10. Jeffery, the manipulator

I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life when I allowed Jeffery access to my business account.

He gifted me the store at a time when I was emotionally broken, and it became so much more than a business to me.

I lost a pregnancy with him and spent months feeling like a shadow of myself.

Then came the store—a place that gave me a reason to get out of bed, to smile again, and to feel useful.

I might have lost my baby, but I could still bring happiness into the lives of other children.

The store became my light in the darkness.

At the time, I was so grateful that Jeffery did such a sweet thing for me.

I wasn't in a mentally stable state of mind. So, I let him handle everything, including my business finances.

Because he knew I wasn't fully present, he went ahead and put his name on the account alongside mine, insisting that it was more convenient that way.

If anyone could explain why my store had been shut down because of taxes and why thousands of dollars left my account without my approval, it was Jeffery.

As the phone rang in my ear, I pressed my lips together, fighting the urge to cry.

"Catty," Jeffery called out once he picked up the call. 

"Baby, I've missed you..." He drawled out.

"You stopped taking my calls at some point. I thought you blocked me. How are you?"

I inhaled and exhaled so my voice would sound a bit calmer when I spoke.

But Jeffery continued speaking, not giving me the opportunity.

"Catty, I know I hurt you. I've taken some time to reflect on my behavior, and I realised that I messed up. I'm so, so sorry, Baby. Could you...could you please give me just one chance, one more chance to prove myself to you?"

"Jeffery -"

"Baby, I know. I know I don't deserve you." He cut me off. "But have you forgotten so soon? Have you forgotten what we've been through, together? No one knows and loves me as you do. And you know no one in this world knows and loves you like I do, Baby."

Lies. My best friend, Melody, knows and loves me more than he does.

Even Derick, Melody's boyfriend, knows me more than Jeffery.

But anything to make himself feel relevant, I guess.

"Baby, it's you and me, together. Forever. Always. You have my back, I have your back-"

"You've never had my back, Jeffery. Never, ever."

There was a brief pause, and I could almost picture him calculating his next words.

Jeffery rarely spoke from the heart when he wanted something. He would say whatever he thought people wanted to hear, polish his words until they sounded convincing, then deliver them as though he'd meant every syllable.

That was exactly how he related to his fans: he would spend enough time putting together cute, fancy words, rehearsing them continuously so they would stick.

Then he would vomit them verbatim during interviews and press conferences.

"Baby, I've always had your back. You are the centre of my world. I always want your happiness. Isn't that why I opened the toy store for you, even though having a girlfriend that sells random toys doesn't befit my image?"

"Is that why you stole my business money without telling me?"

The pause this time was long. "I didn't steal the money, Catalina. I was only trying to gain your attention. You blocked me from reaching out to you. Forgive me for going that far to get your attention. I was desperate."

"I don't care whether you're desperate or not. I just need you to send back the money you took from me. The money is not yours."

"Well, technically, it is. I mean, I'm the only one authorised to withdraw money from that account."

"No, you're not. I'm a signatory to that account, and I have been withdrawing money from that account."

"You don't get it. I am the only one who holds the withdrawal mandate and can veto your withdrawals. Without my approval. You can't touch a dime in that account."

Jesus Christ!

Now it's making so much sense. Jeffery took advantage of my vulnerability to exploit a financial arrangement I never properly understood.

And all this while, I had no f*cking idea that I was dating a monster.

"Let's not make this hard, Catty. Come to the house, let's talk. We can sort this out. I already told you, Mary Morton was a mistake. I'm only trying to be a responsible father by taking care of the baby."

"Oh? To think that I needed you to be that responsible when I was pregnant with our baby."

"Come on, Sweety, are we going to go back to that hill again? We're way past that. I'm a better man now. Can't you see? I'm taking responsibility for this one."

"Can you just give me back my money, Jeffery? My store has been closed down by the tax authorities. They claim I’m owing for several years. I've been paying them. You told me the accountant was handling everything."

I swallowed hard.

"What's going on, Jeffery? Was the accountant taking my money and giving me fake documents? Do you know something about this? Were you involved?"

"Really?" He said in a harsh voice. "First you call me a thief, now you're accusing me of conspiring with a mere accountant to dupe you of a few dollars. Are you calling me a scammer now? After everything you've pulled, I thought you'd have enough sense to call and apologise. But hell no!."

"Jeffery, please. This isn't a joke-"

"Who the hell is joking with you?! You called, and I apologized. Yet you didn't think offering an apology from your end would have gone a long way to lighten the mood before making your ridiculous demands?"

I stared at the phone, certain I misheard him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." His voice rose. "I was going to sue that bastard son of a nobody, Graham Scazard, and report him to the sports authorities for what he did to me. But I hesitated because I knew it would affect you. I thought you'd at least have the decency to call me and apologise for humiliating me in front of everyone."

I felt something hot and bitter rise in my throat.

"Jeffery, stop changing the topic to make it about you. I am discussing my business. I need to understand what happened to the tax payments and-."

"I don't know!" He blurted out. "Go meet the person who filed your returns."

"But you were the reason I ended up working with him!"

"Don't raise your voice at-"

"Would you stop it?! You think this is a joke?! Give me back my money so I can sort out the tax authorities and get my store running again."

"Who opened that business for you?"

I halted, dumbfounded by his question. "What..."

"I paid for the store. Now I've taken back my money. Deal with it."

For a moment, I couldn't speak. Emotions overwhelmed me, and I broke into a sob.

"What are you saying?"

"Now you're hurting, aren't you?" He did that awful laughter of his that always pissed me off. "Maybe you should have thought about your emotions before you decided to parade yourself around half-naked in front of another man."

My stomach twisted. "So, that's what this is about?"

"It is. You really think Graham Scazard wants you for anything serious? Do you honestly believe a man like him is going to settle down with someone like you? Listen to me. I know him. He wants to get into your pants, have his fun, and throw you away when he's done. And when he does, don't come crying to me."

"Jeffery, my store is closed!" I shouted. "Can you please stop talking about my body for one minute and send back my money?"

"You know what? I don't give a damn about your shop, your taxes, or your problems. When you're serious about solving your financial crises, you know where to find me."

The call disconnected, and I stood still for several seconds, unable to even lower my phone.

Then a sob tore out of my throat, and I covered my face with both hands, crying so hard that my chest hurt.