She gagged at the thought as Fred laughed, “I would rather sleep with his father than his brother and that’s saying something. The old man is sleazy.”
“His sons are chips off the old block.” Fred commented dryly.
Her phone rang and she noted it was Janka. She answered it on speaker, “is he gone yet?”
“No. He’s asking for your engagement ring. He says it was a family heirloom and he wants Sandy to have it.”
“I’ll kill him where he sleeps,” she whispered furiously. “He’s going to put the ring he proposed to me with, in front of all our family and friends, at Christmastime, on her finger?”
“I’m so sorry, Liesl but he’s refusing to leave without talking to you, unless you tell me where the ring is.”
“Why is he trying to hurt me more? Hasn’t he done enough?” she whimpered against Fred’s shoulder. “What did I do to him to make him hate me so much he would do this?”
“My feeling from the way he’s been behaving here in the house is he thought you would fight for him. I think he thought you would argue more over the divorce and beg him to stay. I think you kicked his ego in the balls by signing on the same night. I think he thought you would come crying to us and boohoo and beg.” Janka threw her two cents in. “I caught him going through your clothes and he had taken some of your lingerie. I told him it was not part of his belongings, and I took it from him. He tried to argue he had purchased it, but I made him put it back.”
“Mother -” she censored herself as an older lady sat down at the table next to them. She blinked back tears and nodded, “tell him I have the ring on me, and I will give it to my mother. I realized Wednesday I was wearing it when I was at the doctor’s office getting my pap smear done to make sure he didn’t pass on Sandy’s chlamydia.” At her mother’s rolled eyes, she dug the ring out and made her mom hold it up and snapped a photo. “Show him that she has it.”
“I hope she loses it on her way home.”
“I don’t. I hope his grandmother, who was a saint, comes back from the dead and haunts Sandy for wearing it.” Janka’s chortle of laughter echoed as she hung up the call and she eyeballed her mother who was carefully putting the ring in her handbag. “I hope you know how much this hurts me, Mom.” She turned her head into Fred’s chest and let the tears fall yet again.
“I’m sorry Liesl. I can’t choose between daughters.”
“I can choose between sisters,” Fred said quietly. “Mom, you should go. Liesl needs support from people who put her first and right now you’re not capable. He is tearing her apart and you’re condoning his behavior by supporting his mistress. Shame on you.”
As her mother slowly got up from the table and walked away sadly, Liesl curled into her brother’s arms and sobbed her heart out.
Isaias Machado sat in the corner of his favorite restaurant happily enjoying a quiet moment. He knew it was short lived. His date had gone to the bathroom and her incessant yammering on and on was making him wish he’d come alone.
He noted a flurry of activity from his security team in opposite sides of the room and then looked up in surprise when a woman he didn’t know sat down in the seat his date had just vacated.
“Can I help you?” he lifted a hand up to ward off his men. He studied the woman. He knew her from somewhere but couldn’t place her.
She slid a thumb drive across the table. “I know you don’t know me. I don’t know you either other than what my husband, or soon to be ex-husband, has told me. Considering how much of a sniveling turd he’s turned out to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if half of what he said was bullshit but it’s irrelevant anyway.”
“What is this?”
“Information.”
“Is this an extortion attempt.”
“No,” the pretty brunette with the dark kohl lined eyes and red lipstick shook her head. “It’s the opposite. My ex fucked me over. Badly. He left information on my laptop pertaining to business transactions which you might be interested in. I don’t want to extort you, Mr. Machado. I want to bribe you to help me ruin the bastard.”
“Bribe me how?” He wanted to laugh at the vehemence of her.
“Merlin McGrath is my ex.”
He sat up straight. That weasel was married to this gorgeous woman? He leaned sideways and let his gaze rake her from head to toe and he gave a low whistle. “How did he fuck you over, dare I ask? Please don’t say he cheated.”
“With my sister.”
“Are you twins?”
“No.”
“Then why? You’re a solid ten.”
She blushed under his scrutiny, and he liked the color on her cheeks. He watched as she slowly shook her head as if trying to clear the cobwebs.
“Look. I can’t speak to his motivation. My brother’s hypothesis is he got dropped on his head as a child. My theory is, he’s a greedy bastard not content with his lot so he wants everyone else’s too. He knocked my sister up at her wedding reception.”
“You know I could ruin his reputation simply with this information alone.”
“Go ahead. It might make my mother cry more but at this point, I’m not caring too much. They’re getting married tomorrow. It’s taken me a month to sift through the information he left on my laptop. He also stupidly forgot to change his email address, so I’ve been looking at his emails every day. He has a hate for you unlike anyone I’ve ever seen. His entire family does.”
“What do you want?” He was intrigued. A woman scorned was frightening but this one had a chip on her shoulder and a score to settle.
“Look through the information on the USB. My contact information is on it. If you want more information, I’ll provide it to you but there’s a catch.”
“There always is.”
“Ruin him. Destroy him and make his life a living hell.”
“Is that all?” He’d gladly do it.
“When his kid turns eighteen, the child will be entitled to a trust fund. I don’t want a child to suffer needlessly. I don’t care what you do to him and my sister, but I don’t want the child to lose what he or she will be entitled to. I draw the line at harming a kid. It didn’t ask to be born. Did you know there’s a woman who sued her parents for not gaining her permission to be born? I kind of want to send the kid all her videos the minute he turns sixteen. Poor bastard is in for a rough time with my selfish bitch of a sister for a mom.”
“Does he not pay you alimony? If I take everything from him, you’ll lose as well.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply