A Debt of Vows

Chapter 9: You'll Regret this

Mabel's POV

I turned to see AJ who stared at me as if he had seen a ghost. His brows twitched slightly as he tried the decipher the meaning of this.

Slowly, he drifted his eyes to the men in suits, “What is going on here?”

Their leader responded, “They came to see President Ferguson without an appointment, and I told them they needed to have an appointment first, and she resulted to this…” his eyes sized me up from head to toe as though he was mocking me.

“Can you stop now?” Dylan said in a low voice from behind, his voice cracking with a slight measure of embarrassment. That's when I realized I was still in that posture. Slowly, I readjusted myself and straightened my shirt, no need to rush me. I will do things on my own terms.

AJ heaved a deep sigh, nodding, “It's okay, President Ferguson will see them now,” he gestured for me to go to him.

I stuck out my tongue at them victoriously. I could see the surprise on their faces. Surprised that AJ would let a mad woman see their boss without an appointment.

“What are you looking at? Get back to work!” AJ shooed the workers away and slowly they dispersed to their various units.

We entered the place that I assumed would be the reception after the furniture and everything must have been set up, our steps resounding through the spacious vacant hall.

He suddenly stopped, staring at me intently. My brow raised involuntarily.

“Will you go to President Ferguson looking like that?” He gestured to my feet, and I realized I was still barefoot.

Rolling my eyes, I collected my shoes from Dylan and wore them. Who cared about Landon?

“Follow me.” He ordered, leading us to the elevator where he punched a few buttons and it began to move up.

At that moment of realization that I was going to meet that stone-hearted creature, a bile formed in my throat, my muscles tightened, and all I could see was red.

“Are you okay?” Dylan asked upon noticing my tension. When his eyes met mine, I saw him shiver a bit. He reached to hold my hand, squeezing it softly in an attempt to calm my nerves even when he should be afraid of me. What would I ever do without him?

I took a deep, sharp breath. “Stop being so clingy,” That was an attempt to mask the fact that my anger had reached its peak, and I had no idea how much longer before I fully exploded.

*****

Landon's POV

As soon as I left the press conference, I told AJ to put a call over to Fact Central Media and strike an irresistible deal with them, which wouldn't be possible unless Mabel got fired.

The speed at which they got the job done took me by surprise. Truly, humans are greedy in nature. It's in all of us. Most people just prefer to lurk in the shadows because tell me why you would dismiss an employee who had served you devotedly over the years without a second thought.

Of course, it's because I offered something better. Something they wouldn't have dreamed of having in their lifetime. In a way, Mabel brought them an amount of good luck, only that she traded her career for their breakthrough. In life, sacrifices must be made, this is no different.

I wanted to show Mabel the gap between us on the social ladder. The power imbalance between the extremely rich and the average. Now, I couldn't wait for her to come crawling on her knees and begging for forgiveness.

Knowing that she would come looking for me, I went back to my company and waited patiently for her to come. I also wondered if I should go to the Villa today and feed on her pain or just wait for her to come to me. I chose the former.

I sat, legs crossed, and waited as there was nothing to do. My fingers drummed tirelessly on the desk, helping me relax a bit.

A few moments later, I heard a distant commotion; I couldn't make out the details from the height my office was located, so I rang AJ. “What's this disturbance?”

He replied, “I'm on it.”

Not long after, there was a knock on the door. “Come in” I responded with a knowing smirk.

AJ popped his head first before fully revealing his body.

“Miss Mabel Hawkins is here.” He announced, making my smirk widen. My eyes brightened involuntarily, taking me by surprise. I cleared my throat almost immediately, maintaining a neutral expression.

“Is that so?” I asked, my tone sharp and void of any emotion. Legs still crossed on the table, I picked up a file and pretended to work on it.

“She's not alone.” He added, earning a furrowed brow from me.

“She's with her–”

He was cut short when the door was pushed open forcefully that it collided with the wall causing a loud thud. She stormed into the office like a mad woman, an entrance which I have come to accept as her grand entrance, followed by a guy who seemed like he was trying to catch her. Maybe her boyfriend, I didn't care.

“What are you doing?” AJ blocked her path, creating a barrier between me and her.

My eyes lingered on her for a moment, my expression turning completely unfriendly. I held up my hand as a signal for him to not bother. Then I made a gesture for him to leave.

She still hasn't learned to fear me, I should elevate my game. “You brought your boyfriend to fight me?”

“You have no right to fire me! Give me my job back, Landon!” She yelled at the top of her voice, her voice causing a sharp pain in my ears as my face squeezed in displeasure.

Clenching her fingers by her sides, her eyes burned with rage, filled with murderous intent.

I wanted to see exactly what she could do. Whatever gave her the nerve to barge in here and demand like it's her birthright, I wanted to see all of it.

“No,” I said flatly, my gaze never leaving the file on my desk.

In a bid to get my attention, she slammed her hands on my desk, making papers scatter in mid-air.

My eyes narrowed, my eyes slowly rising to meet her angry ones.

“Mabel–”

“Not now Dylan, wait outside!” She cut him off, her voice hoarse and authoritative. He hesitated for a moment before chickening out.

Such a coward.

On a normal day, she wouldn't have gotten away with the mess she had made in my office, but seeing her infuriated gave me a kind of satisfaction I couldn't explain or understand, and knowing that I was the reason for her madness gave me a greater sense of accomplishment, fulfillment, name it.

She growled “That’s it? Just ‘no’? You arrogant—”

Unbothered, I leaned back in my chair to get a clear view of her display of madness.

“You’re my wife now. You don’t need the job. Enjoy the benefits of your new title.”

Mabel’s fists clenched tighter, slightly quivering with the anger she struggled to contain within her. She clearly hated being treated like an accessory, it felt good to know which buttons to push.

“You think you can control me? I earned that job, and I’m not leaving until I get it back!” She stubbornly demanded.

“Then give me the papers?” I tilted my head to the side.

“What papers?” She glared harder at me.

“Divorce papers.” I brought my legs down from my desk. “It's either divorce or the Job, you can't have both.” A sly grin spread across my face.

“You cold-hearted creature!” She spat angrily, her jaw clenching tighter as her teeth gritted against each other.

I stood to my feet, my expression turning cold. “What are you going to do? Fight me for it?”

She stepped forward threateningly. “Don’t tempt me,” She said in between gritted teeth, her nose flaring in anger.

I stepped into her space, challenging her with nothing but my intimidating presence. My tall and imposing figure hovered over her slender figure. Who would've thought something so small could cause so much trouble?

“Go ahead. Show me just how much you deserve that job.” I taunted, my voice a perfect blend of sarcasm and mockery.

She stared up at me, her lips twitching with suppressed rage, her chest rising and falling as her nose flared. She was an angry mess.

It was as though she was weighing the situation and the possible consequence of any action she might take, resisting herself from making a reckless move.

The silence between us stretched, the air thick with unsaid emotions.

She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to calm down.

She did this multiple times, her eyes not leaving mine, before saying “You’ll regret this, Landon.”

With that, she turned and stormed out, but not before knocking over a decorative vase near the door—whether accidentally or on purpose, she didn't care.

Watching her leave, a victorious smirk formed on my lips. I sank back in my seat, my mind cluttered. Not sure why but it was.

AJ entered “President Ferguson” He called as though he came to check if I was alive before letting her leave.

I stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, my hands in my pocket and my back to him.

“Make sure she doesn't use her Journalism credentials anywhere in the world,” I ordered.

“Got it!”

Mabel Hawkins, let's see how long you can hold up!