Dave
I went back to meet up with Sarah.
Just as I was about to enter through the door, I heard a yelling, “I asked for iced coffee. Why did you bring me hot coffee? Can’t you do even one work properly?”
“I’m really sorry, Madam. I thought you wanted hot coffee in the morning because you were drinking hot coffee, and I accidentally asked for cold,” Lancy stuttered. I’ll bring the iced one right away. Give me 5 minutes.”
“No need, you ruined my mood already!”
I stepped inside and saw Sarah standing with a grouchy expression as she scrolled through her phone. Lancy was standing right in front of her with a sorrowful expression. Her eyes were lowered at her feet.
“Can we leave now?” I asked, approaching them casually.
Sarah turned her attention to me the very minute. “Uh, yeah. Let’s”she gasped, examining me up and down with a keen eye.
“David!” she rushed over to my side and grabbed me by the arm. “You look, just amazing. Like I can’t even explain how handsome you look right now.”
“Really now? I’m flattered by your compliment. I bet I look better than my old man. Don’t you think?” I sneered.
She frowned, giving me a sour expression.
“Why you gotta bring up your dad into every matter? Is it funny?”
“Eh…. to me at least. Maybe not to you, I guess?”
She glared at me.
“Anyway, let’s get going. Lancy, can you bring my old clothes to the car? I’ve packed them into this bag.”
“Uh, sure,” she walked over to my side, ignoring Sarah, and took the bag from my hands.
Then, we made our way towards the parking lot. Lancy sat at the front with the driver and I went to sit at the back. Sarah opened the door and looked at me a bit surprised by my action.
“Aren’t you supposed to wait for the lady to get inside first and hold the door for her? You used to do it for me all the time when we were dating,” she grunted, sitting down next to me.
I glanced at her. “Yes, I ‘used to’ do it for you when we dated. It’s all back in the past. In the present you are my Mom now or should I say, Step-mom?”
She clicked her tongue in irritation while giving me a side-eye.
“Well, unless you want me to give you elderly treatment as my Mom, I don’t mind holding the door for you and letting you in first. But,” my smile widened as I tried my best not to chuckle. “I don’t think you are frail enough for me to do all that for you. Are you now?”
“No, I’m not!” she retorted. “Get the car moving already Luke! We are late!”
“As you wish.”
I could also hear Lancy’s snicker which made my revenge even more successful. I love inflicting damage on Sarah after what she has done to me willingly.
How dare she bring up our past after the betrayal she did to me? No enemy on earth should have a foe like her.
I pulled out my phone and went through Aileen’s texts. Did she reach home safely? Well, Marshall is with her. I don’t need to worry.
He’s…reliableyes, he is! Why am I bothering over what he said in the afternoon? I’m overthinking things.
Sarah’s phone rings up the next second. She answered it and started talking.
“We? We left a while ago. It should take 20 more minutes to get there. Yeah,” she glanced at me. “He’s sitting right next to me. You wanna talk? Okay.”
She forced her phone into my hands. “Your daddy wanna talk. Go on.”
“I’m coming. What do you have to say now?”
“Why do you sound sour all the time? When are you even in a good mood to begin with?”
“That’s none of your business. I have to mentally prepare myself to be in the same room as you. Of course, I’ll be in a bad mood.”
He laughed it off.
“Hm, I understand where you are coming from. Sarah is with you, right? How did you like seeing your Mom in a while? The last time you came here to see me she was out on vacation.”
“I don’t need to know about her private life,” I cut him off. “Why did you send her to get me? I’m not a little child in daycare, right? I would’ve gone there on my own. Why you had to send the clown to”
Sarah gave me a side-eye when her name was mentioned.
“Ahem, so why did you change the time suddenly? I wanted to go home and relax before going to the hotel. But, then you sent these two straight to my office and Sarah even made quite a scene there. It’s my workplace, not a drama theatre for all the drama going on there.”
He laughed again, and Sarah was staring at me like a hawk.
“She made a scene? Now, that’s the only thing you can expect from past lovers, and friends can’t you? Old love dies hard.”
I was taken aback by his statement. “If you knew everything in the first place, why did you accept her? And allowed her to come to my office all the more?”
“Well, it wasn’t my plan to make you upset by seeing her. I wanted to let you know the time, which I could do over a call. But, then I thought you two don’t see each other that much. You only see me when I force you to, so as a family, we should see each other face to face, shouldn’t you? That’s why I sent her there to spend some quality time and help you two bond over. I only had pure intentions, trust me.”
“Trust and you? Not in this life. I can assure you that. Anyway, I don’t wanna talk about this anymore. I’m hanging up. Bye.”
“See you soon then, give the phone to Sarah.”
After handing her the phone, I rested my head against the seat, trying to keep my composure.
I really hate these two, making my life a hell.
“Your dad told me to remind you to keep your head calm in front of the investors. And don’t open your mouth till your dad tells you to. He’s going to handle everything, you just need to nod and smile.” She added, putting aside her phone.
“You like being his informant, don’t you?” I comment, examining her face.
She sighed, folding her arms over her chest.
“Roast me as much as you want. I’m getting used to it already. After all, This is the only thing I can expect from you after what I did to you. So, go ahead and badmouth me as much as your heart desires.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not a sadist who takes pleasure in insulting others. So, leave me out of that. Until you cross your boundaries, I have no wish to insult you. I mean, there’s no reason for me to do that.”
“Hm…quite a gentleman, aren’t you? So, what’s your daughter like? I haven’t seen your wife in a while as well. The last time I saw her was when I went over to your pack house. Is she doing well? Didn’t she used to work somewhere? In a hospital, right? What does she do there?”
“She works as a nurse,” I replied.
“Yeah, yeah, nurse. Isn’t that a tough work? I mean, taking care of patients every day. That’s not easy, is it? How long has she worked there? A whole day? That must be exhausting as well. I can’t imagine how much she suffers from it. I pity her.” Even though she was trying to show sympathy, it wasn’t visible on her face.
“There’s no need to pity her,” I replied. “Yes, it might be a tough job as she has to stay till her shift is over and many people need them that’s why they can’t catch a break and have to work overtime. But, still, they keep a smile on their faces and deliver their jobs well. That’s what makes them, or her special. It’s her profession, and she loves it very much well despite the hurdles she has to face.”
She didn’t seem impressed by any of my tough talks.
“Well…I do understand you have respect for her and for her job. But, look at her age. She’s not cut out to do such intense labor which demands her so much time. I bet she can’t give you time and care as well. That’s why you end up being lonely, but can’t tell anyone about it, I bet?” she inquired, placing her hand on top of mine.
I snatched away my hand the very minute. “Thanks but you don’t need to get so nosy into my family affairs. We are doing fine.”
She sighed, looking a bit butthurt. “But, I don’t understand why you are allowing her to work in the first place. You are an Alpha, you have your own company which is among the top companies in Seattle. With such a reputation that you are carrying, I don’t understand as your wife why she has to work outside. What’s the need for it?”
I fixed my posture and gazed at her from the corner of my eyes.
“Cause, unlike someone I know, she didn’t have everything that she ever wanted in life through cheap tricks and using someone as a ladder to the top. Whatever she has, she earned it through her blood and sweat. That’s why, even though she married me, she still wants to stay humble and do the job she loves. Who am I to stop her here, right?”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed at me, and her lips curled upwards into a frown. “Very noble indeed. Made for each other, I guess?”