The Life Of Mallory

The chipped steps creaked a familiar protest as twenty-six years old Mallory hurried down them, hearing the giggles of her kids from the living room. 

She was fully ready for work - robed in a blue crisp blouse with collars that framed her perfect face. Her blouse was tucked into a curve-gripping black skirt, making her look like the P.A that she was. Her eyes and fingers were on her phone, typing vigorously.

"Mum!"

"Mummy!" The kids chorused as she stepped into the living room. She had been so engrossed in her phone, she didn't even notice she was there yet. 

Quickly, she put out her phone as she smiled at the six year olds.

"How're my little monsters doing?" she tousled their hair, beaming a charming smile at them.

"I'm great. Although, I can't say the same for Cassius," Lyra shrugged.

"Silly you. Of course, I'm fine," Cassius nudged her.

Mallory chuckled as she watched them tease each other. Having both of them - male and female - had been her biggest blessing.

She glanced at the small dining table which was at the corner of the snug living room. It was steaming with appetizing meals, and almost immediately, her sister walked in with a pan carrying some fried eggs.

She walked pass Mallory like she was invisible and flipped the egg into one of the empty plates. Dabbing some beads of sweats with her elbow, she left, returning to the kitchen.

Mallory sighed pathetically and took a seat on the old dining. She had already gotten used to her sister's grumpiness. 

Her kids were still on their seats, and while they chattered, they ate from their plates. They were already primped up in their school uniforms and had their bags beside their legs. Mallory was mandated to drop them off at school before proceeding to work.

She picked some bacon for herself and while she ate, she returned to her phone, checking out messages from the staff group chat. Everyone at the company was talking about the arrival of the new CEO.

They kept babbling about how handsome and extremely rich he was. According to them, he's been in a foreign country for sometime, handling the family business over there. But he returned the previous day and was going to be the acting CEO in the company Mallory worked. Today was meant to be his first day in the office.

Mallory didn't know much about the owners of the company she worked for. She just knew that Pemberton Synergy was the top company in the country and had respectable ranks in other countries. She considered it a blessing that she had been lucky to get a job with them through the connection of an old friend. 

Mallory was actually more nervous because she knew she'd be working directly under the new CEO as she was going to be his P.A. That was the position she'd been assuming under the former CEO. And since there was going to be a new CEO, it was normal for her to continue working as his P.A. Although, she heard the new CEO had the right to change her and give the position to someone else if he wanted. Mallory prayed heavily for that not to happen. She couldn't risk losing that position and hoped she'd get to create a good impression on him.

She was lost in her phone, reading through the fun chats and talks about him. A lot of people said he was very rigid and loved perfection. Some said he was extremely neat and could get anyone fired for being dirty. The descriptions from the people made her really curious to meet him.

The sound of a plate shattering on the floor snapped Mallory out of her thoughts. She looked in shock and discovered Lyra had accidentally broken the plate she'd been feeding with.

"My God! Are you okay?" Mallory gasped, standing up from her seat and pulling Lyra closer. She scanned her eyes around her body for any possible injury. Luckily, there was none.

"You have to be extremely careful, Lyra. You could've hurt yourself," she scolded lightly.

"I'm sorry, mum."

The kitchen door swung open with a bang, revealing Isla, her face etched with concern. But seeing it was just a broken plate, a flicker of annoyance replaced it. She disappeared back into the kitchen without a word.

"Careless brat! You need to be more careful around here 'cause you don't know what it takes to buy one of those," a chilly voice suddenly said.

The words were like daggers, cutting through the air.

Mallory glanced to see her grandmother clumping down the staircase, her usual scowl on her face. In fear, Lyra gripped Mallory's waist, hiding behind her back.

"If you keep breaking such valuables, you might have to start eating from the floor. Do you want that? Huh?" The aged woman taunted.

"Grandma! Can you stop that? It's just a plate," Mallory frowned. Although, she showed annoyance, her heart raced with fear and disappointment. She knew how rude and blunt her grandmother could be with words.

"Just a plate?" She scoffed. "What do you contribute, Mallory? You work your ass off only to pay off your parents' debt. I get nothing from you - nothing! You and your kids are nothing but a burden to me." Kissing her teeth, she slammed into a chair at the head of the table, the force of it making the old furniture groan.

Mallory watched sullenly, her grandmother's words piercing through her heart. Then, tapping Lyra, she urged her to go wash her hands, while she dashed into the kitchen to get a broom.

Her grandmother dished out her food and began eating grumpily. She was a seventy-eight years old woman who had always disagreed with the fact that she was old. Although they were poor, but from time to time, she'd buy some cosmetics to use on her skin. It baffled her granddaughters who couldn't say a thing about it.

Shortly, Mallory returned with the sweeper and got rid of the broken plate on the floor. Then, she returned to the dining to resume eating, noting Lyra was still not back. The poor kid was probably sulking in her room over her grandmother's words.

They ate in silence for a long time until Heather suddenly looked at Mallory.

"Where's your sister? Where's Zara?" She questioned, running her eyes around like she was just noticing her absence.

"I don't know. She hasn't been home for two days now," Mallory mumbled, her gaze focused on her meal. Zara was her youngest sister.

"Seriously?" Heather thumped the table, making young Cassius shudder for a moment.

The way she scared her son angered Mallory so much, but she could only seethe with rage.

"Every one of you wants to put me into trouble, huh? Where's that sister of yours now? She keeps going on and off like a ghost. If she's fed up staying here, she should let me know 'cause I'll gladly throw her things out!" Heather hollered vehemently.

Mallory said nothing, neither did she look at her. Her grandmother's temper was nothing new to her, but she wondered how the old woman could be so hostile towards her own grandchildren. The family was a mess.

"I wonder why your mother had to die and leave you all in my care. You're so difficult to deal with," she mumbled beneath her breath, but Mallory was still able to hear her. 

Now, that hurt her really bad. She concluded she was done with breakfast.

"Cassius, go get Lyra. Tell her it's time to leave for school," she instructed. 

Humbly, her son took the old staircase that groaned with each step he took.

The house was so old, Mallory feared it might collapse someday.

"Done eating, huh?" Heather asked, glancing at Mallory from beneath her brows.

"Obviously," came the curt reply.

Heather looked around before settling her gaze on Mallory.

"It's a good thing you sent the boy away," she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "I actually wanted us to talk about you and Ronan. Doesn't he have plans of proposing yet?"

Malloy's heart skipped a beat at the mention of that name. Goodness, she couldn't talk about him. Especially not with someone like her grandmother

"It's nothing, grandmother," she stood up.

"Sit back, Mallory!" Heather ordered huskily.

Feeling hopeless, Mallory returned to her seat.

Heather leaned forward on the table and spoke in hushed tones: "I've noticed you always trying to give him distance, making it seem like you're not interested in him. How can you be so foolish, huh? Ronan is a very rich guy - very rich. And he loves you so dearly. Are you forgetting all the things he's promised to do for us once you get married to him? He's promised to clear all our debts, Mallory, and give us a better life. To make it even better, he loves your children and is ready to accept them as his kids. Your kids will finally have the one thing they've always wished for - they'll finally have a father! Think about everything. How can you be so foolish to let this opportunity slip away? For heaven's sake, Ronan is a man no woman would dare reject!"

Mallory looked away as the old woman ranted. It was true that Ronan was a very rich man - young, handsome and powerful. And he loved her a lot. But he had his own demons.

"He wants to have dinner with you tonight," Her grandmother finally said something that made her heart twirl. What?

"And you have no choice but to go with him, Mallory, 'cause he already paid me for it." She added.

Mixed emotions flooded Mallory at once.

"Are you being serious?" She chuckled finding it ridiculous. "You got paid to send me out on a date with him? You must be joking", she sprang to her feet.

"Don't even think of disobeying me, Mallory, 'cause you won't like my actions!" The old woman snarled at her, making her freeze.

As Mallory looked at her, she saw eyes smoldering with rage.

"You and your sisters moved in here six years ago when you lost your mother, and since then, I've had to bear the burden of raising you all by myself. Don't forget the fact that you had showed up with those fatherless babies and had me take care of them while you went to school. Think about it, Mallory. This whole burden has been on me from the very start! If it wasn't for me, you and your sisters would have probably been locked up in jail! Your mother was soaked in so much debt, you're still trying to pay them off till this point. Our life has been miserable, Mallory! Now, we've finally seen a man who wants to elevate us, and you dare try to act proud? How dare you?"

Mallory couldn't withhold the tears anymore. They came trickling down her face.

"Did you say proud?" She sniffed, dabbing some of the tears from her eyes, but more came rolling down.

"I can be anything, grandmother, but never proud. If Ronan was a good man, I'd have never hesitated to marry him. But you know who he is!"

"Oh! Spare me that," Heather rolled her eyes. "Nobody is perfect. At the end of the day, we all have our faults."

Mallory couldn't believe it. How could a woman be so rigid?

She sniffed again and wiped some of her tears away.

"My children aren't fatherless. So, don't ever say that about them again," she uttered.

Heather's crinkled eyes lit up in a grin.

"They're not? So, where's their father, then?" She taunted.

Mallory felt her heart shattering all over again. She thought of what to say, but words failed her. And just then, the kids came climbing down the stairs.

Heather hooted with laughter and went back to her meal.

"Grab your bags, let's go," Mallory said to the kids as she equally reached for her bag on the table.

In a few seconds, she and the kids were walking out the door, her heart completely shattered.