59

OLIVIA
It was me alone with Rene in a face-off that was most likely to shake the whole city.
“So, it was you all along? I just knew that you had something to do with this,” Rene cried.
“Yes, it was me. Now you found out. What are you going to do about it?” I folded my arms.
“Why are you running away from me like a coward? I thought you were the smart money woman. Speaking about money, don’t you think our agreement is long overdue?” She diverted the discourse to suit her purpose.
I knew the next thing on her bucket list was to expose my dirty little marital secret. That was the moment I knew violence wasn’t an option. To protect my integrity, I opted for peace instead.
“Can we go talk about this in my office? I wouldn’t want my staff prying in my affairs,” I whispered to her.
The staff were starting to get nosy, too. Which equally means that my secret was on the verge of being exposed.
“I didn’t come here to dine with you. You should know better. You have sixty seconds to get this done in your office. Else, hell will let loose,” Rene dared me. She couldn’t even pretend for once that everything was fine.
“Mind the damn business that pays you, else you will be on the street hunting for jobs. And guess what? No one will employ you. I will make sure that happens,” I yelled at one of the staff that was stylishly eavesdropping on our conversation as I took Rene to my office.
“What’s the meaning of that stunt you just pulled out there? What in heaven’s name were you thinking? What if the staff starts suspecting? You know how detrimental it would be for the company, don’t you?” I poured out my frustrations at Rene without giving her a breathing space.
“Quit playing the victim card. You brought this upon yourself. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you. What did you expect from me? You left me with no choice the moment you snitched on me. I couldn’t stay quiet. I needed to do something to get back at you,” Rene bragged.
“I have nothing to say to you. Why are you here?” I ignored her rant. It was obvious that I wasn’t going to win an argument against her anytime soon.
“You dare ask me such a question after stressing the fuck out of me? Swear you don’t understand why I’m here,” she dared me. Despite how calm I sounded, she was still ready for violence.
“It would have been better if you clarified it. I don’t have the luxury of time to do this with you right now,” I bent my head to focus on my laptop.
“You got my money already? That’s all I’m about. I am done engaging you in an argument,” She broke the silence after realizing that I stopped talking to her.
“I thought you would never ask,” I shut my laptop to bring out my checkbook.
“Here’s your money. I want you gone for good. I don’t want to see your filthy self around the company’s premises anymore,” I handed the check for fifteen thousand dollars to her.
She accepted the check and looked at me. “I thought Cyril warned you not to tamper with the company’s funds? What exactly are you doing?”
“What I do with the company is none of your damn business. You’ve got what you wanted. What the fuck are you still waiting for?” I barked like a wounded dog.
“I see. I just hope you don’t end up ruining a beautiful legacy Cyril built,” She stood up, but not without criticizing me.
“It’s not too late to return the check, you bitch,” I stretched my hands to retrieve the check. She ignored me and went away.
After her departure, I felt refreshed again. It was as though a giant tomb was rolled away from my heart.
“Part of my problems have been solved. Now I can sleep with both my eyes closed,” I sighed.
As I grabbed my phone to make a call, Kate walked inside the office.
“I saw Rene walk out angrily. She nearly pushed me away. What exactly happened between the both of you?” Kate questioned me the moment she stepped foot in my office.
“Oh, she did the same thing to you? Thank goodness you’re here. I was about to reach out to you over the phone. Please do sit,” I welcomed Kate as I dropped my phone.
“I’m curious to find out. What happened between you two? Did she do anything to hurt you?” Kate asked as anxiety hoarded her face. She was so desperate to know why Rene had to leave like that.
After explaining to her, she exclaimed in shock. “Unbelievable! I can’t believe she had the guts to show up at the company after confronting you at the mansion. What’s she smoking?”
“I am not going to let her bother me anymore. I paid her off, and that’s the most important thing. I don’t care what she chooses to do with her life anymore,” I spoke with confidence.
It was also exciting to know that none of my staff got to find out the genesis of my issues with Rene. Thankfully, I was able to keep her shut.
“You did what? How would you pay her off from the company’s funds? What if she goes to tell Cyril about it? Remember what Cyril said about you tampering with the company’s funds to pay Rene?” Kate panicked and brought my notice to what was at stake.
“You are right on that one. I never for once, thought about it,” I mumbled.
“Who cares if she tells him? She can have him for all I care,” I justified my actions. It took me a while to realize that I wasn’t wrong with my decision.
“Enough of Rene. Can you please get back to work now? We’ve been out for a while. I wouldn’t want us to spend the whole day talking about Rene when we should be focusing our energy on other things,” I ended the conversation to focus on work.
Just when I thought I was done entertaining dramas, Adrian walked inside the office with a bouquet.
“Oh, no. Not again. Just a stress-free day is all I ever wish for,” I lamented. My voice was low. I wanted to ensure that Adrian didn’t hear me speak.
“I see you all are having a good time. So tell me, what did I miss?” Adrian stepped forward and presented the flower bouquet to me.
“You like it? I got it, especially for you,” he asked me.
“You’re asking if I like it? Damn it! I am in love with it already. It smells nice. That was so thoughtful of you,” I accepted the flower bouquet and faked emotions just to stick to the plan.
It wouldn’t be fair to reject a wonderful gift like that, especially when he’s trying to be nice to me.
“I’m glad you love it. So tell me, how have you guys been holding up?” Adrian asked as he attempted to start a conversation.
“Rene was here earlier to cause trouble. She left after Olivia paid her the sum she owed,” Kate revealed even when no one asked her.
I was so disappointed in Kate that I asked her to leave. “That’s enough! I thought I asked you to head back to work. Do you even value your job?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m here to take you guys shopping. I know I should have called to notify you over the phone. However, this was meant to be a surprise,” Adrian made a shocking revelation. I wasn’t sure how I was going to react to his request.