Chapter Eleven
Lionel's POV
"What the heck, guy!" Rudy exclaimed. "Your mother is really living with you? This is not a good thing for your wife right now."
"I know, but I will try to balance things out," I said.
"Balance things out? Guy, you are in the middle of it. You can't do anything about it. Your mom doesn't like her, and there's nothing you can do about that," Rudy uttered as he sank into the couch in my office, with his right arm placed on the couch arm.
"But the way my mom grew hatred for her is just unbelievable. My mom liked her when I introduced her," I said.
"Until she did some findings about her background and discovered what her past was," Rudy said as he walked to the coffee machine beside the couch.
"That was her mistake. I was the one she was getting married to, not her," I said, rotating my chair a bit in Rudy's direction as he prepared coffee with the coffee machine.
"The ladies of this generation would say there are two types of guys they can't or won't marry," Rudy said as he added milk to his coffee.
"And what are the types of guys they can't marry?" I inquired curiously, my fingers dancing on the chair arm.
"One, the broke guys."
"Can't blame them for that. Everyone likes green pastures," I said with a smile on my face. "So what's the other one?"
"A guy who is the only child of his mother."
"Why?" I asked curiously.
"'Cause everyone likes still waters. They feel like marrying that kind of person is walking into the valley of the shadow of death."
"Oh geez!"
"My sister would say, 'I can't marry them because you can't marry them alone; you have to marry their mother too.'"
"It's okay. Thanks for your insight. Let's talk about other things," I said, unable to bear Rudy's analysis, although it seemed somewhat true.
"You're welcome," he said as he raised his coffee cup and took a sip.
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Lucia's POV
"What? You did surrogacy and didn't tell me? Am I that insignificant?" Fredico questioned, his voice laced with anger.
"C'mon, babe, you are important to me. I was planning to tell you. I'm sorry," I apologized.
"Planning to tell me? When exactly? We've been planning our wedding for about two months now, and you decided to be a surrogate mother for a token amount," he said angrily, with regret and disappointment evident in his voice.
"C'mon, Fred, stop talking as if this is about me alone. I did it for the two of us," I defended. My intention was never to keep it from him, but he was so focused on our wedding plans that anytime I wanted to mention it, it felt like I was about to ruin the moment for him.
"No, don't tell me that. You did this because of yourself. It was never for us; it was for your selfish reasons. You're selfish, Lucia," he said.
"Shut the f*** up! You called me selfish? My payment every month for this surrogacy is $20,000, and I gave you twelve thousand euros to buy a new car for your taxi business and to change your apartment. Did you even ask where the money came from? And you're here calling me selfish."
"I knew it. I knew the money didn't come from a good source. You know why Larissa chose you as her surrogate mother? Not because you are her only friend, but because you are a lab rat who she can do whatever she likes on. She had the financial ability to change your apartment, but she didn't until you chose to be the lab rat. Believe me, this is just the beginning. She will use you until you lose everything you have and she has everything she wants, starting with me. We're done, and never in your life call my number again."
"I knew a day like this would come. I had never in my life seen us getting married, so get your broke ass out of my apartment now," I yelled in a vexed tone.
"Not your apartment, Larissa's apartment," he said and walked out of the door. I walked to the left side of the apartment, stood there looking at Fred through the transparent glass, and watched him drive off with his car.
I exhaled sharply and walked slowly to the couch. I sank onto the white couch with my palm placed on my forehead, my head facing down, and my elbow firm on my knee cap. Every line of Fred's statements flooded back to me like water in a hollow channel.
Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't deny that I had felt the same way about Larissa. She had truly been selfish; she always took what was supposed to be mine. I used to be Ramon's best until, all of a sudden, it switched to Larissa, same as Lionel. Before I left Imperio Real, I did everything to get his attention, but the highest I got with him was a night before I got a job at another place. But Larissa's relationship was different; I never expected it to last, and it was really mind-blowing when I saw them get married.
Maybe it's really time to cut our friendship. All I got from our relationship was nothing but loss. I had just lost the only person that really mattered to me, Fredico. And this was all because of Larissa. She gets whatever she wants, but in the process, I lose something I hold dearly. This friendship is definitely over, but before it cuts loose, I must have something my way. I can't leave as a loser, and thank goodness I have leverage: her baby inside me, which is enough to get anything I want from her. With this weapon, I would be in control.
I felt a sense of relief after the thought and put a vengeful smile on my face.
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