The nerve of the woman, hanging up on him so abruptly, after telling him she had spent a week at her lover's place!
What was wrong with her?
Harrison didn't plan on sitting tight and finding out. She was a cheating misbehaving wife. And he could only treat her as such. He shouldn't be pinning after her. He shouldn't be fretting over whether she ate well or whether she slept properly.
He could only stop being the protector and provider of such a manipulative and cunning woman. She had played him well, he'd have to give her that – claiming to love him deeply, only to fool around behind his back.
Give credit where credit is due, he mused bitterly. You played me well, Mandy.
He decided it was as good a time as any to call his lawyer – and friend – and discuss this with him. He couldn't be bothered with business right then. He had had his fill of headaches.
He and Anthony decided to meet up at the nearby café.
"I'll head out at once," Harrison said once they had agreed upon the where.
"I'll be there in twenty," his friend told him, sensing the urgency behind his words no doubt.
Anthony was the kind of punctual and strict person he admired.
Harrison, on the other hand, was only punctual when it came down to business.
It was the first time in two years – two damned years of utter foolishness! – Harrison asked his secretary to cancel off all his meetings for the day and reschedule them however she saw fit.
To say she was surprised wouldn't cover the half of it.
"Are you okay, sir?" She asked in a concern-filled tone.
"Do I pay you to poke your nose in my personal matters, Linda?" He iced out.
She blushed, averted her eyes in dismay, and bit on her bottom lip.
A glare later, and he was heading out of the door, out of the building, into the crisp air of the day.
He took a detour to go to the café, seeing as Anthony wouldn't be arriving before at least fifteen minutes.
He passed by a flower shop, and remembered how on his and Mandy's wedding, she had insisted on getting a bouquet of white roses instead of red ones, saying they were more beautiful and had a more fitting significance to them two.
White roses represented loyalty, innocent and young naïve love too.
What loyalty? What naivety? He inwardly scoffed as he glared at the shop.
He arrived at the café at the exact moment his friend did.
"I thought you headed out early?" Anthony said in a teasing tone as they settled at a table.
"I did," Harrison told him matter-of-factly, glaring at his hands, and more precisely at his wedding band. "I just took a little bit of a detour."
"You seem… off," his friend then told him. "What's the matter, Harrison?"
"She wants a divorce," Harrison deadpanned.
The lawyer's eyes bulged slightly at that. "Who?"
"As far as I know polygamy isn't allowed here," Harrison glared at him pointedly.
"Sorry about that," Anthony was quick to say. "It took me a moment to believe it. I mean Mandy is head over heels in love with you for some reason." The for-some-reason part stung a little bit, Harrison would have to admit that, but his friend mustn't have noticed his scowl for he went on, "For one fleeting moment, I thought you were speaking about your mother."
"Silly of you to think mother would want an out of the marriage," Harrison scoffed in disbelief.
"Well, no sillier than what you implied – that Mandy wants a divorce," Anthony retorted, not missing a beat.
"Well, lo and behold, she does," was all he shot back at him.
His friend looked at him with concern.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing," Harrison was quick to reply.
"Maybe it's precisely because you did nothing that you're facing this problem," was the man's retort.
"I don't know," Harrison shrugged. As he drummed on the table with his fingertips, he went on, "And at this point, I could care less about the reasons."
He didn't want to tell his best friend that he believed his wife had been cheating on him.
Admitting it out loud would give it depth, would make it more real if that was possible. And he absolutely didn't want that!
Anthony grimaced but said nothing for a moment.
Then, seeing as Harrison was not eager to break the silence, he asked, "What do you want, Harrison?"
"I want this settled as soon as possible," he said resolutely. "I offered her the penthouse. She accepted it."
"Oh," Anthony let out in a stunned tone, "She's asking for nothing else?"
Harrison shook his head negatively, "You don't get it. She didn't ask for anything. I'm the one who wants to get rid of the damned penthouse."
Another stunned oh followed his statement.
Anthony looked at him intently, and Harrison could almost see the wheels turning in his head.
"I didn't do anything," he sighed.
"Yes, so you've told me," Anthony nodded and Harrison raised an eyebrow challengingly. "I believe you. I just think there's more to the story. No woman in love would file for a divorce without a proper reason."
"Maybe she fell out of love," Harrison shrugged dismissively, even though the sentence hurt him and bruised his ego.
"So abruptly?" it was Anthony's turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "I thought you were more intelligent than that."
"Will you handle the matter, yes or no?" Harrison cut in, almost angrily.
His friend's dry chuckle was unnerving to say the least. "Do you have to act so icily at all times? I am your friend, your only friend."
Harrison clicked his tongue in dismay.
"Your reputation as the glacier won't suffer if you talk of what's bothering you with me. I can keep a secret."
"Haha. Very funny," was Harrison's sarcastic answer.
"Don't you trust me?" Anthony asked before sipping on his coffee.
"If I didn't, you wouldn't be here," Harrison smiled at him. "I want the utmost discretion. Until it is settled, I want no one to know what is going on."
Anthony felt compelled to say, "Yes, boss" to that for some reason, accompanied by an eye-roll no less.
Harrison glared at him but said nothing.