Unfaithful: Web Of Betrayal

“Where is everybody?” Olivia asked after they’d been seated for a while in the dining room.

Declan cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, “It’s just us.”

She looked at him for a moment. He was avoiding her gaze. “Just us? I thought everyone was going to be here?”

“Nope … just you and me … and Mom.”

Olivia looked hollow at the table, “Great,” she exhaled and signaled the waiter to pour her a drink.

Mimi loves to be fashionably late, even in her own home. She likes to make people wait for her entrance, even if it’s her own son and daughter-in-law. The house that Declan’s dad left for her was her palace, she was the Queen of her empty kingdom, and she relish every moment of it.

Olivia stretched back in her chair and took a big gulp of her drink. “Let’s hope she doesn’t fall asleep and left us here drinking all her wine … you know she takes longer when I’m here, right?”

Declan shrugged, “She does that to everyone.”

“Especially me,” she finished her glass and asked the waiter to pour more wine.

The double door to the dining room opened, and the man who opened it let Mimi walk through her grand entrance in what seemed to be a very glamorous nightgown. She wore jewelry like she was going out to a Hollywood opening night. She always wears them at home.

She didn’t want to waste perfectly good accessories and leave them kept under a lid when she could use her body as a display of what her late husband and her family worked so hard for. Those were her words.

Mimi was a royalty in her own right. Declan and Olivia stood up to greet her. Anyone would do the same. Gave her a cheek-to-cheek like the Queen Mother that she is.

“Darling … I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”

She always says that too.

“Well … Olivia … that didn’t take you long enough to start binging on the good stuff,” she said with a smile while her eyes sharply looked at her almost empty glass.

“Actually … I waited half an hour before I started,” she smiled, “Usually, I ordered at the entrance knowing how long I’d be waiting in here.”

The scathing word exchange had already begun.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Tsk … it’s not so bad to wait around in here … just look at it as a plush bar on happy hour,” Mimi turned to walk towards her chair.

Declan held Olivia’s hand before she return the remark. He knew she wanted to, but that was not the time for a catfight.

The waiter pulled up a chair for Mimi at the end of the long table, “Get me a glass of the same one, please.” She put both elbows on the table and clasped her hands together, “So … Declan … what do you want to talk about?”

“Well … apart from the deal with Brian Murphy was signed and sealed … so our company has expanded to a new venture in the property industry … we are also happy to announce that we are trying again this year,” Declan said with a wide grin.

Mimi raised her brows, “Brian Murphy? Really? That’s wonderful news, Declan. I knew you could do it … your brothers have tried for years with that man and couldn’t get so much of a second meeting with him.”

Declan nodded, “He’s a hard man to get through, but once you’re in there … I’m pretty confident to say that our business relationship is secure, especially with this new deal, and his son is also partnering up with Olivia with her interior business.” Declan reached Olivia’s hand, “Our relations with the Murphy are on good terms. I’m sure more business will come between us … that’s why we’ve decided to start a family again since business is running really well.”

Mimi had a million-dollar smile on her face, “That is cause for a celebration,” she lift up her glass and asked the waiter to pour some for Declan. “Although if you are planning to start again, I don’t think you should be drinking so much alcohol, Olivia,” she tilted her head to one side.

Olivia forced a smile, raised her glass, and drank up everything in it. “I can still toast to that, can I? I thought we were celebrating?”

It was another thing that she didn’t like about Declan’s family, other than the snobbish way they treat her from time to time, although unintentionally. She understood that they are filthy rich and treated the family as a business.

Her uterus had been in the family debate for years. She knew that perfectly well even though she was often not in the room while they discuss how her vacant womb is not producing a Hunt bloodline to inherit all their wealth and their ‘good name.’ It was repulsive if she really thinks about it.

Her existence was reduced to her ability to bring children into their family just because she was the woman their firstborn son chose to be his wife. She was insignificant, what she wanted for her life was irrelevant, she has no say in most of anything, and she should feel fortunate to be part of their dynasty.

“Well …” Mimi let out a short exhale, “That brings us to the topic that I would like to address you earlier … about my will and testament.”

Olivia took a quick glance at Declan. It was the first time she heard about it.

“You know how delicate these things are in a family like ours … I don’t want you and your brothers to have any dispute later when I …” It was hard for her to spill it out, “In the case of my … death … however long that still is,” she smiled.

The room was silent.

“It would be easy just to leave some fortune to my favorite charities, some to my most loyal staff, and spilled the rest between my children … but that wouldn’t be fair, now would it? Your brothers, they have families … they have children to care for their future,” Mimi took a sip of her wine.

Declan sighed deeply, “You can’t be serious? How is that … I earned most of the fortune you own, Mom, … the companies you’ll leave behind … I practically build them on my own. In fact, I’m surprised you haven’t handed it over to me at this point, and you don’t see me complaining?”

Mimi patted her son’s forearm, “I know … I know, sweetheart, but you know how it is … your father would agree with me …”

“He would probably not … he’s a businessman, he knows what’s fair … I mean, what have they done for the companies that are more significant than what I’ve put on the table? While they sit comfortably in their nice offices … I’m the one who makes all the deals and bring money to their accounts,” Declan’s voice was increasingly high.

“Okay … I’m not going to be part of this … I’m sorry, please excuse me,” Olivia interrupted. She didn’t wait for approval to stand up and leave the room as quietly as possible.

She knew she was an outsider when it comes to Declan’s family fortune discussion. That was the reality of being married to such a powerful family. No matter how long they’ve been married, without children, her position was close to meaningless. It was the point that Kelly made to her at their lunch.

Olivia grabbed the wine bottle from the waiter’s hand on her way out of the dining room, leaving Declan to talk to his mother about what she now know the meeting was all about. Why Declan insisted on the IVF and why her life must change drastically in the near future. It was all about money.

She also knew that as soon as she shut the door behind her, the waiter would follow because the discussion was only meant for mother and son, and that her uterus would also be their debate’s main topic. And she was right.

“You know what I mean, Declan? It’s not about what you bring to the companies … it’s about your poor decision in your own personal life,” Mimi said.

“For God’s sake!” he slammed his palm to the table. “Does no one know how to forget about one stupid mistake I made and start recognizing all the right things I’ve done? It was a long time ago … it’s over!”

“But it was fatal, Declan, you never signed a prenup … what if she asked for a divorce? Or worse … your mistress demanding responsibility from your part … and why … why on earth would you pick a woman who was married to a truck driver?” Mimi shook her head.

Declan held his head with both hands. He tried to control his breath to calm himself down.

“I don’t understand why a man of your stature would lower yourself like that. I mean … a beauty pageant queen was bad enough … but another man’s wife? Did you not think that you were putting yourself a risk of being blackmailed?” she shot him a look. “What then? Everything you do is tied to this family … everything … if you’re clumsy enough to put yourself in that position, you are also putting this family at risk.”

“I can’t believe this is still an issue … I slipped … it’s not like dad had great taste in women himself, mom, no offense … we all knew his side chicks were not royalties,” he chuckled. “He had them for fun … you should admit at least I’m better than that.”

“Hah! And look, what happened to that? One of his whores dared to threaten me with a fake pregnancy test … I showed her who’s in charge is what I did …” She took a big gulp of her drink. “Your father is dead … God bless his soul, he wasn’t perfect, he was stupid … it seems you inherited that trait … I’ve always been the one to make the right decisions, that’s why I’m doing the same with you.”

She put her hand on her son’s forearm and looked him in the eyes, “Is it really over with the truck driver’s wife?”

Declan grimaced, “Of course, it is … what are you talking about?”

“Good … then all you have to do is make your wife happy, get her pregnant, then get your well-deserved inheritance from me … under the child’s name … that is my term.”