living in Connecticut. She runs a café called Harper’s Haven on Main Street. The place looks charming in a small-town way. Good reviews online. People really love their coffee.”

I waited expectantly for more. When he didn’t continue, I pressed, “That’s it?”

“What were you expecting? Her entire life story in twenty minutes?”

“You usually deliver faster.”

“She’s not exactly a celebrity, man. No social media presence beyond a basic business page. No criminal record. No lawsuits.”

I felt a mix of relief and frustration. What was I expecting? A full exposé on her life?

“Leo, I need more than this,” I said, my voice strained with urgency.

“Look, Alex, I’ll dig deeper. Just give me some time. I’ll keep you posted.”

With that, he hung up, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more. The skyline of Manhattan loomed outside, a world of opportunity and ambition that felt increasingly distant.

Somewhere, in Connecticut, Madison was living her life, possibly building a future without me.

And that thought gnawed at me, a persistent ache I couldn’t ignore.