"What do you mean by what you just said?" Samantha's chest tightened as she tried to process what he had just said.
"Take this," Steven said, and he handed her a file, which she reluctantly collected. Samantha's hands trembled as she held the file in her hand. She stared at the file intently and wondered if she would make a big mistake by opening it.
She slowly took her time to open it, and she hesitated when she was just about to bring it out. She didn't want to have anything to do with Reid, as she was done with him for good, but she couldn't fight her curiosity, as Steven had mentioned her family earlier.
As Samantha was immersed in her thoughts, Steven's deep baritone voice cut in sharply.
"Reid Brandon, his name, age, background, and dealings." Steven paused for a bit to look at Samantha,who simply remained silent while her eyes explored the paper's contents.
He stared at her for a while and continued, "Both legal and illegal, his connection with your family, your father's death, and the company's sudden collapse.
You will find out all about it in what is in your hands." He concluded coldly and sat himself properly in front of her as he observed her in silence.
Samantha stopped reading abruptly as she raised her head to look at the ceiling, trying desperately to hold back her tears, which threatened to fall at any moment.
"I don't believe this," she managed to utter as her shaky voice hindered her greatly.
She took a deep breath and folded the paper neatly inside the file.
"There is no way Reid is capable of all this. How did you get hold of this information?" She continued speaking as her voice got louder with each word she spoke.
She knew with just one glance at the paper that everything there was true, but she would rather not believe it. The tears she had desperately tried to hold back ran down her face freely as she clutched her chest.
The news she had just discovered was too overwhelming for her to process. All this while she had kept on with her shitty marriage with Reid, she had consoled herself by believing that her deceased father would be glad that she was sacrificing a lot just for the wellbeing of the family. How was she supposed to accept that all those years had been in vain? She had done nothing to avenge her father, who had to go through an unfair death at the hands of her husband.
She had shared a bed with the same man who caused her father so much pain and handed over so easily the company that her father had died protecting.
She is such a useless daughter who still wants to run away from the truth out of fear. She is powerless and can do next to nothing to claim her father's company back.
Samantha couldn't help but wail as the feeling of severe guilt and pain washed over her.
Steven watched on quietly as Samantha broke down in tears. He had cancelled all his further appointments, so he had the liberty to stay there for so long.
He had decided not to reveal everything to her in case she might not be able to take it. He had expected her to cry and thought that he could bear it, but sitting down and watching her cry in pain was a torture he found so hard to bear.
He couldn't believe that he was still so attached to her. He regretted revealing the truth to her so soon, as he wondered if there was a better way he could do it that wouldn't hurt her so much.
"I want to find out everything and pay him back in bits." Why did he do what he did? Why us? Why my father's company? Why did he marry me? Is it because of love, or was it all part of his plans? I would like to know it all."
Samantha spoke while maintaining eye contact with Steven without breaking it for a second.
Steven was taken aback greatly by her sudden change of emotion. After seeing her break down in tears, he regretted telling her and decided to keep her out of most of it. But he was shocked to see that she was not beaten down by it.
"You must be smart enough to know that the person you want to take down won't go easy on you." Steven finally broke the silence, as they had been staring at each other for so long.
"I know that there is no way he could have pulled it off by himself. If Reid could do all this and successfully hide it, then there must be more to it than meets the eye." She paused talking for a bit and gave Steven a light smile before continuing.
"There is no need to be scared; you have done a lot for me by letting me learn the truth. I will take it from here and try my best to make sure you are not involved in this, regardless of what." Samantha ranted on and on as Steven quietly listened in utter shock.
Since he was turned down by her in high school, he has never seen anyone belittle him so much.
"I don't know how you got all this information, but I'm guessing it must be as a result of your work.".
"How much do you get paid to do all this shady stuff? You must have gone through a lot to get this for me. But rest assured, I'll pay you for it. That seems fair, doesn't it?
Let me do it now.
How do you guys do it—cash or transfer? Which way is safer?"
Samantha paused to look at Steven's face after a long time of ranting. She expected him to reply, which he did not, and he just stared at her without saying a word. She shrugs this off quickly and assumes that he must be surprised that she is being considerate to him, unlike her past self.
"I didn't know you were this nice; if I had known, I wouldn't have disregarded you so much back then.
You know what? I can be able to land you a good job that will help you earn money honestly.
Doing all this shady business might earn you quite a sum of money, but it's too risky."
"How do you plan to do that?" Steven's bass voice startled Samantha greatly, who turned to him to hear what he finally had to say to her after all that she had just said.
"Which job can you get me that pays me more than my current job?" Steven's voice was louder this time as he walked towards her briskly, closing the gap between them in seconds. ".
Samantha was short on words. She had not expected that sort of reply from him. Wasn't he meant to thank her for her kindness with the utmost sincerity?
She became offended a bit by his reaction. Who is he to act so cocky like he owns everything in this country?
She cleared her throat loudly to clear the tension between them and make Steven step back a bit, as they were so close to each other.
"How much do they pay you in a month?" Samantha said this and crossed her arms, waiting eagerly for his reply with a huge smirk plastered on her face.
"That's good. How about you make a guess?" Steven replied and put his hands in his pocket as he let out a light chuckle before continuing.
"How much do I make in a month?".