Page 19 of The Husband Contract
“You think that I’m cruel?”
“No, I’ve never known you to be cruel, but she sounds like a nasty piece of work, so don’t do anything that will make me have to bail you out of jail.”
“I would never.”
“I know you’re the king of revenge.”
“I’m the king of revenge? I’m offended. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten revenge on anyone before in my life.”
“That’s not exactly true, is it, Sebastian?”
“What do you mean?”
“What about the Red Brown factories?”
“What about them?”
“Well, remember when you made an offer to Red Brown and he turned it down and then spat at you? And then you bought all his suppliers’ businesses and then stoppedsupplying to him, and then he went out of business and ended up bankrupt?”
“That wasn’t a case of revenge,” I say. “That was a business deal that just happened to screw him.”
“That was revenge, Sebastian.”
“Well, don’t worry. I’m not going to buy the Whispering Haven Bed and Breakfast and put it out of business.” I chuckle. “That would be way too easy.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Like I said, I don’t know yet. But believe you me, Willow is going to rue the day that she ever messed with a Laurence man.”
“I suppose sometimes, people don’t learn their lesson until they’re made to pay.” He sighs.
“Exactly. And this young lady is going to pay. Believe me when I say that. She’s going to pay with everything that she has.” I smirk and then think out loud. “And you know what hurts more than money? Love. The most painful type of revenge plays with the heart. And I think that is how I am going to get her.”
Chapter Five
Willow
“Willow, I don’t have to tell you this, but the occupancy rates are atrocious. Are you trying to run my hotel into the ground?” Charlotte sounds pissed as she lectures me on the phone. I refrain from telling her that she did that herself. I know better than to actually be honest with Charlotte. She has never valued my opinion on anything real. I also want to inform her that if she spent as much time investing in the hotel as she did traveling and dating, she’d be much more successful, but then she’d just say I was jealous. And that part is slightly true.
“Katherine, Brielle, and I are working on a social media campaign to try and get some free marketing to the bed and breakfast. All we need is one viral video, and everything can change.” I am not going to bring up a real marketing budgetagain. Not after the last time she’d called me ungrateful and threatened to cut my salary.
“You think you can just make a viral video happen?” She sounds disgusted. “You have to be pretty to be an influencer, Willow. And neither you, Katherine, nor Brielle are particularly easy on the eyes.” When I was younger, I was always offended by her cruel words and took everything she said to heart. But I know that Katherine and Brielle are beautiful, so I know she’s not being honest. Just trying to tear me down. Which makes me dislike her and hate myself for still allowing her to talk to me like that. But I know I have to be patient. Hopefully, within a year or two, I can move on from this life.
I’ll be forever grateful for Charlotte and her mom taking me in and saving me from “mean and evil foster parents,” as they’d always told me, but sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I’d had a loving family. Though, I kinda did, with Katherine and Brielle.
“We will still try our best.”
“Hold on.” She sounds irritated. “Jacqueline, I’ll take the size 7s. In black and tan. And the Hermés scarf with the peacocks. Here’s my card.” I can hear the sounds of classical music in the background, and I wonder what store she’s in. Probably one that sells items for more than my yearly salary. Though I’m not jealous of her for spending her money. She won the lottery, and it’s her money to do with what she wants. Though sometimes I wonder how she got so lucky. She’s won it twice now. The last amount being something extremely large, though she’s never told me exact numbers. But Aunt Mildred hinted it was in the millions.
The phone on the front desk rings, and as I’m the only one in the hotel right now, I answer it.
“Thank you for calling Whispering Haven Bed and Breakfast. This is Willow speaking. How may I help you?”
“How much for a night?”
“Our rate depends on the date and the type of room you’re looking for.”
“Sounds like a scam.” The voice sounds old and croaky, and I mentally remind myself that half of my job is about customer service.
