30 A Brad State of Mind Pt. 1 (2/2)
My smile was ear to ear as I hung up the phone.
Only one more to go!
I dressed up and made my way towards the High court for my husband's hearing. Today was the first day of the fraud case that came to light against Bradley Harper, my husband. It was reported that the money was stolen during the company's expansion in Asia. While numerous branches opened in numerous Asian countries, a significant amount of money was taken off the books by the in-house accountant. The accountant did this in accordance to Bradley's instructions. Furthermore, he confessed to be raped by Bradley, making one more count of crime on his part.
I was chosen to be VRM's lawyer, and I made sure we won the case. After a lengthy trial, Bradley was found guilty on multiple charges, and his sentence amounted to life in jail. I suggested to move to the newest branch in Nepal to solidify footing of our company. Nobody debated, and I took the earliest flight to Nepal. Money was in my account, the company got rid of my knave husband, and life was too easy to live.
I looked at London's landscape as I left this wonderful country behind to kick off my new life in a new environment.
Life in Nepal was easy. I'd go to work, observe the papers and status of the company, go back home, and knock myself out. I had nobody to take care of or submit to. I was my own woman. Independent and rich. But the sense of loneliness never left my side. It was present, yes, but it was never a priority. After what had happened with me in the past, trusting someone was not an easy task. But all these emotions, I never let them through in the workplace.
It was my third year in Nepal, when the company really took off. Monopolizing the luxury vehicles was our goal, but the introduction of our sports cars' subsidy put us on the map for rich kids. Support from celebrities who promoted them came from a culture of wealth and what they called 'SWAG'. Football players, Basketball players, singers and rappers pooled their money to erect the branch of VRM which they called Velocity. And if any model made into professional races or any competitive sport, it would be under the name of Velocity Red.
V-Red was exclusively owned by five people. Me, P.A., a sheikh from Dubai, and two anonymous investors. We never questioned the anonymous investors because their source of money checked out legal, and so did their identity, which was never made known to us. Everything was peaceful when out of the blue, the public drama regarding P.A.'s songwriter came to light. I flew over to meet her, and she was a wreck. I stayed with her for three days before I went back to Nepal.
Her cries lingered in my mind. She told me this was due to her girlfriend leaving her. abandoning her in cold blood. The one person she trusted the most, broke her psyche to her core. She warned me about this individual, and gave me a name, Madonna.
I felt sorry for P.A., but I chuckled to myself. How could a person who left the comfort of extravagant life make her way into a hole that is Nepal? I laughed at it and forgot about it.
But everything came back full circle when I saw a woman names Madonna handing me her resume to apply in marketing department. She asked for the highest authority, and the guard she posed the question to guided her to me. So, she trotted over into my office and handed me her resume.
I looked at her resume, and then at her face, and then at her resume. Under 'PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE' she wrote 'PUBLICITY ADVISOR: MAX FURY ENTERTAINMENT, N.Y.'.
The dots connected. She was the right-hand woman of P.A.!
She was here for a job, and not once she mentioned her assistance with P.A.
I asked her, ”So, this Max Fury job, what did you do there?”
She calmly replied, ”I was representing one of their talents. I was the one who made sure their property didn't walk on an undesired path. I also helped them remain face in the public's eye.”
I knew I couldn't pry much in our first meeting, so I told her I'd consider. He got up and gave me a farewell bow. I saw her walking out of my office with a smile, and immediately changed my expressions to panic as I jumped on the phone and dialled P.A.'s number.
After a few rings, the call connected, ”Hey P.A., what was the name of the girl you were telling me about?”
”Madonna?”
”Yes, what was her last name?”
”House. Why are you asking?”
I looked at the resume once again. Specifically, at the NAME section: Madonna Shaft
”For no reason, I was just curious.”
I hung up on P.A. and took Madonna's resume home. I called in favors and gave all the details to my friends who were high up in government. They searched for her in their database and the result came negative.
Her real name was Madonna House. And she was not in Nepal just for a job. She used to live here a long time ago. She came for a job to me because it was the highest paying one across the nation.
I called Madonna next day in the office and told her to fill in the form of employment. I hired her in the Distribution department as Senior Advisor.
And that, was my biggest mistake.