Chapter Three_ The reason for my dismissal

Why the fuck did Charles think it would be appropriate to hold a meeting at seven in the morning.

I could hardly feel my legs as I walked downstairs, trying to stifle the yawns that kept pushing through.

My mom was in the kitchen before I got there, which meant I could literally feel the judgement in her eyes.

She did not seem that disappointed at miss comes home at two in the morning.

“You can try to move your legs faster, Jasmine. No one is getting paid to watch you move like a sloth,” mom said, taking a sip from her cup of coffee while watching me with those hawk eyes of hers.

Ignoring my mom felt like the most appropriate thing to do at that moment.

But she wasn’t ready to ignore me. She hovered around me as I made my cup of coffee, giving out silent instructions under her breath. The small smile that threatened to spill at the corner of her lips when I dropped twice the normal amount of sugar into my cup could not be missed.

And then the thundering footsteps of Charles, and the almost silent footsteps of Amanda held that smile in his tracks. Suddenly she was the cold woman I had spent the rest of my teenage and adult life knowing. Amanda looking like shit almost made up for it.

She held her head in her palms, groaning rather terribly. “Why are the lights so bright? Those stupid drugs aren't working,” she turned to my mom, “I need something way stronger.”

I couldn’t help myself. “Maybe you should try drinking less after ruining someones life.”

If she heard me, she chose to ignore me. But Charles didn’t. He stared at me with his eyebrows raised, he looked amused.

Amanda plucked the coffee from my hand with reckless abandon, barely even giving me the glance of the day. She was on her third sip before she realized something was wrong.

“Way too fucking sweet. Can you make another?’

“Contrary to what anyone else think, I am not your servant.”

"Hmm," was all she said, before fishing her phone out from her pocket and getting lost in it. Probably thinking of the next lady to make lose their jobs.

Fuming, I turned around to face the architects of my problem. Charles and my mom. As much as I wanted to blame Amanda because she made the call, I knew she wasn’t the perpetrator. Maybe I could even pretend she was a victim as well.

“You called for a fucking meeting,” I said to Charles, “Now say what you have to say or let me fucking leave.”

Charles groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked tired.

“We wouldn’t make you leave your old job if this wasn’t important,” he started, like some fucking peacemaker, like he didn’t get off from doing the most horrendous of things. “We have a new job for you.”

I came back to this house to get an explanation. To know the reason why they couldn’t just leave me the fuck alone. Like they left him.

Charles made himself comfortable on one of the kitchen chairs.

“I know you always wanted to learn how to be a designer. I have a friend who would be willing to teach you for free once I pull some string.”

My eyebrows shot up at that, “And you would do that for me? Why?”

Mom frowned, a deep line formed between her brows. I guess she never expected me to question her husband’s gifts.

“You can call it a little favour,” Charles replied, nodding twice.

An opportunity to do what I truly loved, with enough resources at my disposal. There had to be some kind of catch.

I remembered the last time Charles did something for me. I remembered the consequences of that said something.

I threw the pamphlet away, torn into bits so whoever came after me would never know what was written there. He sneaked up on me like he always did, snaking his arm around my waist just so he could bring me closer to him.

“What was that?” he asked, his eyes on the fluttering papers.

I tried my best to force out the laughter, but the sadness clung to me like a second cloth. I had no idea I was already weeping, my body shook with each sob. I couldn’t tell him what happened.

“This is an opportunity many would literally die for,” Charles continued, “But one we’re giving to you for just a little price.”

I tried to reach my mom’s eyes but she kept averting her gaze.

So I turned back to Charles and asked the question. “What is that?”

Would it be worth the job he had found for me?

"Just something little, you know my political aspiration and how I plan to be the president soon," Like anyone in the family could forget, it was all he ever talked about.

I tilted my head to the side, wondering how that had anything to do with me.

“My main rival would win with a large margin if I allow him. I need you to get him out of the way.”

Sighing, I stared at him, taking in how little he actually cared about me. How much I hated him.

Charles leaned down on his chair, "This guy is a family guy, that's one of his strategies. He shows everyone how much he loves his family and how far he would go to protect them........"

"... The thing is that dad wants you to get his rival to cheat on his family, his wife and kids," Amanda shouted over her dad's voice. It seemed like I wasn't the only one tired of listening to him talk.

My eyes grew wide, “What?”

"Well you have to seduce him of course," Charles said with a shrug. Indifference.

"Excuse me."

I tamped down my anger and closed my eyes, my hands clenched into fists by my side. I waited for my mom to say something, to hit her foot on the ground and talk about how much of a bad idea it was. A rush of humiliation courses through me, when I realized she was never going to say anything.

I had to seduce a man that was probably old enough to be my father and break a family up. There was no way I was going to do that. I didn't follow politics that much but even I knew the man wouldn't be as cruel as my stepfather, he deserved the win more than him.

I forced myself to laugh, “I can’t do it. I don’t want to do it.”’

"Mom," I turned to the only person I hoped would be able to come to her senses and save me from this madness.

She wasn't avoiding my eyes anymore, now that the cat had been let out of the bag. She cupped my cheeks, stroking them rather softly. I felt like I had been transported to the moment where I turned five and she still loved me.

I was free falling into a false sense of security with her hand on me. My head was silent and I didn’t see him in everything around me. I filled my lungs with her scent.

"I understand you feel like what we're doing is cruel but you're the only one that can do this, Amanda is already well known as his daughter and she wouldn't be able to sneak incognito like you, you avoided everything that would link you to this family like something dreadful..," She started, breaking every hope I held.

There was a tug against my heart, “There are literally sex workers everywhere or one of Charles’ mistress. He surely has an abundance.” I loved the way his nostrils flared at the mention of his mistresses.

Mom flinched at that but continued, "We need someone we can trust and I promise you my dear, once you're done with this task, we're out of your life forever," She added the last part like an afterthought but I knew she meant it.

I resigned myself to my unfortunate fate, “So all I need to do is seduce him?”

But even I knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

"You have to seduce him, have sex with him and get it on audio and video, get him to confess his plans, show him to the entire country," Charles said, the wicked smile of triumph on his face made him look like the devil himself.

"What? It'll be like a live porno then. Everyone would see it," I tried to explain it to them.

"Of course. That's the reason why we're making you do it"