Chapter Four A—So Much For Working Late

-Three Hours Earlier-

                Michael Barron sat in his office overwhelmed by many unfinished projects. There were several prospective acquisition propositions to be assessed and approved. Another long evening awaited him at work. He refrained from complaining as he battled the urge to read the private investigator’s report on his wife. Michael couldn’t understand his fixation on something irrelevant. He battled several emotions after the investigator informed him, she either was having an affair with some foolish author or she planned to leave him. Regardless, she no longer visited the spa and was now renting an apartment. She had him paying for her love nest. That irked him to no end. 

                Michael knew he needed to call her and ensure she avoided him. He couldn’t face her right now. Michael felt he would harm her or do something completely in appropriate. He knew it was too late about the latter problem. 

                He’d called his personal lawyer and ordered him to deliver a set of separation and divorce papers to him in the morning. By then, he knew his temper would have gone from fiery hot to ice cold. He’d use the threat of a divorce to force his wife to end whatever this torrid affair was. She couldn’t afford to divorce him because she’d have nothing. He owned it all, and she now depended on him completely for her survival.

This was all a culmination of several plans and an error in allowing his anger to outweigh his logic. He’d planned his life years in advance so that everything he did now worked toward a future goal. 

            Michael decided he’d marry his longtime lover and sometime girlfriend. After all, she was lucrative, and her family connections would benefit him in the future. That fit his goal to be in his first marriage before he was thirty. The first marriage was a trial run to determine if married life suited him and his desired lifestyle. Michael didn’t plan to stay with whoever he married for longer than five years.

            He’d set up a series of tests for Aria to encounter. From working with the woman, she hated in college to signing a prenup. Aria showed her true colours quickly and headed for the hills, just like Leon said she would. She bulked at signing the prenup, so Leon offered to sweep her off her feet and take her away. Aria took him up on that offer. The worst ten thousand he’d lost in recent years. 

            Michael knew Aria would come to her senses and come crawling back, eventually. But he made sure that the ship sailed by adding several unenforceable clauses into the event planning contract. Juliette was so easy to push to sign the document. He barely felt a pang as she signed her life away to him for five years. 

He’d written into the contract it was her responsibility to get the bride to the wedding. Failing that, she would have to replace the bride with a suitable replacement of his choice before the ceremony began. 

            Moments before walking down the aisle, he had her sign the prenup. He knew it was all a selfish dick move, but he’d done it.

            The true dick move was blaming her for Aria leaving. Though he’d not had a single problem with Aria until he’d introduced Juliette as the wedding planner. Many problems followed, and Michael didn’t care, really. A wedding and five years of marriage ensued. But Aria did everything possible to make Michael believe Juliette was unprofessional and didn’t know her business.

Aria and Leon had a relationship that was filled with ups and downs. That relationship spanned three years now. Michael married Juliette and his life quickly lost the high drama aspect with Aria out of it. He could forget about Juliette and know when he got home, she’d be fine.

            Having a wife didn’t stop him from having fun with anyone. She was often absent or out of her comfort zone. So, he left her at home.

When he didn’t want to attend a function, he would send her alone to handle it. She handled it like a pro once he taught her a few simple rules. 

Besides his affair, his life ran smoothly, and he saw no reason to make any changes. He desired things to remain unchanged.

            After placing a call to Juliette and having a rather odd but brief conversation with her. Michael contemplated whether he should go for dinner first or continue working.

            With files and reports spread out over the glass top of his desk, he was deep in thought. He toyed with the tie he’d just removed when his heavy office door opened. Someone invaded his private space. Invaded by a bleach blonde with too much floral perfume and enough hair spray to hold a flag in place during a category five hurricane. 

            Aria Caine entered his office with a large takeout bag from a restaurant she knew he liked. Clad in a broad smile and a skirt that would give a wide belt a challenge over which one covered more flesh. Between the sky-high heels in bubble gum pink, and a matching purse, she’d found jewellery to match it. Lately, the woman resembled a lifelike cartoon character. She’d once been a classic beauty until she stopped using a stylist and made her own style decisions, believing she was a style influencer of some sort.

            Currently, she and Leon were on the outs again and Michael knew this because Leon called him to warn him.

            Every time she broke up with Leon, she came crawling back to Michael. Despite her cartoonish appearance, she still possessed beauty and a nice physique. Her daddy paid enough for it. Michael had no intentions of a long-term commitment with Aria, yet she seemed oblivious to her past actions and expected an engagement.

            He was married, and she expected him to ask her to marry him. The hair spray seemed to have affected his memory, as he didn’t recall her being this simple.

            “Hey Micky! I brought you something to eat. A big, powerful man like you can’t go hungry.” She knew Michael hated the name Micky, or any other nickname. But when she said it in that mock baby voice, it was cringe worthy for him. She’d barely entered his office, and he already felt annoyed with her.

            Like most women, she serves some purpose in his life. She was only a source of sexual pleasure, with no other worth. When they broke up, Leon didn’t care about her actions or the people she associated with. Michael knew Leon wouldn’t perceive it as a betrayal. He knew how much Aria catted around on him between dating sprees. 

            “What do you want Aria? I’m working.” Did he want her to take care of some personal business for him?