Chapter 26

A tall woman with straight, black hair, wearing a gray trouser suit and red, pointed heels entered the room few minutes later. 

"I'm sorry for the embarrassment," she apologised as she walked to Rachael and Steve. "I'm Francess Ricks, the manager of this branch." She introduced herself, shaking Steve's and Rachael's hands. "I'm sorry again."

"It's OK," Rachael said. "I was the one who insisted on coming here. I should have expected this," she explained, grimacing. She needed not to blame the world. The only person who needed to be blamed at the moment was Vivian. If she hadn't stepped her feet into the church, Rachael would have been on her honeymoon with the man she loved, Charles.

"It's actually our fault. The driver didn't tell us that the delivery truck had a major problem until today.  The truck is being repaired as we speak," Francess explained. "I apologise again for the inconvenience."

"It's alright," Steve said. "There are certain things that can and can't be controlled."

Rachael was in the room, but she was lost in her thoughts. She only heard Steve and Francess conversing, but didn't understand what they were saying because she was drowning in her own thoughts.

From the questions she had been asked moments ago, she had many questions to ask Charles.

Rachael wanted to talk to him immediately. 

"Rachael," Steve snapped his fingers in front her face. "Are you okay?" He asked Rachael when Francess had left the the room.

A little bit lost, she said "Yeah. I am fine."

Steve sat next to her. He looked like he wanted to say sometime, but decided to not. Silence worked in some ways, sometimes.

"I will be back in a few," Steve said, getting up. He understood — from Rachael's depressed appearance — that she needed space. When he saw the questioning look on her face, he said, "I have to use the bathroom. Ms. Ricks, the manager, told me the one in here isn't working properly."

Rachael wondered why they had so many problems with little things like: the delivery truck and the VIP bathroom. What next to expect? The doors hinges perhaps.

She didn't blame them. Maybe they underrated the business because it was basically meant for children, forgetting to know children wouldn't go to buy alone.

"Please be quick," Rachael said to him as he left the room for the bathroom. 

Steve closed the door behind him when he stepped out the room. He was glad that Francess had gotten rid of them— so he thought— completely. They could be somewhere out there, just waiting to see his sister step out so they could climb all over her.

Steve took his phone out of his pocket when it vibrated. "Mom," he said when he answered the phone.

Her voice was painted with worries, anger and lot of things. "How is Rachael?" Harriet asked. "Hope those fools didn't hurt her," she added before Steve could answer her question.

"Mom, it was just a group of paparazzi. They weren't an angry mob," Steve stated, rolling his eyes slightly. "Don't give yourself heart attack over the matter. Rachael is absolutely fine."

"She better be." Her voice became calm, but not, too, calm, suddenly. "I'll be with you in few minutes. Wait for me." She sounded like she was warning him.

"You didn't have to bother com—" Steve stopped when he saw a familiar person entering one of the stores. "See you when I see you," he said to his mother before hanging up.

There was this boiling desire to get to her that he didn't want to give the little boy who was tying his shoelaces and holding a spiderman doll a proper sorry. He had to when those bunny eyes stared at him. Steve continued walking when the boy seemed appeased.

His attention was so focused on his target that he didn't think of anything else. Not even the bathroom.

He stood next to Vivian as she gave the cashier her credit card.

"Before you stepped in that church yesterday," Steve began, "did you scrutinise the pros and cons of what you were about to do?"

Vivian wasn't paying attention to him. She was saying something to the cashier, so Steve tapped her arm to gain her attention. 

"I don't know the reason you did what you did, but there was a better way you could have done it without getting my sister into the mess," Steve said to Vivian, showing a bit of anger.

Vivian faced him. She didn't need to search through her memory box because he already told her that he was the brother of the woman whose wedding was sabotaged by her yesterday. She remembered his face, but didn't remember his name.

"I don't know why you rich people always blame the poor people. That is being very selfish," Vivian said in a natural voice. "You all are blaming me, aren't you?"

From the way she looked, Steve could tell she wasn't poor. No pauper can wear the glamorous dress that she wore on the wedding. Secondly, she was shopping in Childware.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't we be?" He asked scoffing. "You walked into my sister's wedding dramatically, and ruined everything. So poor people think it's not selfish to ruin rich people's life?" He stared into her eyes for few seconds. "What you did yesterday changed a lot of things. Not just for Rachael, but our entire family."

"I'm sorry, cute kitten, if your milk was spilled along. But you are blaming the wrong person for your misfortune." She took her card and the plastic from the cashier. "Instead of talking to me, you should be talking to Charles."

Steve smirked. "I didn't come here to blame you. I'm actually here because I need your help. I couldn't stop Rachael from marrying Charles, but you could. That's why I need your help," Steve said, leaning in closer. "Charles is a very power man. You know, right?" Vivian nodded her response. "And I was shocked when a strange woman made him stoop. Even my sister hasn't done that yet.

You might be strange to us, but I have no doubt that you aren't strange to him."

Vivian didn't understand what he was driving at. Was he flattering her? She couldn't figure out exactly what he was up to.

First he needed her help. Now he's acting strange.

"What was in that box yesterday?" Steve asked her the question he wanted to all along. Vivian didn't answer. "I had a strong feeling yesterday that whatsoever you are holding against him is right in that box." He watched her smile mysteriously after his statement.

"Is that how you see it? You must have a low level of thinking if you think I'll have a power man like Charles greatest secret in a tiny box?," Vivian said, chuckling in between the line. "That secret is, too, big for a tiny box."

Vivian's last statement made Steve more curious. He wondered what could have been in the box that she showed up. It couldn't be a ring that made Charles to go numb when he saw the box.

If nobody had noticed her showing the box that got Charles hypnotised to Charles, well, he did.

"What's that big secret?" He asked her.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you. First thing first, Charles kept his side of the deal. I won't breach it. Secondly, you're feuding with him," she said to him, getting reading to walk away.

"Forget the fact that we are feuding. How sure are you he hasn't told Rachael yet?" Vivian froze when Steve asked her the question. They shared a moment of staring. "The possibility of him telling Rachael is inevitable."

Vivian's expression moved from numb to a smirk. "You don't know the weight of this secret? You think it's forgivable like the event from yesterday? Rachael will hate him if he says a word."

Steve face showed more and more interest. His anxiety to know what secret Vivian had for Charles grew wings. If he could get a hand on it, he would make sure that Rachael hates Charles for eternity.

"Isn't that what you want? For Rachael to hate Charles?" He asked Vivian.

"That's not what I want. That's what you want," Vivian retorted, walking past him.

"Then why did you show up?"

"That was part of the plan," Vivian answered, not sparing him a glance.

Steve asked. "What plan?" He spun her around before she could reach to the door. "Don't you see? You and I have the same goal here. I don't want Rachael to marry Charles, and you don't want Charles to marry Rachael. We can help each other here. Bring me in on your plan so I can help you."

Vivian chuckled. "I don't know what your name is again, but you need to go home and rest. You don't know what you're trying to get yourself into. Don't think it was just about stopping a wedding. That was just the start of destruction." She walked away from him.

Steve watched her walked out the door. He didn't know why, but her last statement made his entire being heavy.

Steve thought Vivian had forgotten something when he saw her walking back into the store hurriedly. Her eyes were darting around the store and she was calling someone.

Vivian walked to the cashier and asked if she had seen a little red headed boy. Though the woman shook her head, Rachael continued describing the boy.

The description she gave matched the boy Steve had seen at the door.

"Who are you looking for?" He asked her, walking behind her as she kept searching the store.

"My son," she retorted. "He's seven years old. Has big dark eyes, red hair and is about four feet tall."

A/N

Hey lovely readers. How are you?

I'm fine if you ask. It's just cold over here.

Here is my update schedule: Wednesdays and Saturdays. I will also be asking question to make your reading more fun.

Please understand that if I don't post on any of the above days that I have a private life to deal with. Thing come up abruptly; nevertheless, I will keep on updating because I love you so much.

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