Chapter 005

“Watch your steps…” Sandra cautioned Sarah, climbing the porch steps to the courthouse veranda. She stood on the veranda and lengthened her hand, offering, “let me help you up.”

Sarah accepted Sandra’s hand and carefully climbed up. “Thanks.” She uttered with a smile.

Sandra wiped the sweat on Sarah’s forehead and smiled, looking into her eyes. “Remember all I told you. You’re strong. Okay?”

Sarah nodded. “Okay.”

“Are you ready?” Sandra asked.

Sarah joggled her head, and without wasting another second, Sarah led into the ground floor.

“Why are you late?” Rebecca threw a question immediately as they stepped in.

They turned to the left, and seeing Rebecca, Sandra snickered. “Finally,” she whispered, keeping her voice very low so Sarah wouldn’t hear her since she had agreed not to cause a commotion.

Sarah knew Sandra would want to pick up a fight to defend her, so she begged her to stay calm and avoid Rebecca before they left the house.

Sarah and Sandra ceased walking and watched Rebecca walk up to them, with Charles walking behind her with her bag in his hand.

“It’s been over an hour that we’ve been waiting for you? Aren’t we supposed to meet you here or what are you thinking? Could it be you don’t want this marriage to end yet?” Rebecca questioned. “You want to delay the process thinking he would call you back, right?”

Sarah chuckled lightly and grinned. “I doubt anyone wants this divorce as much as I do,” she said in a low voice. She changed her standing position, slightly bending her leg and head to the left. “But I can’t rush here. You want something from me, so this delay may be the only price you’ll pay for wanting my leftover.”

Rebecca’s expression instantly changed. Sarah just stoned her with her statement and she wouldn’t let it slide. “I’m not-” she opened her mouth to talk, but Sandra’s laughter interrupted.

“What a wretched man you are, Charles,” Sandra mocked, her eyes on Charles. She scanned him from head to toe and shook her head with her withered face on Charles. “I can’t believe he left his wife to be a dog to who dumped him,”

She burst into a peal of mocking laughter again and nodded her head twice. “Now I get it. He must have lost his mind. No sane man would do that.”

Rebecca scoffed and stared downward before she slowly turned her neck. Her gaze arrived on Sandra’s feet and she lifted her head. “How is an adult’s choice part of your business?” She asked in a calm tone but didn’t give Sandra a space to give a response before she proceeded. “He becomes my loyal dog because he’s happy about it,”

“And doesn’t being my dog favor him? I’m a company’s CEO with many things to offer him. I can afford all his bills without taking five part-time jobs in a day.”

Sandra frowned her face at Rebecca and shook her head with her left shoulder elevated a little. “I’m not here for you and my statements aren’t for you,” she pointed out. She crossed her hands over her chest and bent her head a little, looking straight into Rebecca’s face. “Lady, why don’t you just treat me like a plague I used to be in school days?”

“Avoiding me shouldn’t be hard for you, is it?” Sandra threatened, but in a cool voice. Back in school days, she once beat Rebecca to pump because she bullied a colleague and she feared Sandra and avoided her until they graduated.

Rebecca cracked up. “And what can you do if I don’t avoid you now?” She challenged, maintaining eye contact with Sandra. “Have you forgotten, Sandra? This is no longer the girl who was timid then. You know who I am, right? I’m sure you won’t want to mess with me.”

Sandra nodded. “Yes. Yes. That’s true,” she said, looking downward. She raised her head and looked into Rebecca’s eyes with a devilish smile on her face. “Back then, we were just students, and now, you’re a CEO while I’m just an ordinary small convenient owner,”

Sandra slightly bent her neck. “I’m sorry because I just remembered that then, your mother was just a fruit seller at the roadside, and also a mistress to a chairman,” she spoke harshly, but with a calm voice. “And now? She is the legal wife of the chairman, and she somehow squeezed you into becoming a legitimate child of her then-concubine.”

Hearing Sandra, Rebecca’s eyeballs turned red, moving aggressively on Sandra’s body. “Be careful,” she warned in a low voice, pointing a finger at Sandra’s face. “Watch your mouth or you’ll get into trouble.”

“Oh, my!” Sandra sounded, pretending to be scared, her mouth covered with her hands as she fearfully widened her eyes. She took a step backward and slightly bent her neck. “I’m sorry, ma. Please forgive me…”

“Hun!” Sarah was surprised to see Sandra accepted so easily, and even Rebecca was shocked.

Sandra raised her gaze and burst into laughter for a few seconds before she clapped her hands twice and gave Rebecca a deadly stare. “Take that finger down or I’ll bite you,” she threatened. “And I won’t let go until it falls into my mouth.”

Rebecca’s eyes blinked, and she quickly took her hands. “Hun!” She made a sound. She had always been afraid of Sandra, but she thought Sandra would have changed and was surprised to see she was still the same.

Sandra took a step forward and lengthened her neck to move her head closer to Rebecca. “Your mother might have successfully squeezed you in to become an heiress, but you should still remember how dangerous I can be, don’t you?” She questioned. “A lot might have changed, but to me, Rebecca, you’re still someone I can reset her brain with a slap,”

She moved her head backward and crossed her hands over her chest. “The worst you can do is get me arrested and lock me up for a few days… but Rebecca, before the police come for me, I’ll beat you into a coma,”

“Don’t forget, it was just a few slaps, then. A few slaps and you were absent from school for days. Maybe you’ll be in a coma for years if I should lay my hands on you.”

Rebecca took her eyes off Sandra and stepped backward, unable to say a word.

“Hey, Sandra, you don’t talk to her like that,” Charles intervened. He was staying back because he was also scared of Sandra, but he summoned his courage to step forward, so Rebecca wouldn’t see him as a weak person. “This is none of your business; stop poking nose around. This divorce is between me and Sarah. You shouldn’t be here. What are you doing here?”

Sandra scoffed. She gestured at Rebecca with her mouth, staring at Charles. “If I’m not supposed to be here, what’s she doing here?” She gave a savage response. “Is this a branch of the company she manages?”

 She crossed her hands over her chest and widened her eyes, asking, “Isn’t the divorce supposed to be between you and Sarah, as you said? What’s your side chick doing here?”

Charles went silent for a second until a perfect excuse came up in his mind and he instantly split it out. “That’s because she is my witness. Besides, she paid for the lawyer’s service. She has every right to be here.”

Sandra clapped her hands, nodding. “That’s even then. I’m also here as Sarah’s witness,” she informed. “Besides, I’d a feeling wouldn’t stay in her lane, so I followed my friend so I can help reset someone’s daughter’s brain with a slap,”

She loosened her hands from her chest and pointed a finger at Charles. “And you aren’t exceptional. So be careful what will come out of your mouth.”

Sarah exhaled softly. She loved Sandra defending her, but she was tired of standing. And knowing the argument wouldn’t stop soon, she intervened. “I’ve got no time to waste. Lead us to the lawyer; let's end this shit already.”

Rebecca raised her chin and spun around, seeing that as an escape from Sandra’s trouble.

*

“Good day, Abraham.” Rebecca greeted, stepping into an office with Charles beside her, while Sandra and Sarah walked arm-in-arm behind them.

Abraham raised his gaze, and seeing Rebecca, he smiled and responded. “Good day, Rebecca.”

Rebecca walked to Abraham’s front, pointing to Charles and Sarah. “These are the couples I told you about,” she introduced. “They’re ready now.”

“Oh. Okay,” Abraham uttered. He stood from his seat and faced Sarah, pointing to the chair, offering, “you can sit, ma.”

“No, thanks,” Sarah rejected, staring at Abraham’s face. “I’m in haste. I don’t want to stay long. Let’s do what we have to do without wasting time.”

Abraham joggled his head. She could read through Sarah’s face and sensed she was angry, so he didn’t bother to persuade her to sit down. “Okay,” he said. He picked up two papers from the table and walked out of his seat.

He walked forward and faced them with Sarah and Sandra on the right, while Charles and Rebecca were on the left. “Before proceeding to the signature, is there anything you’ll want me to include in the agreement?” He asked. “Or maybe if you want compensation or there’s anything f*e you f*el he should pay. We’ve to discuss everything now so there won’t be any problem in the future.”

Sarah shook her head. “No. I need nothing from him.” She let out.

Sarah joggled her head. “Yes, she wants nothing. I’m her witness, and I’ll testify to it in the future.” She backed Sarah up.

“Okay. Then we’ll proceed to sign the agreement,” he said and gave Charles and Sarah a paper each. “Apply your signatures, please.”

Sarah collected the paper and a pen and quickly signed the paper. She handed it to Abraham. “Done,” she said, looking at Abraham’s face. “Can I leave already?”

Abraham nodded. “Sure.” He permitted.

“Okay.” Sarah uttered. She slightly bowed her head, and immediately as she raised it, she turned around and walked out of the room without saying another word.

‘Finally, I got out of this… what am I stepping not next?’ She thought to herself.

*

Sarah’s expression had changed since they closed the office door behind them, and without her saying anything to Sandra, Sandra could feel her pain.

Sandra knew about Sarah’s sacrifice and no matter how strong Sarah pretended to be, she would figure out her intention with just a glance at her face.

Sandra ran to Sarah’s side and rounded her arms over Sarah’s neck. “A new movie is showing in the cinema tonight. Should we go watch it?” She started a conversation to cheer Sarah up a little. “Or should we go on a dinner date? Bills on me.”

Sarah shook her head. “I’m not-” she wanted to reject it, but Sandra didn’t allow her to complete her statement.

“Do you think this is a request?” Sandra questioned. She snickered and shook her head. “No, it’s a command. The choice is not yours to decline or accept. I said we’re going, and that’s the final,”

She took her hand off Sarah’s neck and looked at her in the face with her shoulders elevated a little. “Do you think I’ll leave you at home alone so you will cry your eyeballs out? Keep dreaming…”

“But-” Sarah wanted to talk, but Sandra gave her no space.

Sandra grabbed her hand and walked her down the steps. “Let’s go home first so I can treat you to a delicious meal. It’s been a long time since you’ve had one,” she let out, grinding her teeth at Charles’s absence.

“You’ve been living on fast food just to save enough for that ingrate.”

“If you’re gonna make that a rhythm, why didn’t you just say you want compensation earlier?”

A question came from behind and knowing who it was, Sandra breathed down and gazed backward. “If I’m asked who I despise the most in the entire universe, I won’t think twice before mentioning your name.”

Rebecca tinted her lips with a grin and paced forward. “We know you need money; who doesn’t? Why don’t you just swallow your pride, collect the money, and establish yourself?” She asked mockingly. “Stop making yourself look pitiful. You don’t need it. Do you?”

Sarah inhaled softly. She half-closed her eyes and raised her chin, looking into Rebecca’s eyes. “I never look for pity, Rebecca, and even if I ever need one, it won’t be from you,” she uttered. “And let me warn you. You already have what you want. I’ve released him for you so, I see no reason you should ever talk to me again,”

“We’ve no business together, so don’t you ever in your entire life get in my way.”

Rebecca crossed her hands over her chest and cracked up. “Is that a threat?” She asked. She bent her head to the left a little and smiled discreetly, asking, “and Sarah, what will happen if I decide to keep getting in your way?”

“Then get your weapon ready because you’re getting into a battle with me if you really want to,”

An authoritative voice arrived in their midst, and before they could raise their gazes to see who it was, Harold paced closer and stood beside Sarah. He filled his lips with a smile and looked at Rebecca’s face.

“No need for an introduction. I’m sure you know who I am, my name, my family, and my status,” he said. He paused and rounded his arms over Sarah’s neck and moved her body closer to his.

“To make it easier, I’ll introduce myself as a candidate ready to chase after Sarah’s heart. Now that Charles is an old taker, I want to be the rookie. A pioneer…”