Chapter 21: The Gala

Catherine

Mason was acting bizarre, and it was getting on my last nerve.

He wouldn't stop lingering around me, his dark eyes following me around like a shadow that couldn't find its sun. When it was my turn to fold the kids' laundry, he’d suddenly appear, silently taking the basket from my hands. When I walked into the living room, tired from work, I'd find my space dusted, my books aligned, and a fresh glass of iced water sitting beside on the table waiting for me.

It was unsettling.

"He even made dinner for me today, Sarah," I said into my phone, leaning back against my office chair during my lunch break. "He didn't say a word. Just placed the dish beside the kids, and sat down and started eating. I can't figure out what he's playing at."

On the other end of the line, Sarah let out a long, skeptical whistle. "Well... that does sounds deeply suspicious. Maybe he's finally realised how much you've been doing and just wants to... thank you?"

"Hmm... I don't know," I muttered. "It feels more like a setup though. He’s probably trying to lower my guard so he can hit me with some new clause or push back on the shift split."

"That's true," Sarah agreed, "and with the promotion review coming up next week, you can't take any risk. Better safe than sorry."

"Right," I sighed. "I would be a fool to fall into the same hole twice. Nothing beneficial to me can ever come out of his little schemes. Let's just play along until the review is done."

"Better." Sarah muttered. "You even need to..."

Buzzz.

"One second please." I asked, pulling my phone away from my face to glance at the screen.

Evelyn Blake.

The cold, familiar knot that accompanied anything related to her immediately formed in the pit of my stomach. Ever since that explosive day where she laid her hands on my face, Evelyn hadn't offered a single word of apology. No regret, no acknowledgement of the slap, and certainly no remorse for how she had spent six years treating me like dirt under her shoes.

Instead, she'd simply acted as if nothing had ever happened between us. Sending me occasional, overly polite texts about the twins, sharing articles on child nutrition, video links on how to keep an harmonious family despite marital differences, and she'd even called me over once, only to lecture me on length about how women were the pillars of a family, and how important it was for them to be tolerant.

I didn't know what pissed me off more. The insult she didn't even bother addressing, or the audacity to think she still had any control over me.

At a point, I stopped going through her message at all, and just deleted it directly without opening them.

This time, however, it was different. The notification showed a digital invite card attached.

I tapped the screen.

The Annual L&T Gala & Shareholder Summit – Blake Family Estate.

My insides twisted at the words.

A gala.

Flashing lights. The deafening, aggressive clamor of journalists screaming outside the hotel door. The horrifying realization of being trapped under a hotel bedsheet, stark naked, while numerous cameras pushed through the doorway.

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly bone-dry.

"Catie?" Sarah's voice drew me back. "You still there?"

"Yeah," I breathed, staring at the golden lettering on the digital invitation. "His mother just invited me to the L&T Gala this Saturday."

Sarah went silent for a second. "The big one? At the main estate?"

"Yes."

"You're not going, right?" Sarah asked gently. "Big events seems to... trigger you. Don't they?"

I smiled bitterly and shook my head still staring at the invitation. "They do. But I still have to go. Mason mentioned it to me few days ago too. This isn't just a party for the Blakes. It's the largest gathering of executives, international board directors, and regional supply chain heads in the country. It's worth every risk."

Sarah sighed, obviously worried. "What about the crowds? The press? What are you going to do?"

"I won't stay long," I replied. "I'll be going as Catherine Blake, a senior operations manager candidate, not as Catherine Blake, Mason Blake's wife. Most people don't know me either way, should be easy to make the right connections as fast as possible, and slip out before it starts getting too much."

Sarah sighed. "That's true." Although, she didn't quite sound convinced from the other end. "I'm sure Mason didn't ever realise he was giving you an out when he sidelined you from official events like this in the past."

I took a deep, steadying breath, hoping the cold air did something to the lingering panic coursing through me. "I guess."

"Don't worry girl," Sarah murmured. "You can do it. I'll go with you if you need. Got an invitation two days ago too. Let's show them who they're actually dealing with."

I chuckled, "Thank you, Sarah."

"Hmm. No thanks." She retorted. "Let's go shopping after work tomorrow instead. You need to make an impression."

"Alright, mom." I teased. From the corner of my eyes, I saw one of my colleagues already coming back from break. Taking the call off speaker immediately, I sat up quickly.

"Need to go, babe. Let's talk later."

She murmured a goodbye and hung up almost immediately.

I stared at Evelyn's message for a second later, then finally typed out four words: I will be attending.​