Chapter 98 The Calm Before the Storm
To avoid one of Lanny's stormy tantrums, Mr. and Mrs. White had no option but to send her back to David's home. Mr. White knocked on the door, which was soon opened by a pretty young woman with reddish-brown hair and tiny rosy freckles on her cheeks.
"Who are you? You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?" Lanny frowned and narrowed her eyes, sizing up the woman in front of her with suspicion. She was wearing a tight little black dress with no bra underneath, a fact which instantly aroused suspicion in Lanny.
"Um... I'm the maid Mr. David hired. My name is Mary. Mary Clarkson," the young woman spoke, her right hand kept picking at the palm of her left hand, revealing how nervous she was. Her eyes refused to meet Lanny's, which further alarmed the latter. She turned sideways and called out toward the house in a weak tone, as if unsure whether to speak or not, "Sir, we have a visitor."
"Get out of the way, girl. No need for you to introduce me for I am the mistress of this house," Lanny pushed Mary away and stormed inside the house with a wide stride, followed by her parents who discreetly locked the door behind them.
David hurried out of the room, apparently having just gotten out of bed, wearing a pair of cotton shorts with a crooked crotch. He glanced quickly at Mary with a slight look of panic in his eyes. All of those tiny but telling details were picked up by Lanny's eagle eyes.
"Oh, hello, Mr. and Mrs. White. Lanny! What brings you back all of a sudden?" he said in a casual tone and squeezed out a forced smile. Although he tried to appear calm and composed, his voice was shaking.
"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? I still need to report to you in advance when I come home?" Lanny snapped.
"No, darling, of course I didn't mean it like that. I'm just so surprised is all," David laughed awkwardly and turned to Mary who had been standing dumbfounded in the doorway, "It's almost noon, so go to the kitchen and get lunch ready, please."
"Yes, sir," Mary said and immediately walked to the kitchen.
Lanny's eyes kept following Mary's sculpted back. She was a young woman, her face was described as pretty, and the tight black dress showed off her curves beautifully. Lanny took a look at her crumpled cuffs; an inexplicable sense of shame overtook her. She rushed to the bathroom, looked in the mirror and gasped. The woman looking at her in the mirror was pale and blueish, her eyes were hollow and lifeless, her skin was dry, her lips were purple, and her yellow hair was messy on top of her head, like a bird's nest.
She ran her hand in her hair, chagrined. She had gone through a terrible ordeal during the past few days, a miscarriage, falling off a cliff, imprisonment. Could it be any worse? She let out an exasperated sigh followed by a whimper. How did her life turn out to be like that? It was pure torture inflicted upon her by those surrounding her.
A feeling of helplessness came over her, she let go of her hair and rested her hands on the sink to support her body, her legs were weak. She was shaking all over, even her lips were trembling. Her breathing gradually became difficult, she lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut to prevent the tears from flowing out, but it didn't work. Warm tears were streaming down her face. She looked at herself again in the mirror and felt a deep hatred for her own being. She hated herself for what she had become. Never had she imagined she would be as vulnerable and miserable as she was now. No, she had to pick herself up again. She loathed self-pity and being a crybaby.
When she had miscarried in the sea, she did not cry; when she saw Edward and Bella making love on the beach, she did not cry; in the cold, damp cell, although she did shed a few tears, she kept her strength. But now, she was wallowing in self-pity and felt upset at the thought that in her home right now was another beautiful young vibrant person. Her gut instinct told her that David and Mary were having an affair although they were deliberately trying to hide it. As a wife, she could tell from her husband's behavior and tone of voice that he was trying to hide something.
Lanny dried her tears, stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. After she was done, she wrapped a towel around her body and went to her walking wardrobe where she picked out a Versace silk printed dress she bought at the mall last month, paired with a pair of Christian Louboutin red bottom heels. To match the outfit, she put on soft glowy make-up, and golden-brown eyeshadow to enhance her large, deep eyes to make them more attractive. She looked in the mirror, admired her overall look and nodded in satisfaction.
She then went into the living room with her head held high and gave a disdainful look at Mary who was busy in the kitchen. 'I am the queen, I was, I am, and I will always be,' she thought to herself, full of pride.
As soon as she stepped into the living room, all eyes were on her and Mrs. White couldn't help but feel inwardly worried about her daughter's mental condition.
"Lanny, after lunch, your mother and I will head back home. David has full authority to monitor you. You are not allowed to set foot outside this house, or else you will be responsible for the consequences," Mr. White said sternly.
"What?! You're kidding me, right? But why??" Lanny shouted angrily.
"We've signed a guarantee with the police, have you forgotten? Do you think you can do whatever you want without any punishment or restrictions? Don't be too self-centred, Lanny. We've learned our lesson. Don't expect us to be soft on you again," Mr. White's words carried an unquestionable authority.
Lanny was about to open her mouth to retort but was dissuaded by a stern look from Mrs. White. She held back her tears and nodded, "Okay..."
After a while, Mary came into the dining room with a large plate of creamy chicken pasta, and she bent over to place it on the table. Her attractive waistline made David swallow, whose eyes were glued to her curvy silhouette.
"Lunch is ready, everyone!" she called out toward the living room.
The little group walked to the dining room and took their seats in unison. Seeing that there was only one large plate of pasta on the table, Lanny frowned and said rudely, "Is this what you're serving us? As a maid, can't you cook a slightly more decent meal?"
"Don't be picky, isn't that what you usually eat yourself?" David snapped, annoyed.
"Thank you, sir," Mary said sheepishly.
David looked at Mary affectionately, and they exchanged loving glances here and there. Lanny sat upright, back straight, fork in hand, chewing slowly on the delicious pasta and held her head high. Even if she was deeply ashamed and humiliated, she was making quite the effort to appear otherwise. She handled the situation with grace, which was very unlikely of her.
After the somewhat awkward and tense lunch, Lanny's parents took their leave. Only Lanny, David and Mary were left in the house.
"So, what are the three of us going to do?" Lanny raised her chin proudly and looked at the adulterous couple with contempt.