Chapter 53 Six months
"Oh, I wish I was you." Simon sighs behind me.
I just received another bouquet of flowers at work. I pluck the card out of the arrangement and I can't help but smile at the irony of it all.
This is just another farce from Ben, all of this is for pretence. I now know that everything he ever did was part of his grande plan to keep me under his thumb.
The card reads: It's you and me forever baby.
Fuck that.
All I need is a solution. Something that can get him off my family. First, I need to know what he has on us aside from that damn video.
I just can't imagine what would happen if that video was made public. The look on my father's face if he were to see that, my uncle and cousins! The rest of the world doesn't really know me, but this would scar my family for life.
It's as if Ben has been preparing for this, like he's been gathering information to use it as collateral.
I receive a notice of a reservation from Caroline Cargill. She sent one to my mother, too, to meet her at a posh restaurant after work to discuss the details of the wedding.
I can't run away. I'm trapped by that damn footage.
I hate Ben, and I hate his mother.
The truth is, I should've never gotten close to the Cargill family.
Even though Miguel brought some excitement into my life, and we had the most explosive chemistry and sex, what good did it bring me except getting into even deeper shit?
There's no way to know what would happen if Ben found out I slept with his biggest rival.
And now I'm even more curious as to know why they hate each other so much.
I go to the restaurant dressed in my ballet clothes with only sweatpants and a sweater thrown over out of spite. I know Caroline values appearance more than anything else, and she's going to hate me pitching up looking like this. It's a quiet middle finger to her atrocious son.
My mother and her are already there when I arrive, and I smile sweetly at the raised eyebrows she gives me when she sees my attire.
"Hi." I bend down to kiss my mother's cheek and just nod at Caroline. "Sorry, I didn't have time to run back home and change."
"I'm sure there are changing rooms at the theatre. " Caroline picks up the mandatory glass of wine and take a small sip with disdain in her eyes as she glares at me.
"There are, I just like to shower at my own place." I squeeze my mother's hand who lays hers on my thigh in support. "Plus, I figured this won't take too long, right?"
Irritated pink spots appear on Caroline's cheeks from underneath her makeup. I'm sure she will relay all this information to her precious son.
She pulls out three portfolios from her bag and hands me and my mother one each.
"We have an excellent event planner on hand that handles all our events." Caroline goes on. "Of course money is not a problem here, and we should put up the most elegant wedding that would suit the son of the senator."
I can practically feel the anger rolling off my mother in waves at the innuendo this woman is implying. It's no secret that these high society people who come from generational wealth look down on families like mine. We come from down the trenches and has clawed our way up into this society.
I don't care about the hierarchy here. My family is doing just fine, and I don't care to climb up any social ladder either.
"Good thing Madison has always been elegant." Mom smiles tightly. "If it was up to me, however, I would've preferred something more flamboyant, but I'm happily married and not in the market for another wedding."
I almost snicker at the underhanded jab my mother gives her, but that would be impolite, so I take a sip of my water to hide my triumphant smile.
Any fool can see the Cargills are not happy, and that Benedict Cargill Snr don't even have eyes for his wife. She's like a designer dressed dummy on his arm while he's making decisions that impact all our lives.
I read an article that Miguel's mother is an immigrant that Mr.Cargill had a fling with, and Miguel was the result of that. I haven't really seen any other information about her, and now I'm curious who she is.
Who birthed Miguel, and why wasn't she ever in the picture?
I've never even had a dog, but I'm sure if I was a mother I wouldn't allow another woman to raise my child.
"Well, I'm glad we have the style of the wedding all figured out then." Another sip of wine from Caroline. "Now let's look at the date."
"No need to rush things." I tell her. "Both Ben and I are quite young still, don't you think? I don't see being engaged for about two years would be a problem, until we're both settled in our careers."
"That's not what Ben said." Caroline raises her eyebrows at me again. "You've been dating so long, why wait?"
I shut my mouth at that, because I'm one hundred percent sure whatever I say here will be carried over to Ben, and I'm not sure what he will do then.
Then another thought hits me.
I've been so scared about the sex video Ben sent me, but he's all about public appearances, and he's all about marrying me. If he does release that video, that means I would no longer be a good wife in the eyes of his world. That means he would never release that video.
"These kids live in a different generation, Caroline, they don't get married so young anymore." My mother smiles encouragingly at me. "And Madison has a lot on her plate right now."
"Of course." I wish I could smack the self-righteous look from Caroline's face. "But please think it over. You two can go over everything in the portfolio. I was thinking a good time would be in the coming spring, when Miguel comes back from deployment."
I stiffen at that name and the new information.
"How long will he be deployed?" I can't help but ask. This explains why he hasn't come around again. I for sure thought I would see him after the engagement was made public.
"He's been deployed for six months, and of course we would like to include him in the wedding."
Six months.
I just have to survive for six more months.
Then I intend to release the sex video myself.