A woman's revenge

A deceitful woman

Francine pov

I was going back and forth on the carpet of my bedroom.

Daisy gave up trying to tuck me in bed long ago. It was eleven pm. Ten hours since my waking up and 6 hours since the first people reached the east coast and were able to offer some help.

I knew nothing about Lawson's whereabouts. Daisy kept telling me everything was all right but I was worried. What if, by telling him, I sent him to death? Sure he tried to kill me first - by accident- but he did. Anyway, I didn't want to feel guilty like this all my life. I was already feeling that way about not warning people, even though now I understand people would've probably called me crazy, but that was still a natural disaster. But if Lawson died, I would be directly responsible since my words were what sent him there.

"Francine, you don't have to worry this much. I'm sure everything is all right"

"I hope so, Daisy, but couldn't he at least send a message?"

" To whom exactly do you think I should've sent a message?"

I turned around and he was there, standing at the door. My feelings of relief were quickly washed away by another kind of worry. He was disheveled, his clothes were torn and dirty and he wore a thunderous expression on his face.

" Mr Dupre, you have arrived safely. Francine was so worried. I will leave you two to talk" Daisy exclaimed, smiling brightly and rushing to leave the room. After some minutes, I heard the door being closed.

Well, it seemed like she was actually talking about leaving the house! Couldn't she read the atmosphere ? I was standing in the death corridor because of a Dupre. Again. What did I do to this family in my last life? Yes, I married into it. Big. mistake. Ever.

" So, did everything go well?" I asked.

He looked at the TV, then at me.

" Does that seem good to you?" his voice was frosty.

"I didn't... I just.." I stammered. What could I say? What did he want me to say?

" How did you know?"

"Know what" I said, trying to play dumb.

He just looked at me until I cowered and lowered my head.

" I can't really explain. I just kind of saw it before it happened. "

" So now you are a medium ? Why does everything go off every time you are in the vicinity?"

"But I wasn't even there."

" How did you know?"

"I dreamed of it. And if you don't believe me, then what is your explanation, or are you going to accuse me of conniving with the tornado?"

He was silent for a while.

" Let's say you really dreamed of that. What about the warehouse? Who told you?"

"I... may have heard you talking maybe in the hospital?"

I couldn't explain that either. I really hoped by now he would think I was crazy and kick me out. I had literally nowhere to go. Not even my phone, but it seems safer outside than inside with him.

" You will stay here. You won't contact anyone about whatever you say you heard. If you do so, I"ll sue you for being a business spy and you will end up in jail with a forfeit you will never be able to pay, even by selling your kidney."

" what? I don't even work in your world."

" You are my half-brother's fiancée. "

"I was, so what?"

" You approached him to learn more about our business and now that you have what you wanted, you flee the wedding and end up in front of my car. Such a coincidence."

" You hit me?" this was crazy talk.

" Did I, I wonder? Why didn't you press charges? Why convince me to bring you to the hospital pretending you are my wife?"

" What are you talking about? That was all you?"

" You never said no and followed me willingly. To appease me while robbing me? Did you plan to seduce me too?"

I was baffled. Was he really saying that he would sue me? Could he? I looked at him, a little scared.

"what is it you want?"

" You will stay here until everything is sorted, without making any calls. I would advise you to reveal what you, your evil family and my stupid half-brother are planning before it happens, because I will make sure someone paid for that. "

His eyes implied that someone would be me.

Lawson pov

"How did they find out?" John asked.

I couldn't tell. John and I were back to our headquarters in New York. I wasn't surprised to learn that in the night, Oscar had called an emergency shareholders' meeting to try and take my place. They had encountered stock problems, right when John and I were away. Not a coincidence. He was arguing that I wasn't able to handle the company anymore.

"I would've liked to immortalize his face when you pointed out that you were basically solving another billion dollar problem and saving people when he couldn't even handle a little stock by himself", John laughed.

"I didn't want the news to be known, we didn't really do that much"

"I know, but by using that you have stabilized your position for now and, with that, many others' lives."

" What about the supplies we sent there?"

"Everything is already there and they thanked you for letting them use your jet for emergency transfer."

So everything was sorted, but there was another problem. I decided to go there in the middle of the night. No one knew, so how could Oscar learn about it and prepare for an emergency meeting? He wasn't the one handling the stock, so that sure was his doing. But how did he know when to pull that?

" You said his wife is at your house", John added.

"I had thought about it but she was in pain at that time and asleep"

"Are you sure? The only one who could know that was her. You didn't even tell Daisy where you were going until the morning and by then he had already sent invitations. "

I stood and walked to the vast glass wall which occupied the left side of my office.

We weren't at the top level but we were high enough to dominate many others buildings.

"Her Sister owns a 10% share of the company."

" It was her sister?! Then the wedding is really a scheme?" John exclaimed.

" That was what I thought first. Then I saw her flee her own wedding, but maybe that, too, was planned."

" You think they are working together, but why not marry the one who owned the shares directly?"

" Yes, that's weird. Only if Francine wanted her part of the cake. Maybe she threatened to reveal everything. "

"How ? She needed someone with more leverage than Oscar... " John widened his eyes. " You think she planned to make you hit her. How?"

"She may have jumped in front of my car on purpose but she surely misdjuged how strong the impact would be. I am sure she was in pain at that moment, but everything else is impossible to confirm."

John sighted and leaned on the glass next to me.

"She is either an innocent or a snake. The latter is logical because..."

"why bother marrying someone who can't help you and is clueless?" I finished.

" Indeed. What are you going to do?"

" They say to keep your friends near and your enemies nearer. The duper owns that pretty Lady a marriage, don't we?"

" You aren't serious. What if she loves your brother?" John turned towards me.

I shrugged.

"Half-brother. And I don't really care."

" What if HE loves her?" he pushed.

My lips curled.

"I hope so. I will make him experience what it feels like to have something you want snatched away by others."

John looked at me for a while, then turned.

" You want to say something." I knew that face.

"We are missing a detail. "

"What?"

"What is Oscar doing here trying to take your place when everyone knows his wife just ditched him at the altar? He isn't even trying to find her. And more, he is not trying to make people think he is worried. Why?"

" That could mean they plan it together."

" But now that he knows it is working, why not play the desperate husband to remove all suspicions of her?"

That was a valid point.

" What do you think?"

" That's the problem. I don't know."

and that in itself was a bad omen.