A/N: Remember, comments bring forth quicker updates, so do comments your thoughts as you read, ily :>
Before you start, Do you have a best friend?
Mabel
"Hey, you're early." I smiled at her, slipping easily into the booth.
"And you're married, guess my invite got lost in the mail." She said, though there was a small smile on her face.
I sighed. "It was a family thing... we wanted to avoid the huge press and all, you know how these things are." I gave her an apologetic look.
She nodded. "Hope you don't mind, I already ordered us drinks." She stated, gesturing to the fruity drinks on the table.
"Oh, that's lovely, it's alright... I love strawberry." I thanked her, dropping my bag beside me. "So how have you been? What have you been up to? How's work?"
"Crazy," she answered, easing into her booth. "Hectic... I don't know, its been terrible." She said, her fingers playing nervously on the table, and she couldn't seem to meet my eyes.
I frowned. "Why? What happened? Is everything okay?"
"No." she answered simply. "Everything's not okay, Mabel. I mean, work is going fine, according to what my dad says."
"Your Dad?"
"You didn't get the info? He took charge of YDI about two weeks ago."
From what she had told me, I reckoned she had a good relationship with her father based on how she had talked about him once. So why didn't she look happy?
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" I asked cautiously.
She shrugged. "He says it's a good thing. He's sending me to Italy in a week from now, says I should take some time off from the company."
"Oh... you don't sound too happy about that."
Her eyes met mine. "How could I be?" she said. A frown meeting her brows. "He's taking everything away from me. I have spent every bit of myself, I've literally drained myself, went against morals, done incredibly narcissistic things to get YDI to where it is now, and he just gives it all to—"
I swallowed, as she stopped.
"I'm sorry," she said, closing her eyes for a bit, before pulling them back open. "I—I lied."
At this, I raised a brow.
What is she talking about?
"Befriending you... it wasn't, it wasn't me... it wasn't my plan. My Dad, has this obsessive grudge against the Chesterfields, and I was stupid, so stupid to go along with his cruel plans and mean strategies. He used me, Mabel." Her eyes built up tears.
I really didn't know what to say.
"I know this may sound odd because, last we spoke, I told you about him, how he made breakfast and all... that was a lie, it's more of what I wished he would do. In my head I live in this fantasy of a perfect home... I close my eyes and I see my Mom, with us... happy, I see my dad, being the perfect Dad, every little girl deserved, but—he's nothing like that... our home, is mostly quiet, and I try... I try every time to please him... I did everything for him... but he never cared."
I swallowed.
"He has a son... I didn't know until two weeks ago... he's a year older than I am... My Dad, he always told me he had no interest in the fashion industry. But his advices, his—his crazy advices, his manipulation made me a terrible person. All I wanted was to make him proud, that's what every daughter wants, to make their Dad proud but—he didn't care, he just used me... when YDI was thriving, he took it... he fooled me into signing everything to him and his son, and now I basically have nothing... he's only offering me a free trip to Italy, and a little cash to help me start something new."
"Yvonne—"
"He had issues with Mr. Chesterfield. The boys' father... He claimed the Chesterfield boys are living off the wealth he had suffered for. I guess something happened between my father and their father. But my father had always made it known to me that he was cheated. He told me to get close to them, the boys... and I did, I went close to Elroy, and I did everything my Dad asked me to. I stole from him, and I felt terrible when I left him, the look on his face when YDI launched their first collection, is one thing I would never forget.
My Dad told me I had nothing to worry about because we were only taking back a piece of what they stole from us. I foolishly believed. Even after years of managing to grow the business, as I have learned from my time with Elroy, I thought my Dad was paving the way for a better future for me. I didn't know he was using me to create a path for his son."
"Christ." I let out; the information too large to take in.
"A month ago, I found out he was seeing someone. I was happy for him, but I wondered why he was keeping it a secret from me. So, I hired a private investigator. I believe you heard me speaking to him that day at the store... I lied that it was my cousin's girlfriend because I wanted to know all about the person my dad was seeing... I was trying to look out for him...
But the private investigator told me it wasn't a woman, but a man... I didn't mind, as long as he was happy... I waited for him to tell me on his own, but he didn't... not until he told me he was bringing someone special over for dinner. I was so happy, and I cooked till my heart was content...
Only to sit at the table and watch him introduce the man as my brother. With the papers he had fooled me into signing, and my ticket to Italy."
"Oh my God."
She sobbed out. "I can't believe my life is over... I have literally no one... and everyone I know probably thinks I'm some kind of green bloody snake. He had told me that I needed to take revenge for what the boys did to our family... I almost ruined Elroy and Fay's relationship, and I was going to ruin yours and Cade's too... I'm so sorry... I can't believe I allowed myself get fooled like this. I thought family was supposed to be everything." She cried.
I sled out of my booth to hers, holding her in a comforting hug. "Hey, stop... it's going to be okay... you can get it all back."
"No... this is literally Karma beating me up right now. I stole from Elroy, and now, they stole everything from me."
"Yes, they did... but are you going to let them?" I asked her. "I'm not excusing the fact that you did terrible things... sometimes, life lets us get away with things because it wants the lesson to be severe in order to prevent us from making the same mistakes we made in the past."
She sniffed, picking up her handkerchief and wiping her tears. "I can't forgive myself for what I did... what I almost did to you... you've been so nice to me, and my intensions weren't even pure."
"Yet, you reached out to me."
"You're easy to talk to."
"Or maybe it's because we have quite a bit in common, and we're the only ones who can truly understand each other." I told her. "My childhood wasn't rainbows and colorful bowties. My Dad was a terrible person... and the day he died, my mother whispered in my ears... Breathe Mabel, your head held high, your pride in check, your family comes first. I suffered from selective amnesia but I never forgot what she told me... and you know why? The lies and the truth in that statement were too many."
"Sometimes, family is all that we got, but sometimes, you're all that you got, sometimes, family can be the only thing dragging you down... sometimes, you are your own family. So now is not the time to cry and feel pity on yourself... now's the time to get back up... right all the wrongs in your life, and then open a new chapter, and this time... don't do anything to please anyone, do everything for yourself... use yourself for yourself, it's the only way you would stand a chance against your father and his son."
She sighed. "I don't even know where to start from?"
"Correcting your mistakes... exposing the truth... apologizing to everyone you've hurt on the way."
"I don't think anyone would want to listen to me."
"You're not doing it for them, Yvonne, you're doing it for you."
She nodded. "I don't even know why you're listening to me... you should hate me."
"You might not know it, but you helped me... and you also helped my relationship with Cade, even though that wasn't your initial intension. And hell, Yvonne, we're friends, right?"
She smiled. "Yes, yes we are."
I returned the smile, accepting her hug.
Never in a million years would I have expected our lunch to go this way, but I was glad I didn't turn her down, she really looked like she needed someone... besides, I know better than anyone what it feels like to be alone when you've lost important things in your life... it was a feeling that stayed with you.
But I was glad she at least had someone there for her.
I was glad she had me.
___
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I know! Lol, not what you were expecting, yes? Me too... I had something entirely different planned for this chapter... but they did it again, these characters, they're basically out here controlling authors, lol.
Hope you enjoyed this update!
Get ready for the last and final Chapter!
The epilogue is going to be really short though.
With that said, tell me what you think of this chapter!
Till then, see ya in 50!