Excelsior

Chapter 13: Spite

Mrs. Lowell walked into the Grace Hotel in Downtown, looking for a particular table at the restaurant. The host led her to a table where Mr. Wilson, with a remarkably overwhelming face and annoying expression, waited while checking the menu.

"Would you like to order?" a gentle waiter asked.

They both declined to and the young man left.

"How's Laura", asked Mrs. Lowell with a vicious smile.

Mr. Wilson frowned.

"Let's get to the point, shall we? Why did you want to meet me?"

"Has to be there a reason? A good lawyer should always meet with her clients to discuss legal issues and share discretions, George. Is it there something you wanna tell me?"

"Why do you insist with the lawyer thing?"

"I'll repeat it again: Is there something you wanna tell me?"

"No!" Mr. Wilson hit the table and the diners around turned to see them, "I just want you to tell me what else you want."

"Let us first order." Said she raising her hand.

A waiter arrived and took their order. When they finished, Mr. Wilson insisted again.

"Are you going to tell me now what I owe this unusual business appointment for?"

Selma rolled he eyes and hold her hands together on the table.

"My Bristol Club membership was unfortunately and suddenly revoked with no apparent reason."

"And how is that my business? Did you pay the annual fee?"

"I always pay, my dear George -something... my intuition tells me you're behind this. Let me tell you that my intuition never fails, even if it seems to do it sometimes; it is so precise that you'd be surprised; and given the unusual context in which this happens, I have no choice but to think that you, with your influenced, caused."

The man shamelessly laughed.

"That is the most ridiculous accusation -with no evidente, that I have heard, Selma."

She insisted again.

"Of course no!" George replied, "And I think it is offensive to me that you call me for a childishness like that."

"It isn't a childishness for me, George. That club is the way to hunt clients for me and my daughters, just as we did with you, or didn't you meet Sarah in it?"

"Clients?" he laughed. "Oh, yes! Your clients. Is that how you call your extortion victims?"

"Shut up!"

"Well," he corrected his behavior, "and have you considered contacting the executives? It could have been a mistake."

"I already tried and I had no answer. This wasn't a mistake; they refuse to talk to me. I have sent e-mails, I have called their offices, I even have their personal numbers and they don't take the call!"

"Well, more than one of them must be your client, have you tried blackmailing one?"

"As surprising as it sounds, I have no control over any of them. If it was the case, this would've been solved and we wouldn't be here in the first place. I would've probably had your membership revoked for no reason already."

"Good thing that is not the case, now that you now I am innocent from such an evil slander!"

The waiter came with their meals, and both dined followed by silence.

"Anyways," said she, "remember my fees due next month."

He sighed.

"I do not wish any harm to you and your family. The last thing I want to do is to

"I do not intend to harm you or your family. The last thing I want is to relate to you again, Selma, and believe me if I tell you that I do not dedicate my thoughts to you to carry out such actions. My wishes are to get as far away as possible from you, and I am not fool enough to conspire against you, knowing that you have something with which you can destroy me."

She was so flattered to the point that she recognized that he was smart out loud. They ate again in silence. Mrs. Lowell was caught in her tangled thoughts.

"Harold." She whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"Harold Du Pont, with no doubt." She hit the table, attracting curious views. "How could I have been that stupid? He's behind all of this."

"You know that Mr. Du Pont has a lot of influence and power, so such an accusation could be dangerous for you, Selma. If I were you, I would reserve it for myself until I have evidence against him."

"I have enough evidence with the Catherine issue," she pointed at him with the knife. George showed her his hands, to which she corrected her posture and apologized. "He's been trying to destroy me and my family, and I have no doubt that he hated seeing us in the club, as much as I disliked seeing him."

"It might be, Selma. The case is that all of the city has already labeled you as a scandalous and exaggerating woman, so no one would believe such an accusation in the event that you want to make it public -after all, no one believes that Catherine is his illegitimate child."

"No one believes it because he hid it all!" she stood up and hit the table again. She was indifferent towards the stares. "Why would he refuse to take a DNA test? He's always been using his influence to make my life, and that of my daughters, a misery -to his own daughter, Miss Catherine Du Pont."

Diners began to gossip about her, and even ridicule her, saying that what she proclaimed was vile and convenient slander.

"Catherine Du Pont, I've said it!" she yelled with tears in her cheeks to a group that was mocking her.

"He's threatened us, he's joined my own parents to discredit me, he has plotted with my ex-husband against me, he has the president in his pocket." She lamented once she took seat, resting her elbows on the table and holding her forehead with her hands.

"I have no doubt that what you say is true. Influential men like Mr. Du Pont hide secrets, just like me. I can see it in the strong countenance of his daughter, which is like seeing him in the eyes; Just that you know that he is powerful. If I were in your position, I would recognize that this is a losing fight and I would resign myself. You can find clients elsewhere. I could help you with that, Selma.

"Help me?" she raised her head, "That would be helpful," her eyes were still red, "really helpful."

"I could meet with prominent colleagues and call you so they can fall into your trap, Selma."

"No, no, nonsense. You are going to help me so I can be a member of the club again, and to destroy Harold," she held her silverware tightly, "Those donkeys didn't even deign to return me the money, it's as if I had never been a..."

"Excuse me, Selma. I could help you to solve your problem with Bristol Club; the second thing you mention is pretty complicated. As I have said before, and as anyone here can tell you, Mr. Du Pont is powerful influential, and if he has done that to you, I do not want to imagine what he could do to me. We are not even sure that he had anything to do with it. You have won many clients the hard way, which has led to multiple enemies."

She sighed.

"Well, it's better than nothing." She admitted. "Maybe you are right. If he has managed to dodge justice and deny his last name to my beloved Catherine, what could he not do? He's dangerous."