His Gold Digger✔️

Chapter 7

Mary Wright had been my assistant and right-hand man for the last fifteen years. She sat across from me in my office, taking copious notes on the words I was firing at her.
I was this way whenever I was annoyed. I was still recovering from the embarrassment I had faced at the dinner with the Knights.

My mother had always been that way. She would always go great lengths to see that her plans were realized.

The dinner had not ended quite well. We sat there eating in silence, neither of us speaking for some time. Everything looked normal, but nothing was right and we all knew that.

"You should not have made your dislike for her so obvious.  You didn't have to do that.  You could have at least acted nice" she stared coldly at me while berating me.

"What is that supposed to mean mother? For God's sake, I'm no longer a child, I am old enough to make my own choices. Not after all you put me through!"

"You have never been forthcoming in that direction.  So what would you expect me to do, sit back,  cross my legs and watch your solitary life. You need someone to ease your burden Mark! Do you know what we have lost just because you put up with that behaviour? Why are you being selfish"

"Mum, if we are being honest, you are selfish. Of all the choices you made, which one of them was the ideal woman I always wanted. I don't want to talk about that slut that calls herself Susan. Allow me to think mother, allow me to think.  I will get one and settle down as soon as I am ready "

Her face had grown teary and pale. She looked shocked by my outburst. I felt regret.  I shouldn't have shouted at her. Her countenance went rabid with anger. She only growled and left. Whatever she had up her sleeve this time around, I didn't know.

My phone shrieked, abruptly bringing my thoughts to a close. I peered at the screen, it was my father calling. He surely would still be pissed about the previous night.

"Hello, son"

I let out a sigh "Good morning,  dad"

"Morning" he responded

Silence...

"I have been thinking, how has the work been going? Bryant's project, is it ready"

"Yes of course" I replied, although the order had been to make sure that the site must have been ready before a month elapsed. I could hear papers flip in the background.  It seemed he was working on something.

"That was quite an event for one night. You know, women can be very demanding. But you just have to adapt to it" he let out a hearty chuckle.

I was surprised he was speaking this way.

"But my dear," he  continued, "you shouldn't have made your dislike for her so obvious."

"Then I'm sorry, but I am not a hypocrite.  Didn't you see that they were clearly desperate to marry her off. I wish you'd seen how shamelessly she behaved"

There were times I loved to blurt out everything,  to purge myself.  My mother's arrogance, the way she took my happiness for granted made me so angry.

Why would she think I would ever marry that kind of person. It was clear, from the foregoing, that all she was interested in was the wealth and the material advantages they would gain from making me marry her. All she needed for an in-law was a woman who oozed wealth.

"But I would prefer to remain single than repeating the same mistake. Susan had already made my life a living hell and I would always dread to find myself in that kind of situation."

"Is that a threat? Well, I wouldn't see that happen. I'd sooner strangle you with my own hands than allow that happen" he let out another chuckle. But I knew he was serious.

" I am sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. But as long as we respect each other, she should cut me some slack. She is pushing me to the wall."

He allowed a moment's silence as though he was digesting my words.

" That wasn't why I called you in the first place" the tone of his voice changed.

I grew quiet and thoughtful then, I had rarely heard him speak in that tone. Whenever he did speak in that tone,  something was usually amiss. The silence and mild concern that engulfed me was telling.

"The ball for the McGregory children foundation is in two days' time. And I want you to make me proud. Make impressed me. Hello, are you there?"

"Yes," I replied,  nodding my head slowly.

"I am not forcing you to come along but ..." he laughed "but you must come. It's a kind of culture that we have inadvertently practised over the years. He expects all of us to be there"

"That is not a problem," I yawned "I'll surely be there"

"But it isn't as easy as you think, judging from your present situation. That is where things get a little bit hard.
That is why you children always get into trouble,  you fail to realise how weighty your advice is. It could have been a different thing if you had accepted to go along with the plan. "

" I don't understand dad" lines crinkled at the corner of my eyes as I tried to understand where he was actually heading to.

" What I am saying son, is that you must come with a wife, a partner , something of that sort.
I guess that's why your mother had arranged everything with the Knights.  Poor woman, little did she know you would screw the whole thing.
I don't see why she shouldn't be angry at you. Remember,  you must be there"

I was not willing to let him down, yet I didn't know how I would go about the wife and partner-thing.

"I will see what I can do before then" I heard myself say.

His voice did not seem convinced when I had ended the call. I only had two days to go about the whole thing.

My thoughts wandered off in ten different directions,  but no idea came. The rest of the day was spent thinking. At one point I thought about Susan.  But no, I was done with her. Not after making my life a living hell.

I only hated her the most whenever I thought of her. She was the result of my mother's numerous hookups. I'd married her for my mother's sake. But she shredded what was left of my heart. She shredded it into tiny unrecognizable pieces.

Susan, for that, was my ex-wife's name and had divorced me a year or two ago. I'd always known hell in every single moment of my marriage with her.

At last, I caught a brainwave.  It seemed, beyond all, that Lizzy would just be the perfect person for this. And I knew she was not going to say no. Not after all I'd done for her. It was time she returned my benevolence.

I quickly took out my phone, and scrolled through my contact list. In no distant time, I'd found her number. Despite being so sure she would accept helping me, I did not trust the prospect hook, line, and sinker. I sent up a brief prayer to the heavens and dialed her number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Hello" her unmistakable voice came through the handy stuff.

"Hi. Can we meet?"

"Sure"