Nailed to her spot, Elisse watched as Colin opened the car door for Sheila before climbing into the driver's seat. Just like that, they were gone in a flash.
She pulled herself together and took a deep breath. Her sandals clicked against the tiled floor as she made her way to the double doors.
Her head felt like it was spinning violently, but she forced herself to focus, scanning the area where she had parked her car. Before she could take another step, two tall men in black suits materialized beside her.
"What—"
She didn't finish her words because one of them pressed a hand over her mouth, muffling her screams for help. The other man grabbed her arm, forcing her to walk where they wanted her to go.
Her mind raced with fear Who were these men? What did they want from her?
They reached the sleek, black sedan parked a few feet away. The man covering her mouth released her to open the door, and without warning, she was shoved inside.
Elisse saw the woman sitting gracefully in the passenger seat, clad in a sleek black dress complemented by a matching hat. The woman wore a pearl necklace along with other exquisite pieces of jewelry. "Doña Inez?" She gaped at Colin's grandmother, who regarded her with contempt.
"My grandson's secretary reported that a rat had sneaked into the office, so I rushed here to warn 'that pest.'" Without mentioning her name, Elisse knew Colin's grandmother was talking about her.
They had never been close in the past, but Elisse had always been respectful towards her. However, there was a limit to her patience, and it could snap like a thread at any moment because of the disrespect. She was about to open her mouth but stopped when Doña Inez flicked her candle-like hands in the air. "Don't speak until I'm finished."
"I won't beat around the bush, Miss Winters," Doña Inez continued. "Leave Colin alone. We both know that you don't deserve him. Let him be happy with the woman he likes." Her voice was calm, but her eyes betrayed her emotions. Elisse could have sworn that if eyes were lethal enough to kill, she would have been dead moments ago
"I beg your pardon, Doña Inez," she said, her brows furrowed. "But I'm not forcing your grandson to come back to me. I want to understand the reason why he suddenly changed. I deserve at least an explanation."
Elisse's words were dismissed with a flick of her fingers, as if her opinion didn't matter at all. "That doesn't make a difference, Miss Winters. Whatever explanation you offer, you're just a cheap woman forcing yourself on a man who doesn't want you."
For what felt like the umpteenth time, Elisse reminded herself that she was speaking to an old woman and needed to keep a tight rein on her emotions, even though she was on the verge of lashing out. "If that's what you think, then everything I say will only be used against me. Thanks for your time, Mrs. Bradford. I hate to leave, but we are both wasting our time with this mundane conversation."
"How much? How much do you want to keep my grandson away from you?"
Startled, Elisse halted her attempt to reach for the door handle. "You are going too far, ma'am," she said through clenched teeth as she turned to face the older woman.
Doña Inez opened a briefcase filled with stacks of one thousand dollar bills. "Take this money and leave Colin alone. He deserves someone better—someone who will make him happy."
"I don't need your money," Elisse replied, holding her chin high. "I won't accept even a cent from you."
"Haha!" The old woman wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "You really are a funny woman. Don't be shy; I know everyone has a price. Name yours."
"Are you really going to pay me whatever price I name?"
"Finally, we are getting somewhere!" The old woman exclaimed. "Of course I will. I am a woman of my word. I'll pay any price for my grandson's sake."
Elisse took a deep breath. Summoning all the resolve she could muster, she looked the woman straight in the eye. "How unfortunate," she said with a smile, "I'm afraid you can never pay me enough, Mrs. Bradford. You could never afford my worth, even if you had to sell your dark soul to the devil."
"How dare you!" Doña Inez lifted her hand in the air, ready to strike, but Elisse caught her wrist before she was hit.
"You don't have the right to slap me, madam, because you don't feed me. And by the way, you and your grandson are very much alike; you both think people can be bought with money. You're both a piece of shit."
Releasing her hold on the old woman's wrist, Elisse clambered out of the sedan.
"We're not finished yet, Miss Winters! I'm sure you'll regret disrespecting me like this! I'll ruin your life to the point where you'll wish you were dead!"
"Do as you wish! I don't care," Elisse shot back. She closed the car door with a bit more force than necessary and marched to her own car. Once inside, she maneuvered out of the parking spot and stepped on the accelerator, eager to get away from this place.
Elisse felt a sense of calm wash over her after her outburst. It was the first time she had ever stood up to Colin's grandmother; usually, she would just remain silent in the face of her snide comments. However, fighting back with words was oddly liberating, as if the heavy stone that had weighed on her chest had finally been lifted.
After a while of driving, she finally arrived home. The sight of her brother Daniel seated in the rocking chair on the porch made her feel uneasy. An unsettling feeling crept over her and she instantly felt something was terribly wrong.