Female Novel
Chapter 80
Chapter 80: Christmas Gift
“Come in,” Ms. Griswold steps aside and lets me into her presidential suite.
The room is enormously large. While I’m still carefully studying the layout of the room, Ms. Griswoldalready walked past me to the liquor cabinet and poured lierself a scotch. “So,” she takes her seat andcrosses her legs, “Why do you need to see me?”
Her eyes are full of distant. She doesn’t even hate me. She just thinks that I’m a dirt that doesn’tdeserve her time and attention.
“Well?” she urges me. “Hurry. I don’t have all day.”
So I speak, straightforwardly, “Call off their marriage now.” She pauses for a short moment, and thenburst into a booming laughter. She lauglis so hard that her scotch spilled out. “Oh dear, oh dear,” sheshakes her head still laughing, “Are you coming here to beg me? If you are, at least give me the properattitude, like crying, pleading, dropping to your knees?” “I’m not liere to beg you,” my jaw tenses. Yetshe carries on as if she didn’t hear me, “Your mom was really good at it you know? She begged me togive up on Shawn. She begged so hard that I almost feel sorry for her”
I stride over and snatch her glass of scotch. The next moment, I smash the glass onto the floor,causing her to jump up from her seat and scream.
“You crazy little bitch!” she yells at the top of her lung. “What are you doing!”
“Do not insult my mother,” I point a finger at her panic face. “You thought I didn’t know what happened?My mom met Mr. Ramirez after you two were divorced. She doesn’t need to beg you to give up on Mr.Ramirez, because he already left you a long time before that.”
Her face is twisted with fury and embarrassment, “You disrespectful little shit-”
“I would have poured that scotch onto your face if you weren’t Eason’s mother. Now, sit and listen tome!”
1 point at the sofa and command her. I’m a little shocked at how brave I am right now. I used to beterrified of confrontations. I tried to avoid it at all costs. Yet now, I’m bossing around Ms. Griswold. GodI’m proud of myself.
Guess I’m just really mad at what she did to Eason, Anger gives me courage.
She stares at me, astonished. To my surprise, she sits down eventually under my command andsnorts, “What else do you have to say? Their marriage is settled. There’s no way I’m calling it off.”
I decide to cut to the chase, “I know you are after Eason’s inheritance. Katherine’s family is carryinghuge debt. Only the Ramirez’s money can get them out of their deep hole. Call off their marriage nowor I’ll tell everyone about this.”
She sneers, “That’s your big reason? Wake up to the real world dear! All upper-class marriages arebased on either money or title. Eason has money and Katherine has title. It’s a win-win.”
I looks at lier coldly, “I also know that you are daling Katherine’s father.”
That’s when her cocky smile freezes up. I carry on, knowing that I’ve pushed the right button, “You aretrying to use Eason’s inheritance to save the Booth’s family, right?llow do you think Mr. Ramirez willreact to this? If he finds out that his ex-wife is ganging up with lier lover to steal his money? I guess hewouldn’t be very pleased.”
She narrows her eyes dangerously, like a predator setting eyes on its prey. But I’m not afraid of heranymore. Between the only two people in this room, I’m the younger and stronger one
She slowly rises from her seat, approaching me. “You’ve got a lot of nerve meddling our business,young lady. Do you know what you are facing? We are fucking powerful people. I can stamp you outlike a fucking cockroach if I want to.”
“Oli yeah?” I whisper back, staring defiantly into her eyes. “What can you do?” “OK if you really want toknow…oh you are studying at Columbia University, right? And you have a student loan? Can you stillafford a school like that if your student loan is revoked?” she ciccles.
My heart sinks. This is low. “No you can’t,” I try to stop myself from panicking, “You can revoke it basedon no grounds. Ji’s against the policy -”
“Policy my ass. Policy and law are only used to control normal people like you. For powerful people likeus, it’ll only take me a phone call to the university board to destroy your academic lise. Now get it?”
I eye her furiously, iny hand curling up into a ball
My angry expression pleases her and she continues even more excitedly, “oh and you have astepbrother Liam right? I heard that he is currently working at a law firm in Chicago. What if I tell youthat a senior partner at that law firm also happens to be my friend? It’s very easy to fire a juniorattorney like him.”
“Don’t you touch liim!” I snap.
“Look, I’m not the one here seeking trouble, OK?” she points her finger at my chest and laughs coldly.“None of this would happen if you just step aside and pretend you didn’t see anything. Go findsomeone ordinary and boring. My son is way out of your league.”
She knows about me and Eason!
How could she know? When did she know!
Did Mr. Ramirez tell her? No, I doubt it…he knows that we have a rough relationship, so he wouldnever do anything intentionally to deteriorate it.
So she must have lown for a very long time.
And then, something flashes across my mind, and I cry out in shock, “The letter…the flower… themessage! It was you!!”
11 there really is a tyysterious someone who took away the letter and flower Eason Sent me threeyears ago, it could only be her.
She is the only one who had the full access to the entire liouse. She was also around the house a lot,which means that she could easily use my phone to text Lason and deleted the message afterwards.
And most importantly, she is the only person who bales une enough to orchestrate the whole thing
Faced by my accusation, she lets out a short and shrill laugh.
“It took you long enough to find out, didn’t it?” she shrugs her shoulders. “That move wasn’t clever, butit was still enough to keep you two separated for years. I did it once. I can do it
again.”
1 stare at lier, my body shaking. How could she-how could a mother do something like that to her ownson?!
“You are his mom for god’s sake! Have you ever thought about what’s good for him?!”
“I have! That’s why I’m asking him to marry Katherine instead of you!” she stares at me critically andsnorts. “You think you deserve my son, you little scumbag? I’ve already lost my husband to that whore.I’m not losing my son again to her daughter!”
My chest moves up and down rapidly because of anger. She lets out a sneer and goes into thebedroom. Moments later, she comes back with a letter in her hand.
I suddenly realize what it is. I can’t believe she still has it after all those years.
“You can have this, on one condition.” She waves the letter in the air, like luring me into a trap. “Youpromise. You will never tell anyone about anything we talked about today.” My eyes follow the letterinvoluntarily, “I promise.”
She studies my face, carefully judging if I’m telling the truth. Moments later, she hands me the letter,“Remember. It only takes one phone call to destroy both you and your brother’s futures.”
I snap the letter away from her and turn around to leave. She giggles behind me, her voice full ofmockery, as if she’s laughing at my complete failure. I hurry out of her room, running down the hallwayand straight into the elevator. When I make sure no one is around, I carefully take out something frommy pocket.
A recorder.
I‘ve recorded every single word she said to me. I sneer internally, looking at the recorder in my palm.Yes, I promised not to tell anyone myself. But people will hear the truth from her own mouth.
I guess slie still underestimated me. She should have searchied me first before letting me in.
Then I open Eason’s letter eagerly. My lieart is thumbing wildly against my chiest.
I can’t wait to see what he has got to say to me 6 years ago…?
***
When I get back liome, it’s almost 12, long past dinner time.
I sneak into the house quietly. Everyone has gone to bed, except Eason. He is sitting by the
fireplace when I come in, with a book on his lap.
(Where have you been?” le raises his eyebrow at me. “It’s Christmas Eve. Your mom was pissed off bigtime.”novelbin
I dust off the snow on my shoulder and sit down beside him, “I was out getting your Christinas gistready.” “Oh?” he seems surprised.
I take out a beautifully wrapped gift box and hand it to him, “Merry Christmas Eason.” He accepts mygift, astonished and shocked. The light from the fireplace is dancing in his green eyes, adding aglamourous glow to his pupil. He is so handsome, almost godlike. I look at him intently, not missing asingle change of reaction on his face.
“Why are you looking me like this?” he murmurs. A nervous blush appears on his face, which is kind ofcute.
“Nothing,” I smile lightly. “Hey Eason. Can I ask you a question?” “Yeah, of course.” He sits up a bit.“Do you love Katherine?” He suddenly widens his eyes. His jaw is clenched immediately.”…What?” “Isaid, do you love Katherine?” I repeat my question. And before he makes a sound, I answer thatquestion myself. “I don’t think you do.” He leans forward even more, a clear hint of anxiousness on hisface. He stretches out his arm and tries to grab me, but I stand up before he gets me. “Good night,Eason.” I say breezily. I bend down to hug him and feel his muscle tensed up like a piece of rock underhis shirt. That hug is really brief. Before he can react, I already walk away. “Natalia!” he growls lowlybehind me. “What the fuck” “Just open my gift!” I wave my hand and go upstairs without turning back.That night, I go to sleep with a light mood. But a loud noise wakes me up during the middle of the night.I open my eyes sleepily, yawing, and then realize the noise is coming from the door.
Someone is pounding at my bedroom door. “Natalia! Open the fucking door!” God, does he wanteveryone to hear him? I hurry to the door. As soon as I open it, he storms in. “What the hell is this?” heraises my Christmas gilt, his eyes bloodshot. It’s that recorder with all my conversations with Ms.Griswold in it.