REBORN FOR REVENGE

CHAPTER EIGHT - BIRTHDAY DISASTER

Vanessa’s POV

It was hard to stay silent during the drive home, my hands were shaking in frustration and rage and Carlson sat by my side quietly, not even seeming bothered in the least by what Mara had told us at the party.

His plan to get me back into the company had failed and yet he sat beside me, humming nonchalantly.

“What are we going to do now?” I asked him, feeling uneasy.

“About what?” he replied, seeming genuinely confused.

Was he actually serious right now?

“About the company, Mara said that the company is going private and that they are going to contact you on monday regarding your shares, meaning that our only way back into the company is now gone. So how are we going to destroy Mara when we don’t even have access to her?” I asked, feeling myself getting more and more heated as I watched his unconcerned expression.

“Let me worry about that for now,” Carlson replied vaguely, shifting his attention back to his phone like nothing I had just said mattered to him.

“I can’t let you worry about it because whether you like it or not, this also involves me.”

“I know that and I have a plan already, just relax,” Carlson said just as the car pulled over to the front of the house.

“You can go in, I have somewhere else to be right now,” he said and I stared back at him in disbelief.

I stayed silent, watching as his car zoomed away, leaving me to walk into the house alone.

Carlson was hiding something, I realized solemnly. And for someone that I had put all my trust in, he was gradually showing me that I couldn’t trust him.

****

I woke up the next morning with an impossible headache and the bright light of sunlight pouring into my room. I blinked at the wall clock in my room, calmly processing the fact that I had woken up by past twelve in the afternoon. As I tried to wash out the effects of alcohol on my face, I wondered if any of the maids could make hangover medicine

Wrapped cosily in a dressing robe, I headed down the stairs while dialing Carlson’s number.

“Good afternoon, Miss Vanessa,” a maid greeted me as I entered the dining room. “Would you like some breakfast?”

“Um.. yeah,” I nodded at her, feeling my stomach growl in hunger.

“Where is Carlson?” I asked her as she served me breakfast. He hadn’t picked any of my calls.

“He left for work this morning around seven,” she replied, pouring me a cup of hot coffee.

“Work?” I echoed.

The maid nodded. “He seemed in good spirits.”

I frowned, dialing Carlson’s number again. Was she serious? Good spirits? After last night’s disaster?

He still didn’t pick any of my calls and I could feel myself getting angry.

Why wasn’t he picking up? What exactly was Carlson planning and why wasn’t he including me?

Suddenly my phone buzzed, jolting me out of my racing thoughts. I glanced at it while taking a bite of my eggs when a notification suddenly popped up:

“Today: Emma’s 16th birthday.” It read and my blood ran cold.

Shit. Today was Emma’s birthday. I suddenly remembered feeling guilt rush through me. How had I been so occupied with Mara and Carlson’s shenanigans that I had forgotten about my daughter’s birthday?

I stood up immediately, my breakfast forgotten as I rushed back to my bedroom and threw on a pair of jeans and a simple T Shirt without even checking the mirror.

I was going to see Emma today, no matter what I looked like.

****

Emma’s high school was about thirty minutes away from Carlson's house and by my calculations, it was probably already lunchtime in their school.

I walked into the school building, wondering what I was going to tell the receptionist when I got in, but to my surprise there was no one seated at the reception. And so I entered quickly, rushing to the cafeteria in the hopes that I could at least catch a glimpse of my daughter.

I stood in front of the glass door of the cafeteria, feeling my heart race with excitement and fear. I hadn’t seen my daughter in over six months and now I wondered if she had changed.

If she still wore her hair to school the same way, if she was still friends with Eva.

I wondered just how much of her life I had missed already.

Emma was seated at the end of the cafeteria, surrounded by her usual friends, giggling excitedly, I could feel my heart warm up at the sight of her.

She was fine without me, I realized, feeling happy for her but at the same time sad for myself. She probably hadn’t even noticed that I was gone.

Suddenly a teacher walked past me and headed into the cafeteria, straight to Emma’s table.

“The principal wants to see you. Your mother is waiting in his office” the teacher announced and Emma stood up immediately, blushing in excitement as her friends teased her.

Mara is here? I asked myself, feeling the rage that she triggered in me bubble in my blood.

I followed stealthily, watching my own daughter like a thief as she entered the principal’s office. I wanted to hear what they were talking about, I wanted to see if Mara was at least treating my daughter well. I snuck over to the principal’s office after the hallway became empty, standing with my ear to the door like it could help me hear anything at all.

Not too long after, I heard footsteps, like someone was coming to open the door and I rushed down the hall again, hiding behind a wall as Mara and Emma walked out, holding hands.

“So your cake is in the car, since we aren’t having a party, your dad and I felt that you could just share that cake with your friends,” Mara said to a solemn looking Emma.

“I still can’t believe you guys don’t want me to have a party, it is my sixteenth birthday for f**k’s sake!!” Emma complained and I couldn’t help but smile at her. She was really the same as I remembered, my feisty daughter.

“Language young lady!!!” Mara cautioned her, suddenly my phone rang out in the silent hallway, making Mara turn away from Emma.

“Is anyone there?” Mara asked and my eyes widened in panic as I cut the call immediately. There was no place to hide, I thought as Mara walked closer and closer to me.

If she saw me here right now, there was no way she was going to allow me into the company and worse of all, she was going to suspect me.

I had really f****d up.

All of a sudden, a firm hand grabbed me and pulled me into a dark tight room. I was about to panic when I looked up and saw Carlson’s familiar grey eyes glaring at me in the darkness.