Good gossip

Maria and Laila were both barely able to stay in their seats as they were waiting for Giselle to call Laila's back. Expecting it to become a long call, Maria got up off the couch and said, "How about we move to the bar. I am way too excited to sit down anyways. So, I might as well use this energy to make us something to eat. Dinner isn't going to make itself. Unless you want to stick by your words of earlier today, about having eaten enough for two days?" Laila quickly shook her head. As she got up off the couch as well and gently pushed Maria towards the kitchen-area, she said, "No, no, no. By all means. Cook away. After all, I am pregnant. I don't know what I am saying half the time and I am eating for two. So, I cannot be skipping any meals."

Maria chuckled as she shook her head. "Nice try missy. You do know that the baby is the size of a plum at the moment, right? That eating for two is just something we like to tell ourselves to justify our crazy hormonal eating. So, just accept that this crazy appetite is all you and has nothing to do with my unborn nephew. You aren't fooling anyone."

Laila had covered her ears while Maria was stating these facts and when she saw that Maria was done talking she said, "Hey, stop bullying a pregnant lady. What happened to my princess treatment from before. Don't make me tell on you to husband." Maria chuckled and said, "I am not bullying anyone. I am just stating truths. So, save those threats for someone else." Laila crossed her arms in a huff and turned away on the spinning barstool before she said, "Well, in that case, you keep those truths to yourself. Because I would like to enjoy those lies for a bit longer."

Maria, who had been cutting up some herbs for the dishes she was preparing during their little discussion, looked up from her cutting to shoot a look at Laila and chuckled when she saw her sulking face. Though she knew that Laila was just joking, both in her answers and her current pouting princess-act, she couldn't help but shake her head. Lucky for them, their little back and forth was broken up by Laila's phone going off for a second time. It was Giselle returning Laila's call.

Laila quickly answered the call and placed her phone down against something on the bar table so that both she and Maria were in the frame. Again greetings were exchanged but now there wasn't just Giselle but five other people from Laila's current and former staff had gathered alongside her. "Well, let's hear it. I am so excited to find out what information you have been able to gather in such a short time." Laila said after the initial pleasantries had been exchanged. The first one to talk was one of the cooks.

"Well, my cousin happens to know someone miss Olivia is close to. I am not sure if it is a friend or a relatives of her but they apparently talk on the phone almost everyday. Though miss Olivia has been smart enough to not use any names while talking to that someone, they did tell the story to my cousin as it is good gossip. She of course initially didn't know that it was about you and Mr. Stephens but when I asked her about if she knew anyone close to miss Olivia and told her about your situation, she managed to put two and two together."

Everyone was listening on the edge of their seats to the cook speak. Even those who had already heard the story since this mission was all the talk at the mansion every since Laila had asked them. "Anyways, what she told me is that miss Olivia had apparently resented madam since a long time ago, your high school days to be exact. She said that you were involved with a very popular guy and this just so happened to be the guy that she herself had been having a crush on for a very long time. She had know this boy since her middle school days and she had been in love with him for about the same amount of time. She had thought it only a matter of time before the two of them got together but according to her, just when her goals was within grabbing distance, miss Laila came into the picture. She claims you stole him from her and that is when her dislike for you began."

Laila of course immediately knew who this boy was that they were referring to. She didn't need to hear his name to know that it was Jake that they were talking about since he was the only boy she had been involved with aside from Noah. She couldn't believe that Jake was able to put her relationship with Noah in danger even without being in her life. Regardless of her current annoyances, Laila continued to listen to what the cook was saying. The cook looked at Laila a bit awkwardly as he cleared his throat and said, "Forgive me for what I am about to say. These are her words not mine." Laila nodded with a gentle smile to let him know it was okay and the older man continued his story.