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As the car slowed, Tony looked up from his tablet He’d been so lost in the docu, he watched as his house came into view A man’s home was supposed to be his castle Why, then, did he dread coht? It was the sa would be the same as the one before When Eric would open his car door, his staff would be ready to greet him Dinner would be warm and ready whenever he desired If he wanted a drink, it too would be prepared Anthony Rawlings had all the co y to the lingering effects of the poison The cardiologists ran every test and scan possible They concluded that Tony’s heart muscle was as healthy as that of a man in his thirties and reassured hi was repaired; nevertheless, Tony felt an unfillable void deep within his chest It was like nothing he’d ever known As ti would help to fill that void Shelly agreed, saying it was a sign of strength to the world It showed that Anthony Rawlings was invincible and able to overcos Industries: the CEO was back to his old self It helped that Catherine also encouraged dating Her reason was less business-oriented One evening she came to his office and told hi so reed He was ready for soalas, and other social gatherings began to trickle in, Anthony Rawlings returned to the dating scene Each outing was similar to his dates before her Most of the woh-maintenance They looked perfect and knew the i for Tony to realize that these dates felt s He listened to the women’s words, responded appropriately, and sless
Tony never took any of these women to his friend’s home for a barbeque He didn’t sit with the walks hand-in-hand He didn’t know or care about their lives or a book they’d read They fulfilled one need--appearance These wole fro the life he created before her It was a life that used to satisfy--it no longer did The outings left hi --like a house, a date, or a life--that was virtually the sa, now sees He ran a billion-dollar industry The ornaments--women--who accompanied him offered more than just public companionship with no desire of commitment He had every man’s dream
Lately, it had become worse, and Tony knehy Had Tony realized the time of year and mentally prepared, he wouldn’t have been so affected However, with all of his work and recent travels to Europe, he hadn’t given the pseudo-holiday any thought Then without warning, at a large benefit in Chicago, with a beautiful blonde on his arreen tie"
He acknowledged her words with his infarin, yet he had no idea why she’d commented on his attire Apparently, she noticed his confusion, because she giggled and said, "You know--because it’s Saint Patrick’s Day"
After weeks andabout his ex-wife, an invisible dam broke In the presence of hundreds of donors, at a 10,000-a-plate dinner, memories flooded his , shook hands, and hts were three years in the past, at an Italian restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia
Over the course of the next week, Tony tried diligently to push the ht with his healthy heart beating erratically and his body covered in perspiration, Tony would stare toward the portrait veiled in darkness and remind himself that it was Ms Nichols who’d failed her test She was the one who chose to drive away and leave him Before they were married, he’d pro a man of his word, he delivered Well, actually, the state of Iowa delivered; nevertheless, her absence and consequences were the result of her actions, not his
When Tony stepped through the door to his hos, may I take your coat?"
As he handed it to her, she said, "Dinner can be ready as soon as you like Sir, are you going to eat in your office again, or would you like to eat in the dining roo room I’ll be there in half an hour First, I have business in ed him and walked away as he headed for his office Despite the number of staff that Tony e the sound of his footsteps to echo through the vacant corridor Once inside his office, Tony poured a finger--or two--of bourbon into the crystal tuhboy, as much of a welcome to his ho alone, especially in the dining room That hy he often chose to take his meals in his office or in his suite, but he was tired of hiding from the memories The only way to stop thee, he relished the burn as the amber liquid soothed his nerves He’d eat the da rooh a stack of new proposals If nothing else, his renewed dedication to work had been beneficial to Rawlings Industries At least so