La Revanche des Trois (Revenge of Three)

La Revanche des Trois (The Revenge of Three) Chapter 8

Lauren's apartment was over in the Woodbridge area. Stefanie remembered her bragging about her new apartment for days after she'd moved into there two years ago and how difficult it had been to get a place there. Stefanie sickeningly recalled how Lauren constantly boasted how her furniture and accessories were imported, very expensive or one of a kind; Sometimes they would be all three.

Since she already knew the code to get in, she utilized her access and went straight up to Lauren's apartment.

The dry cleaning bill was over a thousand dollars. Lauren had been sending clothes over there and making the guy put it on "her tab," until finally the guy was withholding the clothes until her tab was paid.

Stefanie knew this was why Lauren needed her to pick up the clothes, because she didn't want to pay for the amount -Just something else to gnaw at Stefanie's gut and make her ill about this whole situation.

Instead of getting the hidden key from atop the doorframe, she decided to knock.

Lauren swung open the door as if she was expecting someone else, but then her shoulders slump in disappointment when she realized it was Stefanie.

"You didn't see Dex down there, did you?" she asked hopefully.

The fact that she didn't even greet her irked the hell out of Stefanie. "No, I didn't. Why would you tell some strange guy where you live?"

"Dex is not a stranger." She smiled triumphantly and swirled a synthetic piece of hair. "I'm really starting to think he is going to be the next Mr. Lauren. No, let me correct that, I know he is. He's just wonderful upon wonderful, Stefanie," she gloated musically.

Stefanie was feeling ill by the moment. Rudely, she dumped the clothes in Lauren's arms and then let herself into the apartment. "Were you expecting guests?"

Lauren gaped at the load in her arms and had to stumble back from the weight of the clothes.

"Please come in," Lauren mocked as if she invited Stefanie in.

Immediately walking into the apartment, Stefanie noticed that exorbitant furniture and art around Lauren's apartment was missing. Everything else was in boxes or stacked up in odd places. The only thing not packed was Lauren's glass desk with her computer. There was paperwork spread out everywhere even worse than Stefanie's desk, but she had never known Lauren to be disorganized. 

Stefanie bravely faced Lauren and produced the bill to the dry cleaning. "Can you write me out a check for this amount, please?"

Lauren pushed the bill away as if Stefanie's hand was an annoying fly. "As if you're in dire need of it." 

"It's just that I don't want any more outstanding debt with you, Lauren."

Narrowing her beady brown eyes making her artificial eyelids look even longer. "What's that supposed mean?"

This was the perfect segue to what she wanted to speak to Lauren about. "I mean you can't forget you owe me for the large amount you borrowed from me."

"Your stupid computer job not working out for you anymore, Stefanie? You're struggling for money like real people?"

"It's not that, Lauren. My business is fine, but I'm tired of paying for things that I'm not responsible for-"

Lauren cut her off, "Does this have to do with your stupid new accountant? You actually think I care what he thinks? This isn't about him! This is about our friendship and friends don't go around begging for their money back." She suddenly calmed down and smiled. "You know I'm good for it. I've got orders coming in all the time, I'll pay you back."

Before now, Stefanie would have be placated by this answer and left the subject alone, but she knew in three weeks Kenneth Bianchi was going to come back in town and start badgering her about this whole money mess.

No she didn't need the money or a real promissory. She wasn't financially struggling, but it was just the principal and what Jezica said.

"So why didn't you get in touch with me when the loan payments were due if you were going to pay the money back?"

Lauren coolly shrugged, "Because I was busy! Building a business is no joke, Stefanie. You should know that or since you got money thrown at you all the time, you have it real easy, but people with real talent need to work hard and you wouldn't know anything about that."

She tightened her fist really wanting to smack the taste out of Lauren's mouth, but decided it wasn't worth the fight right now and maybe this was just a ploy to deter her from asking more about the money. Instead of getting angry, she said, "Business and friendship never mix. Even you have said that, Lauren, so when I come to you to honor a signed contract about money you borrowed for your business, putting our friendship between us because you didn't honor the contract is not right."

Lauren's jaw tightened, but that fake smile increased. "You're so right, Stefanie. So how about you give me a couple of months and I'll see what I can do."

Time was a factor in this situation and Stefanie knew Kennth Bianchi was not going to take that with nothing signed in stone. When he came back, he would press for a more legal way to get the matter. "How about you check your books and at least give me something by next Friday as a way to show my accountant you really intend to pay. Half of the payment owed until now?"

"How about -" Lauren stopped what she was going to say and bit her lip. "Yeah, sure, this Friday. That's really no problem."

"Of course it shouldn't, Lauren. I mean with orders just pouring in, you shouldn't have any problems at all," Stefanie said simply and put the bill on Lauren's desk. "Do you think you could write me a check for this now."

"But I thought-" she stopped herself again. "Yeah, sure." Going behind the desk, she took out her checkbook and wrote a check quickly.

While she was writing the check, Stefanie looked around the apartment still noticing how empty everything looked. Casually she asked, "What's going on with your place and where's all your stuff?"

Huffing, Lauren passed the check to Stefanie. "It's really none of your business, but if you must know, a prepared mind is favored by chance. It's chance I met Dex and it's chance we're going to be married."

"You just met him!"

Lauren came around the desk folding her arms around the desk, shooting her beady eyes at Stefeanie as if they were invisible daggers. "When people know they're in love they know what they want, but of course you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"You don't know if I've been in love," she said defensively.

Cackling, Lauren snipped, "You would have told the world, Stefanie trust me. Remember I’ve known you since high school. I know where you came from and what you went home to."

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