Living for the fat girl [Book 2]

Part 22

22. Arya

My grip tightens around Paulina as my stare is locked on the closed laptop in front of me. The house phone starts ringing somewhere in the background. Mr Smith hovers over me. To say that I'm scared of him would be an understatement. He is even taller and bulkier than Seth and when I turn my head to look at his face, the deep lines around his eyes and on his forehead make him look menacing... evil almost.

"You seem shocked. Nobody told you I was back with my family?" He asks, his voice monotone.

Paulina flinches slightly and it doesn't go unnoticed by her father. He grabs onto her waist with both arms and pulls her off the high bar stool that she's been sitting on. The little girl squeals and I have to clench my fists to resist the urge of yanking her out of his strong embrace.

"Nobody did tell me," my eyes snap towards Seth's mother, who cowers underneath my glare. "Nobody told your son either."

"That's right." Mr Smith nods smugly, putting a squirming Paulina onto the ground. Her naked feet clap against the ground with each step as she runs towards her mother. The two of them leave the kitchen together.

"I made sure of that. There's no point in distracting him any more... From what I've heard, young lady, you're doing a good enough job at that." The poison in his voice is clear. Of course he knows. He probably played golf with the principal at some point. Don't all rich old evil men do?

"Why are you even back here? Surely you're not planning to rescind the divorce!" I demand instead of giving him the satisfaction of a discussion about my private issues.

Mr Smith steps around me and opens the large chrome fridge doors. He pulls out a bottle of water and takes his sweet time, twisting open the cap and taking a large gulp of icy liquid.

I hope you choke on it!

Now Seth's mother reappears. She walks up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. The apologetic look on her face is genuine enough and I know I'm not wanted.

"What am I supposed to tell Seth?" I hiss at the woman. "You know he's not going to let this go. For all I know, he's coming down here right now. He has another game to play! He can't miss it."

Mr. Smith chuckles and I spin to face him. The water bottle put aside, he now has his arms crossed in front of his chest. With a slight smirk on his face the resemblance to his son is uncanny.

"Now you care about his career? You selfish little girl." He spits. "You should not be here right now. If you weren't, none of this would have happened."

He takes a few large strides and comes close to me. I can smell his aftershave and a slight hint of tobacco. As he leans down to me, I try to stand my ground. I can't let this guy win. He's just a bully. I don't let bullies get their way just because they think they can. That's over!

"You brought this onto yourself. Deal with it. Make sure he doesn't come down here. Or...," he threatens through his teeth but doesn't finish.

"Are you threatening me, Mr. Smith?" I don't wait for a reply as I step away from him and leave him and Seth's mother, who stares after me with wide eyes, behind in the kitchen.

As quickly as I can, I run towards the lounge to grab my purse. I pull out the stuffed animal I had gotten at a gas station for Paulina and place it on the couch atop some pillows. Then I'm out of there. I ignore Lilly's goodbyes and my phone that is buzzing inside my purse. I just need to get out of here and get some air.