"I have no knowledge of such time, sir. You have got the wrong person." Paula was not joking when she'd said the part of her life was gone and she was determined to keep it gone.
It never happened. Okay, maybe when she looked at her six year old son, she was reminded because her baby was the spitting image of the man standing before her. He was the younger self of Len Bertram which was part of the reason she had to make sure he did not see him.
He would know. Anyone who saw him would know. David of knew of him but he had not seen him, not even pictures yet. And she wanted it to remain that way.
"Stop this, Paula. What is wrong with you?" Len had no intention of leaving here if he did not get it right with her. After that embarrassing incident with Melissa, he had his driver take her home.
He'd had enough of her as wanted no more of her crazy attitude. Which was exactly what he wanted his mom to see but the woman was not seeing it. To her, it was either Melissa or nobody.
Maybe this is what he'd been bothered about. Seeing Paula was slowly make him come to terms with the fact that he had probably done a lot of things wrong.
"I'm going to have to call the security, Mr. Bertram " She threatened.
"Call them, Paula. If you do, I'll know you're not the Paula I used to know. Call them. Will you want to see me embarrassed out of here? If yes, then call them." He looked like a troubled man. The whole strong demeanor was washing away under Paula's very eyes.
A tug. A small, barely noticeable tug. She felt it, and that was all it took for her own tough demeanor to crumble just about a bit. "Leave here, Len. There's nothing more for us."
"No, I can't. I saw you tonight and…"
"And what?" Emotions rose and anger was the first to sprout. "And what, Len? You suddenly forgot the hits? The late nights? The cheating with Melissa? The accusations? You're here because I have become a woman I am proud of, is that it? If you wanted such a woman, I was there for you to mold. I was so in love with you that I would have become anything you wanted me to be." Her voice broke.
No, she blinked her eyes. She would not betray her present self by letting her past self break free. She never wanted to be that woman again.
"I was ready to be the woman you wanted me to be. Len all you had to say was jump and I'd say how high! You tell me to run and I'd ask how far! That was how much I was in love with you. But you broke me. Betrayed me. Disrespected me. Do you remember the last time you saw me?" She was suddenly cold.
She rubbed her arms, struggling not to let the tears roll. She had cried enough when she was with him, and even after she had left, she had cried herself to sleep every single night. No one knew her battles. No one could understand the internal torture she had given herself just to be strong and tough.
During her pregnancy, she had seen women in the same condition being pampered and loved by their men. During labor, she was alone. She had gone through fifty hours of labor with no one to hold her hand.
While she had almost lost her life and that of her son, he was probably here, making love and drinking expensive wine with Melissa.
"I'm sorry, let's not go into the past." Guilt ate and tore at him. It was shredding his insides to pieces.
"Why?" Her tone was low and tinged with bitter memories.
He opened his mouth but in all honesty, he had no excuse. Nothing to say. He moved close to her.
"Stay away from me, Len. I don't want you coming close. I hate you and I do not trust myself not to hurt you." She shifted back. She was filled with terrible emotions and if he tried to come close, she would be tempted to use her stiletto to draw blood from his head.
"I'm sorry. Okay? I am sorry. Please forgive me." Now that he thought of it, he regretted. He could not understand why he had done all of those things.
"Why? That video, am I not still the slut in it? You called me a cunning woman, what happened to that? Am I no longer cunning?" She asked bitterly.
"Can we forget the past, please?" Desperation and regret laced his tone.
"Wow! It's suddenly easy for you to tell me to forget. Just because you were not the one receiving the insults. You, your mother and Melissa ruined my reputation before your grandfather. The only man to have ever loved me. You never believed I had no knowledge of that night. You thought I had intentionally drugged you and made you sleep with me so I could buy my way into your life, was that not the belief?" Her words were venomous and she had no issue spitting them at him.
Whatever monster she had become. Whatever she was to him today. Whatever attitude she was giving him was his fault. And so long as their paths crossed, she would never be the woman he wanted.
"Paula, I am…"
"Hold it, Len." She was no longer going to keep listening to him. "No matter how many times you beg, it won't change anything. I have made peace with everything. I suggest you do the same and follow the woman who you worked together with to break and humiliate me. I hold no grudge against you but this is me telling you the truth; don't come close to me.."
"But that's…" He tried to protest.
She held a hand up, completely shutting him. "You're my past and you'll remain the same. I have a life I'm living and I'm enjoying it. Six years is a long time and I'm sure you've had fun without me, don't let my presence change anything, Len." She stepped forward.
"Because here is no longer my home. I'm here for business and once I'm done, I'm gone. You and I, our story was a sad one but you know what I've learnt in life? Some stories are fated to end rough and badly. That's our story, Len."
She walked towards the door as Len could only stand and stare feeling lost and regretful and sorry. He could only blame himself.
"Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Bertram ." Her smile was cold and her walls were back up.