“Darryl, can I have a minute with you?” Sophie asked, after exchanging greetings with Vanessa. To Sophie, Vanessa seems nice and virtuous. But she hadn’t met Tania, so it was hard to take sides yet. However, she was determined to stop her mother from creating a scene tonight.
“Sure.” Darryl answered her, but he made to attempt to move away from Vanessa’s side.
“Privately.” Sophie’s eyes glinted towards the door.
Darryl’s eyes moved from Sophie to Vanessa as he pondered on what to do. He was in the middle of a serious conversation with Vanessa, and he didn’t know what she could do if he left her alone.
But he couldn’t just ignore his sister since she said she wanted to talk to him privately.
“Can it wait? I’m in the middle of something?” He tried to reason with Sophie.
“You can go.” Vanessa chipped in. She really needed a break from Darryl, even if it was a few minutes. She could use the time to think of a way to leave the house or a way to survive in the house. Between these options, one must work out, and she really hoped it would be the first one.
“Are you sure?” Darryl gave her a questioning look.
Why would Darryl ask her if she was sure about letting him leave? She wondered as she stared at him in disbelief.
“Yes. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” She forced a smile as she pretended to be nice because of Sophie’s presence.
If Sophie hadn’t been in the room, she would have given him a piece of her mind. But for the sake of peace, she had to force a smile whenever.
“I will catch you outside.” Darryl signaled to Sophie, causing her to excuse herself from the room.
Darryl’s eyes flickered around Vanessa’s face, searching for any clue that could tell him what she was thinking. Unfortunately for him, none of Vanessa’s features gave him an answer.
“Don’t do anything stupid. I’m begging you.” He told her, laying emphasis on his pleas.
“I will be the best wife tonight.” Vanessa said firmly, sarcasm laced in her voice.
“I will be back in a jiffy,” Darryl said before taking his leave.
Vanessa watched Darryl with distaste as he walked out of the room. Right from time, she didn’t expect much from him, but now, she doesn’t expect anything from him. All she wanted now was to get away out of his drama.
“Hope you are good?” Darryl raised his eyebrows, searching his sister’s face for any sign of discomfort.
“I’m good, but Mom isn’t.” Sophie said, looking around to make sure nobody was listening to her.
“What’s wrong with Mom?” Darryl’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I’m fine” Mrs Peter interrupted Sophie’s response.
Neither Darryl nor Sophie heard their mother as she tiptoed closer to them.
Mrs Peter had suspected her daughter, Sophie, would tell Darryl about her plan because Sophie had disappeared from the living room without informing her.
As fast as she could, she interrupted Sophie before she could tell her about the dinner she had planned. There was no way Darryl wouldn’t know about the dinner, but Mrs Peter must make sure Tania was present before Darryl could know about it.
Darryl, who had a confused look on his face, stared at his sister for answers. If his mother was fine, why did Sophie call his attention? He wondered.
“She is fine for sure, but she is up to something that won’t be fine for you and your wife.” Sophie blurted out as fast as she could before her mother could stop her again.
“What’s she up to this time? What are you up to?” He turned to his mother with a furrowed eyebrow.
Seconds morphed into minutes as the silence between them stretched. Neither Sophie nor Mrs Peter said a word, but the flicker of their eyes communicated.
“Someone should fucking answer me.” Darryl snapped.
“Language!” His mother snapped.
“Then say something. What are you up to this time?” Darryl said slowly, laying emphasis on each word he said.
“Nothing much, my dear. All I did was plan dinner. Just dinner.” Mrs Peter raised her hands in surrender.
Darryl’s eyes moved to Sophie for clarity as he heard his mother’s reply.
“What’s wrong with dinner?” Darryl asked Sophie.
“Mom should tell you herself.” Sophie’s head moved to her mother’s direction as she answered Darryl.
“Don’t tell me you want to spike our food?” Darryl’s eyebrows raised in confusion.
“What?” Sophie and her mother yelled in unison.
“No. Never.” Mrs Peter answered. “This dinner will help everyone know their rightful place. That includes Tania and the other woman you brought home.” She explained.
“Tania has no place in this family, she has no place in my life.” Darryl said through his teeth, trying not to raise his voice.
“I think otherwise. Tania has a place in this family, and she will be here soon to claim her rightful place.” Mrs Peter said firmly.
Would Tania be in the house soon? Darryl chewed on his mother’s words. What the hell was his mother thinking? Why does she like to get on his nerves? He was done with Tania, but his mother wouldn’t listen to him. Now, she had invited Tania over while Vanessa was around.
“Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Do me a favor and take your guest to the dining room. She has a lot to catch up on about the man she married.” Mrs Peter said.
After glaring at Darryl for a minute, she rolled her eyes at Sophie before exiting the gathering. She was satisfied that her plan was still intact, and she couldn’t wait to see the look on Vanessa’s face tonight.
Darryl’s hand moved through his hair as he paced around the corridor. He wanted to hit the wall to express his anger, but he couldn’t because he didn’t want to create a scene.
He can’t just stand by and watch his mother ruin his plan. He already had a pending quarrel with Vanessa, and he knew things would become worse between them if she knew about Tania.
“You should do something before Tania gets to the house,” Sophie muttered.
“What can I do?” Darryl asked as frustration gripped him.
“Leave the house with Vanessa. That’s the only way you can avoid drama,” Sophie suggested.
“You think your mother would allow me to walk out of the house without creating a scene? You underrate her.”
“The secret passage was created for a moment like this,” Sophie said.
“We are no longer kids, Sophie. And Vanessa would find it suspicious if I asked her to go out through a deserted secret passage.” Darryl dismissed her idea.
“Maybe it is time to reap the fruit of your Casanova lifestyle. That’s why it is bad to be a playboy.” Sophie said with a mocking tone.