"I said I don't know how the fuck she did it!" I screamed in Connor's face again. "I didn't leave a trace of who I was contacting or the positions and funding I was lining up. The only explanation is that you and your father messed up. You told me the vote will be taking place in a few weeks, so tell me why it happened without either of you knowing!"
He loosened his grip around my neck and seemed to be considering what I was saying.
His eyes were so dark that I couldn't even call them blue anymore. He's furious and understandably so. The only reason he was even entertaining my plan was so that he would get that promotion, but now he's lost that and I have no idea how it happened.
I had a simple and yet brilliant plan - lure in most of the partners with jobs they've only ever dreamed off. I worked my ass off to get it done in just two weeks. When it was time for them to vote, more than half of the partners were going to vote for Connor and that would start Ericsson's biggest torment.
He punched the wall, missing my face by a few inches. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but it still took all my strength not to flinch.
"You assured me you know how to deal with Ericsson." He whispered while holding my neck. "You told me you've dealt with her before and that you succeeded without breaking a sweat."
"And you told me the partners still had a few days before the meeting." I retorted. "You told me they were only going to vote towards the end of the month. I was using your timeline, Connor and according to that timeline, I still have fifteen days left."
He finally let go of my neck, but I could tell the man was using his restraint not to hit me.
I rubbed my neck and tried not to think of the bruise I'm going to have tomorrow.
"The partners met last night." He walked away from me and went to stand outside on the balcony. The light breeze outside might help with his temper.
"According to the email the managing partner just sent to the entire firm, Charlotte and I weren't notified of the meeting because we were the ones the partners were voting for, so ..." he balled his fists.
"So there was no need to inform the two candidates who were up for promotion." I finished his sentence.
He nodded without looking at me.
"What about your father?" I asked him. "He's a partner. He would have known about the meeting. Why didn't he tell us? I could have moved quicker. I would have -"
"Are you fucking stupid?" He turned around to look at me like I'm an imbecile.
"My father can't be a part of the vote." He still looked at me like I'm the stupidest person in the world. "One of the candidates that was up for promotion was his son. That means there's a conflict of interest. He has no business knowing anything of that meeting. How the fuck are you asking me that question right now?"
I walked to the balcony to go stand beside him.
I've seen plenty of people look at Lauren the way this man just looked at me. I could destroy everything him and his father have worked for before the end of the night and maybe even have them dead by the end of the week. He's forgotten that. He has forgotten who he is talking to and that even without him, I can still take Ericsson down because I am fucking Lisa Mitchell.
"You know," I smiled while leaning my hands on the balcony, "I once turned a boy's mother into a maid and his father into a gardner after he tried to look under my skirt while I was walking up the stairs at school. His father was a lawyer, just like yours and his mother was an accountant."
He turned to look at me and it seems it still hadn't dawned on him how much power I wield in this world.
"That boy killed himself after I was done with him and his parents will never have any kind of professional job ever again all because their son didn't know his place."
He should have been terrified, but because he's stupid, he laughed.
It was a slow and taunting laugh that I've used myself to make others feel small and insignificant.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with." He pushed a strand of hair out of my face. "You think I'm afraid of the Mitchell name ... you think I'm afraid of the so-called lawyer that uses money and brute force to get things, instead of finding legal loopholes ... you think I'm afraid of a girl who hasn't practiced a day in her life?" He suddenly grabbed my throat again.
"The deal is off." He tightened his grip. "If you couldn't do this simple thing then clearly I've overestimated your abilities. I'll handle Ericsson myself."
When he let go, he made sure to scratch my neck a bit and this time I couldn't hide that it did in fact hurt.
He walked out of the room with his hands in his pockets.
He doesn't know it yet, but he's a dead man walking.
"I thought he'd be smarter than that." James waltzed from behind the curtain. "I'm guessing you want me to wipe the Cornwall name from existence. We can go with an embezzlement scandal or fraud or a sex scandal? That one is my favourite. No one can ever come back from that."
I looked at the door where Connor just walked out of the room. He had no idea that James was in the room with us the entire time. He doesn't know just how close he came to actually dying tonight.
"Let me think about it." I took a glass of water from him. "For now, how about you tell me why Ericsson was just announced as the new partner? Give me a good reason why I should keep you as my right hand man if you can't handle the simplest of tasks, James."
He shrugged and took a sip of his whisky.
James is too nonchalant sometimes. He never really worries. He's always in a happy mood even after ensuring someone's death or watching someone's life fall apart right before their eyes. It's that very quality that has made him irreplaceable. The man has no morals.
"There are no guarantees in my line of work." He replied. "It seems Ericsson saw us coming a mile away. She used the momentum of the merger to force the managing partner to demand that they all vote much earlier than they were supposed to. My sources say he called an emergency vote yesterday."
He handed me his phone and I read through the minutes of the meeting that gave Ericsson something that was never meant for her. Not a single person voted for Connor. I had ten of the partners in my pocket. Those ten people should have at least voted for him.
"All the positions you had lined up for those greedy bastards suddenly got filled." He answered before I could ask a question. "And all the money you sent to them is about to get investigated by the authorities. Those partners had no reason to side with you anymore. In fact, even if they truly wanted to vote for Connor, they couldn't anymore. It would have been too obvious that they were bought. What we did ensured Ericsson's victory."
I handed his phone back to him.
Rather than looking angry, he looked impressed that Ericsson got the upper hand and ruined what was truly a perfect plan.
Ericsson was supposed to lose out on that promotion. Connor was then going to make her his junior and take over her clients. He would have made her life miserable and driven her into making mistakes that no lawyer can recover from. She would have gotten disbarred, started drinking again like she did back then and this time I would have made sure she died of a drug overdose or something people like her usually die of.
"You know," I started thinking out loud, "the last time I dealt with Ericsson she nearly died. In fact, she was supposed to die ... but she didn't. You weren't here yet, but you should know that the only reason why I let her be is because she dropped out of school after I was done with her and last I heard, she was drinking herself into a coma."
"Then how is she running in the same social circles as you?" He asked. "How has she gone undetected all this time? If what you say is true, shouldn't she be passed out in some bar?"
I looked into his light brown eyes that looked amused. He was raising very valid questions.
"I'm curious to know who helped her back then." I muttered to myself. "We used her father to torment her. This time, let's use that Jona guy who seems to be doing her bidding. Find out everything you can about him and then let's find a way to get him out of the picture ... or kill him."
He shrugged and nodded. "It would be easier to kill them both right now. Do you really enjoy tormenting her that much?"
I took another sip of my water while I thought about his question.
Death is so final. Even back then, a part of me was glad to hear she survived. I suspected that one day I'd be able to torment her again, make her feel as little and insignificant as her parents always wanted her to feel. However, I was hasty last time. Greyson was in his final year and he was seen buying an engagement ring for her, so we had to move quickly because Lauren refused for that to happen.
So, instead of slowly taking away everything that matters to Ericsson, I had to make peace with only reminding her that even her own parents never wanted her.
Her breaking down in the months that followed after her father almost killed her, was the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced. Watching her give up on school, the only thing that could probably save her, and then start drinking and passing out on the streets was so euphoric to watch that I promised myself I would savour her downfall if she ever rose up.
And she did rise up. I had completely forgotten about her, but lucky for me, she tried going after what belongs to Lauren and now I get to have another go at her.
I should make it as slow and as painful as I possibly can this time. Killing her is too easy ... too quick.
"Yes." I answered him. "Tormenting Ericsson is fun, James. You've been by my side for what ... three or four years now? I'm sure you know I like to savour my meals."
He almost burst out in laughter, but he held it in. The man might be my height and so thin that the wind can blow him away, but his laughter can be heard miles and miles away. And if there's one thing James Patel enjoys doing, it's laughing.
"Yea, Lisa." A small laugh escaped his mouth. "I know all about how you savour your meals."
*******************************************
Charlotte's POV
It took me years to prepare for this moment; to ensure that no matter who came against me and tried to hurt me, that they'd fail.
I put eyes on the Mitchells to make sure they'd never catch me unprepared again. I did everything right so I could be the person I am today ... so I could be good enough to stand by Forest's side.
I followed every trace Lisa left to open up positions in state departments to buy votes from the partners. I followed her money like a hound dog and refused to sleep until I caught her slipping so that I could report her bribes. I did everything right and one person I wanted to share my promotion with even more than Forest, is Mama Grey.
But she's here in the car, with tears in her eyes and refusing to look at me. She didn't even congratulate me. In fact, she hasn't said a word to me and even though I know why, I don't ever want this woman to look at me with so much disappointment in her eyes.
"Forest said he won't be long." I tried to get rid of the suffocating tension in the car. "He said he just needs to check something on his work computer, then he'll be right back."
None of them said anything. All three of them were quiet during our ride back home.
If I were someone else, maybe I would have cried and begged them to stop giving me the silent treatment, but like always, my face just remained neutral.
"Mama Grey", I tried to touch her hand, but she quickly pulled it away, "please tell me what's wrong. I thought we'd be celebrating tonight. Why are you guys so upset?"
She refused to answer me; both her and Annabelle. I'd expect Christian to act like this, but not them.
I sighed.
I contemplated telling them I'm pregnant just to cheer them up, but decided against it. It's best if only Forest knows that for now. If the wrong people find out, there's no telling what they'd do. Plus, I might not even be able to carry the baby to term.
It's best if I keep quiet until I can be sure that what my dad did to me won't jeopardise my baby.
"Chrissie", I tried something else to cheer them up, "my firm got the results of the top twenty scores for the board exams. You're in the top twenty. I knew -"
"Just shut up." He dismissed me with the wave of a hand.
I pretended that his words didn't hurt me and I pretended that Mama Grey and Annabelle not reprimanding him also didn't hurt me.
I swallowed the huge lump in my throat and sat back in my seat.
I was fifteen years old when I realised that no matter how much I loved Mama Grey and Forest and his siblings, I'll never actually be their family. I was young, but I realised that no matter how nice they are to me, they'll never be my family and one wrong move can make me fall out of favour with them and then I'd be alone like I've always been.
It was a simple thing that brought me to this realisation, but I'm still grateful for it no matter how much it hurt.
I came to visit Forest on a Saturday morning and before I could step foot inside the house, a servant took me to the side and told me she would only let me inside the house after I helped her finish cleaning the pool house.
She grabbed my tiny arm before I could say anything and dragged me to the pool house where I spent the entire day cleaning.
I could have told her no. I could have told Mama Grey about it, but all I could think about for those few hours was making sure that pool house was spotless so I could go see Forest. I knew then, while scrubbing the floor, that I was meant to clean the pool house; not live in it.
No amount of money, designer clothes and bags and my closet full of shoes can ever change that - I am meant to clean the pool house; not live in it.