The engagement, Liza’s defeat.

Chapter 6

I walked into the bustling venue of Jerimiah and Lisa’s engagement party. At first, I did not want to grace Lisa with my presence, but then I thought, if I could not play the disgusting video of Jeremiah and Lisa at our wedding since it got cancelled, then I could play it at their engagement. That way, I would get the satisfaction of revenge by ruining their special day, and get the guest to feel sorry for me, and I would also use it as an opportunity to get back my parents' company from my uncle.

I strutted with my head held high as I walked in, I ignored the murmurs about me from the guests. Just as I was about to take a seat in a very un-noticeable corner, I was approached by Mrs Taleson, who was none other than Jeremiah’s mother. Growing up, she was always kind to me and treated me like her daughter. She was the last person I thought would betray me.

“Liza darling, I did not expect to see you here”, she said nervously while trying to avoid eye contact.

“Oh, well, your daughter-inlaw invited me” I replied sarcastically. When I was younger, she never failed to remind me each day that I was her soon to be daughter-in-law, but who knew that she could change so fast?

“Liza, I know that we have wronged you, but Lisa and Jerry, they love each other, and as his mother, I cannot stop him from doing what makes him happy. I hope you understand” She said in a sad tone, expecting me to be understanding as I always was.

“Okay, I get it, they love each other” I nodded and she smiled in return, just as she was about to hug me, I held my hand up, preventing her from doing so.

“I have just one question for you”, I told her.

“Ask away” She said nervously.

“Did you know that they were both having an affair behind my back?” I asked her. I wanted her to tell me no and I would be satisfied, that at least she was not all that bad.

“Eliza..” She stammared as she avoided eye contact.

“Tell me the truth, Melissa” I said with a calm look in my eyes and she looked at me with a shocked gaze because it was the very first time I had called her by her name.

“Yes, I knew about it, Eliza, but what could I have done? Jeremiah is my son and I love him.”She said, breaking my heart into a million pieces.

“How long have you known this?”I asked again.

“Since the beginning”, she whispered.

“So you were going to let me get married to your cheating son hun, how wicked are you”I said, finally losing my temper.

“What did you expect me to do, betray my son?” she asked and I got so pissed at how self-righteous she was acting, she did not even think that what she did was wrong, so classic of another person from the Taleson family.

“You could have told me, you are a very wicked person, Mellisa. I wonder how my parents could ever befriend somebody like you”, I told her and she looked hurt by my words. Just as I was about to feel bad, she countered me.

“Look, Eliza, I have been patient with you throughout, only because I felt a little bit bad for you, but that does not. me you should bring you bad energy to my sons engagement. So what he cheated on you, that is the basic nature of a man, deal with it. At least you are not getting married to you, so just be happy for Jeremiah and Lisa, okay”she said. She did not even give me a chance to reply to her as she strutted away and went ahead to greet the other guests.

“Eliza” a deep baritone voice called out and I sighed with exhaustion, just when I was done dealing with Melissa, he came along.

“I am glad you were able to come here” My annoying potbellied uncle,Charles Greene, said as he stood in front of me with my aunt Nina beside him .

“Get to the point” I told him un-interestedly .

“I know that you are not happy today because Jeremiah was once your fiance, but be mature about it. Okay? I don’t want you causing any scene that will drag the name of our family down the mud. You are going to give a speech later in the evening, and tell everyone that you are happy with Lisa and Jeremiah’s union, okay?” he said, as if it was their right, as if I was expected to swallow every wrong they had done to me.

“How can you say this, uncle Charles, why do I have to act happy with the whole situation, your daughter and Jeremiah literally cheated on me for years and you are telling me to act mature?” I said angrily.

“Calm down Eliza, the guests are watching” he said with a fake smile on his face.

“And yes, you should act mature about it. Lisa is your younger cousin, you should learn to give way to her” he said quickly, showing that he was already annoyed with me.

“Look you little bitch, if you ruin my daughter's special day, then I will seriously make you pay” My aunt Nina said with Venom dripping from her voice, then she dragged my uncle away with her.

I saw Lisa and Jerimaih approaching me and I quickly walked away because I did not think I could handle another conversation, especially with them.

I made sure to eat properly before the event, in case they tried to drug me again.

I sat down at the side trying my best to be invisible, I was waiting for the perfect moment to strike and play the video, and just as I was minding my business, Lisa just had to serve her dignity to me on a silver platter.

She slowly and elegantly walked up to the stage with her seven inch high heels, while Jeremiah was at her side supporting her. She walked to the middle of the stage and clinked at her glass where the microphone was, which caught everyone's attention,

“Hello everyone and welcome to our engagement ceremony, I and Jerimiah are so glad to have you all here”she said sweetly, earning a round of applause from the guests at the party, while my uncle sat down looking impressed.

“Although I wanted today to be filled with positive vibes, I could not help but hear a few comments about my engagement with Jeremiah, and I just have to clarify that my sweet cousin Eliza and Jeremiah were never engaged”. She said and I was shocked,although our families never made it official, our engagement was still a thing, we were even about to get married. I smiled at her reckless statement because it just made the video that I was about to play even more worth it. I could not wait to see the look on her face when I played the video.

“But with that aside, thank you all for showing up, and my cousin Eliza would like to give a short speech on our behalf. Could you all give her a round of applause as she makes her way here”, Lisa said, which irked me so much.

But I did not stand up immediately. I looked at my phone and texted, “start uploading it” to a particular number. I knew what I was going to do might not cause much damage to Lisa and Jerimiah, but it was definitely going to cause a dent in their relationship.

I stood up and walked on the stage while looking forced, I wanted people to see my discomfort. That way, my act later on would be more believable. I made eye contact with my uncle. He was mouthing for me to behave myself but I ignored him.

“Once again, thank you guys for attending this beautiful ceremony on behalf of my cousin and soon to be brother-inlaw” I said while faking a shaky voice, seeing my entire moody-demeanor, the guests began to suspect what I wanted them to suspect. My uncle and aunt looked like they wanted to murder me.

And just at the right timing, the video began to play on the big screen behind me.

‘Lisa baby whats wrong’ Jeremiah said in the video, while I looked at it like I was confused. When the guest realized what was going on, a collective gaspe spread out through the room.

“Jerry baby, why are you prolonging this? You and Eliza will literally be getting married in a month? Why have you not put a stop to this”. Seeing what was happening, Lisa went crazy.

“What is this!” she shouted. “Stop this right now or you are all fired” she shouted at the tech staff as she ran to the big screen, looking for a way to turn it off, and Jeremiah stood there with a complicated look on his face, and I , I pretended to look heartbroken.

‘I know Lisa, I have tried every possible thing to convince her to sign the full rights of the company away to your uncle, but she just never budges, sometimes she does not even let me bring it up’ as the guest heard this, there was another round of gaspe, as the murmuring spread out though out the venue.

“Shut this down!” Lisa shouted crazily to the crew.

“We are so sorry Miss Greene, our system has been hacked into, we are trying every possible way to stop it” he told her, then he ran back to his post trying to take down the video.

I decided that it was time to put my acting skills to the test. My shoulders started shaking as I broke into a round of fake sobbing.

‘ That stupid bitch, she has always been so stubborn, my dad has always been nice to her and she cannot even let go of the company, is that too much to ask?’

‘I know the only plausible option now is to marry her. That way she would have to give me and even if she doesnt…’ then the video ended as they finally managed to take the video down. I did not care, the essential part of the video had already played. Now it was time for me to act my part out. While Lisa sat down on the floor defeatedly, I slowly walked up to her with fake tears running down my face.

“Paaaa” the resounding sound spread throughout the hall as I slapped Lisa on the face.

“How dare you do this to me, Lisa, so you have always been plotting against me.”

“Lisa, I have always had to give you everything I had. When you came to me last week,begging me to sever my engagement with Jeremiah, I did, because you told me you loved him, that you could not hold it in anymore, and I did just as you asked. I ended an engagement that had been on for many years.” I said with a fake look of betrayal on my face, and then I walked to the stunned Jeremiah.

“And you, Jeremiah, why did you act like I betrayed you when I broke off the engagement when you had been cheating with my cousin all along? Even worse, you guys have been plotting against my parents' company, how dare you!” I shouted with tears streaming down my face and I was internally impressed with my acting skills, and the little lies I drizzled on top .

Just as I was about to go on with my acting, my aunt ran to the stage and my ear started ringing when she slapped me in the face with twice the energy I used to hit Lisa.

“How dare you slap my daughter Eliza, who are you? And so what, they were sleeping together while you and Jeremiah were engaged, who asked you to force your stupid engagement on him” My aunt crazily said, and it was then I realized where Lisa got her craziness from.

I looked at my uncle who had walked up the stage.

“Can you transfer back my parents' properties to me?” I asked him in front of the entire guest which caused everyone around me to look shocked, including Lisa.

“Dad no, don't listen to her” Lisa told him and I scoffed. Even though my parents left a rule before I could take back their property, they did not say that my uncle could not hand it over to me himself. And one thing my uncle loved more than anything, was his reputation, so I had to do it in front of everybody.

“It is because of those properties that your sweet daughter and son-inlaw schemed against me, but throughout these years, your entire family has been living a lavish life because of my parents' hardwork and this is how you repay their daughter. Please give it back to me, I promise I will not let you suffer”, I said calmly and hearing what I said, my aunt wanted to slap me once again, but my uncle held her hands back.

“ I will not transfer these properties to you, Eliza”, my uncle said, which shocked me. It seemed like I had calculated the entire situation wrongly.

“Uncle, if you do not give me it now, it will automatically be mine when I turn thirty, and then there will be nothing for you. I promise you that I will take everything from you”. I threatened him and the guests supported me as they shouted.

“Just give it back to her Charles, it was never yours to begin with”

“What a shamless man.”

“Poor Eliza” I heard from the crowd and I was sure he heard it too, but he laughed.

“I am sorry, Eliza, but that will not happen. You see , I have been in charge of your parents' company ever since you were fifteen, which is a long time ago. Now do you think that I would not have found a way to transfer the property rights to my name permanently” he said with a smug gaze, not even caring about the opinion of the people around him.

“Really, daddy, are you serious” Lisa asked him happily.

“Of course baby, there is nothing she can do, those properties will always be mine”, he told Lisa, and that was when I felt that everything was over, even though they faced humiliation, they still won.

“I will make you pay for this”, I told them before I left with the heavy feeling of defeat on my chest. The guest looked dissatisfied on my behalf, but they could not say anything, as they were still looking for the favour of the Taleson family.

I walked to my car and broke into tears. Does that mean that I have lost my parents' legacy?

I just wanted to go to my house and never come out, but I knew that I still had to cover the Blaqk family wedding the next day, so I pulled myself together and drove home.