Chapter 4
I swiped Gabriel’s credit card for the first time at the nearest mall on the morning of the interview. A flat 100,000 dollars at the Hermes store, buying one bag for his mother like he’d asked me to along with a scarf I thought was pretty vibrant.
The next 100,000 dollars I spent was making a transfer to my Grandpa’s cancer treatment clinic, as a donation for people who couldn’t afford treatment, now that his‘ was covered. The next 50,000 dollars I spent to make a donation to a fund set up to help cancer patients that had actually covered my Grandpa’s bills for a few months before I could manage by myself.
The next 100,000 dollars, I donated splitting equally between two organisations, one that fought injustice against people of colour and one that rescued children from human trafficking rings.
By noon, I was sitting in Starbucks sipping my regular order at a table alone, when my phone rang displaying an unknown number.
I didn’t need the number saved to know who was calling.
With almost a proud smile, I picked up feigning innocence. “Hello?”
“Sofia.” Gabriel did not sound like he was smiling on the other end.
“Who’s speaking?”
“Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Hm.” I snickered, “I wonder what suits me then?”
“You spent half a million dollars in an hour.” He did not sound happy. “What did you do? Buy a ticket to Mars?”
“More like 350. Don’t be dramatic. That was six times what I earned in a year normally, and I just spent it in an hour. My heart ached.
‘Have you lost it, Sofia?”
“I was just experimenting.”
“Experimenting what?”
“How much money I need to spend to get your personal phone number. Apparently, three hundred and fifty thousand is all it takes,” I taunted.
“You called Peter.” He self–spoke.
“I called Peter.” I repeated.
“Why?”
“Just checking why husband dearest hasn’t come home since six days. Imagine my surprise when I dial his number and his assistant picks up.” I was not going to tell him about the interview I had today. He didn’t ask, I didn’t tell. Simple as that.
1/5
Chapter 4
He remained silent for a moment, and then snickered, “Missing me already?”
“I liked it better when you were grumpy about the dent I caused your pocket.”
“This? A dent?” He laughed. He actually laughed. “Freckles, this isn’t even a nudge. You could spend this much money every day for the next one year and even that would barely count as a dent.”
“Show–off.” I huffed in a low voice.
“I’m going to be home tomorrow,” He added, “We’re supposed to have dinner with my parents.”
“I remember.” I wanted to sigh. I had never met his parents at length, and I imagined them to be very… daunting. Especially given they raised a son like Gabriel. “I picked up the bag for her you asked me to.”
Was I just having a cordial conversation with him? After he forced me to sign a legal contract stating the date of termination of our marriage?
“I know I gave you the card to use, but don’t make me put a limit of it. Be a good girl, hm?”
“Ah, bummer,” I teased. “I wasn’t even half way through my shopping spree.”
“Sofia.” He said in a final tone.
“Next time, pick up when I call.” I warned, “And maybe I wouldn’t burn down your house before you come back home. Or spend hundreds of thousands to buy a bag I fancy. Depending on my mood,”
Before he could reply, I disconnected the call.
And the second I did, I could feel a sense of happiness in me.
I disconnected the call on Gabriel Whitlock’s face.
After he pushed me around and showed me down and basically forced me to sign a contract, I got the last word with him.
Hah.
I was mentally doing a victory dance when I stood up to leave and accidentally bumped into someone, making the leftover coffee in my cup spill all over my very new white silk shirt.
“Shit.” All the happiness turned into instant panic. I did not have the time to go back to the house and change before the interview.
“I am so sorry.” A voice cut my tiny reverie and I stopped frantically trying to clean the coffee off my shirt and looked up at the man in a business suit.
“It’s my fault, I wasn’t looking. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s mine.” The man adjusted the glasses he was wearing, looking genuinely apologetic. “Let me buy you another coffee.”
2/5
Chapter 4
“No. No. I was done drinking mine any way.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I smiled at him politely before leaving.
I wasn’t smiling when I reached the car. Even the chauffeur frowned looking at the mess I had made. Wales was just a seven minute drive from here, while the Whitlock house was thirty minutes away.
I sighed asking the chauffeur to pull to a boutique nearby to buy a new pair of clothes, but even as much as I hurried up, I was running fifteen minutes late to my interview.
That was not a good impression.
When I reached Wales, I was made to sit outside an office, and I could see another Starbucks cup in the bin outside. It just felt as if the universe was taunting me.
“Sir doesn’t entertain late comers.” The receptionist told me firmly after a few minutes, and I felt my heart sink.
I really did not want to mess this up. “Please could you tell him that someb*dy spilled coffee over me and I had to detour to change?” I requested, “I’ve been really looking forward to this interview.”
The receptionist just shrugged, barely glancing up at me. “He isn’t known for second chances.”
I sighed. Disappointed as I was, I was just about to leave when the office door opened.
A familiar looking man stood at its entrance, “I wouldn’t believe this excuse for a second, if I hadn’t been the man that spilled coffee on you.”
My mouth dropped.
“You’re Viktor Hart?”
“In flesh.” He passed me a smile, “Since you didn’t let me buy you a coffee, I guess I owe you an interview.”
The receptionist looked shocked.
I was shocked.
Two other employees in the room were shocked.
Viktor walked back into his office and I stood rooted in my place before the receptionist nudged me and taking a deep breath, I followed him inside for the interview.
Viktor Hart was the grandson of the founder of Wales and the new CEO of the company, and I had no idea he took interviews himself. But he did take mine, and he wasn’t the stereotypical grumpy rich man. He knew how to crack a joke from time to time and had a contagious smile. The interview went alright, and I hoped to hear a decision from them in a few days.
3/5
Chapter 4
It was late evening when I returned home obliviously, only to see Gabriel sitting on the couch of the living room with one foot over the other and eyes set on the door.
He looked like he was waiting for me.
“You’ve been busy,” He commented, his trademark half smirk on his lips as he got up from the couch.
All the happiness of getting the last word was replaced with sheer intimidation.
“I-‘ I paused, gulped. “I thought you weren’t going to be home until tomorrow night.”
“Dropped in to take a file,” He said, pointing at a black folder lying on the table.
“Oh.” He might’ve been here for the file, but I knew he was waiting for me.
Before I could reply, one of the housemaids walked past us, carrying the single Hermes bag from the car upstairs, probably
to my room.
“Hm.” He clicked his tongue, ‘Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and just one bag? Interesting.”
“What’re you doing here?
“Last I checked, still my house.”
“If this is about the new pink towels in your room, it just matched the pink b*dy wash.”
His eyes darkened, and lips slightly parted. “You did what?!”
I laughed. “I’m joking. But, your reaction makes me believe there’s actually a baby pink flower themed b*dy wash hidden in your bathroom somewhere.”
He glared at me. “Freckles, don’t push the boundaries of my patience.”
“Or what? You might punish me?” I was getting bolder with him, and I knew it was a dangerous ground to tread on.
His lopsided smile increased as he stepped closer to me. And closer. And closer. It took every bit of courage in me to not step behind reflexively in fear. He didn’t stop until he was just inches away from me, unbearably close as he hovered over me. And then, he bent down.
I shut my eyes feeling his breath fan over me, and the world as I knew shifted when I heard him whisper into my ear: “Keep this behaviour up, and I might just have to punish you.”
