Page 23 of Falling Hard
"Well, if you told Luke and he didn't listen, then why is your next course of action to burn our company down?" My sister’s tone shifted, lightening into something playful, and it came at the perfect time.
Before I could answer, Dad walked in. "Let's go, ladies. You might be ‘nepo babies,’ but I plan to work you hard."
Shit, there was a meeting today that I’d completely forgotten about. Jacqueline went through the door Dad held open, and I knew this was only a temporary pardon. My sister would want a detailed explanation about my behavior eventually. I followed her, Dad's footsteps close behind, and wondered if today could possibly get any worse.
What a fucking day!Of all the days to have scheduled a dinner with Mom and Jacqueline, it had to be today. I'd love nothing more than to crawl into bed and pretend the day hadn’t happened, but after my sister saved me, I owed her a nice meal at the very least. Since it was Dorothy's night off, I ordered from the nearby Szechuan Chinese restaurant, took a shower, and reviewed a few emails. When my doorbell rang, I opened the door to find it was my regular delivery girl, Jiaying.
"Hi, Olivia, how have you been?"
"Girl, it's been hell," I answered as I searched my wallet for cash to tip her. "Come in, and let me grab some money from my purse."
Minutes later, Jiaying was all caught up on Luke. "Men are idiots. Why would he marry a woman named Soda?"
"Exactly, even if you looked past her stupid name, there’s nothing special about her. She had to sleep with somebody to get her job."
Jiaying eye widened. "Luke is marrying a slut. That's disgusting. A woman sleeping around with men, taking no pride in herself."
Wait, that sounded like she was describing me. I wasn’t one for slut shaming, moreincompetence shaming.The conversation had gone in the wrong direction. I brought Jiaying back to the point. "Six months isn't enough time to know someone well enough to marry them."
"Well, in my country, they used to have arranged marriages. Even now, thanks to matchmakers, two strangers can get married and stay that way forever."
"Well, this is America. We have relationships first, which is basically a trial marriage, to see if it's worth the headache."
She laughed, then looked at me with pity. I was now a pro at recognizing that look. "So you'll watch him marry this girl and leave you all alone."
Standing there in my expensive townhouse, I hadn’t expected Jiaying to pity me.
"I'm not going to be alone, because I won't let it happen. Luke won't marry Soda."
"Really, what's your plan to stop it?" my mother asked.
Shit, Jiaying must have left the door open.
Jacqueline stood beside our mother, carrying a guilty expression I recognized all too well. She’d told her about the little fire earlier.
After taking the tip I offered, Jiaying hurried out. I carried the bags to the table, and behind me, my mother wasted no time. "Your sister tells me you've lost your mind over this wedding between Luke and the fashion editor."
I sighed and unpacked the food. This wasn't something I could deny. Obviously, I hadn't been thinking clearly.
"Can you sit? We can eat and chat."
"Who you should be talking to is a professional. Why don't you get some therapy?" My mother pulled out her chair and sat down as she spoke.
I glared at Jacqueline. Earlier, she’d been my savior, but why bother if she'd then go on to unleash this hell on me?
"I don't need to talk to anyone. I'm fine."
"Almost burning down a company doesn't give me that impression."
I opened my food and reached for my metal chopsticks. "The dress was hideous and would embarrass Fox & Cie if I let Soda get married in it."
"But you didn't do it for the company’s sake," Jacqueline said between bites. "You want Luke."
Mother scoffed. "Now you want him. For years I've been nudging you two together. You threw all types of tantrums, and now that he found love, you're losing your mind. Get a therapist right away."
"I don't need therapy.” Spilling my guts to some stranger with a notepad was not something I'd feel comfortable doing.
Mother opened her mouth and shut it again, then looked at my sister. They had clearly had a whole conversation about this prior. Now silence filled the room, leaving only the scraping of utensils against plates and the distant sounds of the neighborhood drifting in through the windows. Jacqueline's eyes darted between me and her food, Mom took slow sips of wine, and I chewed. What a way to end a long, taxing day.
