Chapter 32: Bruised Ego

Chapter 32: Bruised Ego The phone call took fifteen minutes. Athena made sure of that. She smiled when she saw Fiona’s red scrunched face and hard eyes, when she noticed Fiona’s quaking limbs. She wondered if she should fake a call, maybe stretch it for twenty minutes, to see how long Fiona’s facade would last. Fifteen minutes didn’t seem long enough again. After all, hadn’t she knelt for hours in the rain, under the strict orders of Fiona and her mother? So, she had the right to make another long call! However, she had some work to do. She also had to pick her children from school. "How are you feeling, Fiona?" Fiona stamped down the urge to flare and cuss. She rather sighed, as if she was near the gates of death. "Athena, I feel sick, to be honest. I’m sorry for kneeling in the first place. I should have asked for your permission. Can I stand? I think I will die if I stay in this position longer." She placed her shaking hands on Athena’s table as she spoke. When Athena glared at her, she took it down. "Please, Athena, I’m sorry. Have mercy on me, please. Forgive me of my wrong behaviors. I had only been an overzealous youth then..." "So, you are a mature woman now?" Fiona bobbed her head. "So why did you cause a ruckus the last time you were here?" Fiona stayed silent, having no defense anymore. Instead, she started sobbing very loudly, a few seconds later. Athena was mildly startled at the swift change of events. She snickered when a knock sounded on her door, and Ciara popped her head in. "The doctors complain that the woman is noisy." "Did you hear her, Fiona? You are noisy. You shouldn’t be that, especially when you are seeking a favor." Fiona nodded submissively. "I’m sorry for that." Still weeping. "I’m sorry. Please have mercy." Ciara shook her head in derision, and closed the door. "It’s okay. I have heard you. I have received your gifts and flowers too. Let the past remain in the past." Athena finally spoke, tired of the charade. She had work to do. Fiona held back a smile of victory. "So, will you treat my mother?" She felt a little faint, but she needed Athena’s approval. "Yeah. I already agreed with Ewan after all, for twenty percent of his shares." Fiona allowed herself to fall to a sitting position on the floor, not believing what she was hearing. "What did you just say?" She murmured, her voice almost a whisper. Tears fell from her eyes. This time, they weren’t false, but real. They were tears borne out of deep anger and hatred, of frustration and humiliation. Yet, Athena didn’t bother with a reply, knowing how crazy that would make Fiona. She was right. Fiona saw red at Athena’s subtle dismissal. Anger rippled through her so much that she searched the office, with her eyes, for a weapon, any weapon at all, to end Athena’s life. But her phone rang then, breaking her thoughts. It was her father. This daunted her mission. She already knew why he was calling. When she looked up at Athena, the latter was already going through some documents. Fiona didn’t know what to do with her hands. ’Till mother is well...’ She mused intermittently, as she ignored her father’s call and got up on her feet, as she bowed to Athena and wished her well, as she walked out of the office, feeling lesser than she was. At the doorpost though, she turned to look at Athena. Her nemesis was still poring over her documents. "When are you coming to treat my mother?" "Anytime I want." Athena didn’t bother looking up. Fiona grabbed the door for support, for her knees were still shaking. "She might die before the week runs out. You have to come as soon as possible." So that I can put my plans to work. "If she dies, her treatment goes to another sick person. Go away, Fiona. You are disturbing me." "You promised..." Fiona tried again, through gritted teeth, knowing that if her mother died, her father would be too grieved to partake in anything. "I didn’t make any promise, Fiona. I said I will come. Now, go. Don’t make me talk too much." Fiona wondered then how things had degenerated to this extent. How had she gone from ruling Athena to begging for mercy from the uneducated bitch? Nevertheless, she consoled herself with the knowledge of Athena’s upcoming death, and walked away from the office space, without giving Ciara a glance. Outside the hospital, she rested on a pillar, opened her bag, and brought out a cigarette and a lighter. She, Fiona Adams, had knelt for more than twenty minutes, before Athena? She barked out a sarcastic laugh, before placing the cigarette on her lips. She will make sure Athena went through worse, before she died. Fiona let herself imagine the different torture techniques she will use on Athena. The fantasy brought a smile to her face, and an energy for the next phase of a plan that just dropped in her head. Since Athena already made a deal with Ewan, she would surely treat her mother right? Then since she couldn’t kill the latter now, she will work on sowing more tares between her and Ewan. With that, she stomped the cigarette under her shoe, hailed a cab and headed to Ewan’s company. When she got to the gates, she entered a dark corner, tore her dress to an extent, and roughened her hair, so that it looked untidy. She took a red lipstick from her handbag and dabbed it on her knees, her legs, and around her lips before forcing tears to fall from her eyes. Then she donned a pitiful look of misery, and hurried into the company. The unbelieving gasps that fell from people’s lips as she headed to Ewan’s office gave her joy. Surely Ewan will believe her! She pretended to cry when a security guard rushed to her. "Miss Fiona, what’s the problem? Who did this to you?" But Fiona wouldn’t say. She kept sobbing. The guard had no choice but to lead her to Ewan’s office, after ordering the workers not to video anything. However, when they got to the office, Ewan was in a meeting with Sandro, and some other male in the adjoining room. Fiona didn’t care. She couldn’t help it when her ego had been so bruised. Hence, she badged into the room, causing an interruption. Sandro was irritated at the act of selfishness and brash disregard. Ewan felt the same, but Fiona was his fiancée. "Gentlemen, I will see you both later." He ended the meeting. Sandro and the male stood up and left the conference room. "What happened Fiona?" Ewan frowned when he saw the disorderly state of Fiona. Did she fight? Fiona fell on the floor and started crying, in response. Her sobs tore at Ewan’s heart. He hated seeing his saviour in pain. He immediately rushed to her, and lifted her in his arms gently. "Shush, my dear... Everything is fine now." He took her to the sofa, and laid her down tenderly. When he saw the state of her knee, and the scattered streaks of blood on her face, his jaw ticked in anger. "Who did this to you?" Fiona sobbed harder, even letting mucus flow from her nose. Ewan didn’t care. He hugged her to himself. "Please stop crying, Fiona. Just tell me who did this. Tell me... I will surely make that person pay." Fiona sniffed, "It was... Athena.."