Previously on Avenging Angels
Regina makes Rose suffer from her absurd commands but Miss Helda comes in to save her. Georgina is finally out of her shell and she seems to have other plans for the Bladderworts.
FORTY-EIGHT
"Oh yeah, where's the cover-up money?" Georgina rudely scoffed.
Everyone went in total confusion, it was evident from their faces that they were shocked .
"Excuse me?" Avalor cut the silence with a startling question.
"What did you think? That you were going to forget about the whole incident like it never happened without a price?" Georgina raised her eyebrows.
"If you wanted the media not to know about your son's filthy action, the first thing you would have done was to bribe me off but you kept quiet as though it never occurred to you that I could actually sue your son for attempted rape," Georgina said with a daring threat.
"You insolent girl!" Brad pounded his fist on the table and everyone visibly shook from the shock of his outrage.
"You think you can win against us in court? Dare sue us and we'll show what influence and power mean" Brad's thundering voice rang all over the room.
"Of course, I know I won't win against you because you're obviously going to bribe the judge. But don't you think such a horrifying scandal would taint the pure image of your family in the society, Mr. Bladderwort?" Georgina snickered as sheer boldness emanated from her.
For the very first time in my life, I was impressed by a fellow woman.
The harsh tone and the unforgiving glint in her eyes were worth applause.
She has been treated unfairly and she wasn't going down without a fight.
Brad's left eye twitched so rampantly that I feared for the old man's blood pressure. Avalor reached out to her husband and used her hand to calm his uprising anger.
"The money will be transferred to you first thing tomorrow morning. If I hear any of this get out to the media, I promise you will be sorry" Avalor warned with a hard glare but it seemed to have no effect on Georgina.
She smirked and walked towards us to stand at the end of the line.
"I keep my job," she said with a finality that even the great Avalor shut up and continued with her dinner.
I leaned back a little and took a look at Georgina.
Although she appeared to be courageous and could talk back to Brad and Avalor, in her eyes, beyond the hardness and rigidity, I saw fear, hopelessness, and depression.
I knew a broken heart too well that now, from just one look, I could decipher one's emotions.
When I looked back at Grayson, I saw his timid eyes on Georgina, in his maroon eyes, I saw guilt, regret, and something else...
I was too scared to even mention it.
Dinner was short after the small clash that occurred. We quickly cleaned up the plates and spoons from the table, the work getting accustomed to our bones that we did it in a short amount of time.
After cleaning the dishes with Francesca, I was about to leave the kitchen so I could get my long-awaited sleep when a small voice called me back.
"Rosaline"
I turned around to see Georgina sitting by the counter, looking at me through hollow eyes.
I swallowed hard before I went and sat beside her.
We first sat in comfortable silence, each of us lost in individual thought, just feeling but not actually seeing the other one's presence.
She later broke the silence by holding my hand. I looked up at her and was shocked to see unushered tears hidden behind her Auburn eyes.
"Thank you so much," she choked out.
"I can never thank you enough for what you did that day. You didn't only save my dignity but you also saved my life, Rosaline and there's no befitting word I can use to express my gratitude" tears fell from her eyes and I reached out, about to say something when she stopped me.
"No, Listen to me, please"
I nodded and kept quiet.
"Before you showed up, when I realized what he was about to do to me and that there was nothing I could do to save myself, I lost everything. I lost all hope, my emotions were gone and I just felt numb. I thought this was it, I was going to die here but then you showed up"
"Anyone could have run away and simply ignored what they saw or they could have run to get help and it would have already been too late, you could have done any of that but instead... you fought him off, you were so bold and courageous that you sparkled like a guardian angel. You restored life into me and that meant everything to me"
"You weren't scared to defend me when they confronted you for the truth. You held my hand and made sure I was fine before you went out. You made wanting to be like you, confident, daring, and unyielding. You showed me that one should never be scared to fight for the truth. Most of all, you showed me hope" she squeezed my hand even tighter.
"Despite all the horrible things I said and did to you since we came in this mansion, you stood up for me. Thank you, thank you very much" she smiled a wistful smile amidst the falling tears and that moment stoke me hard on the chest.
"I did what I had to do, not as a favor nor as a scheme but just an honest duty towards a fellow woman"
Because I've been in your place before, I wanted to say but I didn't.
"You don't need to thank me excessively. I'm just glad I got there at the right time. You're fine now, that's all that matters to me. But this is the Bladderworts, the way you talked-"
"I'll be fine, I won't do anything that would put me in harm" she assured and I simply nodded through my fears didn't subside.
"One last time, thank you, Rosaline" she smiled and her tears were dried up by now.
"It's Rose, my friends call me Rose" I playfully winked at her and she laughed her usual crankling laugh that would rise to the highest pitch and then dramatically fall so low in a comical manner.
I never thought I would be so happy to hear her laugh.
"And you're free to call me George" she snickered slyly and a smile unconsciously entered my lips.
Her cheerful tone was like adrenaline that made me buzz with positivity and joy.
"Alright, let us get to bed. You don't want old Miss Helda to start snarling at us for staying up at this late hour" she got up and I followed in suit.
"Tup, Tup" she clapped her hands and I switched off the lights as we left the kitchen.
We went our separate ways when we got to the maid's quarters.
I slid into my room to see Chloe already passed out on her bed. I wasn't even surprised.
I quickly took my shower and tiptoed around the hall so I won't wake anybody. I got dressed and jumped straight into my comforting, fluffy bed.
Oh, my darling,
I was deprived of you too early this morning.
I sank my head into the pillow and my long, black locks shielded my face from the glaring moonlight.
Father always said that when anyone does a good deed, it was taking a cold bottle of water in a hot desert.
Satisfying and consoling to the soul.
I felt the same way when I helped Georgina and the feeling was reinforced when she thanked me so earnestly.
Father, I know, wherever you are, you are watching and happy for me.
I sighed contently as his shiny ginger hair and glamorous blue eyes that shined as bright as the sun settled in the middle part of my head and I couldn't get it off, no matter how hard I tried.
I better get some sleep,
Tomorrow is bound to be eventful.