A Twisted Tale

Restraint (Part 2)

It's been a month since I made the official announcement about the change in my relationship status.
For one month I've been anticipating her next move assuming she's just like the other power hungry women I know. I've been met with nothing but disappointment. She was amazing at her work. I didn't have to even raise a finger about anything. She took care of all the things to such an extent that I started to think that maybe this arrangement wasn't so bad after all.
Over the next few months, everything seemed perfect with the two of us. So much so that I actually liked spending time with her and forgave her for what she did with Emma. She was a very doting girlfriend and paid attention to every single detail. Sometimes she refused to leave my side which was a little unsettling. And slowly I started to notice that she had no friends outside work. All these things were not big enough to raise warning bells but I had a nagging feeling like something wasn't entirely right with her. I noticed it for the first time when we were at the charity fundraiser in Mumbai.

I was having a conversation with a business associate and I saw that his attention was divided between me and someone behind me. So I turned my head to see who that was and I spotted a young woman in her early twenties talking to Mark Webb. What caught my attention was her eyes. She was one of those people whose eyes did all the talking. I was so captivated by how animatedly she was talking to Mark that I didn't hear the question. She tapped me on my shoulder and said "Whom are you staring at?" I couldn't tear my eyes off the woman and said "Do you know who that is?" I was greeted by silence. So I turned around and asked the same question again. She said "That is Meera Iyer. She is here with the Webb family. Why do you ask?" I looked back to catch a last glimpse of Meera but she was gone. I smiled at her and said "Nothing in particular. She has really expressive eyes." There was brief flicker of something like anger in her eyes. But it was replaced quickly. That was just the beginning.
After coming back from Mumbai, I caught up with an old friend of mine. Martina and I knew each other since college. I wasn't the kind to spend time catching up with people unless I saw the benefit of it. Martina ran a very successful law firm. I could see the two of us working together. So when Martina asked me to meet her for lunch, I didn't hesitate. And I also didn't think it was important that I keep my girlfriend updated about my whereabouts. Since we were at work, she was just another employee. So I left without telling her, which I didn't think would be an issue.
Well, I didn't have to wait too long for things to blow out of proportion.
Martina and I were laughing at a memory when I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and found my girlfriend standing there and fuming at me. She took a look at Martina and I, assumed the worst and started throwing things around. When I held her hand and made her stop throwing things around, I saw fury in her eyes. Her eyes shifted towards Martina as she lunged forward. Martina landed on the floor due to the impact and tried to shield herself from the punches that came her way. I quickly made a call to my driver and said "Josh. I need you inside."
Josh quickly came in, saw what was happening and helped me pull her off Martina. Josh grabbed her from behind and dragged her outside while I helped Martina to her feet. Martina had a black eye and a few bruises on her face and arms. I said "I'm so sorry. This shouldn't have happened. Are you okay?" She looked at me like I was a fool for asking that question. "No genius, I'm not okay if you can see. Its like someone spotting you inside a theatre and asking 'Are you here to watch the movie?' That's about how stupid you sound right now. Your girlfriend has some serious issues and I am going to sue her for doing this to me! She will be behind bars for the rest of her life."
I stiffened at the mention of cops. This would mean bad publicity as she was my girlfriend/ my PR representative. And the deal with the export company was still being processed. So I said "I know you're angry. I would be too, if I was in your place. But hear me out just this once. If you make a move against her, it would lead to major damage to my company's image. Let's also not forget the fact that my image too is on the line here. Instead, I'll keep her away from you and make sure she never bothers you again. Also, I'll hire your law firm for contract negotiations for a period of one year. Deal?"
She thought about it while wiping off the blood from her mouth and said "Not good enough. Make that five years with both contract negotiations and real estate. Then we have a deal."
I nodded my head in agreement to her terms and shook our hands on it.

After making sure that Martina was treated, I made a call to Josh and asked him to pick me up. Josh said "I've sent a replacement Sir. He's waiting for you right outside. As for the problem earlier, I've left her at your house since she insisted on it. And I'm right outside the house because I don't want to leave her alone in your absence. I'll wait for you to get here." I was very happy that I made the best decision in hiring him. He has been working for me for five years now and I've not had even a single complaint against him.
With that in mind, I headed home to the problem.