005

“Watch your step…” Sandra said, climbing the porch steps. She stood on the veranda and lengthened her hand, offering, “let me help you.”

Sarah grabbed her hands and climbed up. “Thanks.” She uttered with a smile.

Sandra wiped the sweat on Sarah’s forehead with her hands and smiled, looking into her eyes. “Remember all I told you. You’re a strong woman, so make sure you act like one, okay?”

Sarah joggled her head. “Okay.”

“You mustn’t cry. Do you know why?” Sandra forwarded a question.

“Because they aren’t worth it,” Sarah repeated what Sandra sang in her ears on their way to the courthouse. “If anyone is to cry, it should be them. Because I, Sarah, deserve to be happy. Happiness is mine, and I will never trade it.”

Sandra clapped her hands. “Perfect. I didn’t waste my saliva. I taught you right, I guess,” she let out, excited at the expression on Sarah’s face while she delivered those lines. She placed her hand on Sarah’s shoulder and stared into her eyes. “You’re ready, right?”

Sarah nodded. “Yes.”

“3… 2… 1…” Sandra counted down and without wasting another second, Sarah turned around and led into the ground floor.

“Why are you late?”

Rebecca’s question came immediately as they stepped in, and they traced her voice to their left side.

Sandra snickered, seeing Rebecca already walking up to them. “Finally…” she whispered so Sarah wouldn’t hear since she already agreed not to cause a commotion.

Rebecca arrived in their front, with Charles carrying her bag behind her. “We’ve been waiting for over an hour. Why are you just coming? Aren’t we supposed to meet you here or you don’t want to end this marriage yet?”

Sarah smiled. “Rebecca, I want to put an end to this marriage as much as you do. Maybe even more than you want to,” she talked calmly. She paused for a second and added, “But you want my leftover. I’m passing him down to you, so it’s only right you wait.”

“I’m-” Rebecca wanted to talk against Sarah, but Sandra’s laughter interrupted her.

“What a wretched man?” Sandra let out with her withered face on Charles. “Outcome of a lazy man who lives his life off woman. He left his wife to become a loyal dog.”

Rebecca faced Sandra and scoffed. “Busybody, how is an adult choice part of your business?” She challenged. “And even if he becomes my loyal dog, doesn’t it favor him? I’m the CEO of a company. I can afford all his needs without doing five part-time jobs daily.”

Sandra sighed and looked at Rebecca’s face. “I’m not here for you, Rebecca. And if you notice, none of my words are directed at you. I saw you, but you’re meaningless to me so I’ve nothing to discuss with you. All you have to do is avoid me like you did in our college days.” She warned.

Rebecca cracked up. “You can do nothing to me now, Sarah. I’m not who I used to be. Don’t mess with me.”

“That’s true. We were students then and you’re now a CEO, while I’m just a small store owner. A lot has changed because I could still remember who your mother was then,” Sandra said, and knowing what would come next, Rebecca’s expression changed.

“Then, your mother was just a fruit seller at the roadside, rumored to be a chairman’s mistress and now, she’s a legal wife. It’s true I’ll face the consequences if I mess with you. But even in prison, I’ll still ponder about your mother’s secret,” Sandra continued, feeling excited to see pains running around in Rebecca’s eyes. “I wonder if it’s true she knows about the late chairlady’s death…”

She crossed her hand over her chest and moved her head forward a little. “You also heard about the rumor, didn’t you?”

Rebecca’s eyeballs have turned red and moved aggressively on Sandra. “Be careful, what you’ll say!” She warned, her finger pointed at Sandra’s face.

Sarah’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh,” she pretended to be scared and took a step backward. “I’m sorry,”

She went silent for a second and burst into laughter. “Take that finger down or I’ll bite you!” She threatened with a serious expression. “And I won’t let go until it falls into my mouth.”

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

Sandra took a step forward. “Your mother might have successfully squeezed you in to become an heiress, but you should still remember how dangerous I can be,” she advised in a calm tone. “To me, you’re still someone I can correct with a slap. The highest you can do is get me arrested and send me to jail, which I’m not afraid to go to because of my friend,”

“But before the police will get here, I’ll make sure I’ve beaten you into a coma. Did you forget just three slaps made you absent from school then?” 

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.”

“And is this a branch of the company she manages?” Sandra gave a savage response, gesturing at Rebecca with her eyebrows. “Isn’t the divorce supposed to be between you and Sarah? Why is she 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’s my witness. Besides, she got us the lawyer and paid him, so she has every right to be here.”

Sandra clapped her hands. “That’s even then. I’m here as her witness,” she mimicked Charles’s voice. “Besides, I’d a feeling someone may cause chaos, so I followed her to deliver a slap to whoever doesn’t know her lane.”

“Let’s not waste much time. Lead us to the lawyer.” Sarah said to end the argument because she knew Sandra wouldn’t stop talking. 

*

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

“Good day, Rebecca.” Abraham responded with his lips filled with a smile.

Rebecca walked to Abraham's front. “I’m here with the couple I told you about,” she pointed to Charles and Sarah.

“Okay,” Abraham faced Sarah. “Please, have your seat.”

“I don’t need it. I don’t want to stay long here. Let’s be fast with everything.” Sarah declined.

“Okay,” Abraham picked two papers from the table. He walked out of his seat and stood between Sarah and Sandra at the left and Rebecca and Charles at the right. “Before I give you the paper to sign, is there anything you’ll need-”

“Nothing. He owes me a lot, but I don’t need compensation.” Sarah let out.

“I’m her witness, and I can testify to it in the future.” Sandra backed her up.

“Okay, then we’ll proceed to signing the paper.” Abraham gave Charles and Sarah a paper each.

Sandra handed Sarah a pen, and she signed on it. “Done,” she uttered and looked at Abraham’s face. “Can I leave already?”

“Sure.” Abraham permitted, and Sarah faced the door and walked out without looking back.

*

“There’s a movie in the cinema tonight. Should we go watch it?” Sandra asked immediately as they stepped out of the ground floor.

Sarah’s expression had changed since they got out of the office and she didn’t say a word, so Sandra wanted to cheer her up.

Sarah shook her head. “I’m-”

Sandra knew Sarah would reject it, so she didn’t allow her to complete her statement. “A command, not a request. You can’t decline,” she declared. “I won’t let you stay at home alone and cry your eyeballs out,”

She 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. You’ve been living on fast food just to save enough for that ingrate…” she let out and ground her teeth at Charles’s absence.

“If you’re gonna make that a rhythm, why don’t you just accept the compensation f*e?”

A question came from behind and knowing who it was, Sandra breathed down and gazed backward. “If there’s anyone I despise most in this world, I won’t think twice to mention your name.”

Rebecca tinted her lips with a grin and paced closer to them. “You tagged Charles as an ingrate person. We know you need money. Why don’t you swallow your pride? Collect the money and establish yourself,” she said. “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 once you stand in her way, you’re getting into a battle with me,”

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 the position I hold,” 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…”