70–Picking Madeline
Graham:
I made up the lie, knowing Nina was human and Madeline wouldn’t want her knowing too much about her wolf or her recent activities.
Once we gave her instructions, Nina began convincing the kids to return to their room.
Madeline being gone that long wasn’t a good sign, but to calm the children, we promised them an afternoon full of fun and games.
After they finally went inside, the three of us left the suite.
“Okay, tell us exactly what happened,” Elgin said as we walked toward the elevator.
I stopped mid–step when I noticed Kaylee coming out of her suite, waving her hand to get my attention.
“Go ahead and deal with her quickly, because we won’t wait for you,” Baxter told me, warning me not to waste too much time or they would leave without me, something I definitely didn’t want.
I sighed and walked toward Kaylee.
She looked like she had been through hell.
Her eyes were swollen and red, probably from crying.
As I reached her, she grimaced.
“You didn’t even check on me once,” she complained.
Seeing her this hurt made me realize I really was in the wrong.
But the problem was that the marriage that had been forced on me was finally starting to show its cracks.
I was beginning to push back.
There was this stubbornness in me that said they thought they had won.
They forced me into it because they believed I had no other choice after Madeline was gone.
So I settled for a while, not realizing how wrong it was that I’d given in to their pressure and manipulation.
“That’s because we kind of got into a situation,” I stated briefly, not giving her the full information.
The minute I turned around, I saw Baxter and Elgin watching me.
“What situation?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest, making it clear she wouldn’t let me go until I told her what I knew.
“Madeline got a lead, so she left. Since we’ve signed the contract with her, we have to go after her,” I explained.
That was all I said, just in case Kaylee went ahead and told iny father.
It wasn’t safe for anyone to know that Madeline was out there alone and not answering our calls.
Anyone could take advantage of that, especially my father.
“So, does it have to be all of you? The contract says one of you has to go,” she argued, already starting to complain.
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70–Picking Madeline
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“Kaylee, you don’t understand. For this specific task, I have to go with Madeline,” I replied, placing my hands on my waist anxiously and turning to see if Elgin and Baxter had left without me.
Thankfully, they hadn’t, but I knew they wouldn’t wait much longer.
“And why exactly do you have to be there?” Kaylee asked, folding her arms across her chest, her face set with a stern expression.
“Because I worked hard on it. This lead,” I pointed in the direction of the others, “I was the one who found out about it. Now they’ll go there and take the credit for it.” I tried to explain with a lie.
The truth was, I didn’t care about the lead or anyone taking credit.
I was afraid of Madeline going alone and something bad happening to her.
“So what? Aren’t these your friends? Why would you not want them to succeed?” Kaylee, who always pushed me to do better than my friends, was suddenly reminding me that friends shouldn’t be competitive.
“Kaylee, is there anything you wanted to talk about specifically?” I asked finally, not ready to entertain her when we needed to find Madeline.
“Yeah, I’m not feeling well. I want you to take me to the hospital,” Kaylee demanded.
The way she placed her hands on her waist and tilted her head, challenging me with her eyes, made it clear she wanted to see who I would choose now.
“What is it, Kaylee? Are you a child?” I grunted, watching her roll her eyes and clench her fists.
“Well, I’m not lying. I’m not feeling well. I need to go to the hospital, and you’re taking me to the hospital,” she insisted, pointing her finger at my chest.
Her acrylic nail tapped against my shirt a few times as if to make her point clear.
“Graham, we cannot wait any longer. We are leaving,” Baxter announced, and I knew he would be the one to take that step.
I looked back at Kaylee. She was tapping her foot, one eyebrow raised.
“The thing is, Kaylee, I have to go. You look fine. I’ll come back and take you to the hospital,” I told her.
I was still speaking, but she had already gotten her answer.
She stomped her foot, turned around, and briskly walked away.
I clenched my fists, knowing I was in the wrong for not making her my priority, she was my wife, after all.
But then I remembered how I’d been forced into this marriage,
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