by Anne Leigh
Checking my face one last time, I made a note to thank Daria for the new shade of eyeliner I was wearing. She really had good instincts on what would look good on my face. One time she’d commented that anything would look good on my face. She was out-of-town when I had the disastrous after-effects of a pumpkin facial. It took three days before my skin went back to normal. Milo’s expert love making skills were largely responsible for the return of my pink cheeks. It was three days of pure bliss and spent largely on getting to know each other’s bodies since he’d missed me so much after my Thailand trip.
I smacked my lips on a tissue and I was about to apply my lip gloss when a familiar figure, one that I’d like to send to the next space shuttle mission and leave her there, entered the bathroom.
I’d known about her since Brynn and I were in college. She was Milo’s first official girlfriend. He dated a bunch of girls in high school and it’s not like I was keeping track, but let’s just say, he’s had his share of women and those women talked about him. He was, after all, an attractive guy who played and excelled in a lot of sports. Men had to sow their oats. I’d kept myself busy from not hearing about those said oats by trying to stay out of his way and if we were within each other’s vicinity, I deflected my attraction for him with sarcastic and off-handed remarks.
“Oh, hey, Ava.” Dia’s brows rose and her green eyes flashed menacingly. “I was looking for Milo. I figured he’d have changed his mind about you by now.”
Finishing with my gloss, I tucked it inside my purse. The fact that this woman had been intimate at one point or many times in the past with my man was reason enough for me to not like her. The additional truth that she was still in his life after she cheated on him twice was reason enough for me to hate her. I would not demand for Milo to fire her from his foundation because that would be petty of me. She’d helped build it from the beginning and as long as she kept her hands to herself and her distance hundreds of miles away, I am slightly okay with it.
Clicking her teeth with her tongue, she stood to my left and twirled her right hand in her curly hair. “You might know that Milo hates olives, but this might have escaped you… he doesn’t like liars, and from what I’ve seen of all this little drama,” her clawing French-tipped nails waved in the air, “he wasn’t all too happy with the news of you tying the knot with Emmett.”
I needed to get out of here before I did something I would regret later. There are some people who aren’t worth my time. Dia just happens to be on top of the list.
I turned on my heels and left her standing in front of the mirror. The best defense to a sourgraping ex-girlfriend? Not responding to her taunts.
Her voice high and loud inside the bathroom, she said derisively, “Oh, honey, I’ve been there. Milo has you all twisted up, but he will get tired of you eventually. Once he’s back to swimming, you’ll be the last of his priorities. You’ll start having conversations with his phone and he’ll never have time for you.”
I continued walking away, she was obviously filled with pettiness. I thought she was okay after bowling night, I guessed she really wasn’t okay with Milo and I, but that’s none of her business and will never be her business.
“And when you get tired of him, trust me, you’ll be thinking of ways to try to get his attention and you might just end up like me.”
I walked to Adelaide and asked her gently, “Can you leave us here for a minute?”
Adelaide seemed hesitant, so I reassured her, “I’m Ava. I’m sure you’ve heard of my father Maxwell Troudeau?” There were times when dropping my father’s name was useful.
Adelaide raised her dark head in a bob and replied, “Yes.”
“I’m his daughter.” To which her brown eyes widened. “It’s okay, Adelaide. You won’t get in trouble. All I’m asking is a few minutes. If your supervisor asks you about it,” I reached inside my purse and handed her a business card, “have him or her call me.”
She nodded her head and left the bathroom.
Once I was sure Adelaide was out, I locked the door and walked to where Dia was standing.
It was time to let the worms out. This bitch was getting a taste of me tonight.
She raised a pointed brow when I set my purse on top of the towels and napkins that Adelaide handed out to the guests.
“What’s your deal?” I asked rhetorically, not wanting to hear another word from her irritating mouth which was painted with a very bright shade of red. “You cheated on him. Not once, but twice. Your lies spurned him to do what he did to Kieran. You made him look like a fool. You keep hanging on to him when clearly all he sees is someone who helps him run the foundation.”
Her eyes bulged out at my statement. “Yes, he told me about it. He’s told me a lot of things about his past with you. You know why? Because he’s honest with me. I’m guessing he was honest with you too because that’s the kind of man he is. You know what else I know? I know he’ll never go back to you.”
Her breath puffing out in scorn, her shoulders as stiff as her jaw, she said flippantly, “Whatever. He’ll find his way back to me.”
“That’s just it, Dia. He never found his way with you because you were too busy sleeping with other guys.” Tapping my right pointer finger to the side of my cheek, I admitted, “I’m actually thankful that you’re a two-timing bitch because if you weren’t maybe he and I would not be together now.”
“For being your father’s company’s face, you have a trashy mouth,” she retorted, her face burning in complete annoyance. “I never expected that of you.”
“The last thing I’d ever want is for you to expect anything from me,” I sneered, I’ve had enough drama to last me a century tonight and I haven’t even heard from my father yet which made me feel on-the-edge and snarkier. “I don’t owe you anything, but Milo does. He owes you for helping him start his dream of building something in memory of the people he loves. But as much as he feels that way, keep this in mind, I’m the woman he cares deeply for now. And he wants to make me happy. All the time. If I say you remaining in his foundation does not make me happy in any way, you never know what he’d do. I see all the texts you send him. He doesn’t hide them from me. I know what goes on with his life. I make it a point to know everything about him because I love him. While he’s given you the chance to do your work, what I know from being around businessmen long enough is that everyone is dispensable. You can be replaced.”
“How long do you think his fascination with you will last? You’re just a new toy he can play with.” Now she was just plain grasping for the tiniest thread of nonsense to get a reaction from me.
“Again, he’s none of your concern now,” I repeated, grabbing my purse from where I’d set it and took out a $20 bill from my wallet and dropped it in the tip jar for Adelaide. “You know what Milo thinks of you and him?”
Without waiting for her answer, I said, “Finito.”
I had no desire to look back and watch her expression. I’ve said my piece. It was the first and last time I was stooping down to her level. Unless a situation would call for it. As I passed Adelaide outside, I gave her the signal that she could go back in and thanked her.
When I reached the lobby, Milo was standing and talking to one of the security guards. I walked closer to him and when he saw my face, he excused himself from the conversation and asked, “You okay?”
“Yes,” I answered in relief. “I’m just tired. I can’t wait to be home.”
On a night filled with extraordinary drama from a meddling, controlling father to a jilted public boyfriend to an ever-present ex-girlfriend, yes, I just wanted to be home in his arms, where the world ceased to exist, and the only things that mattered were him and me.
“You do realize that you’ve ruined what I’ve planned for the senator’s son and you.” His eyes flared in anger, his voice dripped with fury. “I’ve given you everything, Ava. Everything!”
Slamming a closed fist on his oak desk, his face contorted into an angry snarl. “And this
is how you repay me? You’ve undermined my authority at every turn, embarrassed me in front of my colleagues, and you almost cost me my friendship with David!”
He has been talking, alternating with screaming in between, for the past fifteen minutes. When I arrived at my parent’s house, I immediately went to see my mom and found her napping inside the greenhouse surrounded by her favorite blooms before I met my father at his office in the house.
I had been waiting for his summons. My father didn’t call me personally. Oh no, he had his assistant do that for him. So when he called me with his own hands and I heard his voice over the phone, I cut off my shopping spree for Daria’s birthday and drove straight here.
“You don’t think twice about your actions! Do you know how much damage control I had to do in the past few days?” His ranting continued, he pulled on his tie as if it was constricting his breathing. “I had to issue another statement to the press that you’ve decided to focus on our company’s charitable endeavors instead of your personal life! You made a fool out of me, Ava. A fool. You’ve really gone over your head this time.”
I highly doubted it. My father had other people do the damage control. A fool? I never wanted to date Emmett, my father’s the one who made a fool out of himself.
Even when he was unleashing his anger at me, I was feeling relieved. He hasn’t mentioned restricting me from seeing my mom. He could go on and on about this the whole day and it would be okay with me, I could block it all out. It was actually better for me that he was showing his anger instead of plotting out devious plans on how to make my life miserable.
He breathed out, thumping his left hand on his desk, sending a leaf of paper falling to the floor. Without sparing the fallen pieces a thought, he began tapping with his fingers. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Nothing.
I judged it best not to infuriate him any further. His emotions were heavy, dripping with fire, a singular event since my father rarely lost his temper. As a matter of fact, he barely showed any emotions at all. So today was a rarity and I had no inclination to cause any more strife between us.
“When you were little, your mother used to say, ‘She’s got your eyes Maxwell. Eyes that could see through your soul.’” His words came out unexpectedly, the admission confusing me. What was he trying to get at? He was a master of being cunning, an expert in the mental battlefield, and he could bluff his way out of any predicament. Maxwell Troudeau did not win eight world series of poker championship crowns without having an inherent ability to read people and calculate odds to his favor.
My face remained a blank platform. I’ve been schooled in the art of not showing my true emotions unless called for. My mother, the vibrant woman that she was, taught me that you show people what you want them to see. Being a supermodel, she’s learned a lot of tricks in her trade. When I was little, she’d take me to her photoshoots and everyone complimented her on how chameleon-like her face was. She could go from happy to pouty to sensual in an instant. I’ve internalized her lessons in life, “not everyone is nice, show them who you want them to see, but save yourself for the real people in your life.” Maybe that’s why even Milo couldn’t tell that I’ve lit a torch for him throughout the years. My parents had been offered numerous modeling contracts for me when I was younger, but my mom refused all of them. She wanted me to have a life free of the pressures she lived in. I wondered what she would say now if she actually knew that my father was the one who put all this pressure on me. Then again, if she wasn’t in the state that she was in now, our lives would be different.
“I can see you love him, Ava.” His face lining up in disdain, the dark-gray color of the suit he was wearing today matched the grim visage he was portraying. After his screaming fit, he was back in his element.
Now this is what I’ve been fearing.
“He’s a good friend,” I responded, my hands clutching the double top handles of my black/white Hobo purse. “We’ve been friends since we were kids.” He could never know how much I valued Milo.
“Ah, sure.” Swiveling in his chair, he said disbelievingly, “You would have me believe that you just disobeyed me in front of all those people because he’s a friend? Your mom’s right, cherie. I can see through your soul because you have my eyes. Mr. Tanner is not just a friend to you. He’s got all of you. He has your love and your loyalty. And from what I saw the other night, he obviously returns your feelings.”
My insides started to dissolve into a cold, prickling shiver as the glint of retribution brightened his dark, tanned face. “He is also my number one fighter. Well, one of the two, because next week it will be decided on who the number one fighter will be.”
“He’s a good friend,” I insisted, digging my heels into the plush cream carpet that he’d had installed straight from France. “We’ve been hanging out. That’s all.”
“Well then, this will be easier for you to tell him since he’s a ‘good’ friend.” His emphasis on the “good” was derisive, mocking, leaking with scorn. “Right now the odds are 55-45, in favor of Mr. Tanner. Obviously majority of the audience think he can win. I think he can too.”
He paused, his thumb twiddling around a pen. “I want you to change the odds, Ava. You see? When you had your little act of rebellion in front of everyone, I was able to see how much you meant to Tanner. If you asked him to throw the fight, I have no doubts he would do it for you. He would throw the whole thing for you.”
I stood up, not wanting to hear another word from his pompous mouth. If he thought I would ask Milo to do this, he was terribly wrong. Milo was an athlete, a competitor. It didn’t matter what sport he played, he poured his heart and soul into it. Asking him to give up a fight would be a slap to his already bruised and tattered ego, and damage the self-respect he was trying to gain. I would never ask my man to give up a fight for me. Ever.
“You do this or this is the last time you will see your mother,” he pronounced with a decisiveness I knew I had no way of swaying.
“Why are you doing this, father? You don’t need the money that this fight will bring in. You’ve already proven to your colleagues and the people you call your friends that you’re above all of them. What is there left for you to gain?” My father had enough billions to last him a lifetime or two. This wasn’t about money. At all.
“This is your punishment, Ava.” Walking to the window, his back faced me and he turned his head to the direction of the greenhouse where my mother was. “You’re willful like your mother, and look where it’s gotten her. This is for your future. I want to ensure that the legacy I leave behind will be according to my rules.” Gesturing with both of his hands in the air, he said “I built all of this from nothing. I don’t want to leave all of this to nothing if you ruled with your heart. You’re fickle. Very emotional. You’re ruled by your desires. In order to become like me, you have to choose what’s best for you. Unfortunately, you’ve chosen wrong. Mr. Tanner is not the guy I’d wish for you to be associated with. I chose him to be one of my fighters because he’s plagued by a scandal and he’s a pathetic excuse for a man who couldn’t stand to win by his own strength, so he had to plant drugs on his opponent so he could win. If you sway him to give up the fight, then I know that you still have the ability to follow my rules.”
“You don’t know him,” I defended, hanging my purse over my right shoulder. “You have no right to judge him.”
“Oh, but I do.” He sniveled, his features contemplative. “I know that he has no honor. If you ask him to throw the fight, I’m sure he will do so without hesitation.” Swinging his right hand, he signaled that he was ending this conversation. “You can tell him that instead of one and a half million that he’ll receive as a second prize, he’ll get two million instead. I’m feeling very generous. After all, he gave us a great show.”
He turned his head around to watch me and said, “Lose the championship, cherie. Or say goodbye to your mother.”
I stepped away from his desk. Before I reache
d the door, he added, “Au revoir. Try to be on your best behavior. See you next week.”
As I walked away from my father’s office, I looked at my surroundings. I grew up in this house. It was the biggest house in the neighborhood. My father didn’t build small, miniature buildings. Everything in his life had to be the biggest, the bestest – the biggest planes, the largest hotel chains, the grandest casinos, the imposing fight club – and now he wanted to take away the most important people in my life. I had to choose one or the other.
I know I can’t have both.
I saw it in his glaring, calculating eyes.
Either Milo lose the championship or I’d never catch glimpse of my mom again.
My faltering steps found their way into the greenhouse. In the arms of the woman who had brought me into this world, I spent my afternoon reliving my childhood memories with her, pouring all the tears and fears I have contained inside of me, savoring each moment, making everything last just a little longer.
Naomi left me and my mom alone and when it was time for my mom to go to sleep. I sang her French nursery rhymes that she used to sing when I was a little girl. Unlike my father, my mother embraced her American ways fully but when she married him, she also adapted the French ways, including learning everything about the language and culture. She became so fluent in French that whenever we went home to France, no one could detect that she was American with the way she spoke.
