Ascending the spiral stairs, she entered her study, walked to the credenza and poured herself a healthy dose of scotch. Taking a sip, she welcomed the warmth in her throat from the single malt and then exited the office with glass in hand.

Those employed had long since gone, and those encroaching on her life were asleep in their beds, so as Addison made her way through the dimly lit foyer, the only sound heard was the faint ticking of the mantle clock in the drawing room. Unlike those who may have been bothered by being alone in a mansion the size of The Oaks, filled with gloom and shadows, Addison relished the stillness around her. As a child, there had been many nights when she had trembled in her room listening to the drunken tirades of a man mourning a wife long since gone, so she now embraced the solitude surrounding her because with it came freedom. It was the only time she would allow her hardened façade to fall away and reveal the woman underneath.

Although not gregarious by any stretch of the imagination, just the fact she was walking across the foyer in socked feet made her feel normal. She was free of her name and of her wealth, free of the empire she had built, and free of those who tried to grovel and impress in hopes of an audience with the president of Kane Holdings. In the darkness of the evening, with her mind now void of business, Addison was at peace.

Addison headed to the kitchen, and opening the door of the commercial refrigerator, she perused the collection of frosty containers filling one shelf. Grabbing a pint of chocolate-raspberry ripple ice cream, she walked over to the center island to retrieve a spoon lying atop a linen napkin before she leaned against the corner. She crossed her legs at the ankles, and like she had done for most of her life, alone and in silence, Addison enjoyed her dessert.

A short time later, bored with the flavor, she dropped the tub and spoon on the counter, picked up her glass of scotch and left the room, slowly climbing the stairs as exhaustion finally began to set in. Entering her bedroom, Addison flicked on the second of four switches on the wall and with only the light of the bedside lamp illuminating the room, she placed her glass on the nightstand and then made her way to the master bath for her final shower of the night. The first had only eliminated the chlorine, but with the help of luxury soaps smelling of almond and honey and hair care products scented with coconut, when she emerged from this shower she smelled almost as much as she was worth.