Chapter 26 Chapter 26
MARTHA:
When I arrived at the front gate of my father’s house, I got out of the cab and paid the driver.
As I strode to the gate and pounded on it, I realized it was locked.
I pounded heavily and waited for someone to open it. The sound of approaching footsteps caught my ear.
The gate swung open, and Elena stood there wearing a yellow top and a brown skirt, with brown slippers too. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared at me mockingly.
“Martha, I thought you did not want to come back home again,” Elena spoke coldly. But I ignored her and walked into the house.
I made my way into the living room, where I met Sandra and Mark’s mother, Zara, seated on the couch.
“Good morning, Ma,” I greeted them, as the atmosphere thickened upon my entrance.
Zara wore a green top and a black skirt. She was a middle-aged woman with brown skin. She forced a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes and asked, “Martha, where have you been?”
“Somewhere. But I am home now,” I replied, as I moved past them and went upstairs to my room.
“Where do you think you’re going, Martha? You haven’t been home for two days in a row. Do you forget that there are diseases out there? What if you got infected and brought it home? Do you plan to get us all infected?” Sandra shouted, rising from the couch, while Zara tried to act sweetly.
“It’s okay, Sandra. You don’t have to hold it against Martha. I trust that she wouldn’t cheat on my son.”
I glared at Zara and Sandra. How could she say that when Mark has been cheating on me?
Elena entered and glared at me, but she didn’t say anything. She strode over to her mother, but I turned away from them and went back to my old room. I planned to get a new apartment as soon as I was sure that the money the man had given me was real and not a fake check.
“Martha,” Zara called for my attention, and I paused at the top of the stairs and turned to look at her.
“I came so we could have a proper talk about your wedding to my son. Mark said that you blocked him, and you know that you need his help to take over your father’s will,” Zara pointed out, and my fist clenched on the stair railing.
I recalled that Zara and her husband used to work for my father at Rogers Corporation. Who would have thought that she had a hand in my father’s death?
Zara’s husband, Felix, was my dad’s personal assistant and the reason they forged the stupid marriage contract.
Indeed, my father’s will states that I could only take over the house after I had gotten married. I was sure it included the company too, but Sandra and her daughter, Elena, claimed my dad had left the company to them.
Pausing on the stairs, I met Zara’s gaze coldly as I demanded, “Do you know that your son cheated on me with my stepsister, or do you not care to ask him what he did wrong?”
“Mark says that he is sorry,” Zara cut me off as she replied calmly.
“Sorry?” I asked her coldly. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Everyone knows that Mark is in love with Elena, so why should I marry him? This is the perfect time for him and Elena to seal their newfound love and not add me into it. I cannot be a third wheel when there are many other eligible bachelors out there.”
“Martha!” Sandra snapped and said, “Don’t get too high over yourself. You are to marry Mark, and that’s final.”
I looked over at my stepmother. For now, she controlled Rogers Corporation, and I didn’t have any power to challenge her. As my father’s legal wife, the police will not help me—not when she has bribed them.
“Fine. If that’s what you all want,” I replied calmly, not wanting to spend the rest of my day arguing.
Sandra smiled. Her anger faded as she added, “That’s right. Be a good girl, and we won’t have any issues.”
Elena frowned when she heard her mother’s statement, but she didn’t say anything.
I turned and made my way upstairs to my room.
When I arrived at my room, I realized that I had not locked the door when I rushed away before.
I entered the room and saw that it had been ransacked.
My closet door was open. My shoes, jewelry—everything was scattered.
Even the frame of my mother’s picture had been broken and left on the floor.
My fist clenched at the sight of it all, but I didn’t shout nor rush to insult Sandra and her daughter.
I entered the room, locked the door, and began to tidy my things.
I first picked up a broom and swept up all the dirt before collecting the broken pieces of the frame.
I removed my mother’s photo and held it. My mother resembled me, and a tear slipped from the corner of my eye.
“Sandra won’t get away with this crime!” I growled and stuffed the photo into my bag.
I went to the closet and packed all my clothes into a bag. I believed this was Elena’s doing; she had new clothes, as Sandra doesn’t fail to give her money for shopping.
When I was done cleaning my room, I heard a loud banging on the door.
I moved over to the door and asked, “Who is there?”
“It’s me, Elena. How did you like your room? You’re lucky that we didn’t set those things on fire, bìtch!”
My fist clenched, and I could have opened the door and punched her in the face. But I ignored her.
I went back to pack the remaining clothes I needed, stuffing them into a travel bag.
Seeing that I didn’t want to argue with her, Elena left, singing her favorite Celine Dion song, “I’m Alive.”
My phone rang, and when I rushed to pick it up, I saw it was an unknown number.
Frowning as my heart raced, I thought: was it that strange man calling me?
I was anxious thinking it was the werewolf man. But when I answered, my boss’s deep voice captured my attention.
“Hello, is this Martha?”
“Yes, Sir. It is,” I replied calmly.
“I am just calling to check on you. I hope all is well?” he asked, to which I agreed, “Yes, sir.”
“Alright. Take care.” The call ended, and I sighed and went back into the closet.
I zipped the bag filled with my clothes and pulled it out of the closet. Afterwards, I grabbed my handbag and stepped out of the room, making my way through the hallway and downstairs to the living room.