Bearing Gifts
1803 Words
“Don’t mind him, Hazel, he loves to destroy beautiful moments,” Chris said as he crouched to Hazel’s level and patted her back.
Hazel looked a bit upset and just shrugged her shoulders.
Chris gnashed his teeth as his anger rose. He was embarrassed that Hazel and everyone else thought he was trying to harm her.
“Don’'t worry, I'll get you a new bracelet, I’ll make it even more beautiful than this, and I will make that f*****g jeweler pay for this!” he said, slamming his hand on the table, shocking everyone. The force of the bang sent a ripple of shock through the room.
“Please get away from my daughter,” Maisie said as she rushed and pulled Hazel away from him.
“I…I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just stressed,” Chris said as he rubbed his temples vigorously.
“I don't care how you feel, Chris, but please, don’t ever use swear words in the presence of my child again. And that anger of yours, please keep it in check,” Maisie shot at him.
“I’m sorry, Maisie, it’s just that I spent a lot of money and love on that, just for it to come out as fake?” Chris said as he stepped towards Maisie and she took a few steps backward.
“Maisie, aren’t you overreacting? I’m sure he’s sorry and didn’t mean that,” Sarah, Maisie’s younger sister said.
“Please, stay out of this, Sarah,” Maisie said, trying to sound calm despite her growing fury.
“Now, let's calm down. We can't know for sure if Aidan is telling the truth, his intention might just be to cause rancor and disagreement. I reserve any words until I have the jewelry tested,” Walter said with finality.
Aidan just sat there, watching everyone as they expressed their discomfort. He felt bad for causing this much havoc, but he could not just sit back and let Chris hurt his daughter, be it intentional or not.
Everyone went back to eating their food quietly, Shanice had no more words to say, it was obvious she was embarrassed.
“Mr Briggs!” Walter said in surprise as his eyes lit up on seeing an older man in a finely tailored suit walk in, followed by several men carrying ornate boxes wrapped in luxurious paper. The air in the room shifted as everyone turned toward the unexpected guests.
Aidan looked at the butler closely, he had seen him before, but just couldn't place where.
“H-how did you know we were here?” Walter asked in surprise. Rex’s butler, Mr. Briggs had only ever met him once, and that was at the office, so how did he know where he was?
Walter didn’t give it much thought, everyone was curious about who the boxes were for.
“Mr. William,” the elderly butler, clearly Rex’s man, greeted him with a small bow. “I bring gifts from Mr. Rex, intended for Miss Williams.” He said in a very straightforward and serious tone.
Chris, visibly flustered from the earlier confrontation, quickly tried to ingratiate himself, so, he stood up and walked toward Mr. Briggs with an overly eager smile. “Ah, Mr. Briggs! It’s wonderful to—”
The butler’s cold eyes passed over Chris as though he didn’t exist, focusing solely on Walter. Aidan just smirked subtly, enjoying what the butler did to Chris.
“Gifts?” Walter repeated in utmost surprise just like everyone else seated there.
“Yes, sir. For Miss Williams,” the butler confirmed, gesturing to the boxes.
Sarah’s eyes lit up as she giggled in excitement. She immediately assumed the gifts were for her, it couldn’t possibly be for Maisie, she already had two men fighting over her, besides, she was younger and had a closer connection to Rex’s son, Lionel, whom she had been crushing on for a while.
“Oh, Mr. Rex sent these? How thoughtful!” she said, already stepping toward the elegantly wrapped boxes. She assumed Lionel’s father must have caught the hint she had been throwing at his son and decided to take the bold step to help his son.
Walter and Shanice smiled in satisfaction as their ego rose. Who knew the son of the wealthiest man in the country had eyes for their daughter?
“I knew it,” Walter muttered to himself, pleased by what he saw as a potential match between his daughter and Rex’s wealthy son, Lionel.
But Aidan, sitting quietly, had a different reaction. He noticed the slight frown on Maisie’s face, amidst the look of excitement on everyone else’s face. She had this flicker of envy, and the deep helplessness in her eyes as Sarah’s excitement grew.
“Something doesn’t feel right. Am I missing something?” Aidan thought to himself.
He wondered if there was more to her reaction or if she just wished to receive gifts like that. If that was the case, it was a small task for him.
The butler remained professional, maintaining a straight face, and remained unfazed by the family’s assumptions.
“Actually,” he said, drawing out a small envelope and handing it directly to Maisie, “these gifts are for Miss Maisie Williams.”
The entire room fell silent.
Maisie blinked, stunned. “For me?”
“Yes, Miss,” the butler confirmed. “Mr. Rex personally requested these be delivered to you.”
Sarah froze, her face flushed with confusion and embarrassment. She took a step back as the reality set in that the lavish gifts weren’t meant for her.
Walter, equally taken aback, struggled to hide his surprise. “For Maisie?” he repeated.
“Yes,” the butler nodded. “Mr. Rex has also sent a personal note, which is inside the envelope.”
“You’re mistaken, she’s my wife, Mrs. Cromwell, not Miss Maisie,” Aidan said, trying to exert his dominance and clear the air.
“Don’t you dare try to ruin this moment with your bad luck! I’ve told you before, my daughter isn’t your wife! You abandoned het for five years, and now, you’re back to finish her off? It’s never happening.” Shanice snapped.
She never missed an opportunity to talk down on Aidan.
Chris too was in shock. “Mr. Walter, but-”
He didn’t finish when Walter cut him off. “We’ll discuss later, Chris. Let Maisie have her moment,” he said reluctantly.
Maisie, still unsure of what to say, slowly opened the envelope. Her eyes scanned the letter, and a small smile tugged at her lips, though she kept its contents to herself.
Mr. Briggs and his men dropped the gifts and turned to leave. Their job was done.
“Thank you for the gifts,” Walter said as they walked away.
“I’ll convey your gratitude to Mr. Rex,” he said.
Aidan tried to control the urge to walk up to Mr. Briggs and question him about Mr. Rex’s intention toward his wife. He couldn’t help but feel uneasy, and he wondered what the content of the letter was that made her smile so much.
He had a thousand and one things to say, but he decided not to, because, quite frankly, he didn’t have a say in her life, the only reason he was there at that moment was because Maisie is such a sweet soul, so, instead of overstepping his boundaries, he tried to observe instead.
Maisie was overwhelmed, not only by the lavish gifts but also by the attention it drew from everyone in the room. All eyes were on her, and the tension between Aidan and Sarah kept growing.
“I don’t understand. Why would Mr. Rex send all this for you?” she blurted out, unable to contain herself.
Maisie looked up from the letter, her calm exterior not giving away much.
“I’m just as curious as you, Sarah, I don’t know why he sent these gifts,” Maisie said in the calmest tone ever.
“I don’t think so, Maisie, why are you smiling at the letter?” Sarah shot as her anger rose.
“Sarah, behave!” Shanice snapped but Sarah paid no attention to her mother.
“Let me see that!” Sarah said as she snatched the letter from Maisie.
“Give it back, Sarah!” Maisie said, trying to remain composed.
“Thank you for the other day? What kind of sick joke is this?
“Apparently, he wanted to express his appreciation for something I did,” she said softly, though even she wasn’t sure how to feel.
“Really? You think I’m a fool? Just because you did something for him, he gifts you all these? Okay, that’s fine,” Sarah said and finally had her seat.
“Maisie, dear, has Mr. Rex or his son ever expressed their interest in you? Because from what I see, one of them is interested in you,” Walter said with a smile.
“Mr. Walter, please, I’m still here, it hurts me to bear things like that about my wife,” Aidan finally spoke up.
“Shut it, young man, as you can see, more befitting suitors are after my daughter, not why would you think she will settle for a lowlife like you? And please, remind me, Maisie, why haven’t you signed the divorce papers yet?” Walter snapped.
“Dad, please, can we not do this right now? It’s Hazel’s birthday, it shouldn’t be this chaotic,” Maisie said.
Sarah, still fuming, couldn’t stay quiet any longer. “This is so unfair,” she muttered under her breath, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m the one who’s been in touch with Lionel. I thought these gifts were for me.”
Maisie looked over at her younger sister.
“Sarah, I know you’re upset, but this isn’t about Lionel or you. These gifts don’t mean what you think they do.”
Sarah’s face turned redder, her embarrassment mixing with anger. “You’re always the one who gets everything, Maisie. Always.”
Maisie sighed softly. “That’s not true, Sarah. But this isn’t a competition.”
As the room got heated, Chris tried one last time to be part of the conversation. “Mr. Walter, I really think we should talk about—”
“Later, Chris,” Walter said curtly, not even bothering to look at him this time.
With a forced smile, he stepped back and returned to his seat, though no one seemed to care.
Maisie noticed how uncomfortable Aidan was, and even though she was mad at him for abandoning her all these years, she didn’t want to make him feel bad or disrespect him.
“Let’s talk about this later, okay?” she said quietly.
- Writer
