Hello Mr. Arrogant

Chapter 15

[Not edited]

Chapter 15: {Mother? Is That You?}

I was running around panicked. I had to prepare a meeting for Mr. Hadley in about two minutes, with pamphlets and everything else. That was near impossible.

Snatching my notepad from my desk, I ran as fast as I could to the closest meeting room.  

Every chair had to be perfect, every packet had to be even, every spec of dust gone from every surface, and all before Mr. Perfectionist walked in the room.

Too late. 

As I was preparing his laptop my eyes latched with his as he strolled in with Jenna glued to his arm. I scowled. If he thought I'd be jealous of Jenna here, he was sorely mistaken. I was good at keeping my cool and professionalism intact.

"Hello, Mr. Hadley. Miss Jenna," I greeted finishing up the last touches. I even adjusted the potted plant in the corner just so my hands had something to do. 

He kissed her lightly on the cheek maintaining eye contact with me. What was his deal? As she walked away I couldn't shake the feeling that she was thinking about me. Ashton, too.

"Sit," he ordered. I took a seat to the right of his large boss-man chair. The guy always had to have all eyes on him at all times. Jeez.

He took careful steps around me as he made his way over to the end of the conference table. And it was at this point I realized what was going on. The meeting had begun. I was lulled into a false sense of nervous panic for a one-on-one sit down.

With my back straight and my chin high I asked, "What's this about?" To him, it seemed quite obvious what the meeting was about. Jerk. 

"You could have just called me down to your office, you know, instead of making a big deal about it."

"What's the fun in that, Miss Bennett?" he snickered. 

"Touche," I mumbled back. This had better be a damn good talk, or I might have some words of my own when we're finished.

"I've heard rumors that little Miss f*******: wanted her phone back during the day." I was taken aback by his words. Was he going to give me my phone back?

"Oh." Yet I didn't seem excited when I spoke. Nothing felt overly enjoyable the last couple of days, not after the Central Park incident. 

We almost kissed. There was tension and stuttering. The musky scent of his cologne and my constant lip between my teeth. I was about ready to explode!

He had gently placed a strand of my hair behind my ear, caressing my cheek afterward. It was a very surreal moment for me. And then he did the unimaginable. He placed his lips on my forehead and closed his eyes like he was forever burning it into his memory. 

The only reasonable thing to do at the time was gasp. It was loud and surprising, but he didn't move away, only pulling my body closer in a tight embrace. 

We sat, on the dusty floor, for what seemed like hours. By the time we got back, almost everyone had gone for the day. I, on the other hand, had an almost full day's work left to get done because of our trip. Hundreds of emails needed sorting and even more needed responding to.

Ever since then he'd been ignoring me. Every time I'd pass him in the hallways or go to his office to ask for more work, he'd always shoo me away and look everywhere else but at me. It was aggravating, to say the least.

"Is that all, Mr. Hadley?" I asked looking bored. I wasn't in the mood the play one of his cat and mouse games at the moment, and the fact he called a meeting just so he could tell me that upset me.

He looked puzzled. "What's wrong?" 

My heart skipped a beat. He automatically caught on to my change of mood like he knew me better than himself. Or was he somewhat observant?

Stop creating things, Lydia.

"I-" My phone rang from inside Mr. Hadley's suit jacket. I paused and waited for Mr. Hadley to give me the okay and hand it to me. When he did I pressed the phone to my ear.

"Finally you answer," Kade's voice said from the other side. I took a deep breath, filling up my lungs to the point of pain.

"Kade?" I questioned.

"Who else would it be. Seriously, get over yourself," He scoffed. I could feel his eyes rolling through the phone.

Mr. Hadley's eyes turned dark. "What do you want, Kade?" I tried putting on a blank face, but I couldn't control my frown when he talked.

"Mom's missing." It was blunt and out of the blue, but somehow, it wasn't surprising. Mom liked to travel a lot, and once in a while, she wouldn't tell Dad or Kade where she was going. I liked to imagine her on a beach somewhere with half-naked lifeguards surrounding her handing her martinis.

"And what am I supposed to do about that?" I raised my voice. It was irritating that he called for such a simple issue. She'd come back in a week or two.

"I think she went to visit you."

"I doubt that. Really, could you be any stupider? Why would she want to visit? She basically ran me out of the house." I threw my hands up in the air. Ashton was now standing, taking dangerous strides over to me. I gulped.

"I'm warning you. Be careful if you see her." What in the world could he be talking about?

"Kade-" Before I could speak Ashton ripped the phone from my grasp and ended the conversation. "What the hell?" I exclaimed.

He glared. "Do you honestly think I'd let you talk to one of your boyfriends?" If looks could kill. But honestly, I'm not sure he was really mad at me. It was more jealousy than anger. 

Cute.

"First off, that was my brother. And second, I don't have boyfriends." I gave him a glare of my own. It took us a second to compose ourselves, but in the end, he was the one to look away first.

"Sorry," he mumbled taking a step back. I smiled at him. I couldn't stay mad when he looked so apologetic and lost. It was like I was seeing him for the first time all over again.

"It's okay. I... umm... I should go." Stumbling, I made my way back to my office. It was dark and cold and lonely. No matter how many scented candles and pretty flowers I crammed into this small space, it will forever feel isolated to me.

***

When I got home around eight I couldn't shake the never-ending feeling of trouble as I stepped into the lobby. I've had knots in my stomach ever since the call with Kade.

Mom came to see me?

Be careful around her?

My head was pounding and my heart was racing. This did not sound remotely like my family's antics at all. I only wished I knew more about what was going on.

I made it up to my floor within seconds. Trying to avoid the inevitable, I stopped over to say hi to Mrs. Able.

I knocked. "Hello? Mrs. Able, are you in there?" There were some dogs barking and a few grunts from the other side.

"Coming," She yelled sounding far away. I just stood there waiting patiently by her door until she came and unbolted it. "Oh, Lydia! Please come in." She opened the door for me.

Her apartment wasn't the cleanest place on Earth. Dog hair littered the red shag carpet, sticking to my legs and flying throughout the air. The wallpaper covering the walls cracked and had stains all over. I hoped they were just water stains.

Mrs. Able looked like her apartment. Not the cutest, but not horrible. Her pure white hair curled up into a perm. Her monocles slid every few seconds to the tip of her nose creating a librarian effect. Her posture was hunched over as she walked allowing whoever was looking to see the bones of her spine. I cringed inwardly.

I took a seat on her crimson red couch. "How have you been?" I asked as I watched her inch her way over to the recliner across from me. 

When she sat she said, "What was that? Sorry, a bit hard of hearing." She laughed to herself then proceeded to stare at me.

"I said, how have you been?" I repeated myself making sure to exaggerate my lips.

"I'm good, Sugar. Speaking of which, would you like some tea?"

I shook my head. I was regretting my decision to stall.

"Actually, I have to get going. I just wanted to check on you." I stood.

"Well, thank you. You're really a sweet person coming to check up on an old lady like myself," She said.

"For the record, I think you're a fine old lady." 

We both parted ways and before I knew it I was standing in front of my own door. I sighed. What's the worst thing that could happen? 

What I didn't expect, though, was the worst thing that could've happened.

I opened the door and turned on the lights. Standing directly in the middle of my kitchen was a tall bone-like woman with short red hair. She looked almost like a walking corpse.

"Mother? Is that you?" I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things. She turned around and I almost fainted. Her face sagged. Dark blue circles underlined her dull hazel eyes.

"My poor baby," She cooed coming over to me. I had to look away once she got closer. Her skin had a nasty green glow to it making her look sick.

"Are you okay?" I asked when I slipped past her outstretched arms. I couldn't even look at her anymore. This wasn't the mother I left behind. This was only a stranger wearing her skin.

"Can't I come to visit my only daughter?" She pursed her lips together in a line. Her chapped, cracking lips were only a light pink color.

"You look awful." I placed my bag down on the couch and tried to find something to do with my hands.

"Do I?" She honestly sounded surprised. Doesn't she have a mirror somewhere in that twenty-million dollar home?

I started cleaning dishes while we talked. "You look like death, Mom." The mention of death seemed to shake her. Her already pale face drained of whatever color was left, almost as if a ghost took over her body.

"It is fitting," She mumbled leaning against my countertop.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's nothing, really." She blew me off, so I decided she would tell me when she was ready; Though I suspected that wasn't going to be anytime soon.

"How's Seattle?" I asked as if I cared. I stopped caring about them and that place a long time ago.

"It's good. A bit rainy this time of year, but it's always nice." She was now playing with her fake red nails. Inspecting them for any imperfection that might damage her outfit.

I started reaching for clean plates. "How's Kade?"

"Well, I suspect he's called you already."

"Yeah," I huffed, waiting a few moments. 

"Why are you really here, Mom?" I wanted to get this visiting over with so I could send her on the next flight back to Seattle. Her presence brought back too many memories of years left alone and nights where-

"I came to see you like I said." Her irritation was rubbing off on me. "But I also don't have anywhere else to go. So when I heard you were living close by I had to come." 

So the truth finally comes out. 

I scoffed at her. "Ran out of money on your vacation, Mother?"

"More like I was cut off."

"What?" I stopped what I was doing to look at her. She looked unfazed by the fact my father had just cut off her money supply.

"He's cut you off? Why would he do that?" It shocked me because the woman basically breathed the green paper. I bet she's even smoked rolls of it in her younger years.

"I'm tired, Lydia," She said with a large dramatic sigh, avoiding my question. She walked over to the couch and touched it with her thin fingers. "Could I take the guest bedroom for tonight?"

"Mom, you're staring at it." I had to stop myself from laughing. 

"Oh." She sat down on the springy thing and I could hear her soft whines from the kitchen. 

"Just for tonight you can have my room," I complied with her. Even though I hated her for a better part of my teen years, I still loved her in a weird way. She gave birth to me after all.

"Thank you." Then she walked into the bedroom and locked the door behind her. 

After drying my hands I made my way over to the couch. I had no cable right now, but I had just paid off my phone bill for the month so I settled on texting Belle and Karen before falling asleep.

I heard soft sobs coming from my bedroom, but sleep had already taken a hold of me and I soon let my head rest against a pillow.