Whirlwind Wedding: My Ex’s Adoptive Dad

Chapter 3

"I haven't lost my mind."

Madeline watched several swans glide lazily across the lake.

"He offered me excellent terms. Why wouldn't I accept them?"

"But he's Lucas's father. Fine, not biologically, but he's still his father on paper. How are the three of you ever supposed to be in the same room without it being unbelievably awkward?"

"The awkward one will be Lucas, not me." Madeline's tone remained calm, but a hint of vindictive satisfaction crept into her voice. "From now on, he has to call me Mom."

Charlotte went silent again.

"Maddie, are you doing this because you're devastated? Lucas is trash. He's not worth making a life-changing decision over. This whole thing is insane."

"It's not because of him," Madeline interrupted. "Lottie, I know exactly what I'm doing. Marrying Adrian gives me everything I want. Money, status, resources. This is better than even the best-case future I ever imagined for myself."

"Do you love him?"

"No."

Madeline answered honestly.

"I don't understand why he wanted to marry me, but the prenuptial agreement spells out exactly what I'm entitled to after marriage. I'm satisfied with the arrangement."

Charlotte sighed. "All right. You've always known what you want. But Adrian Hayes has a complicated reputation. People say he's ruthless and hard to read. Just be careful."

"I know."

Madeline thought of those unreadable eyes and the almost excessive care Adrian had shown her. Something stirred in her chest.

"But so far, he's been good to me."

After ending the call, Madeline went to wash up.

The marks on her neck were still impossible to hide completely. With a helpless sigh, she pulled on a cream turtleneck, managed to cover most of them, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Hartwell Tower stood in Northvale's business center.

Lynwood Design occupied the 23rd floor and was one of the top architectural firms in the industry.

Getting hired there required either a degree from a prestigious university abroad or exceptional talent.

Madeline had both.

She had won international awards while still in school, and Lynwood had offered her a position before her internship was even over.

"Morning, Maddie." Her coworker, Tessa Morgan, leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Did you hear? The new hire starting today has serious connections."

"Who?" Madeline asked casually as she turned on her computer.

"Mr. Hayes Junior's fiancée. The one he just went public with."

Madeline's fingers paused over the keyboard.

Tessa made a face. "I've never even heard of her school, and her portfolio is average at best. Without the Hayes family behind her, there's no way she would've gotten into Lynwood."

As she spoke, the design director walked in with a woman beside him.

"Everyone, stop for a second." The design director clapped his hands. "I'd like to introduce our new colleague, Rebecca Blake. She'll be joining the design team starting today. Please help her settle in."

Rebecca stood beside him in a Chanel suit, her makeup immaculate and her smile polished.

A diamond ring glittered on the ring finger of her left hand.

Her gaze moved around the office before pausing on Madeline's face.

Her smile deepened.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Rebecca Blake." Her voice was soft. "I'm new here, so I hope I can learn from all of you. Especially Madeline. I've heard so much about how talented you are. I have a lot to learn from you."

There were plenty of experienced designers in the room, yet Rebecca had deliberately singled out Madeline, who had only recently begun working full-time.

It was an obvious attempt to make the others resent her.

Madeline couldn't even be bothered to smile.

Rebecca's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.

The director assigned Rebecca a desk diagonally across from Madeline's.

Every so often that morning, Madeline felt someone's gaze on her.

At the afternoon meeting, the director assigned a new project.

"We've got the conceptual design for Cedar Ridge Luxury Villas. It's a modest project, and we have plenty of time. Madeline will be the lead designer, and Rebecca will assist."

Rebecca accepted with a smile.

After the meeting, she walked over with a tablet and stopped Madeline before she could return to her desk.

"Madeline, I already have a few preliminary ideas for Cedar Ridge." Rebecca lit up the screen and pulled up several renderings. "These are from a design course I took abroad. The concepts are more avant-garde. I think we could use that approach to give Cedar Ridge the iconic, artistic character the client wants."

Madeline scanned the images quickly.

Rebecca clearly knew how to use the software, but the work was all style and almost no substance.

The designs barely considered the site itself, how people would actually live in the homes, or what local luxury buyers wanted.

"The project has only just started, and the client has given us nothing more than a preliminary direction." Madeline lifted the project brief in her hand. "The first step isn't deciding what the buildings should look like. You need to understand the site in detail first: slope, orientation, views, surrounding restrictions, local building codes, and the style and target market of Stonegate Developments' previous projects."

She glanced at the tension around Rebecca's mouth.

"Start with the fundamentals. I want a preliminary analysis of Parcel A-3 by next Friday."

"But I think starting with the concept would make a stronger first impression on the client," Rebecca said.

Madeline kept her tone strictly professional.

"This is the standard workflow, and it's how we avoid major rework later. If you don't think basic site conditions need to be analyzed, architecture may not be the right profession for you."

Rebecca's expression changed.

"Madeline, do you have some kind of problem with me?" Rebecca's eyes suddenly reddened. "Is this because of Luke? I know I shouldn't have come back and interfered with the two of you, but Luke and I truly love each other. I couldn't help it..."

"This is work," Madeline cut in. "It's not an appropriate time to discuss private matters."

She turned to leave.

Rebecca caught Madeline by the sleeve. Then she lifted her left hand, letting the diamond flash under the office lights.

"Madeline, Luke and I are engaged now. Let's leave the past in the past. We're going to be working at the same company, and I really hope we can get along. Luke wouldn't want us fighting, right?"

Madeline gently pulled her sleeve free.

"Miss Blake, first, Lucas and I are no longer together. What he does has nothing to do with me. Second, this is a workplace. Whether we get along depends on how well we do our jobs, not on our private relationships."

Her eyes settled on Rebecca's face, and a faintly mocking smile curved her lips.

Since Rebecca clearly had no intention of focusing on work, Madeline didn't mind needling her a little.

"Third, that ring looks a little loose on you, doesn't it?" Madeline glanced at the diamond. "That's because it was custom-made to fit me. I picked it out too."

Rebecca's face visibly drained of color.