“Do it again!” I yelled this time.
I stood over him and watched his hands tremble as he tried to solve the equation. He stumbled with his numbers, repeating the same sequence over and over. I slammed the ruler down on the table, making him jump.
Tap! Smack!
I had gone from hitting the table to the top of his hands.
“Wrong! Braylen, we go over this every other day. When will you learn? That this number goes at the top and this at the bottom. Then you multiply.”
His muffled sobs crept from his lips, but he knew not to utter a word because then his punishment would be much worse. I couldn’t stand the sound of him crying because it reminded me of the day he was brought into this house. I’ll never forget the first night he kept me up.
I asked Bobbie over and over to get up and check on him, but he wouldn’t. So, I did. When I went into the room, Braylen’s baby wails grew louder. I stood over the crib and watched his brown skin slowly turn red. My hands gripped the crib as I became more frustrated. “Why won’t you shut up?” I gritted.
The more he cried, the more I watched. My eyes scanned his tiny features, fueling my rage. I didn’t ask for this, but here I was, getting ready to travel down years of nurturing. I leaned forward as his cries began to sound as if he were choking. I reached into the crib and took him by the hand. The ideas that ran through my head were deadly, and I knew that if I let them course through me, they would fuel me to do something I didn’t want to do. I was too much of a prize to end up behind someone’s stinking ass bars. “You may not understand now, but you and I are enemies. We’re both fighting to win, and I always win,” I muttered.
The lights snapped on, causing me to jump. “Fiona, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be keeping him quiet, and you’re standing there!” Bobbie shouted.
He brushed past me, picking Braylen up. That’s when his cries suddenly stopped. Bobbie bounced him up and down as he exited the room. Braylen’s eyes stared at me as if he knew what I told him. If Bobbie thought for a minute this shit was going to continue, he had another thing coming.
I felt a touch on my hand, bringing me out of my thoughts. I glanced down at Braylen, as he wiped his tears. “Did I get it right this time, Mommy?”
I blew out a sharp breath. “Please, call me Fiona,” I grumbled.
I looked at the paper, and sure enough, he had solved the equation. My eyes rolled slowly toward him. “Finally, next time it shouldn’t take you as long.”
A grin eased on his face as he stood up from the chair. “What are you smiling for. There is no need
to be happy when it took you that long to solve a simple problem.”
His lips eased into a neutral position as what I said took the enjoyment out of his moment. I pointed the ruler toward the hall. “You are dismissed.”
He hurried away from the table and ran upstairs.
“Pathetic, just like his father,” I mumbled.
For a split second, I had felt bad, but then I knew the moment I became soft was the moment he won. I needed to stay the course. As long as I remained in control, there would be no room for disruption. That has always been the plan. It was I who set the tone for how I wanted my house to be ran, not Bobbie. If it were up to me, Braylen would be off to boarding school, and my interaction with him would be limited to the holidays.
My life was almost perfect. Bobbie had moved from being a district attorney to a sitting judge. I knew it would be no time before we were out of this house and into something much bigger. I would soon be standing before the other wives of the elite social clubs, boasting and bragging about how good my life was.
The sound of the doorbell caught my attention. A grin eased on my face because my guests had finally arrived. I straightened my dress before hurrying to the door. I took a deep breath and answered. They both stood there with their noses slightly turned up. “Hello, welcome to my home,” I said as I stood back to allow the Merciers to step in.
I watched as they carefully looked around my home, almost as if they were searching for something out of place. They truly were the centerpiece of Lake Hill. If you managed to connectwith them, it meant you were accepted by everyone. I gently guided them both into the living room, making them feel at ease. “Please sit.”
Cynthia sat with such decorum, such grace. “Mrs. Laureaux, thanks for having us,” she said as Clark sat beside her.
I smiled. “No, thank you for making time. So, this Prestige I heard about is—”
Clark cut me off. “It’s for those who would do whatever it takes to stay on top. It’s for the wealthy to continue to have a seat at the table. It is not for,” he paused as he looked around. “The average.”
I pulled my hair behind my ear, “I’m not average. I come from money, and my husband is a judge.”
When I brought up what Bobbie did, I noticed his ears perk up, and his eyes brighten. Clark preferred individuals in his organization who had enough influence to act and make changes that benefited him. “And is he on board with all of the things my wife has shared with you?”
Honestly, I hadn’t talked to Bobbie about it yet, but I knew once we got in, and I explained with a bit of sex on the side, he would be on board. Bobbie knew that he needed to do whatever it took to keep me. So just as I got what I wanted with every other ask, this shouldn’t be a problem either. My lips pressed together, then eased up. “Yes,” I lied.
Clark had gone to say something when his eyes landed on the hall. “You have children?”
A bit of confusion rested on my forehead as I turned to see Braylen standing there. I cleared my throat and stood. “Please excuse me.”
