Crucial detail

"She said that she felt that you didn't deserve him and didn't think you treated him right. She didn't understand what he saw in you and that there was an entire row of people who were better suited for him than you. She also said that she was happy when the two of you broke up but that sadly that didn't cause him to notice her either. That is when the story changed to him not deserving her and it seemed that she slowly got over her hate for you and her love for him. However when you and Mr. Stephens moved back here things seemed to change for her. It brought all her animosity and bad feelings back. She came to visit the house with the idea of being able to gloat over you having 'settled' with your 'dorky' childhood friend while she was dating some wealthy businessman."

Both Laila and Maria let out a snort and a 'ché' sound after hearing the last sentence but kept quiet in order to let the man finish. "It seemed that her intentions for contacting you were never pure. Her offer of friendship was just an act and was a front she wanted to use to find out dirt about you and Mr. Stephens. She wanted to use that information to embarrass the both of you in these circles and to break your self-esteem under the guise of friendship in order to put you down." This was when the man took a small pause before he said, "She truly is an evil person madam. It pains and angers me even as I repeat these words."

Laila smiled gently once more at the man and said, "It's okay. I know that these are not your words and believe me, I have been through much worse than hearing some mean words spoken about me. The more you are able to tell me, the more it will help me in figuring out what she is planning and how to best pay her back for what she has said and done." A bit reluctantly the man started speaking again.

"Very well. If it can help you, I will battle through." The man let out a deep sigh before he said, "When she met Mr. Stephens and saw what a dashing gentleman he had become and when she discovered who he actually was, this was when her dislike for you grew. That is also when her plan changed from wanting to embarrass you two and putting you down, to wanting to steal Mr. Stephens away from you. She could not believe how you were able to 'seduce' two such great and handsome men. That is when she called you many different horrible names and made awful accusations against you that I wish not to repeat." Laila nodded to let the cook know she understood and did not mind. That he could continue his story without repeating those details.

"Supposedly, as soon as she had made up her mind to steal Mr. Stephens away in order to hurt you and get herself a good catch, she went to break up with her then boyfriend. After that she did whatever was necessary to gain success. She tried to seduce Mr. Stephens at first with her own looks and when she wasn't able to catch his attention, she decided to change her looks to someone that no man could resist. At least her image of such a woman. When that too did not give her the results she expected, she tried to change her looks to a 'sexier' version of you madam."

The more the cook revealed, the more disgusting Olivia's plans became. "When even that did not manage to get Mr. Stephen to look her way, she decided to gain his trust by trying to become his friend while remaining to be yours. She figured that once his guard was lowered, she could find a way to slip something in his drink and have him cheat on you on camera. Then she would use that recording to make you want to leave him and she would accuse him of forcing her to sleep with him in order to guilt him into staying with her. She was certain that once he was in her grasp, that she would be able to show him how they were right for each other and that he would no longer want to go back to you, Mrs. Stephens. That is where we are currently at and where my story ends"

Both Laila and Maria were impressed with what they were able to find out from just one person. Though they hadn't uncovered all that she might be planning, this was certainly a good start. "That was very helpful information Frank, thank you so much for asking around and for telling us this." The man smiled and said, "No trouble at all miss. I hope this will indeed prove to be helpful information. I will continue to ask around and see what I can find out."

Fortunately for Laila and Maria, the cook wasn't the only one with something to tell and the second person was already getting ready to tell everyone what they had found out. The next person to speak was one of the former employees. She began by confirming the story the cook had told. She said that she too had worked at the Smith residence shortly after being let go by Laila. Having lost her job so unexpectedly, she couldn't be picky about her employer and she took the first offer she could get. That is when she overheard conversations between miss Olivia and some of her friends. Since Olivia did not consider her staff as important or human beings for that matter, she would ignore their presence for the most part. Not considering them a threat to her existence, she would say, discuss or vent about anything that she needed to in front of them. Fortunately this had included her plans and dislikes regarding Laila. But it would be the third person in line who would reveal another crucial detail.