Chapter 5: Hazel Brown

SERENA’S POV

“Oh, your son’s here, Madame Geraldine. Since you’re acting like nothing’s happening here, do you want me to initiate and tell him about the accusations you’re throwing at me?” I offered, blatantly displaying a fake smile. The old woman’s eyes squinted, her lips turning flat. I turned my gaze on Gray, and just like how he looked at me the moment I showed myself on stage, his eyes were filled with confusion and mystery.

“You’re so quiet… I don’t like it.”

His silence reminded me of the days when I badly wanted to spend time with him, but I would always get nothing. Hearing that, Gray cleared his throat, swallowing.

“I deeply apologize for all the troubles happening right now, Ms. Ambers—”

“Don’t be. I am already disappointed. Given how wonderful this party looked, I never expected such treatment like this. If you want to redeem yourself, I suggest to stop trying tonight. Everything’s still fresh—”

“Oh, shut up! Don’t even try to act so high and mighty, Jane Williams. We all know that you’re just pretending to be someone that you’re not! You are nothing but my son’s useless ex-wife—”

“Mom! I said that’s enough! There’s a lot of people watching us! Please, Mom. For the sake of the guests and the party. This is not the right time to do this,” Gray, her mighty son, cut her off. I wondered how he was feeling right now. I was dying to know how could he live with two women who liked to put a grudge against his surname.

Gray was well-respected by many due to his intelligence and how he handled his family’s business when his father passed. On the other hand, Aerah and Geraldine were far from being women with class. They liked to put a fit everywhere, acting all mighty when they had nothing to offer but their plastic beauty.

Tch. Gray wasn’t any different from them. Their whole family was nothing but trash.

“I can’t believe this. If you may excuse me, Mr. Moore. I would like to leave this party right now. I couldn’t afford to be disrespected any further. After all the money I put into this company… this is unbelievable,” I commented, shaking my head. Their insults were nothing compared to how much I had been wanting to throw a hand. I wasn’t offended either, but staying here after all this mess might stir confusion.

Gray, being the most composed man he was, nodded at me, his gaze focused on my face. He called someone—probably one of the escorts to guide us outside. I turned my back on them and advanced towards the exit of the hall. I could feel their ridiculous stares at my back, making the corner of my lips turn up.

Oh, I loved the confusion in his eyes when he looked at me. Seeing that I affected him that much just proved that he didn’t expect me to come back into his life, too.

We left the hall untouched by those murderers. I thought the night was about to be over, but seeing Hazel, Gray Moore’s secretary waiting for me in the hallway as if she was someone relevant made me halt. The last memory I had with her was when I introduced her to my husband. Aside from that, I could remember nothing but distorted memories. But according to Kelly, she was there the night Gray decided to divorce me. She was there, sleeping with my husband while I cried oceans because of my father’s death.

She was one of the people I trusted the most, but she betrayed me, too.

“Ms. Ambers…” she called, her feet advancing towards me. I did not know why, but hearing her voice sent a little pang in my chest. With the memories that I had right now, she was not really a big deal for me. I was aware of what happened and how she fucked Gray, but forgetting those memories made me forget the feeling of how devastated I was that night. I could not understand how hearing her voice somehow hurt me.

“Do I know you?” I asked, lying. Of course, I knew her. I had an idea of what kind of person she was. I knew what she did. She never met me, though. She only met Miranda, so it would be strange if I acted like I had met her.

Hazel advanced towards me and only stopped when she was just a few feet away.

“Where are you going? Are you going home?”

She glanced at Miranda, who had her forehead knotted due to how Hazel talked to me. She probably thought that the woman was being disrespectful. She was only Gray’s secretary, so she worked for me, too. Talking to me as if I was only her friend was questionable.

Perhaps she did not wanna show respect. Perhaps she thought of me as Jane, the woman she once hurt because of her foolishness.

“I don’t know who you are. Miranda, who is this woman?” I remarked, not leaving Hazel’s deep stare.

“She’s Hazel Brown, Ms. Ambers. She’s Mr. Moore’s secretary. She was the one who always represented Mr. Moore whenever he could not come to our meeting. We had been communicating with her ever since we planned to partner with Moore Estates. I apologize for not giving you her information in advance.…”

Looking at her face, I bet Gray had been paying her a lot. She looked like she could now afford to give her skin a Botox. She was dressed in designer brands, too. I could still remember when she was begging me to tell Gray to promote her. I didn’t know being a CEO’s secretary could make you well-off.

Well, who would not be rich if the CEO of the company had been using your body? Given that she was still working here, I guessed Gray was still using her for pleasure. What a fucking disappointment. They were both disgusting.

“You are Gray’s secretary?” I tried to confirm it. The woman stared at me for seconds before nodding her head, seemingly didn’t want to answer that question.

“I did not know Mr. Moore hires people who do not know how to address—”

“Oh, come on. Do we still have to pretend here, Jane? We are alone now. Why don’t you take off your mask and start arguing with me? You hate me, right?” Hazel suddenly said, cutting me off. Unlike a few seconds ago, when she still appeared coolheaded after everything that happened at the anniversary party, she now regarded me with nothing but animosity.

I glanced at her clenching fist. Her obvious anger only showed that she was the one who least expected me to be here. I took a step forward and halted exactly in front of her.

“All of the people here seemed to be mad seeing me. I wonder who that Jane Williams was. I wonder what you guys did to her. Are you one of those people who did Jane bad things, Ms. Brown?”

My hand reached to caress her curly hair.

“I heard Jane Williams was Mr. Moore’s ex-wife. How can you hate your boss’s spouse? You seemed to hold a grudge to someone who is not even related to you…”

Hazel was breathing heavily as she watched me throw questions. It was as if she was in the middle of a hot seat, not knowing where to escape.

“Why do you hate her, Ms. Brown? You are nothing but a mere secretary of this company’s CEO. What’s the reason behind your anger? Are you even allowed to feel that?”

That statement seemed to have something that triggered a memory, as Hazel gasped and pushed me away. She looked at me incredulously, her lips trembling.

“Y-You… How the fuck did you know that? If you’re not really Jane Williams, then why are you telling me this? Why do you seem to know me?” she asked one question after another. Sighing, I shook my head and gave her a pitiful glance.

“I don’t understand you. Weren’t you in the party a while ago? Your boss’s sister called me Mr. Moore’s ex-wife. They seemed to be mad at me, including you—who does not seem to be part of their family. I am not dumb to not think things through. Does that answer your question, Ms. Brown?”

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. She still had the perplexity within her stares, but her mouth would not open to say anything.

She seemed to finally realize that she was talking to someone who could fire her any second. Miranda, who was beside me, cleared her throat.

“The next time you approach and talk to Ms. Ambers, I suggest you do it with respect. You are one of the people who crossed the line, Ms. Brown. You won’t like what Ms. Ambers would do to you once this happens again…” Miranda remarked, her tone low but superior. Hazel shifted her gaze to her, her mouth slightly parted.

I almost forgot that they had been meeting each other before we crossed paths here. Miranda was a kind and respectful woman, but even I was sometimes shocked whenever she would show how loyal she was to me.

“This night has been so long for Ms. Ambers, so if you may excuse us, we’re gonna have to leave now…”

Miranda made a way for me to leave the area. But as soon as I took a step forward, I heard Hazel’s familiar voice again.

“You may hide things for now, Jane, but I know that it’s you. I can feel that it’s you, and I am going to prove to everyone that—especially to Mr. Moore…” she remarked gravely.

The corner of my lips turned up, but I did not do anything to make the conversation longer. I did not like how I was feeling talking to them, and the only thing that I wanted to do was leave this place. I had expected this, and now that I was here, they were causing me nothing but stress.

A Chevrolet was waiting for us outside the hotel. As soon as we entered the vehicle, Miranda handed me a phone.

“Ms. Kelly is calling you…”

With my head resting on the headrest of the seat, I answered the call.

“What now, Kelly?”

“Where are you? Are you still at the party? I just came here a few moments ago and everyone seemed to be talking about something! Aerah is so damn mad that she can’t even tell me what’s happening without screaming,” Kelly began, her voice echoing.

“Where are you right now, Kelly? Are you sure no one can hear you there?”

“I am in the bathroom and I am being careful, okay? What happened, girl? Should I go home right now so you can tell me what’s going on? Even the media is being so loud about it, damn!”

“You sure you wanna go home and not listen to your best friend’s rant? She might be missing you after years of not showing yourself to her…” I joked, but Kelly did not find it funny at all. If she was in front of me right now, I might even see her roll her eyes dramatically.

“Oh, fuck her! I am going home so you can tell me what happened, alright? You owe me the story, sister—”

“Kelsey? Who are you talking to?”

The smile on my lips instantly disappeared when I heard a voice in the background, and if I was not mistaken, it was most likely Aerah’s high-pitched voice. I ceased talking, preventing Aerah from finding out that her best friend was talking to me.

A few seconds later when Kelly ended the call without notice, making my heart race even more. Kelly was a good liar, but Aerah could be suspicious sometimes—especially at times like this.

Given how much that woman hated me, I was sure she would go to lengths thinking about how to destroy me again.

I could not calm my heart as I thought of what Kelly might say. I sat in my seat uncomfortably, waiting for her to call me again. And when she did…

“I am going home now. We have a problem, Jane…”