The Second Wife by Melinda Mulera (book club reads .txt) 📗

Chapter 5: like mother like son

I finished my second glass and I could still feel as though he was about to say something insulting and probably get me fired for telling him it was his fault the workers wanted to poison him. But I could be right. He even talked bad about them as though they didn't matter to the world and that killing them wasn't a problem.
 

 

It was as though he didn't have a conscious to have feelings of regret about killing them. I bet their families begged him to spare their lives but he shut them out and cast them aside.
 

 

"Don't get yourself drunk." He suddenly said as I reached for the wine bottle for a refill. "I won't be responsible."
 

 

"You're just making me nervous." I said as I filled the glass half way. "But it's also important to admit being wrong, it doesn't hurt." I said and he glanced down at the table. "The families of the people, what did they say?" I asked as softly as I could and when he didn't answer, I chugged down the wine, feeling nausea for being a loud mouth.
 

 

Maybe he'll kill me too.
 

 

"They refused the money I offered for their lost relatives. Of course they begged me not to do it. But I was angry and felt betrayed that I just didn't feel sorry once the judge gave them the death penalty." He said as he began to draw circles on the table with a deep frown on his face, almost as though he was actually feeling sorry now that he thought about it. "They cursed me, called me all sorts of names and tried to publicly destroy me and my family. The media had their reports torn down because I was the victim. I was just lucky that my girlfriend was the one that died. The families actually told me that they will wait for the day when they can finally watch me die. I had them under house arrest but that ended a few months back."
 

 

"Where you okay after your girlfriend... Died?" I asked and he shrugged his shoulders again and looked up to me. His eyes didn't seem worried about it.
 

 

"She wasn't even great." He said as he leaned back into the seat. "She was always yelling and threatening me. I was with her because she blackmailed me. Don't get me wrong but her actually dying didn't really give anyone tears to cry. Especially her family who grew tired of her obsession over me and how badly she treated them. I was forced to do the funeral by myself." He said with a small laugh. "Her family just sent get well card with her name scribbled on them with a 'get well-- probably never' note." He laughed now as he ran his hand across his face. "Talk about being alone..." He suddenly frowned. "Almost scared me. The thought of people actually being happy you're gone. No one missing you. Not even someone you thought loved you." He whispered then clenched his jaw. "I think I'll die like that." He smirked and glanced up at me. "Where people would be happy to see my pale body get buried under the ground." He said and I glanced at the wine in my glass, unsure of what to say. "But that doesn't bother me anymore. People hate those better than them." He said as he sipped on his wine glass, looking normal again. "How old are you, Iris?"
 

"Twenty six." I said as I placed the wine glass on the table.

"Oh," he nodded slowly. "You look younger." He said. "Do you have a fiancée or... A boyfriend or husband?"

"No." I said as I folded my hands and glanced out the large windows.

"I bet they couldn't stand your rudeness." He said and I glared at him.

"I've never had one." I admit and glance away in embarrassment when his eyes got wide.

"No doubt, one look at you and they're heading south." He mocked and I sighed out in boredom. "I'm joking."

"I didn't ask if you were." I said through gritted teeth only to hear him chuckle.

"Are you angry I just called you ugly?" He asked and I clenched my jaw.

"No." I said and he began to laugh.

"Well you're not ugly Iris, I'm actually surprised. I thought you would be in something serious." He said and I glanced at him with a frown. "So why are you being rude to me? Wouldn't you want to be with a rich and handsome man such as myself?" He asked with a dirty smirk and I rolled my eyes.

"First of all, your pride really irritates me, and I'm not desperately trying to look for a man." I lied on the last bit. I really wanted to get married really soon. My mother was nagging me about it. But the thought of being with Mr Bronze is just really bad. He's too full of himself.

"If you can't raise your ego, no one will." He smirked as he sipped. "Anyway, it's getting late and I don't want us bumping into my mother. We need to leave." He said as he stood up and so did I.

"Why not?" I asked as he led the way out of the room and into the corridor.

"If I irritate you without saying anything about you, then my mother will make you feel like you're not worth a grain of sand." He said and I clenched my jaw only to gasp when the door beside me suddenly opened.

A woman steppe out and it was a door to the bathroom. Her bright emerald eyes met mine and her brows rose up into her straight fringe.

"Excuse me miss, I think you're in the wrong building. Locals aren't allowed here." She said as she fixed her straight weave and I frowned slightly.

"She came with me." Avery sighed behind me as I stared at the woman with a deep frown.

How could she call someone 'local'. This was a five star hotel, what's local about it?

"Oh, Avery." The way she said his name was off. As though she was displeased to see him. "She's with you. Why are you into local women so much?" She asked and I clenched my jaw. "I doubt if she's even able to come here any other day." She said with a side smile to provoke me.

"Goodnight mother." Avery sighed and grabbed my arm, pulling me from her and towards the exit door.

I glanced at her again and she was still staring, now looking a bit suspicious of something.

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