Chapter 12
"Hey."
Although I know Christopher, he always speaks harshly and loves to argue with me, but his deep, magnetic voice is something I can't find unpleasant.
"Well, I'm getting ready to leave, so I wanted to say goodbye."
I felt a bit embarrassed remembering how he saw me in such a sorry state last night.
"What? The servants didn't take good care of you?"
Christopher sneered, his tone sarcastic.
"No!" I immediately retorted, "The butler and the servants were very attentive, and thank you for the clothes and the cash!"
"Oh, Melinda, are you regressing? You're grateful for such a small amount of money, or are you planning to run away and not pay it back?"
Christopher chuckled.
I fell silent.
The little bit of gratitude I had was mostly destroyed by Christopher's harsh words.
Those who admired him back in school, if they knew his true nature, would they regret worshipping the wrong person?
"I will pay it back. That's why I need to go home, because all my money and my phone are there." As I spoke, my voice grew weaker and more uncertain.
He had already seen me in a sorry state.
I didn't want to make things worse for myself, knowing his sharp tongue, who knows what kind of sarcastic remarks he would make.
Christopher was silent for a moment, then spoke in a somewhat low voice, "Melinda, how did you end up like this?"
"I'm doing fine!"
"Fine?" Christopher's voice was mocking, "You call this fine? If I remember correctly, you were about to jump into the river to commit suicide last night?"
"I wasn't!"
I retorted excitedly, as if by doing so, I could erase the foolish and cowardly version of myself from last night, "I was just confused at the time, I didn't really want to do that."
As I spoke, I vaguely heard a sigh on the other end of the phone.
But then, Christopher's words made me think that maybe I was just imagining things due to the stress of the past few days.
"It's best if you weren't! The business card I gave you isn't just for show, it's for you to contact me if you need anything.
And Melinda, have some self-respect. You were raised as a princess by your parents, not someone to be easily bullied. You're not brainless, everyone can see through Lawrence's ulterior motives. Be smarter in the future."
I wanted to smile bitterly, but found that I couldn't.
Indeed, I was foolish for not seeing through Lawrence's hypocrisy, "Okay, I understand!"
"If you understand, why are you going back to suffer? Are you a masochist?"
Christopher asked in disappointment.
He was undoubtedly smart, even though he didn't ask about my situation, he probably guessed a lot from my appearance last night and today's conversation, which is why he said that.
I felt a warmth in my heart, smiled bitterly, and answered his question seriously, "I've grown up, and there are some things I have to face. My parents taught me not to be weak."
Christopher was silent.
"Do as you wish! Let the butler arrange a driver to take you back." He instructed in a flat tone.
I didn't say anything to refuse, otherwise, he would probably scold me again.
However, I didn't ask the butler to arrange a driver for me. Now that I needed to get evidence against Lawrence, I couldn't let him notice any traces, especially since he disliked Christopher. I couldn't let him find out about Christopher because of a car, which would cause unnecessary trouble.
The butler wanted to arrange it, but I had already asked Paula to book a taxi in advance, which was waiting outside the villa gate.
I just needed to walk out.
I took the cash with me, partly to pay for the taxi.
If I needed to go out later, to avoid Lawrence tracking my location through my phone, I could use cash to pay for things and meet people.
I said I would pay it back, not just to refute Christopher's words.
In the taxi, watching the scenery pass by, I thought about a lot of things.
I thought about how much Lawrence had been acting in front of me all these years.
Now that I had calmed down, I realized that he had said a lot of nice things, but hadn't actually done much for me. Most things could be handled with a phone call and some money.
I was just deceived and blinded by love.
Now, I should be a different Melinda, here to collect debts from Lawrence and his mother.
For myself, and for the child I never got to meet.
Christopher's villa was in Starlight City, the second most expensive and best area after Regal Heights Residences, about an hour's drive from the large apartment where Lawrence and I lived.
I unlocked the door with the code and was immediately hit by the pungent smell of chili.
In the kitchen, Missy was in a good mood, humming old songs from the '60s and '70s, looking quite relaxed.
She probably never considered me as family.
When I lived with my parents, we focused on healthy eating, so my taste was quite mild.
But Missy had a heavy taste, with lots of salt and very spicy food.
When I first got married, she was very attentive, knowing I couldn't eat spicy food, so there were hardly any spicy dishes on the table. Even when I said it was okay to have one or two spicy dishes, she would smile and say, "Lawrence is lucky to have married you, we can't let you suffer, it's okay if I suffer, we're used to hard times."
I felt a bit uncomfortable hearing that, but thought she meant well, so I didn't say much.
But a few months ago, she suddenly changed.
"Cough, cough." The strong smell of chili made me uncomfortable.
Missy said she wanted to save money, so she rarely used the range hood, filling the living room with the smell of oil and chili.
Hearing the noise, Missy came out with a spatula, and when she saw me, she sneered, her tone sarcastic, "You still know how to come back? I thought you were going to die out there."
This time, she didn't immediately start hitting me.
She probably remembered her and Lawrence's scheme, but she couldn't feel comfortable without insulting me.
Knowing their plot, I wouldn't hold back this time.
I retorted directly, even if it was just an act, after being bullied yesterday, even the weakest person would have some temper, I couldn't be too weak.
"Sorry to disappoint you, I'm doing just fine."
"You dare talk back to me, you must have gone to see your lover." Missy looked at me with disdain, "You didn't come back all night, where did you go? Did you really go see a lover? If you stay out all night again, I'll have Lawrence divorce you and kick you out, you'll never come back to this house."
I held my head high, pretending not to be afraid, "Oh, I'm so scared! Divorce? I'd love that!"