005 - I am. Your. Stepmother

MAEVE

I was not expecting Xander’s reaction to Thayer’s insults just now, but his apology afterward was something I didn’t want to hear. I know he did it to make me feel better, but now I feel worse.

Just a few minutes ago, I actually thought he had a thing for me, but he was really doing it for his son. I didn’t want to think about it too much, so I demanded to be left alone. I needed to think things through. Hot tears raced down my cheeks as I considered what would be best to do in this situation.

I wanted to disappear and never see Thayer again, but I had nowhere to go. My parents were both dead, I didn’t want to face the insults of my step-sister and stepmother, and I didn’t want to get anywhere near crowded places. I just wanted to be locked up somewhere in this house, away from the eyes of the whole world.

It was painful to come to this decision, but I decided to play along with Xander’s plan. I needed to teach Thayer a lesson, and to do that, I was going to become his stepmother. I decided to pretend to be Xander’s woman for a while, get back at Thayer until we were even, then leave both Xander’s and Thayer’s lives for good to take care of my child in isolation.

I wiped the tears from my face and got down from the bed. First things first, I would have to get my belongings from Thayer’s house.

I went straight to Xander’s wardrobe and picked out a dark shirt and pants that looked good on me, given my size. It was a customized shirt with CEO written at the upper left corner, but I didn’t think much of it. I packed my hair into a ponytail and stepped out of the room.

A young woman was standing by the door as if waiting for me. “Hello, ma’am,” she greeted upon seeing me. “I’m Kath. I will be assisting you henceforth.”

Then I remembered she was the "Kath" Xander had mentioned earlier. I cleared my throat as I thought of the perfect way to distract her before leaving the house. “I want to get my things. Could you help with getting my dinner dress ready?”

“Oh! Sure, ma’am! I will have the dresses ready for you to try on,” Kath explained with a smile, still standing there.

I raised an eyebrow at her. “So? Get going then. Get the dresses ready.”

“Okay, ma’am.” With that, she ran off.

I must confess, I felt like royalty for the first time in my life having an assistant. A tiny smile seeped into my face.

Quickly, I stepped out of the house and hailed a cab. First, I stopped by a store and grabbed a few things using my debit card.

It didn’t take long, and I was standing in front of the house where I’d spent the last four months living a fake life. I hesitated at the door for a moment, wondering if I’d acted impulsively. What if Xander didn’t like this idea? Well, I was only here to get my things; my precious paintings, materials, and other important documents were inside.

I grabbed the doorknob and finally turned it before pushing the door open. First, I was greeted by a terrible stench in the room that nearly made me retch. There was Thayer and his friends in the sitting room, including the one who had ignored me that night. They were busy smoking and drinking.

“Isn’t that your ex-wife? Why is she wearing your father’s shirt? I’d seen him in that customized shirt at an event before,” one of Thayer’s friends pointed, and I instantly felt exposed.

“I thought you got rid of your fat problem, mate?” another mocked, and they laughed.

I pressed my lips together in anger. Haven’t they had enough with all their insults?

Thayer turned to me, and I could instantly see smoke rising from his head as he dropped his glass on the table and stormed toward me. “What the hell are you doing here? How dare you show your face here after I’ve cut off everything with you?! Are you that desperate you can’t bear to stay away from me for a second?!”

Arrogance! Punk!

“Well, I’m proud to deflate your ego. I’m not here for your cheap, irresponsible personality,” I replied, narrowing my eyes. I heard gasps from his friends, and I knew I must have hit him exactly where I wanted. “You have nothing worth coming back for,” I added, right in his face, a little confidence seeping into my head, though I could feel my heart pounding rapidly.

I turned to walk away, but Thayer gripped my arm and pulled me back forcefully. I nearly lost my balance. “I see you’ve gained some nerves after sleeping over at father’s house. I want you to leave his house after you walk out of here with your belongings. I never want to see your disgusting self around him ever! Don’t try to get his pity because it won’t get you anywhere! He can never make me want you back!”

I wanted to laugh at his ridiculousness, but I also wanted to cry. I couldn’t believe I spent four months living with this man who couldn’t even read the writing on the wall. Who wants him back? “Oh, father’s boy! No one in their right mind would want you back, Thayer.”

I flashed my left fingers in his face, intentionally showing him the ring on my finger. Though it was a cheap engagement ring I just bought when I stopped by the store, I hoped it would do the trick. “Not even I would want you back as a partner, because henceforth, I am. Your. Stepmother.”

I could literally taste the shock that filled the room next. Thayer held his mouth open as he watched my face, disbelief etched on his features. Even his friends watched in shock.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I have some packing to do. My fiancé can’t bear to stay away from me for even a second,” I added, surprised at how confidently I handled this, especially after hesitating at the door just moments ago.

Thayer suddenly let out a bitter laugh, as if he’d just lost his mind. “Don’t be ridiculous, Maeve! I know there’s no way my father would stoop so low to take what I’ve abandoned. There’s no way he would choose to make time for you aside from work…”

“He said it himself this morning, didn’t he?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest, brows confidently raised. “We are getting married soon, and I will do well to send you an invite.”

“Fine! Be a whore for all I care! I know it’s because of the money! As an orphan even with every fortune you’ve managed to steal and accumulate, pumping yourself into a hot air balloon, I know that won’t be enough. You can continue to spread your fat legs for my father…”

Before I could stop myself, my hand connected with his cheek in a hot slap of anger. How dare he call me a gold digger and a whore!

He grew angrier as he grabbed my neck, and I flinched as I felt his fingers dig into my skin. I couldn’t breathe as his fingers tightened around my throat.

“You are going to do as I say. Return that ring to my father and disappear from his sight forever, otherwise I’m going to make your life a living hell.”

I was choking, and I could feel something wet trickling down my neck; I was sure it was blood. I needed to save my life and my face as I clawed at Thayer’s hand to release his grip.

“Chubby bitch!”

My yoga exercises weren’t going to be in vain. I clenched my fist, and with the last strength I had, I gave Thayer a hard punch in the gut. He quickly released his grip on me, clutching his abdomen, while I struggled to cough air back into my lungs. “That’s for all the times you’ve humiliated me,” I said through choking breaths.

“You bitch!” Thayer cursed, making to grab me again, but the door flung open, and Xander walked in, making Thayer pause in his tracks. I continued coughing and rubbed my sore neck as Xander approached me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“You stay away from her,” Xander warned Thayer, glaring at him as he led me away.

Once I was seated in his car, I felt my cheeks redden as he got into his own side behind the wheel. “Why did you have to—”

I cut him off by flashing the ring on my finger. “If we are doing this, then we need to get real. We have to act like a real couple from now on. And we are going to need real rings.”