"I told her that any further communication between us needed to go through you, and then I blocked her number."
"That's probably a good idea," Arnold replied. "You know this is going to get nasty before it's over, don't you?"
My shoulders slumped as the weight of the months since my divorce was final pushed down on me. "Yes, I know. If I thought she'd go away if I just gave her a payout, I'd do it, but she won't. She's going to keep coming back until she bleeds me dry."
That seemed to be all Madeline cared about. Money. She certainly hadn't cared about me.
"Which is why we need these recordings, Andrew. Between the pictures the private investigator you hired took, the audiotapes of her demanding more money, and her documented spending habits, we're going to be able to go before the judge pretty soon and get her off your back."
I certainly hoped so. I was so ready for this to be over.
"If you need any more from the Zhukov brothers, let me know. They said they'd help me any way they could."
"We're good right now, but if that changes, I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Arnold."
"Call me if Madeline tries to contact you again."
"I will." I wanted everything documented. The next time I went before a judge over my divorce, I wasn't going to let them be hoodwinked by some crocodile tears and a pretty smile. I'd have evidence to back up my insistence that Madeline was an unfaithful, money-grubby bitch.
I hung up the phone and then pushed my hand through my hair again. At this rate, I'd be bald by the end of the week. The stress was unbelievable.
I had way too much to do to deal with this right now. All three of my bosses had gotten married over the last year, and one of them even had a kid now. Between changing wills and creating trust funds, I'd been up to my ears in paperwork and court filings for months.
I just wanted a break for a little while.
A couple of hours.
Was that too much to ask?
I frowned when the messaging app on my phone beeped. I expected to see Madeline's number when I looked down at the screen.
I didn't recognize this number.
"Hello, gorgeous lady. How have you been? When did you move to New York?"
What the hell?
"This is Didi, the male stripper from Louisiana that danced at Carmen's bachelorette party last June."
Andrew snickered as he quickly typed out,"Pretty sure you have the wrong number, buddy. I am most decidedly not a gorgeous lady."
The reply from Didi was quick and brought a smile to Andrew's face."Awww, don't say that!"
"Allow me to expand on that," I typed back." I. Am. A. Man."
"Oh, even better."
Andrew's eyebrows shot up.
"I'll bet you're yummy."
My mouth dropped, and for the life of me, I couldn't think of how to reply to that.
"You are, aren't you?"
"I would say I'm passable,"I typed back. I'd been told I was stunning, but good looks weren't everything. Madeline was the perfect example. She was gorgeous, but she was a bitch. I'd rather be nice and look like a dog.
