Nodding her head, Linda responded, “That’s right. I’m only here to live off you; the catfights don’t involve me. Well, the most involved I’d be is a spectator but, Suzy, you must protect yourself, okay? You’re the star of the show today. Don’t give anybody a chance to make a fool out of you.” Linda nagged on and on. The last thing she wanted was for her best friend to get hurt. Mona looked over at Tim who was mingling around with the guests as her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Getting an idea of what was going on in Mona’s mind, Linda nudged Mona. “Hey, what are you thinking? Be happy. You’re the star today. You’re the host of the party, so don’t let anybody show you otherwise.” Mona raised her brow and smiled faintly. It was hard to tell if she was replying to Linda or just mumbling to herself. “Am I a host today? I’m just a puppet.” That was not the point though. Most importantly, Tim baffled Mona with his course of action. Mona would simply accept her loss if sh
Mona wondered in what capacity Samantha was invited to the party. The latter was probably Victor’s plus one. Talking about Victor, he had not been staying in line after his engagement with Isabel. Victor was now a frequent face on the tabloids, and his philandering ways were the talk of the town. There was no telling what the relationship was between Victor and Samantha, but one thing was for sure – Isabel’s pregnancy proved that Victor was an expert at emotional manipulation. He influenced another man to seduce Isabel and made her abort the child of her free will. It then gave Victor the leverage to hold sway over the Grahams. Only a manipulative sc*mbag could pull off such a game plan, and that was why he got off scot-free. Mona’s mind harked back to Isabel bawling her eyes out at the hospital. Despite people trying to take some sense into her, Isabel refused to cut ties with Victor. She was willing to jump into Victor’s trap. Isabel had no one to blame but herself for puttin
That was right. The deepest secret mattered the most to Mona, and it was not something she wanted to talk about with anybody. It hurt to have that information brought to light. The pain only reminded her that she was a replacement for the real Mona. She had never met the real Mona. However, Mona was most curious about the woman who left an unerasable memory in Thaddeus. Despite her agitation, Mona would not show the emotions on her face. Her poker face revealed no weakness for the enemy to make use of. With a faint smile, Mona acted as if nothing concerned her. Displeased that she had accomplished nothing, Samantha fired up to say something more, but Linda could not stand by and watch anymore. Linda was livid as she could not stand Samantha talking down to Mona. She pulled Mona behind her and engaged with Samantha in a stand-off. Linda ran her eyes up and down Samantha as if the latter was not worth her time. The invasive staring did not sit well with Samantha. Furrowing
The last thing Mona wanted to do was face the couple. It was not as though she had anything to talk about with them anyway. Mona was better off staying away. Out of sight, out of mind. While Mona turned away to leave, Samantha grabbed Mona by the wrist. Surprised, Mona looked at her apprehended hand in dismay. “Suzy,” Samantha suddenly cried out her name. Mona was baffled. “Don’t you think we’re sisters?” The question came as a bolt out of the blue for Mona. Although she did not want to answer Samantha, Mona was curious as to what she had up her sleeve. Hence, Mona carried on with the conversation. “Sisters? I don’t know about that, but if there’s one thing I know, we’re not on good terms.” As frustration flickered in Samantha’s eyes, she looked hurt. “You hold a grudge against me, but I’ve always seen you as a sister. We’re a family after all. I was petty and did things that hurt you in the past, but I hope you won’t take those to heart,” Samantha sincerely said as h
There were some nosy people who dug up Mona’s past relationship with Thaddeus. Some said that she was his kept woman while others made her out to be a plaything in exchange for favors. There was a lot of guessing and ideas going on about Mona. Nevertheless, these chatters did not hurt Mona. She was strong enough to face public criticism. It was ugly to let anger and defensiveness get the best of her. That was not how she rolled. Nevertheless, Linda was not having it. How could she sit by and not do anything about the cocky Samantha? Raising her hand, Linda crooked her finger up at Samantha’s nose and angrily chided, “Do you think you’re all that, Samantha? You make up all the rumors in the world. You have no right to judge the person Suzy is. Watch your mouth. Don’t think for a second I don’t see through your plans, and it’s an ugly color on you.” Samantha opened her mouth and blinked her eyes. Her eyes welled up, adding to the innocent look on her face. “What are you saying,
Nevertheless, Samantha soon got her act together because she knew where she was and what she had set to do this evening. She was in the presence of the upper crust, so she must remain straight in the face to possibly finish the job. Hence, Samantha chose to smile weakly at Linda’s exposing comments and played the victim. So long as she did not admit to it, she could pretend nothing ever happened. Looking sad, Samantha glumly uttered, “I’m only an invited guest to the party. Ms. North, you don’t want to kick me out as if you’re the host even if you don’t like me. You said it yourself. You’re only a bodyguard. What right do you have to yell at me? We’re equals, aren’t we?” Samantha skillfully pushed the blame onto Linda, and the onlooking guests were swayed and saw the logic in her reasoning. Linda was only a friend of the host tonight. Yet, she carried herself with arrogance. It was unladylike to lash out at a formal event. Where were her manners? The rich thought little of
“Samantha, don’t you think you’re crossing the line?” Having kept his silence thus far, Victor approached with a wine glass in hand. With eyes on Samantha, he reflected a curt warning through his aloof eyes. “You’d better shut your trap if you wish to remain here. Cut the nonsense…” He then turned to Mona and then to Samanta before uttering, “Otherwise, I’ll have you thrown out.” The smile on Samantha’s face froze. Victor had put her in an awkward position. Smug, Linda put her hand over her mouth and snickered. She could barely cover the delight across her face. Victor looked over at Linda and frowned. Linda poked fun. “Mr. Cornwell, you’re a breath of fresh air. The other men were all over Ms. Mayers, trying to suck up to her while you gave her a dressing-down. Well, now she’s embarrassed herself.” She was not one to let things go. Linda would bite back at anybody who gave her hell. Mona immediately patted Linda’s arm so that the latter would quit it. Mona then pulled
Linda waltzed right up and came in Victor’s way. Victor tried to walk around her. “Could you step away, Linda? I need to see Suzy.” Victor was so focused on Mona that he did not notice the wine glass in Linda’s hand tipping over. The red wine spilled over him, especially in the crotch area of his pants. “Oops, sorry about that, old friend. It was a slip of the hand.” Victor turned ashen in the face, but he would dare not throw a huge tantrum in front of Mona. He waved his arm and left, pretending to let the matter slide. “It’s fine. I get a change of clothes from the car.” With Victor walking away, Linda and Mona sighed in relief. Mission completed. Mona smiled at Linda before getting up to hold her by the arm. “That’s some quick thinking. Come on. Let’s lay low in the private lounge.” Linda had always been an indifferent loner, so she did not like dealing with people. The exchange of words had drained her. The pair held hands as they advanced to the private lounge an