Michael
"You got another girlfriend, she seems nice, what does she do for a living?" Elizabeth asked the moment I stepped into her room. She was already aware of the conversation we were about to have, and it was clear she had prepared herself for it.
"She's my assistant, so she's not a nobody like you've made her out to be in your head." I replied with confidence before taking a step towards her, my brows arched with genuine curiosity. "Why do you do this? Why do you keep making things difficult for the both of us, mom?"
"Whatever do you mean by that? I'm merely trying to give you the best of life." Elizabeth replied, her attention focused on the clothes in front of her. She knew exactly what she was doing, but she wouldn't admit it, not unless I brought up the reason for all of this nonsense.
"I'm not getting married to Melanie. I don't love her, and I don't care what sort of agreement you and dad had with her family. I'm sticking with that decision, and you won't change my mind."
She finally turned to look at me, disappointment and suppressed rage evident in her eyes. "Melanie is a good girl, her parents are good people, and unlike these gold-diggers, she's not here for your money. When will you understand that?!" Steadily, she rose from the bed and approached me, her eyes slowly tearing up as she inched closer. "You could have given me a grandchild if you'd just gotten married to her. Don't you want me to be happy?"
I pulled away as she reached for me, my face tight with determination as I spoke. "Don't do this now. Don't you dare try to blackmail me emotionally." I cautioned, while steadily backing away. "Sylvie is not like the others, and she's a good girl. If you'd just give her a chance and not act so hostile all the time, you'd get to know her better."
"Nonsense! You said that about the two other girls didn't you? I gave them a chance and what did they do? One of them tried to use you, and the other a straight up thief. When are you going to learn Michael?!"
"Just stop it, just stop—" I was interrupted by the ringing of Elizabeth's phone. She rushed forward to grab it, but I managed to get a sneak peek at the caller's ID before she could hide the screen away from my eyes. It was Melanie calling, but mother didn't answer. Instead she turned her phone off and hid it inside the depth of her purse.
When she turned to continue our conversation, I raised an inquisitive brow and cast her a suspicious look. "Why didn't you answer? She could be calling for something important."
Elizabeth threw a hand over her face to wave off my question. "I don't want any interruptions during our discussion. I'll speak to her later." She replied before going to settle on the bed.
While it seemed like the truth, it was a weird thing for Elizabeth to say. She basically adored Melanie, and would never be that frantic to end a call from her favorite human on earth. My thoughts raced, trying to figure out what exactly was going on, and then it dawned on me.
My brows furrowed in anger, and disappointment flooded my veins as I glared at the lady before me. "You didn't fake your medical condition just so you could come here, did you?"
"What are you even talking about? I'd never do that—"
"Don't you dare lie to me mom!" I interjected sharply. "You and Dr Harrington planned this, didn't you? You did it so you could leak my address to Melanie and have her come here, is that it?"
Her face fell, but she didn't admit to her crime. I knew my hunch was correct, Melanie had probably called to ask if she had reached my place, and since I was around, she had ended the call to keep me from eavesdropping on their conversation. I was genuinely disappointed in her, and Dr Harrington as well. The both of them almost gave me a heart attack, and I had been genuinely scared about her health. But now that I knew the truth, all I could feel was disgust and anger.
"Melanie is a great lady, she's going to be the best woman you'll ever be with. Just give her a chance." Elizabeth said in a mild voice. Her tears had begun to drop, but I knew it was all a charade to keep me from staying mad at her for what she'd done.
I was honestly done with the entire conversation, and I knew that continuing it would do nothing but get me angrier than I already was. Without saying any more words to her, I turned around and stormed out of the room. She called for me, but I ignored all her calls and went straight to my room.
"Your mother hates me." Sylvie blurted out before I could enter the room properly. "I don't think it would be a good idea to stay here especially when it would only create problems. I don't want to be the reason for any rift between you and your family."
I let out a sigh of exhaustion before walking forward and wrapping her in my arms. I kissed her neck, then her lips and forehead before giving her reassurance for the umpteenpth time. "She doesn't know you, give her some time and I'm sure you two would love each other."
"Are you sure? It doesn't seem like she intends to do that soon." She argued with her head resting on my chest. "She probably thinks I'm here because you're rich."
I chuckled at her blunt honesty. It was exactly why Sylvie was different. She was honest, and she didn't sugarcoat words unnecessarily. "It doesn't matter what she thinks. What matters is what I think, so don't pay her any attention for now, okay?"
I felt hesitation in her voice as she replied; "it's fine. I'll keep trying to be her friend."
I kissed her a second time, and only then did regret wash through me. Sylvie knew so little about me, and things were only going to get progressively worse from here onwards. I thought about sending her to a hotel for the meantime, but soon decided against it. She deserved to know about Melanie, and she needed to know that Melanie was nothing to me. It was the only way to make sure that this relationship of ours doesn't last only a day.