Page 194 of Damaged Mogul

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” His lips twist in disdain. “Judson and Mom’s first year of marriage went by without much fanfare, and life continued. During that year, Hartley Stewart and I were hooking up. She was the third assistant producer of an up-and-coming daytime talk show. It was casual. Therefore, at no point did I intend on introducing her to my mom. The universe laughed in my face about that last one?—”

“In what sense?”

“Mom didn’t need to work, but to keep herself busy, I hired her as a receptionist.”

“She was working, but nothing too demanding.”

He nods. “I was going full steam ahead, opening offices around the globe. I was out of the country for two weeks. Upon my return, Hartley and I were going out for dinner, and I was supposed to pick her up at her place, but she couldn’t wait to see me. She complained about my long absence. Since she had a dermatologist appointment, she swung by my office once she was done.”

“That’s how Hartley met your mom?”

“That day marked the beginning of the end for my family.”

My heart breaks for him.

“It so happened Judson decided to surprise Mom on the same day by dropping by at the office to take her out for drinks. I was in a meeting, and when I got back to the office, there was Hartley and Judson, enjoying coffee and desserts in the reception area, laughing their heads off like they were long-lost friends.”

“They hit it off?”

“Did they ever. Flash forward four months,” he says. “StreamTunes was experiencing rapid growth. I was constantlyboarding a plane. I expected Hartley to bitch about my prolonged absence, but she didn’t. It was a mistake on my part for not questioning her reaction. Or lack thereof.”

I frown my confusion.

“She wasn’t complaining because she was sleeping with someone else.”

I flinch. “Did you catch her cheating on you?”

“No.” He inhales a deep breath and exhales.

I can’t read his expression, but I brace myself for whatever he’s about to say.

“Mom was attending a friend’s vow renewal ceremony in Napa Valley. Judson stayed behind, citing he had an important casting call for a supporting role in a movie directed by a blockbuster director?—”

“He lied?”

“If that was his only sin,” Gage says. “Mom left for Napa Valley early morning on a Thursday for her extended weekend. I was flying to Australia the next day for a week. I was burning the candle at both the ends, so when I arrived in Sydney, I crashed. I slept for twelve hours straight. When I woke up—midday Sydney time—it felt like I’d slept for a week. I was invigorated. Since it was the weekend, I made the decision to step out of the CEO role for half a day. Instead of checking different entertainment or music industry sites to catch up on the latest news, I went for a swim. An hour later, I was starved. Without a care in the world, I headed to a little eatery that served all day breakfast. Afterwards, I decided to walk around. That was a mistake.”

“How so?”

“Sara was trying to get a hold of me, but she couldn’t because I didn’t bother checking if my battery was running low—or if it was dead.” The guilt in his voice is unmistakable. “When I returned to the hotel, the concierge who had helpedme when I arrived was on duty. He flagged me down and told me there was an emergency at home and I needed to call my sister in LA.”

I place a hand on my chest.

“He guided me to an office where I was able to plug my phone and charge it. The second I could access my voicemail, I did. I listened to message after message of my sister begging me to call her. Sara was crying when I called her back. I thought something had happened to her husband.”

“Oh my God, your mom?”

He holds my gaze for a beat. “Mom had to cut her trip short. Her and her friends took a road trip on the Friday and stopped at a Mexican restaurant to eat. The ceviche didn’t agree with Mom, and she ended up sick as a dog. She was so ill, she couldn’t even conceive making it through her friends’ vow renewal ceremony.”

“Poor thing.”

“She spent most of the night hugging the toilet. The next day, she visited the drugstore for something to settle her stomach, and then flew home. She didn’t call Judson to let him know. All she wanted was to curl up in her own bed.”

“There’s nothing worse than being sick in a strange bed.”

He nods. “When she entered her home, there was a pair of women’s shoes in the foyer that weren’t hers. As she was kicking off her shoes, she heard people laughing somewhere in the house. Mom made her way barefoot through the house, following the sounds of laughter to the kitchen. When she got to the threshold, she froze. She had a prime view of Judson’s naked butt, his arms laced around a woman?—”