That gentlemanly business bullshit is just another lie the rich tell to the poor to keep them docile. I learned that from grandpa and the uncles. They’d taught us those things to keep us kids from falling into people’s traps. That’s why all our friends were mere acquaintances until they proved that they were genuine.
Now this one thinks he can just get away with his harsh treatment of me with a few words of excuse, hah. Once Chrissy was gone, I stood in the center of the spacious living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out at the darkening sky.
Food, I’m starving. I rushed back out to the car and headed into the little beach town feeling giddy. I’d put a dent in his finances, spending a cool five million in less than ten minutes to buy the house, and that made me feel five percent better.
Next, I stopped at the first seafood restaurant I passed and sat for an hour enjoying my meal before heading out to look for a supermarket that was open this late. Of course, there was one. I stocked up on all my favorites using my new trusty card, of course.
I stopped after filling up the trunk. What if he puts a stop to the card? Not that I was worried, I have my own money after all. But his doing that would tell me a lot about the kind of man he is. I can’t forget that my love for him had been one-sided for many years, or the fact that I don’t really know him when you think about it.
What kind of man will he turn out to be? He’s already in the red with me; one wrong move now might just seal his fate.
JULIUS
I stoodbehind the bathroom door, gritting my teeth and my fists as I fought hard not to go after her. I’d turned on the shower so she’d think that her little plan had worked, knowing and accepting that she needed time.
It was I who had messed up after all, and if she’d easily accepted, she wouldn’t be the little spitfire I knew and loved. I had hoped that we could stay together while she worked things out in her head, but I respected the fact that she might need to be alone.
As long as she didn’t plan to leave me forever, I could be magnanimous and give her some time. Once she had cleared the house, I walked back into the room, already feeling the loss of her presence. The little arrow on my watch moved, showing the direction she was heading in, and I made a call instead of heading out myself.
I could only sit and wait until she got over her mad. I didn’t think she’d go too far since she’d already started playing her cat-and-mouse game with the ex and his mistress, so I wasn’t too worried about her slipping out of my grip. There was no way I was letting her go, not after the hell I’d lived through in the past. But I owe her. I know it as well as she does.
I breathed a sigh of relief when her team got back to me. I’d already seen the arrow stop and knew where she was, but nothing beat having eyes on her. “Find a place, lay low; if you let her find out you’re tailing her, I’ll bury you in the desert.”
“No worries, boss, we’re professionals.” I snorted and hung up. That might be true, but if she learned that I had men following her every move, she’d probably kill me in my sleep.I laughed out loud when I received the notification about the house sale a few minutes later.
So that’s the game she’s playing. For some reason, my shoulders relaxed, and I breathed easy again. If she’s just planning to hurt my pocket, then she’s not really angry, just hurt. I can deal with that.
JESSICA
This was better, this was plan A from the get. If Mom and Dad hadn’t shanghaied me, I would’ve been holed up somewhere plotting my revenge with no distractions. Come to think of it, my life has taken a very strange turn lately, and it’s only now that I can breathe freely that it’s hitting home just how crazy it is.
I dropped onto the new bed in my newly bought villa, replaying things in my head, and it reads like a cheesy B-movie. Had I not run away at this point, I’d have been sucked into whatever drama these people have going on.
Now that I was alone, it was safe to unpack each thing and look at it separately without anyone here to influence me one way or another. I’d already set off the first volley with Ms. Charlotte, and it was going to take a few days for that to really blow up, so I had time there before moving on to phase two of operation detonate everybody’s shit.
I jumped back up and looked for my purse, which had been left on the coffee table downstairs; I needed my notebook to take notes. I could’ve grabbed my laptop or tablet, but either of those things could be used against me in the future.
Good ole-fashion paper can be burned or eaten once I’m done with it, no trace left for anyone to follow. I learned that from Gramps and the uncles who hate modern technology like it owes them back rent.
First order of business. I stopped with my pen held above the page, then wrote Julius’ name three times, pressing down so hard I scratched a hole in the paper. At this point, I know that if I want to live in peace again, I’ll have to give in to him at some point; I know that much.
Mom, Dad, my siblings, they were sellouts who would no doubt guide him to me wherever I went, so there was no point even thinking about escaping. That being said, I’m no pushover and will not be giving in to him that easily, no sir.
A smile started to bloom on my face. I have so much wriggle room here; there’s so much I can do with this. He owes me, and there’s nothing like the debtor knowing that his shit is due; plus, there’s interest- high-yield interest. That means I’m going to take him for everything he’s worth.
First order of business: stay away from him for now. It must be making him crazy to find me gone; good, serves his ass right. Next in line, play up the hurt and scars he’d left in me back then. I can milk that shit for years. You see, I was still thinking of him.
I hadn’t run away exactly, just found a new location for negotiations and to show him that I cannot be pinned down. My pen flew across the page with each new idea. First, let him panic for a few days before making or accepting any calls; that goes for my family as well, the traitors.
Wait, Dad found me last time. Shit, damn, blast. Oh, but he thinks I’m with Julius. Would Julius tell them that I disappeared? Does he dare? Then he’d have to tell them why and what he’d done. A sinister grin spread across my face. I can use that shit to hold him hostage, too.
I wasn’t worried about whether or not Julius would think something had happened to me; he knew very well that I walked out of his house on my own, but how long before he comes looking for himself? How much time do I actually have?
I calmed down once I reminded myself that there was no way for him to find me, not unless I went back into town, which I have no plans on doing for now. Most of what I planned now was for future negotiations. He should be happy that I’m even thinking about giving his dumb ass a second chance.
I had to dissect and pick apart everything that he’d said tonight. In all fairness, I should at least try to understand his point of view, bitch ass. That’s the conclusion I came to after five minutes of deep thinking.
I’m not clear on why his pushing me away was supposed to help anything back then. It sounds like fear to me; I can work with that. Within half an hour, I had him cooked. He’s afraid; he’s under this family legacy thing, which he has no power over, and I’m his soul mate. I’m going to run his shit.
