Quarter to Tragedy

There are many perks to being the wife of the most important chairman in the country and most of Asia, besides the money. 

For one, you could show up at a minister’s house at 10:30 pm, and you would be granted access.

I nodded at the housekeeper, and walked into the foyer to take my shoes off.

“Is the minister’s wife awake yet?” I asked as I slipped into the house slippers I was offered.

“No, Chairwoman.”

I pressed my lips tightly, thinking about how I would have loved to see the woman and find out how she was doing before I left.

My heart broke whenever I thought of how much pain she must be in. I lost my son before he was even born, and I still sometimes wake up to cry in the middle of the night. 

I could not even imagine how much worse it must feel to lose a grown child who had begun to near success.

“But the Minister is up.” The housekeeper glanced up at me from beneath her lashes, and bowed again. It was a quick action, but I recognized the look for what it was.

Did she think I was out to steal Inoue-san from his wife too? 

“Thank you.” I said stiffly and walked past her with my head held high. 

On another day I may have been amused, or even laughed. But not today, when I could still feel the burn in my chest from those horrible words about ~getting my own man for a change~.

“Mrs Sullivan.” The minister stood up from the cushioned bucket seat in his lounge. 

We bowed to one another, and he gently asked me to sit. I noticed he was already in a dressing gown, and felt guilty for stopping by at this time.

“You came to see my wife?” He asked, smiling kindly. The man was such an agreeable and easy man.

“Mostly,” I said, and his eyebrows lifted a little. 

I swallowed uncomfortably, wondering whether I could trust these people.

But then it was not their pet, or niece or nephew who died. It was their daughter. Their only child. They most likely hated Ophelia as much as I did.

So I proceeded to tell him about the ring.

His frown deepened more and more as I progressed with the story. He finally turned away, almost red in the face when I was done.

“How could Savannah’s daughter turn out this way?” He muttered to himself. 

I heard him and my mind registered the name, but I did not ask any questions. 

I suspected this Savannah to be Ophelia’s mother, but I would confirm after leaving this place.

“Be honest with me, my dear.” The man turned to me, his hands crossed easily atop his knee. “Is the rumor true? Did you steal her man?”

I felt an embarrassed blush creep up my neck, and then my cheeks. 

“No. I thought he was a single man.” I paused. “I did not ask, but he did not give me any reason to suspect otherwise.”

I should have added that our sexual relationship was supposed to be brief and never happen again. Just a memory we were meant to treasure as we went back to living our lives separate from each other.

But I had too much shame to admit that to this baby boomer who such arrangements would definitely not make sense to.

He was watching me now, and nodding.

“Come!” He leaned his neck back to say, and a maid who I had not even noticed was hovering around, stepped out of the shadows.

“Minister.” She bowed.

“Take Mrs Sullivan to the control room.” He said, and I stood up and bowed.

“You have liberty, dear.”

I bowed again, thanking him, and went off with the maid. 

We went two floors up, and then turned toward an ordinary-looking door I would definitely have missed if I had come up here by myself.

“Chairwoman,” the maid said as she pushed the door open. 

I walked in and saw a guard, sitting on a small bed in the room, and wolfing down his dinner.

He looked embarrassed and tried to stand up, but I raised my hand, halting him.

“I can manage. Just pretend I am not here.” I said with a gentle smile, and somehow this seemed to embarrass him even more. 

The poor man had probably not gotten a chance to eat all day.

I walked ahead to the monitors quickly, hoping he would finally relax. 

I carefully sat on the well-cushioned ergonomic desk chair as the maid closed the door behind her.

I was used to operating a home security system, so there was no need to ask the guard’s help. 

I studied all the parts of the house that were immediately visible on the screen; the main gate, the driveway, the backyard, the living room. 

I placed my hand on the mouse and moved, till the screen was displaying the other spaces that the security cameras covered in the house. 

The live feed from the hallway just outside the minister's wife’s bedroom, sat side by side with one of her actual bedroom.

I clicked the hallway one, although for some unknown reason, my eyes kept straying to her bedroom where she seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

I had to slow down the speed of the video 5x to clearly see Ophelia exchanging my ring with the other one. 

She had been so quick with it.

The sly bitch. She just kept digging herself deeper into a hole.

I brought my phone out and made a video of the security recording.

“Have a great night.” I stood up. 

The guard, who had long stowed his food away, stood up too and bowed.

I smiled and turned away. 

I took the stairs down carefully, wondering if Oliver would be asleep already or was this one of those nights he stayed up and gave his nanny hell.

And Kan. 

We have always shared the same room to avoid the maids suspecting something was off with our marriage and gossiping about it. 

But the last thing I wanted to do now was share the same room with that man anymore.

Although we slept in two separate beds, the thought still made my body revolt with disgust.

I stopped on the second floor, staring at the hallway that led to Mrs Inuoe’s bedroom. Without letting myself think too much, I turned and began to walk towards it.

Anything to stay out longer and avoid Kan.