Chapter 6: From Frying Pan To Fire

“An undisclosed source has informed us that the marriage between billionaire CEO, Kane Beaumont, and former school teacher, Emilia Taylor, has allegedly hit the rocks. This comes after Emilia was caught, cheating on her husband with her ex-boyfriend, Chad Buruss. We’re told that – “

“Shut up!” Chloe snapped and turned off the TV. “I can’t believe Kane and his family! Why would they make such wild claims to the press?”

“We can’t blame them, you know,” said Emilia. “I was the one who got caught with her hand inside the cookie jar.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t stealing the cookies, you were just counting them.”

Emilia laughed. There was nothing funny about her situation, but her 17-year-old sister always had a way of finding humour even in the worst circumstances.

They were in Emilia’s bedroom where she was feeling sorry for herself while Chloe tried to cheer her up. She’d skipped her classes for today to be with her big sister. She was a freshman at the fashion design academy where she had opted to go to instead of college.

“We have a problem, girls,” their mother said as she came into the room. “I’ve just finished speaking with your father on the phone.”

“What is it?”

“He says Beaumont Enterprises are halting their funding for our second restaurant. Construction has been put on hold and even the supply agreement to the main restaurant has been cancelled as well.”

“Shit!”

“Language, Chloe.”

“That should be the least of our worries right now, Mom. That Beaumont prick is trying to sink us all over again. What a petty asshole!”

“Really, Chloe. I didn’t raise you to be so foul-mouthed.”

“Sorry.”

“Daddy must be devastated right now,” Emilia said sadly. “This is all my fault.”

“Yes, it is!” Her mother replied angrily. “If you must meet with Chad, couldn’t you have done it more discreetly?”

“I didn’t know I was being spied on!”

“How couldn’t you? You were married to the richest guy in the city and you live in California, for god’s sake. This is the headquarters of the paparazzi. They’re everywhere. How can you not know that?”

“Chill out, Mom. She feels bad already, don’t make her feel worse.”

“I don’t care. She should have known better!”

Emilia sighed and got out of bed. She was tired of hearing her mother rant non-stop even though she could understand why.

She went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair. When she came out, her mother was calm and was staring at her curiously as she began to dress up.

“Where are you going?” Lara asked.

“To see if I can fix my mistake.”

“How?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied and walked out of the room.

When Kane heard that Emilia was waiting at the reception area to see him, he felt a mix of anger and curiosity. What did she want?

“Send her in,” he said curtly into the intercom.

Two minutes later, she walked into his office dressed in a grey hoodie with matching sweatpants and a blue backpack. Her beautiful hair was tied up in a messy bun.

She wasn’t wearing makeup but that did not take away from her natural beauty. He was attracted to her in a way that pissed him off. He should be angry, instead of getting turned on.

“What can I do for you?” He asked her formally. He didn’t even get up to greet her.

Emilia felt chills running down her body at the sound of his voice. He was as handsome as ever and he looked even sexier with that dark scowl on his face.

Hot damn! She thought and cleared her throat nervously before speaking.

“I know you are mad at me, Kane and you have every right to be,” she began.

“So?”

“I’m not guilty of what I was accused of. I would never disrespect you or your family like that.”

“You weren’t exactly thrilled to be married to me either. I think you were just looking for a way to get out and you found it.”

“No, that’s not true. I was happy with you, Kane. The paparazzi knew what they were doing when they took those photos. This is what they wanted.”

“If this is all you came here to say, then consider yourself heard. You can leave now.”

She sighed in defeat. “I came here to beg you not to punish my family for my mistake.”

“I’m not punishing anyone. Our marriage was a contract that came with certain terms and conditions. You broke your end of the deal and what is happening now is the result of your mistake, not mine.”

“But – “

“Hi, sweetie!” Kendra sang as she barged into the office carrying multiple designer shopping bags. When she saw Emilia, she paused and looked back at Kane.

“She was just leaving,” Kane explained and got on his feet.

Kendra laughed. It was that same irritating sound that made Emilia’s skin crawl with disgust.

“This girl is either shameless or stupid or both,” she said as she gingerly dropped her shopping bags.

"I am not a girl and for your information, I’m still married to Kane. We’re not divorced yet.”

“But you will be very soon and I’m patiently waiting for that to happen.”

“Emilia, you can leave now,” said Kane coldly.

There was nothing left to say. She turned around and walked out of the office.

“The audacity!” Kendra gasped as Emilia closed the office door and left.

Before stepping out of the office building, she wore the dark sunglasses she’d come there with and covered her hair with her hoodie.

She walked right into a crowd of photographers that nearly blinded her with camera flashes.

“Is it true, Emilia? Did Beaumont file for a divorce?”

“Why did you cheat on your husband?”

“How long have you been cheating on Kane?”

“Did you sign a prenup? Will you be getting anything in this divorce?”

“Did you come here to reconcile with him? What did he say?”

They shouted the questions at her from different angles and they wouldn’t let her pass. She finally managed to squeeze past them and started to run.

The paparazzi chased her down the road and people brought out their phones and filmed her as she ran. Some even booed her and laughed mockingly as she tried to escape.

“Taxi!” She screamed as she continued to run. She tripped on the sidewalk and fell. Her sunglasses fell off and her hair came undone.

“Harlot!” Someone yelled at her. She ignored the insult and got on her feet.

She was surrounded again by the paparazzi and they were gleefully taking photos of her as she struggled to get a taxi. She knew she looked like a hot mess and they were loving it.

One taxi finally pulled up beside her and she jumped into it like a fugitive. She covered her face with her hands as the car sped off.

“Why did you go there?” Her mother yelled at her when she got home.

The videos of her running and falling on the sidewalk like a clumsy child were already circulating on social media and her photos have been turned into memes.

“If you must go to Kane, couldn’t you have at least dressed decently?” Her mother continued.

“I just wanted him to know how sorry I was,” she replied. Her eyes were swollen from crying so much.

“Let’s not crucify her, Lara. What’s done is done,” said her father.

“Gosh, I can’t even show my face out there anymore. I’m going to be trolled too,” Chloe complained.

Emilia felt the weight of everyone’s disappointment and it crushed her.

“I am sorry,” she apologized. “I wish I can fix this but I can’t. I’ve tried already and I failed.”

Her mother snorted while Chloe pouted.

“It’s ok, darling,” her father consoled her. “This too shall pass.”

“Daddy, the last time you said something like that, Kane and Kendra stepped out in public looking like Barbie and Ken. We don’t want any more of that kind of distraction, please.”

“This isn’t the time to tell jokes, Chloe. Your sister is hurting.”

“And our lives are crumbling,” their mother added.

“Be kind, Lara. Emilia didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“I think I should leave,” she said.

“And go where?” Her mother asked. “Please, don’t tell me you’re going to the Beaumont mansion this time.”

“No. I’m leaving California.”

“Where would you go?” Chloe asked. “Are you going to rent an apartment outside the city?”

“No. I’m going to spend some time with Granny in Wyoming.”

“Oh… well, my mother loves a good rehabilitation story so I’ll say that’s an excellent decision,” said Lara.

“That’s a good idea, dear. You need a break from all this madness,” said her dad.

“I don’t envy you one bit,” said Chloe. “When do you leave?”

“Tonight. I’ll go pack my stuff now.”

She left her family in the living room and went into her bedroom. She began by crying for ten minutes straight, then she went to take a hot shower and afterwards, began to pack her bag.

She said her goodbyes and let her dad drive her to the bus station. She arrived at her grandmother’s countryside home a few minutes past 8 p.m.

Granny took one look at her and said, “You have come to the right place, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call before coming.”

“Oh, please. There’s no need for such formality. Come here.”

Her grandmother’s hug warmed her physically and emotionally. Then they sat at the cosy dining table where Granny attempted to drown Emilia’s sorrow in food.

By the time she finished eating, she was stuffed and too tired to do anything else but sleep. She woke up from her dreamless sleep the next morning to the sound of a lawn mower.

“Gosh, Granny is such a busybody,” she groaned and got out of bed.

When she got downstairs, she was surprised to see a shirtless guy mowing her grandmother’s lawn. He wore a pair of faded ripped jeans and his blue T-shirt was tied around his waist.

His tanned body glistened with sweat as he continued to work under the morning sun. He looked up and caught her staring at him.

“Uh, hi,” she said awkwardly in a small voice that couldn’t be heard over the noise of the lawn mower. She was embarrassed to have been caught staring.

The guy turned off the lawn mower. “Hi. I’m Matt. You’re are?”

“Emilia. You’ve probably heard about me already…”

“What?”

“Those photos and the memes all over the internet yesterday. That was me.”

“I don’t check the internet much.”

“Thank God,” she muttered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

“What did you do?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Where’s my grandmother?”

“You’re Bertha’s granddaughter? Wow.”

She didn’t know if that was a compliment or an expression of disappointment. She was suddenly aware of her dishevelled look.

“Uh, I better get back inside and start breakfast.”

“I’m sure Bertha already did that. She never leaves home without cooking, no matter how early it is.”

“Who are you again?”

“Matt. Bertha’s unofficial handyman. I help her get things done around here and she pays me with delicious food. I live down the road.”

“Oh, ok. It was nice speaking to you,” she said and turned to leave.

“How long are you staying?”

The question surprised her. “Why do you want to know?”

He grinned and she was impressed with his perfect dentition. His sandy-blond hair was matted on his head with sweat and he looked like one of the dancers in Magic Mike.

Jeez, Matt was a hottie!

“I would like to see you again,” he answered her question. “When I’ve showered and dressed up decently, I mean.”

“You’re not the only one who needs a shower,” she said with a smile. She wondered if he caught the double meaning in her statement.

He did because his grin grew wider. Emilia blushed. Why the hell was she flirting with a stranger in front of her grandmother’s house?

“Lunch?” He asked.

She shrugged. “Where? I’m not familiar with this area.”

“How about a picnic near Lake Vida? It’s a short walk from here.”

“Ok.”

“See you at 2 p.m.?”

“Sure. I mean, of course.”

He chuckled. “No need to be so formal with me.”

“Yeah. Ok,” she said.

She needed to shed that uptight manner that the Beaumonts had drilled into her. She wasn’t a part of their family anymore.

“See you later, Matt,” she said and went back inside. Maybe this distraction was what she needed to get over Kane.