random englot short stories

Wedding Bells and Old Spells (4/5)

After successfully encouraging--or should we say, threatening and coercing Pailiu to go with her to Phuket, Charlotte, with Engfa hot on her heels, exited the house. One woman grinned triumphantly, while the other looked torn.

As Charlotte descended the steps with a content smile on her lips, Engfa's brows furrowed, and she bravely dared to grab her ex-wife's arm again, stopping her.

"You don't have to drag Pailiu into this, Charlotte," Engfa gritted. "You're just making things a lot more complicated than they already are."

Charlotte released a sarcastic sigh before slowly turning to face Engfa, her expression bored and weary of her ex-wife's nonsense.

"And why not? She agreed to go with me."

"She was coerced," Engfa snapped. "Even a blind person could sense the fear in Pailiu's voice."

Charlotte squared her shoulders and crossed her arms in front of her. "And I told you never to call me Charlotte again. Are you not listening? It's Miss Austin for--"

"Enough of that! This isn't about us this time. Are you really going to destroy our daughter's happiness just because you don't like Patcha? You're even dragging Pailiu into this. Do you think about how she might feel? You're being selfish, Charlotte. You're doing things your way, without considering anyone else."

Charlotte scoffed, a sarcastic, humorless smile on her face. Engfa knew that look all too well.

"Selfish? If anyone's selfish here, it's you. At least my selfishness is about looking out for our daughter's future, not someone else's."

"So this is still about that? This is still about us, about me?"

"Nothing has ever been about you."

And damn, it felt like a shot to the heart for Engfa.

But she thought better than to let this conversation spiral into another argument. This time, she composed herself and calmed her pounding, aching heart.

"I'll go with you. Just leave Pailiu out of this. Come on, Char, you know Pailiu might still be hurting from her breakup with Snack. The last thing she need is to see her ex-girlfriend's fiancée."

Another scoff escaped Charlotte's lips. "You? Going with me? Oh, Sergeant, what about your precious police work? What about those perps still out there looking for new victims? Surely this town wouldn't want its dedicated detective to leave town."

Charlotte's voice dripped with sarcasm, and it almost made Engfa cry.

"I'll take a leave."

"Snack would've been so happy to know this," Charlotte retorted with another bite of sarcasm, and Engfa could do nothing but clench her jaw.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

------

Morning arrived, and Engfa found herself seated in first class, right next to Charlotte. 

Of course, it had to be first class--her companion was Charlotte fucking Austin, after all. Charlotte was no ordinary woman; she was the CEO of her father's former company, now hers, and one of the most formidable names in Thailand's business world. In stark contrast, who was Engfa? Just a Police Sergeant, second-in-command of the Criminal Detection Unit, with a respectable 79% conviction rate throughout her career. Yet, what did she have to show for it? A modest apartment with a fridge, a bed, a couch, and an aging Ford pickup truck. 

She stole a glance at Charlotte, who had fallen asleep beside her. Time had only enhanced her ex-wife’s elegance--she had aged like fine wine. The youthful charm that had once captivated Engfa was gone, replaced by a stoic, almost cold demeanor that Charlotte seemed to reserve just for her.