by Marian Tee
Mairi forced herself to keep walking.
Hatred filled Alina’s heart at the way Mairi looked so damn dignified. It wasn’t fair the other woman had everything she wanted, everything that was supposed to be hers because Damen had been hers first, too.
“She told me there was nothing for me to be jealous about because the whole time, Damen had always treated me with respect while you were and will always be a slut to him.” She lifted her chin. “And even if you have a baby, it doesn’t change a thing. You’re still a gold-digging slut, and sooner or later he’ll realize his mistake and come back to me.”
Mairi slowed down.
“Mrs. L?” Jane didn’t like the look on her employer’s face. It wasn’t sad, wasn’t angry, but it was still…terrifying.
“Could you take Nala from me for a moment?” Mairi asked calmly.
Jane reluctantly took the baby and the carrier from her employer. “Are you sure about this, Mrs. L.?”
“It’s a long time coming,” was the cryptic reply.
Oh man, Jane thought. This was going to be really bad.
Alina kept her back straight and chin up as she watched Mairi head her way. She hated the frisson of apprehension that ran down her spine, but even so she couldn’t stop it.
“Hello, Alina,” Mairi said politely as she stood in front of her former rival. Although, looking at the other girl, the qualification was something Alina would still likely have trouble accepting.
Alina slowly looked at Mairi from head to toe, her lips compressing as she took note of the expensive but understated jewelry gracing the other woman’s ears and throat and the equally tasteful frock Mairi had on.
“You know what my therapist also told me?” Her lip curled. “Fine feathers don’t make fine birds.” She was hoping to rattle the other woman into making a scene, but instead she received a smile that left her nonplussed.
“I’m just glad, you know.”
“About what?” Alina asked sharply.
“That your therapist hasn’t told you to jump off the nearest bridge yet,” Mairi said with pseudo sincerity. “Because then you’d be dead in a heartbeat.”
Behind her, Mairi heard one of her bodyguards snickering. It was Chucky, for sure. It was always Chucky who was quick to laugh. The sound was abruptly cut off, but by then it was too late, their audience coughing as they did their best to muffle their own laughter.
Alina’s face flushed with anger. “You’re so crass! No wonder Damen treats you like—”
“Like what?” Mairi demanded, losing her temper. She just had it. She just really about had it with this girl. “Like a woman he’s obsessed with? Because yes,” she said feelingly. “That’s exactly how he is with me. If a slut is what you call someone who can’t help wanting her husband, anytime anyway he wants then yeah, I’m a slut, and happily so because you know what? I love how he can’t get enough of me, and he will never get enough of me. No matter what you do, no matter if you walk in front of him with your cup negative-AAA breasts bared naked—”
The slur had Alina screaming, but this time, Chucky had also lost it. Together with the rest of her bodyguards, everyone had burst out laughing.
But Mairi wasn’t finished. “—and shake your hips like Taylor Swift, my husband WON’T ever want you the way he wants me!”
“SLUT!”
“TOOTHPICK!”
Alina screamed again. “Do you think I don’t know about you? You think the whole world doesn’t know about you? I’ve read the news, bitch, and I know your sluttish gold-digging ways haven’t ended. You’ve got your claws in the students of Christopoulos University.”
Mairi lifted her chin. Remembering Velvet’s words, she said coolly, “So I’m a cougar. Sue me.”
“Oh my God, you are so crass.”
“Yup,” she agreed with relish. “I’m a crass cougar. RAWR.” Mairi suddenly made a clawing motion at Alina’s face, taking the other woman by surprise. She would have fallen completely on her ass if her own bodyguards hadn’t caught her.
But it was enough for Mairi. As far as she was concerned, the other woman’s humiliation was complete and she had said everything she needed to say. This time, she had made it clear to Alina that no matter what the other girl did, Mairi would always believe in her husband.
Jane and Nala met her halfway. “You were so awesome, Mrs. L.,” Jane muttered under her breath as she strapped Nala back to her employer.
“Was I?” she asked faintly.
“Absolutely. Like…this awesome.” Jane mock-clawed at Mairi.
Behind them, the bodyguards laughed once more, and Mairi turned red. Oh my God, had she really done that? And had she really called herself a cougar? In fact, had she really cheerfully accepted being called a crass cougar?
She looked down at her daughter. “Don’t disown me, please?”
Nala blinked up at her. I’ll think about it, Mama.
Mairi groaned.
Jane laughed.
Once they had boarded the jet, a surprise was awaiting her. “A present for you, Mrs. Leventis.” The present was a freshly bathed, freshly brushed mixed-breed mongrel with a noticeable scar on its face. She had once told Damen she wanted a pet. ‘Nothing fancy, though. Just maybe one from the dog pound, someone that would really need us.’
And this was exactly it.
A card came with her present.
She shall look after you in my absence. When I made inquiries at a shelter, they immediately thought she’d be a good choice. She may be small, but she’s not to be underestimated. She was said to have defended her employer against burglars, hence the knife wound. Its employer died a week ago of a heart attack and they thought she’d be happy with us. I think so, too.
The tiny dog barked, calling her attention.
“It’s so ugly it’s almost cute,” Jane said with her usual honesty.
Mairi bit back a smile. It was true. Half-pug, half-Chihuahua, and maybe something else. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. She loved it already and she knew Damen was right. This little dog would be perfect for their family.
She sent Damen a text when the stewardess was done strapping her and Nala to their seats.
Mairi: I got your present. I love it. On our way now.
Damen: Good. I’d love to see you do that clawing thing in person.
Mairi suppressed a mortified moan, and looking over her shoulder, she glared at her bodyguards, but no one wanted to look at her.
Chapter Eight
When the jet’s door slowly lowered, revealing Athens’ airport inch by inch, the first thing Mairi saw was her husband, walking swiftly towards them. Even with his slightly windblown hair, Damen still cut a strikingly handsome figure, with dark aviator glasses covering half of his face and his powerfully muscular body sheathed in a handmade blue suit.
He stopped when he reached the foot of the stairs, and their eyes met. Mairi slowly and carefully climbed down the stairs, her sprained wrist not allowing her to go down with Nala in her arms.
She paused when she was at the second to the last step, but even then her husband was tall enough to put him at eye level with her.
Before she could speak, he was already reaching for her, his hand curling around her nape as he brought her head down for a possessive kiss. When he released her, she said dazedly, “Hi.”
He chuckled, but his voice was husky as he said, “Hi.” They smiled at each other for a moment. This was exactly what they said to each other the morning after they first made love.
Taking her hand, Damen helped Mairi down and after, he reached for their daughter, thanking Jane with a brief smile as he did.
As they started to walk together, Mairi asked worriedly, “Your mother?”
“She should probably be here any minute.”
“Here?” Mairi was stunned.
He nodded briefly. “Yes. It’s best to get it over with right away, and then we’d at least have the rest of the week to enjoy our stay here.”
Mairi c
onsidered their surroundings with a frown. “It’s so public.”
“Exactly why I chose this place, matakia mou.”
“If you really think it’s right,” she said reluctantly. She tugged his sleeve. “I just don’t want you hurt by her in any way.”
“She lost the power to hurt me the moment I had you and Nala, Mairi. Even though I had never admitted it to myself, I had always been hoping she would learn to love Diana and me. I never allowed myself to realize the truth – that some people will never be capable of it.” He took hold her hand, squeezing it. “While some people – people like you – can’t help feeling it, even when they’re better off not doing so.”
Mairi stole a suspicious look at him. “If that’s some kind of dig about what I said to Alina…”
“No, but if – what is it you say? If the shoe fits…” As always, his Greek accent thickened whenever Damen was doing his best not to laugh.
“I hate you,” she mumbled.
“What you are,” he countered, “is proud of me. As I am with you.”
“Ha-ha.” She made it clear she didn’t believe him.
“I am,” he insisted. “Especially when you made the Kokinos heiress, who is supposedly one of the world’s most fashionable women, sound like she had batteries for breasts.”
“Oh God.” Mairi wanted to kill herself, recalling exactly how she had described the other woman’s chest.
“Only an English teacher would have such a way with words.”
“I think I’m going to be out of a job by next week if this keeps up,” she said glumly.
He reached out to stroke her cheek. “Everything will be fine. Stop worrying.” His phone vibrated in his pocket, and switching Nala to his other arm, he pulled it out. It was a little hard to read the message, with his daughter currently busy playing with his hair and obscuring his view, but he managed.
The look on her husband’s face made her ask quietly, “Is she outside?”
“Yes. It’s time now.”
****
Life was a routine for Esther Leventis. She would get up in the morning, expecting her gourmet breakfast prepared for her and a selection of clothes for her to choose from. By the time she was done with her meal, one of her personal maids would have her tub ready, and the entire bathroom had to smell of roses – literally – once she entered it. If it wasn’t, that person was fired.
But today, nothing was happening the way she expected them to. For starters, it was already nine in the morning, leaving Esther aghast. The maids were supposed to wake her up at six and she had even wanted them to be up at four.
Sitting up, she started to scream for Nadine when she saw her maid standing at the foot of her bed. “Why aren’t you in your uniform?” she screeched. “And why haven’t you woken me up in—”
“Shut up, bitch.”
Esther whitened.
“I’m just here to tell you I’m quitting.”
The sight of Nadine walking away had Esther recovering. “Don’t you dare turn your back on me!” Hurrying out of her bed, Esther cursed when she tripped over the hem of her nightgown and almost fell flat on her face. “Stop, you ungrateful woman,” she howled in anger as she scrambled back to her feet.
Nadine raised her hand – and middle finger – in response before slamming the door shut behind her.
The woman had gone insane. That could be the only reason why she would dare act that way with her. Shivering in anger, Esther promised herself to exact vengeance later. For now, she would just go take a bath and cool herself down—
Esther screamed and came to an abrupt stop at the doorway of her bathroom. Her bathroom, which was crawling with huge rats, and they were all over. The sink, the shower, the windows, the tub—
She slammed the door shut, this time her entire body shaking with disgust, but not before a single black rat managed to escape the bathroom and head straight for her. She screamed again, and the sound frightened the rat enough to jump, causing its wriggling body to brush against her leg.
Esther screamed bloody murder and ran towards her bed – until she saw that the rat was doing the same in its confusion. Screaming again, she ran in the opposite direction, bursting out of her room and screaming for her maids. What the hell were their names again? All she could remember was Nadine’s.
“SOMEBODY answer, dammit,” she screamed as she ran down the stairs.
But soon, she realized the house was completely empty. Where had they all gone? How could they even think of contemplating such a thing?
Instantly, only one name came to mind.
Damen.
As soon as she thought of her son, Esther knew it was the only possible answer. The only one powerful enough, the only one who would hate her enough to do something like this to her.
Her entire face tightened in distaste. Such childish antics, Esther thought. She had expected more from him. She thought of changing her clothes then decided against it. She would rather walk naked than go back to her room right now.
Barefoot, Esther walked to her garage, intending to drive herself out.
But again, another surprise awaited her.
A second later, she screamed.
And screamed and screamed until she was hoarse.
He had even dared take all her cars!
All of them!
Stalking out of the garage, she went back to the house, and throwing the front door open, Esther found herself face to face with Damen’s secretary, Bart.
“Good morning, Mrs. Leventis,” Bart greeted politely. “Would you need a ride, madam?”
She stared coldly at him. “I’m sure you already know the answer to that.” Sweeping past him, she headed towards the limousine she found waiting by the curb.
Bart hurried after her.
When they reached the limousine, Esther demanded, “Well?”
“I’m afraid you misunderstood, Mrs. Leventis. This is my ride. That is your ride.”
Esther turned around, following his gaze, and screamed, “You want me to take a cab?”
“Unless you’d like to walk barefoot, madam?” The livid look on the woman’s face had Bart desperately doing his best not to laugh. He must remain calm. He must. Or he would lose his bet.
In the end, Esther Leventis did exactly what his employer, her son, had expected. With curtains of nearby mansions twitching all around them, the servants gossiping by the gates, Esther didn’t really have a choice.
“I don’t think I’ll go anywhere,” Esther started.
“By this time, Mrs. Leventis, it is possible your home may be overrun by rats.” It was a bluff, but the woman also bought it.
“You are going to pay for this,” she hissed in his face.
He carefully sidestepped her and headed to the cab, opening the door for her. “Your ride, madam.” Must. Not. Laugh.
Esther could barely breathe as she got inside the cab, slamming the door shut as hard as she could. It backfired, unfortunately, causing the window to roll down and remain stuck, halfway open.
“Could you please close this?” she screeched.
“Your fault,” the driver answered indifferently. He was a slob in every sense of the word, and the way he was licking his fingers clean after tossing the chicken bone he had eaten at the passenger seat made Esther want to run away.
Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! She reached for the lock, but it was too late.
The cab suddenly shot off, its speed almost causing her to tumble out of the seat.
“Will you slow down?” she screeched, hurriedly grabbing the seatbelt to strap herself into place.
“Sorry, madam,” the driver answered. “I was promised a thousand euros if I got you to the airport in under an hour.”
Airport? She didn’t want to go there, especially if Damen had one of his nasty surprises waiting for her at the place. “I’ll pay you twice that if you take me somewhere else!”
“I was told you would say that, but I will not believe you. They told me you are no
longer rich.”
“I am rich, you bastard!”
He shook his head stubbornly. “If you are, give the money to me now.”
“I don’t have it—”
He smirked at her through the rearview mirror. “Not rich.”
She screamed. She kept screaming, hoping to make his ears bleed until she realized that they were stuck in traffic, and the people inside the other cars were busy taking photos and videos of her.
Esther abruptly shut up.
Slowly, she leaned back against the cab’s dirty old seat, doing her best to regain her dignity. He will pay for this, she thought in feverish rage. She would not rest until he did.
When they arrived at the airport, the scene that awaited her sent Esther in a murderous frenzy. He even had the entire press waiting for her. Bastard.
And then she saw that woman.
The one who had caused all of this to happen.
She was the one to blame.
Esther snapped.
The moment the door opened, Esther flew out and lunged at Mairi. “You bitch!” She tried to scratch the girl’s eyes out, but before she could even take another step, she was suddenly held back, one man holding each of her arms.
Camera bulbs started flashing, and she lost it again. “Why don’t you just die?” Esther shrieked at Mairi. “You ruined everything, everything!”
Mairi couldn’t even answer. She had never seen Esther like this, and she had never imagined she would. Her hair was a complete mess, and her nightgown, although not transparent, revealed the way her large bra-less breasts had already started to sag with age.
Suddenly, she couldn’t even make herself angry with the other woman. All she could feel was pity. She looked up at her husband. “Damen—”
Esther couldn’t stand the pity she heard in Mairi’s voice. “Don’t you dare pity me, you slut!” Rage made her voice shriller. “And you,” she spat, looking at her son. “I wish I had you aborted the way I always wanted to!”
Damen didn’t even flinch.
When her son didn’t answer, she sneered, “You really are your father’s son. You’re as worthless as he is. And what you did to me this morning? I expected more from you—”