It was not easy but... The words are, 3236
👼 MY ANGEL 👼
Lorna's face dropped as she realized that she had spent so much time preparing food, thinking that someone rich and powerful like The Old Master was coming to their home.
It turns out it was just Elsa.
She had taken the entire afternoon cooking her best dishes, making sure they were perfect.
And the Old Master had asked her to make the food even before talking to Elsa, which meant he had already believed she was innocent.
"How can she be an important guest?" she snorted before rolling her eyes.
The Old Master ignored her.
"What do you say, Elsa? Will you have dinner with your new grandpa for the first time?"
Elsa smiled ear to ear. He had literally made her entire day better just by treating her so well. "Of course, Grandpa. I would love to share a meal with you," she said in her sweet soprano.
Lorna had no choice but to prepare the table and make a place for Elsa. She did this while mumbling curses underneath her breath.
Of course, Victoria went to help her so that she could earn love points from Lorna, who now saw her as a perfect daughter-in-law who could take care of her son very well.
One would think that Victoria was her actual daughter-in-law and not Elsa.
Even though this night didn't go as Victoria had planned, she still hadn't given up. That is why she was joining dinner.
Elsa kept talking to the Old Master as he led her to the huge fancy dining room, holding hands.
There were several mouth-watering dishes on the table, all of Mrs. Callahan's best dishes that she took so much pride in.
Elsa sat between Jeremy and Old Master Callahan, with Jeremy seated between Elsa and Victoria.
Things felt very awkward at that dinner table. She never thought she would ever be at the same dinner table with Jeremy and his girlfriend, with Jeremy seated in the middle of them.
But that didn't matter; he had clearly chosen Victoria as his favorite.
If only her stupid heart could accept that, she would save herself from many tears.
Elsa just faced forward, never once glancing Jeremy and Victoria's way.
She also didn't say anything, only giving her attention to the only person in that room who was nice to her.
Even the Callahans' tableware screamed "rich people."
There were Chinese plates and silverware that looked like they cost a fortune to own.
Well, they were the Callahans. Everything they owned would fetch a lot of money if sold, even just a plate.
She felt uncomfortable using such expensive tableware, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, she acted comfortable with everything, as if she had used such expensive plates before.
As they settled at the table, Victoria suddenly asked, "Gwen, I never asked you what job you do at the hospital. I don't think Mum knows either. Maybe you could tell us."
She faked a smile. Elsa looked at her and knew she wanted her to reveal her job because it was something the Callahans would look down on if they knew.
Victoria hadn't given up on trying to make her look bad.
Elsa didn't marry Jeremy so that she would never have to work. And it was a good job with nothing shady about it. So, there was nothing to be ashamed of.
Cleaning a hospital was a normal job that paid her enough for everything she needed.
Elsa faked a smile back at her. "I work as a cleaner, Victoria."
When Lorna heard that, she looked at Elsa with disgust. "The wife of Jeremy Callahan is working as a cleaner at a hospital? How embarrassing is that! Couldn't you find a better job? What is wrong with you?"
Elsa pressed her lips together before letting out a sigh. She started losing her appetite after a long struggle of trying to regain it.
Lorna had a lot of energy for Elsa that evening because she wasn't done shouting at her.
"Why are you working as a cleaner? What if someone recognizes you and takes a picture of you with a mop in your hand and some cleaning clothes on? Are you doing this on purpose to make Jeremy look bad? Having his wife work at such a low-class job?"
What was wrong with her being a cleaner? How did that make her get scolded?
"I work to survive," Elsa answered in a low voice.
The Old Master suddenly said, "No, no. You shouldn't be doing such a job." Elsa turned to him, confused, thinking he was siding with Lorna.
He then added, "You shouldn't even be working at all. You should be staying at home and making me great-grandbabies. I am not getting any younger. I would love to meet my great-grandchildren soon, while I still have the energy to hold them."
Elsa immediately looked away, feeling her cheeks turn red.
That was something she felt a little uncomfortable talking about, especially with The Old Master.
However, her blush faded as she remembered Jeremy saying he didn't want to have kids with her and forced her to take contraceptives.
She cannot give him great-grandchildren because his grandson doesn't want to have children with her.
Victoria and Lorna sneered at those comments from The Old Master.
Victoria recalled Elsa saying something about being intimate with Jeremy and frowned, realizing that if she gets pregnant, getting rid of her will not be easy.
Elsa was quiet for a moment before responding, "I have to work, Grandpa," she answered instead of addressing the children comment.
"And why do you, when your husband can provide for you?... Lorna here has never worked a day in her life."
That comment from Lorna was rather mocking than making Elsa see she can be a stay-at-home mom, and Lorna did catch on to that.
Elsa understood that The Old Master was an old-fashioned man. He probably feels like the husband should be the provider while the wife should stay home and raise a family.
There was nothing wrong with that. That was okay too.
But Elsa didn't feel like it would be right for her, especially in such a relationship with Jeremy. Who knows when this marriage will end?
"I just don't like depending on a man for financial needs. Nobody gets their money for free, they work for it. It would not feel right for me to just sit down and take money from someone. I should work for mine, too."
The Old Master smiled at those words. "And you are the woman they are saying married Jeremy for his money..."
He then gave Lorna a look. "Lorna, did you hear that?"
Lorna, who was putting some potatoes on her plate, froze and gave Elsa a dirty look.
"She is clearly acting. Don't be fooled by this woman. She is only saying what you want to hear, using carefully thought-out lies. What a manipulator!" Lorna argued.
She frowned at Elsa, but Elsa was not looking at her, so she didn't notice. The Old Master raised his eyebrows.
"Oh really now?" he asked.
He then turned to Jeremy. "Jeremy, has Elsa ever asked you for a cent ever since you two got married, or even before that?"
The Old Master obviously asked this question for a reason, and he waited for Jeremy's answer patiently.
"No, grandfather." This was the first time Jeremy had spoken. Elsa felt relieved.
She knew Gwen wasn't a gold digger. It's good to know she never tried to get money from Jeremy. But that leaves the question of how she scammed him.
Didn't he call Elsa a scam artist when he thought she was Gwen on the first day?
The Old Master nodded proudly as he said, "Good. That clears up the gold digger accusations."
Although she was so grateful, Elsa wished that what The Old Master was doing, Jeremy would do too.
'Didn't you tell me you will protect me forever? Why can't you even defend me and just stay silent as I get slandered?'
"Dad, are you seriously taking her side on this? Don't you see how our family reputation can be ruined by this? Can't you see she is fooling you? She will taint our image!"
The Old Master felt tired of this conversation. "We are not discussing this matter further. Elsa didn't fake her kidnapping, she didn't cheat on my grandson with anybody, and she surely never married Jeremy to extort money out of him. End of discussion."
Despite the displeased look on Lorna's face, she didn't say anything.
The food was getting cold anyway, and they all had to eat.
Victoria was now getting mad at The Old Master. He just kept defending Elsa so fiercely and not letting Victoria win for a moment.
"Elsa, serve me some crab, please?" The Old Master asked.
Elsa nodded and reached out for the dish with it and placed pieces on his plate until he told her it was enough for him.
After she was done and wanted to put it back, the Old Master signaled Elsa to serve Jeremy too.
"Serve your husband as well. You may not know this, but Jeremy loves crabs," he said to her, whispering the last sentence as if sharing a valuable secret.
When she turned to Jeremy, she noticed that Victoria was also holding a dish with some vegetables ready to serve him.
"Elsa, you should serve him everything he wants to eat. You are his wife, after all," The Old Master had told her intentionally.
The Old Master didn't want Victoria at his dinner table, but his grandson insisted on bringing her along, much to his annoyance.
Victoria had no choice but to retreat her hand holding the serving spoon with the vegetables. It should be known that she felt a pang of embarrassment inside her.
Elsa nervously started putting the crabs on his plate. She didn't know how many he wanted, so she just kept adding until he held her hand to stop her when it was enough for him.
"I want to try the lemon rice," Jeremy said without looking at Elsa.
She pressed her lips together and reached out for it, serving Jeremy again.
She served Jeremy everything he wanted before putting some on her own plate.
She had to admit, Mrs. Callahan's food was delicious, but she was not going to compliment her.
Dinner was silent after that. However, halfway through their meal, Elsa's ringtone went off.
She immediately took her phone from her pocket, looked at it, and saw that Lui was calling her.
She knew why he was calling and had to pick up quickly.
In order to not be rude, Elsa turned to the Old Master to ask for his permission. "Grandpa, can I take this call?"
"Is it important?" Elsa nodded.
"Sure, go ahead." She got up from the chair and walked out of the dining room, rushing to the balcony to answer the call.
He must have been worried about her because she hadn't heard from her. She was supposed to call him when she was ready to be picked up, but she never did.
"Hello."
"Elsa... Are you okay? Why didn't you call me when you were done so my driver could come get you?" a concerned voice said on the other side of the line.
"I'm so sorry, Lui. Something came up and I should have informed you. I didn't mean to make you worry," she said, feeling guilty.
"Are you okay?"
"I am."
Elsa heard a sigh from him. "Good. I had to know that first...
"Do you still need me to come get you?"
Elsa thought about it for a moment. She did not want to stay there any longer. She loved the Old Master, but she knew that the moment he left her alone, she would be attacked.
She would much prefer to stay at her apartment or her sister's. But she had agreed to stay the week with Lui. She didn't know why they told her to spend at least a week there, but she agreed regardless.
"Yes, you should come right now."
"Where are you?"
Elsa told him the address and after he was done, there was a little silence from the other side.
"Okay. I'll send my driver to come get you. He should be there in a few minutes."
"Thank you, Lui."
"You don't have to thank me. You are a very important person to me. I will always look out for you."
After a few more exchanges, the call ended.
Lui told his driver where to go pick up Elsa immediately. And when he told him the address, just saying it made him grit his teeth and clench his fist. But he didn't say anything and kept it to himself.
Elsa walked into the dining room, holding her handbag, and stood next to the Old Master.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry but I have to leave right now."
Grandpa raised his head to look at Elsa. "So soon?" he asked.
Elsa nodded. "I'm sorry, Grandpa. But we will have so many other meals to share in the future, right?" she said with a smile.
Before he answered, Elsa gave him a hug that even he hadn't expected. She just wanted to hug him as a thank you for sticking up for her when no one else was.
He hugged her back and patted her back.
"I will be looking forward to that," he said as they broke the hug.
Elsa was not interested in saying goodbye to anyone else, so she just said goodbye to the Old Master.
"And after the eventful week you had, child, you should go home and rest up," he said with a fatherly voice.
Elsa turned around to walk away. She only took one step away before freezing at the next words the Old Master said.
"Jeremy, take Elsa home immediately. I don't want her ever walking alone on the road again when you are alive and well and can drive."
Elsa turned to look at Jeremy, whose face was neutral, and then she looked at the Old Master. She shook her head. "That won't be necessary, Grandpa. I can get home just fine."
"That's what you thought last time, didn't you?"
Elsa looked down and didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. How could she say another man had sent his driver to take her to his home?
"You will not go home alone and leave your husband here with his girlfriend. You take your husband home with you. Because it seems like he is the one that cannot be trusted."
When Victoria heard this, she held her fork so tight that her veins were bulging.
And of course, Lorna had to jump in. "Dad, why do you keep forgetting that Jeremy and Victoria are the ones in love? Jeremy never wanted to marry Gwen, remember?"
"Lorna, I wasn't talking to you," he warned with a deep voice.
And that was enough to shut her up.
The Old Master then turned to Jeremy. "Jeremy Callahan, heed my words and obey... Take your wife home," he ordered.
"Elsa is your priority. If she walks home right now and gets kidnapped again, I will blame you. So take her home, now."
Jeremy nodded and put his knife and fork down. He got up from the chair and walked over to Elsa. "Okay grandpa, I'll take my wife home." He then held her waist and started dragging her away immediately. He was taking such big steps towards the front door, Elsa had a hard time keeping up.
He opened the door for them and kept his grip on her as he guided her down the porch stairs. His car was just in the driveway so he was leading her there.
But before they got to his car, he stopped walking and made Elsa stop too. He turned her around to face him as he looked at her with anger.
"If I told my grandpa I wanted to divorce you, would you have agreed?" he asked immediately.
Elsa looked at his dark eyes and felt herself getting drawn to them. It was as if she couldn't help herself. He was looking at her with anger, a frown on his face. But Elsa found herself smiling at him.
"I told you, I won't let you go. So no, I wouldn't agree to divorcing you."
When Jeremy heard that, he took a step forward, getting even closer to her until his body was touching hers and he was in her personal space. "I hate you!" he gritted his teeth so much, they might start hurting.
She looked unaffected by those words. "I love you," Elsa replied calmly.
When Jeremy heard that, he clenched his fist and leaned a little closer to her since she was shorter than him. "I hate you!" he said it again.
Elsa was still unaffected by those three words that were the exact opposite of the three words she said to him. She wrapped her hands around his neck and stood on her tiptoes so she could get closer to his lips.
"I love you!" she whispered. She then placed a light kiss on his lips that lasted for a few seconds before whispering in his ear in an alluring, sweet, seductive voice, "I love you, Jeremy."
She then slowly removed her hands from his neck.
She stood flat on her feet again before taking a step away from him, putting a distance between them. She smiled lightly at him.
"Goodbye," she said tiredly as she started walking away.
She only took two steps before she felt Jeremy grab her by her waist and pull her towards him. Their bodies crashed into each other from the impact. He held her in place very tightly, not letting her break free from his grip.
Jeremy stared into Elsa's eyes. His eyes carried a lot of emotions that he changed in such a short period of time. At first, he was angry, then he was confused.
"El-"
He didn't finish that word. His cold eyes started turning gentle as he leaned in slowly to kiss her.
Just before their lips could touch, "Jeremy!" Victoria's voice was heard.
They both turned around and saw her coming down the front porch stairs. Jeremy's grip on Elsa loosened as he slowly let go of her.
And that made Elsa remember what he said about this woman being the person he loved.
Victoria looked at Jeremy with a questioning and hurt look. "What is going on here?" she asked.
And just then, Elsa heard a car engine outside the gate and knew her driver had come to pick her up.
Without saying a word, she turned around and left the two lovers there. She walked away quickly and didn't once look back, afraid of what she might witness.
Afraid those same lips that she kissed just now would be kissing someone else. She got into Lui's car and it drove her straight to Lui's villa.
*
I love and I hate this chapter. It's very complicated and gives me mixed emotions. And I am the writer... Maybe it's because I form a connection with my book so much I see the characters as real people.