THE LADIES SEEMED TO have also noticed the extremely handsome lumberjack talking with Alfred since they sat straight, protruded their boobs, and straightened their hair charmingly.
Theresa noticed Sydney’s apprehension and held her shoulder. Her eyes read concern. ” Are you okay?”
Sydney’s mouth hung open, and after some seconds, she was able to reply. ” Uh… Um, yeah. ” She chuckled nervously.
Gabriel’s eyes began to trail over the patio. Sydney noticed it and grabbed the magazine Veronica was pretending to read and quickly covered her face.
” What the butt! Give me my magazine, I was reading that.” Veronica grumbled, dragging attention toward them.
” Please, just a minute.” Sydney pleaded hoping she could disappear. What if he told the ladies he was the guy she ‘kissed’? They wouldn’t hesitate to tell the press about it. What would everyone say? Mrs. Reed is having an affair with a lumberjack, a middle-class man who barely matches Gavin with anything.
” Bloody b**ch, give me that.” Veronica snatched the magazine from Sydney’s grip.
” Are you okay Sydney?” Theresa asked in concern.
Sydney nodded. Maybe Gabriel was gone now, she thought. She slowly raised her eyes and gasped when she saw Gabriel approaching them.
” He’s coming!” Samantha announced and tried her best to look natural.
Sydney turned to Theresa, who looked lost in thought. ” Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom.”
Sydney got up to leave, but she crashed into Gabriel, causing her to nearly trip over; he caught her waist and steadied her.
The ladies muttered angrily against their selves as they stared at Gabriel and Sydney.
” Um, careful where you walk ma’am.” He withdrew his hand from her waist. He looked at her like they had never met before.
” Er… Thank you.” Sydney wondered why he hadn’t pulled out his cards yet.
Gabriel smiled softly and headed towards the Pool house. Sydney sighed inwardly and sat back down. Why didn’t he say anything? Was this the calm before the storm?
” She’s so shameless she can’t even get her eyes off a middle-class man,” Angelica said loud enough so Sydney could hear her.
” She always finds ways to create attention for herself. As if one hot guy isn’t enough.” Veronica added belligerently.
” I’m not surprised. I had attended evening tea in the County’s during the summer holiday. ” Samantha lowered her voice but Sydney could still hear her. ” Eleanor told me she had s**ual sparks anytime she sees a hot face. Maybe that’s why her marriage is worse than purgatory. Poor Gavin-”
“Okay, you’ve said enough.” Theresa cut her off sharply. A grimace was planted on her face. ” I have a lot to say about you all too.”
Angelica scoffed. ” Are you supporting this unfaithful woman?” Weren’t they all?
” Call it whatever you like, Angelica. One more word against Sydney, and I won’t keep my mouth shut for too long.” The look in her eyes made them all wilt.
” It’s fine Theresa.” Sydney forced a smile and looked at her. She caught a glimpse of Gabriel who was looking at her. She quickly looked away.
” Ah! Elizabeth Freeman is here.” Samantha squirmed excitedly dismissing her fear. She got up and pulled Elizabeth into a very tight hug.
At this point, Sydney wished she stayed home instead. If there was one person who loathed her greatly, that was Elizabeth.
” Come on, share my chaise lounge with me.” Samantha offered. She had been best friends with Elizabeth since high school.
Elizabeth looked at Sydney, who was sweating, and her lips sneered. ” I need something refreshing. Waiter!”
A waiter ran to her with a tray of margaritas in one hand. She collected a glass of the cocktail and winked at him causing him to nearly trip over his legs.
” No one can resist me.” Elizabeth reckoned lousily and glanced over at Sydney. ” Fancy seeing you hear Mrs. Reed. I don’t see Gavin anywhere.” Her tone was laced with mirth.
” I came alone.”
” Of course,” She chuckled wickedly and the other women laughed with her.
Theresa, who had a lot to say before Elizabeth’s arrival, was silent and avoiding the woman’s gaze. Anyone who knew Elizabeth well knew she always had a new scandal to talk about every day and most of them are authentic.
” Theresa, you are here too; how are you, darling?” Elizabeth’s voice held mockery.
Theresa’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. ” Same old answer, I’m good.”
” Oh, are you really? I thought you’d be wasting tissue papers by now.”
The women sat up, their interest piqued. Sandra looked confused. ” What do you mean?”
Elizabeth looked at them with pretentious amusement. ” Wait, haven’t none of you heard?”
” Elizabeth it isn’t important.” Theresa cut in, her eyes glistening.
Elizabeth looked at her, a scowl now on her face. ” Oh darling it is. Haven’t you gotten tired of pretending like your marriage is heaven on earth?”
Sydney looked at Theresa with concern. She wanted to tell Elizabeth to shut up but she was too scared Elizabeth might confess she was having an affair with Gavin. Sydney knew something was brewing between them, she didn’t just want to hear it. Especially not from Elizabeth’s foul mouth and in front of these people.
” Enunciate Beth, you are giving me goose pimples,” Veronica confessed restively.
” Theresa, should I tell them, or would you?” Elizabeth asked gaily.
Theresa couldn’t say anything. Tears had already begun to run down her cheeks. When Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, Theresa shot up and walked away quickly.
Elizabeth half-laughed. ” You can run but you can’t hide b**ch.” She turned to the ladies. “All right ladies, story time.”
As much as Sydney wanted to know, she couldn’t be part of this toxicity. She followed after Theresa. She called her name but Theresa ignored her.
When they reached the bathroom, to Sydney’s surprise, Theresa took out a cigarette.
” Theresa-”
” Give me some time, please.”
Sydney wavered but nodded and said, ” I’ll be waiting outside if you need me.” She assured and stepped out of the washroom.
Maybe everyone was just pretending to be fine when they were not. Sydney knew better. She wondered how many rich people whose lives were enviable in the eyes of the public, were actually suffering internally. She would never have guessed Theresa was facing demons.
Sydney was far off in Lala land when she crashed into someone. She gasped and took a step backward when she realized it was Gabriel.
” Syd-” She tried to walk past him, but he stepped in her way. ” Sydney, listen to me.”
” There is nothing to listen to, Gabriel. Why the hell do you keep stalking me?” She growled up at him.
” I wasn’t stalking you Sydney. I was supplying lumber for the construction.” Gabriel explained.
” Then what are you doing in here?”
” I noticed the way you were uncomfortable around those women. I know they were talking badly about you because of the scandal and I know you are blaming me for it.” He released a breath. ” Look, I just want to clear the air.”
Sydney rubbed her temples and sighed. ” It’s fine Gabriel. You are forgiven, now you can return to supplying lumber.” Before anyone sees us together. She added silently.
Gabriel’s stare started to make her uncomfortable, so she looked away. ” I know you don’t believe me. I don’t expect you to. It isn’t just about the scandal, is it?”
” Yes, it isn’t just about the scandal. I don’t want people thinking I’m chasing after a middle-class man!” She shook her head, regretting what she had said. Her eyes met his. ” I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I would kill to be in your place now.”
” Trust me, you wouldn’t.” He said with a bitter expression on his face.
Sydney found herself rambling off to Gabriel. Her heart was full and going to burst if she kept on holding everything in. ” Being wealthy is tiring Gabriel. I’ve lived all my life surrounded by toxic wealth and fame. Any slight thing I do gets leaked to the public and people don’t want to hear the good stuff. I wish… I wish I could just disappear even if it’s for a minute.”
She ran her hand through her hair stressfully. Gabriel didn’t say anything, he watched her. He stared at her with such scrutiny you would use to decipher a QR code.
” Isolating yourself from people who care about you doesn’t help either,” Gabriel said with a soft voice.
” No one cares about me.” No one except Avery and her kids.
“Well, that’s on you.” He said with a shrug. She looked at him with confusion.
” What do you mean?” She thought he was trying to make her feel better.
” Think what you want to think, Sydney; maybe you might just realize the truth someday.”
She stared at him. In a calmer voice, she inquired. ” Why did you save me, Gabriel? Not once but twice. I’ve been rude to you and we don’t even know each other.”
A flat smile appeared on his full lips. “Maybe because you remind me a lot of my mother.”
” What was she like?”
Gabriel’s smile turned to one of sadness. ” She was beautiful. She had dark red hair, just like yours. She kept a lot inside her, just like you.” Just that it destroyed her.
Sydney found herself smiling. ” I wish I could meet her.” She didn’t comprehend the fact he spoke in past tense.
” I sure wish you could too.” He smiled meekly and then changed the topic. ” How about we play tennis together?”
” Are you even allowed to?”
” The president of the club knows me well; he wouldn’t mind or unless you can’t play tennis?”
She scoffed. Caleb had forced her to learn Golf, Tennis, and Badminton. According to him, every child must learn how to play a rich sport. Maybe it would be nice to see the ladies reaction. They would always talk bad about her anyway.
” Okay, but I have to talk to a friend. I’ll meet you outside.” She accepted.
Gabriel grinned. ” I’ll be waiting.” She nodded and he excused himself.
Sydney was about to enter the washroom when her phone rang in her pocket. She took it out. Avery?
Swiping accept, she put the phone to her ear. ” Hello, Syd. Ethan was fighting with a sixteen-year-old and got beaten up badly.”