Forsaken betrayal

Episode

17

The three men walked out of the elevator, discussing as they went.

"You are only nice with us when you've messed up. Other times you're as cold as a block of ice. You really deserve your wife Lennox." Johnson stated. "We've told you to not drink around her, you never learn." Alex quipped.

"I'd be a drunkard if I had her around. Lennox is holding up strong, I give him that."

"I'm right behind you guys." Lennox added, bringing the attention back to himself.

Johnson raised his hand in a salute. "Aye, aye captain."

"What did you do this time?" Alex asked.

"I don't know but she's strangely happy. The way she normally is when she's achieved something."

"And you don't know what it is?"

"I don't." The frustration at not remembering was starting to reach sky high.

"Brother," Alex held his hands, "Don't go home tonight, we may never see you again." He joked.

Lennox scowled, causing Alex to retreat.

"I am off to get coffee," Alex said, excusing himself from the trio.

"Doesn't he have a coffee machine in his office? Why does he seem like he's leaving the building" Johnson asked, raising his brows in confusion. Lennox smirked. "Tori's back."

Johnson gave a long dramatic gasp. "When?"

Lennox only shruggged in reply.

"That's nice, at least one of us has his romance heading somewhere."

"Don't bank on it, she hates him."

"Sweet, just like you hate Amelia." He laughed. "Can the Morrison brothers ever be happy?"

"Fuck off."

"Yes captain."

Both went in separate ways, heading to their respective offices.

"Mr Gu," Lennox called.

"Yes sir." The older man answered, catching up with Lennox's long strides to his office.

"Give me a run down Huan Group's response to our proposal."

"Yes sir." They both strode into Lennox's office.

~~~

Alex opened the door to the cafe, expecting the chime of the little bell above the door. He had come with an air this time, confident in his ability to always get what he wants.

Tori had immediately raised her head to welcome her customer but her eagerness died when Alex appeared before her.

"I told you to not come back here." She said through gritted teeth.

He smirked, "Is that how you treat your customers? No wonder it's just me here. You have a bad costumer reception."

"I don't! You are not-" She stuttered

"You're not as foul-mouthed too as you were, are you?"

"Alex!" She snapped but he only looked at her in a taunting smile.

"That's it, calm down. A cup of Expresso please," He placed his order. "And a slice of cheesecake." He dropped his card and winked at her

She sighed, leaving him to answer the only other customer that had just walked into the small cafe.

Lennox strudged into the living room, half expecting his doting wife to be seated on the sofa, waiting for him. His expectation turned into disappointment when he found Mrs. Rachel waiting for him instead. "Where is my wife?" He asked, scanning the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

"She is in the kitchen."

"What about the chef?"

"She sent him to his quarters."

"Has she been the one cooking all along?"

Mrs Rachel smiled, "Yes sir."

"You can go to your quarters, Mrs. Rachel." He ordered.

"Yes Master."

Lennox made his way to the kitchen. He found Gealic standing with her back to him, her shoulders shaking and ceared his throat, announcing his presence.

Grealic quickly wiped the tears away from her face, masking her sniffs with small bouts of cough.

"Welcome." She croaked.

"Are you crying?" He asked, his expression softening at her tears.

"No," She answered, her lie barely convincing.

"Did something happen at your grandfather's?" "Why do you care?"

"I don't." Lennox's shrug was nonchalant.

"So please leave me alone." Her tears flowed.

"But it doesn't mean I would allow any harm come to you. Remember, I-"

Gealic's interruption was bitter. "You own me, yes, I get it. So please leave me be."

"You don't have to continue making dinner, I won't eat a food made from a woman's tears."

"Why then do you let me cook?" Her emotions boiled over, "Why don't you just eat out or something? Why do I have to work so hard, only for you to trash it at the end of the day? Is it because of your money? Do you think because of your wealth and affluent family, you are better than me? I-i worked so hard to make things right but you all just dump my effort in the bin, like I don't matter, like I'm not a human with feelings."

"Amelia." His expression was calm, but his eyes gave away a hint of surprise.

"I am human too, I have feelings too. I am not some monster who can easily like through the pain you te putting me through, I break too." She continued.

He walked up to her, holding her shoulders. "What is happening to you?" Lennox's voice was low and soothing. "Amelia."

"Leave me," She pushed him away, wiping the tears cascading down her face. "You don't care anyway."

"You've cried so many times that I am now immune to it, I don't know why it is different now."

"Because this is real. Because I am very very frustrated by you, by everyone. I wish I could just vanish into thin air or just cease to exist. I am tired!"

They both paused, staring into each other's eyes, each trying to figure out what was going on in the other's mind.

Lennox cut through the silence, "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

"A bottle of vodka sounds better."

"No alcohol for you, who knows what you'll do? I'll make chamomile tea, it'll ease you down a bit."

"Sure, anything."

"Stop cooking and go over to the sofa, I'll bring the tea along."

She obliged, heading towards the sofa in the living room. She had snoped at Lennox for something that he didn't do. The guilt coarsed through her like a siead of fire on a dry land. "Gealic, how stupid can you get?"