Gina’s lips pouted in surprise the moment she saw the sleepy face of her daughter who stood by the stairs, with a confused expression on her face. She turned to look at the other women who had a horrible expression on their faces and said, “You tried to stop me from seeing my daughter…. That’s… Childish as heck”
“Mother, why are you here?” Isabelle asked, with surprise in her tone as she struggled to keep her joggled mind awake. “You didn’t tell me you were coming?”
Gina scoffed at her daughter’s questions, ignoring the two selfish women in the room and walking straight to where Isabelle stood. “Can’t I come to see my child anytime I want?… You ask unnecessary questions”
Isabelle and her mother ascended the stairs, up to the bedroom. Gina closed the door behind her and quickly threw the question on her mind to Isabelle. “For how long have those two been living in this house?… I hope they aren’t pestering you”
“Isabelle sighed deeply as she threw herself on the bed, rubbing her throbbing temples. The headache she got from her fight with Liam was still dealing with her, now another round of trouble was here. “They’ve been here for a while… And I don’t bother myself with them. They haven’t done anything out of hand yet”
“Hmm… Right”Gina sighed, her tone filled with suspense of the impending question on her lips, her gaze lingered on Isabelle for a while before she spoke, “How has your relationship with Liam been since the scandal?”
“Why are you bothered about that?… You never came to check up on me when it happened” Isabelle said, her voice accusing, her gaze filled with hurt. “We are doing fine. Don’t bother about us”
“I’m sorry dear. I was kind of occupied with something else” Gina replied with a guilty expression on her face, she couldn’t bring herself to tell her she was there when the incident occurred. “I’m here now”
Isabelle’s gaze on her mother was cold, she was used to her uncaring attitude and didn’t feel the need to argue with her. “It’s alright… It’s been long, anyway”
Gina took a seat on the bed, right next to her daughter, thinking of a way to present her question to her. “Is Liam treating you well?…”
“Yes, he is”Isabelle replied with a flat tone in her voice, her mind travelled back to their date, a smile curving on her lips. “Well is an understatement of how he treats me”
“Well, has he brought up the issue of marriage again?… I’m trying my best to delay it so that you can opt out of the engagement and continue living your life” Gina mentioned, her breath hitched as she waited patiently for her daughter’s reply which came in late.
Isabelle was reminded of a past she regretted when the issue of marriage was mentioned. She wondered if Liam would take her advice and plan a proper proposal for her. Her tender heart wanted nothing more than to be with him but her dark secret was holding her back. But, she wasn’t going to give her mother the answer she wanted. “I’m not opting out of the engagement. I’m staying with him for the rest of my life”
“What???” Gina exclaimed in shock. “That wasn’t the agreement we signed. I can’t believe you’ve fallen deeply in love with him… This is dangerous”
“How is love dangerous, mother?… Is it because of your plans that I know nothing about or because you never really got to experience it?” Isabelle bombarded Gina with questions that made her uncomfortable.
“Don’t bring your father into this” Gina said, a voice laced with a hint of warning, her eyelids tightened in thoughts. “Just be prepared to leave him when the time comes”
“What are you talking about, mother?” Isabelle queried with an unpleasant expression on her face. “What exactly are you up to?….. I won’t leave my fiance no matter how many games you have up in your sleeves”
“It’s not a game, you stubborn child. it’s a plan that will change our wretched lives for good” Go defended herself. “You need to be ready for anything that comes your way. Am I clear?”
“I do not know what you’re talking about, just leave me be” Isabelle argued, her tone laced with tiredness. She was fed up with her mother’s constant reminders about a plan she was on to. It was her doings that led her to meet Liam and end up falling in love with him. “I can’t believe this is the reason you came here”
Gina ignored her daughter’s complaint and proceeded to ask the next question. “When last did you speak with Max?”
“What??… Why are you bothered about Max?… It’s not like you know him. I…”
“Just answer the question, you naughty girl” Gina interrupted her rambling. “I just trying to make sure you’re not making the same mistake you made with him in the past that almost led to the breaking of the agreement”
Isabelle was exhausted by her mother’s pretense. She knew she wanted something but her ways of getting it were so shameless. “I haven’t seen him since the last scandal” she lied with a straight face. “And I haven’t seen him with Liam either”
“Are you sure?” Gina eyed her suspiciously. “How close was your relationship with him when you guys were together?… Did something happen between the both of you?”
Isabelle was caught off guard by her mother’s question. What was she pushing at?… No one knew about her affairs with Max except Rachael, and Rachael had no connection with her mother or so she thought. A sense of foreboding grew in her heart. “What are you driving at, mother?…. Why are you bringing Max’s matter all of a sudden?”
“I.. I.. was just curious, don’t get me wrong” Gina faltered in her speech, noticing that her daughter was starting to suspect her. She abruptly stood up and said,” I think I should get going. I have an outing to attend”
Isabelle subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief at her mother’s words, happy that she was finally leaving. “Goodbye, Mother. I hope we meet in peace next time”
Immediately, Gina left, Isabelle’s phone rang out, echoing around the room. She was surprised at the name of the caller, wondering what the urgency was all about.