Seducing powerful men into telling her all of their secrets is Scarlett Ambrose's specialty. Ace Hardwood is probably no exception.
*
The gorgeous, confident and charismatic Scarlett Ambrose is perfect candidate to help Terrence Burke take down the...
"Babe, there's something tragic about you, something so magic about you."
~ Hozier
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Scarlett paced up and down on the balcony outside the living room, wondering why Ace hadn't even bothered to mention to her that he would be going on a work trip. He had even asked her if she would be willing to go with him.
The doorbell ringing made her hurry inside the house, just in time to see Belinda open the door. Michael stepped into the foyer.
"Hey, Belinda," he had a big, sealed Manila envelope in his hand, "I just wanted to drop this off."
When Scarlett appeared in plain view, he smiled at Scarlett. "Hey," he said, softly, "I heard you were here."
Belinda took the manila envelope and took it into the living room, where she sat all of the mail.
Michael lingered, looking at Scarlett. "How's living with Ace?" he asked.
Scarlett shrugged. "It's alright. Where is he, Mike? He didn't even tell me he was going anywhere."
Michael seemed surprised. "Oh, he went to Devon Falls for an important meeting. He should be back later today or early tomorrow. Don't worry, he'll be into work on Monday."
Scarlett nodded, making a mental note of Devon Falls to tell Terrence.
"Have you had lunch?" she asked, trying to be hospitable.
Michael shook his head. "I am going to meet my boyfriend for a late lunch," he smiled.
Scarlett nodded. This was the first thing that she had learnt about Michael. Biting her lip, she wondered whether to ask Michael something.
Before she could stop herself, she asked, "Mike, can I ask you something?"
He nodded, without hesitation.
"Who is Brad Windom and why does Ace hate him so much?"
Michael rolled his eyes and exhaled deeply. "Shall we sit?" he asked, gesturing to the small couch that sat at the entryway. Scarlett followed him and sat down.
"Look, it's not just Ace, alright? Everybody in the business, in this town and anyone who knows him really, they all hate him. He does have some friends, but his friends are the kind of people everyone hates. You get it, right?"
Scarlett nodded, slowly.
"Brad and all his friends don't have any principles. I mean, there's business and then there's what they do," Michael sighed, "Look, if Ace told you to keep away from Brad, I'd listen. Hell, I'd tell you to stay away from Brad. You're pretty, Scarlett. That's Brad's favourite kind of girl."
Scarlett laughed.
"Actually, no. His favourite kind of girl is female." Michael looked absolutely disgusted as he spoke of Brad, "He's tried to undermine Ace for years. Brad has a big company, yes, but it was his father who built it. Brad did practically nothing. He was just handed a shiny office and loads of money. Ace has been building this company of his since he was eighteen. He put everything in him to make this. Brad's a little older than Ace and is – I don't know – bitter, maybe, that Ace is doing so well. He's bitter that everyone is doing well, but won't bother to do a damn thing himself."
