chapter eleven

Gwen's Pov

With the sight in front of me, standing quietly hidden became a more arduous task than I cared for. So with small quiet steps, I made my presence known. Barbara raised her head from Sigurd's chest. When her eyes met mine, my heart reached out to her.

She loved her boys so much.

I couldn't help but wonder if she'd have loved her daughter the same way too. If she would have fought for her right like my mother failed to fight for mine. She'd told me about her daughter that had died stillbirth, and when I heard that story, I thought that it had been for the best.

Maybe the baby knew that life was difficult for a woman. I mean women were expected of two primary things. Child birth, and mind blowing sex. The rest were secondary to these two.

My mother had told me that being a woman was the best thing. I didn't have to work to live in luxury. All I had to be was beautiful so I could marry rich. And to an extent, it was comforting to know that I could get whatever I want without having to lift a finger my entire life, or use my brain to solve any tedious problems that might arise…

But at what cost?

My pride and my rights as a human being? 

Mom had told me when I was fifteen that it was a small price to pay. She didn't mind the price, the reward was more than ample. She said it didn't matter if she didn't run any of the offices because she had my father wrapped around her fingers. 

Delusional.

That's what I thought of her. 

My father still did as he pleased except very few times. On many occasions I'd heard them fighting and sometimes he would dismiss her like she was a child. 

My mother wasn't as happy as she made everyone, including herself, believe. 

To her, this was a small price for the luxury and the life of doing nothing but getting everything everyday of her life..

But I didn't think like she did. 

She was so different from me. Sometimes, I wondered if we shared the same blood. Maybe this was the explanation to why she didn't give a damn about me. 

But enough with projecting the vile woman that is Martha Welch on an amazing woman like Barbara Vice. 

"Barbara… I don't know what to say."

"Sweetheart, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything."

Of course I did. I orchestrated this whole thing. I made sure Daxton saw us leaving the room together. I unlocked the door to the room we were in so he would see us. I had wanted him to hear it all for himself, but I was okay with how it turned out too.

I had nothing against Daxton, but I needed whatever connection we had made a few minutes ago to die. And It goes without saying that I had nothing against Barbara either, I just needed a way out. And this was the perfect most natural thing I could come up with in such short notice.

Maybe after all this, I can get them to start hating me. 

Leave me alone, for fucks sake.

The last thing I need right now is to feel all those things Barbara makes me feel. That kind of distraction wasn't welcomed. I don't want to trust like that ever again. And Barbara keeps creeping her way into my heart.

The woman had to go.

"I'm still very sorry it's happening."

Barbara had left Sigurd's side, now standing in front of me. 

"Can you go talk to him? Can you please make him understand? I'm asking a lot here, I know, but please…"

"Now honey, you can't ask the girl to do something like that." Sigurd spoke up. "This is a family matter, and we can handle it ourselves."

Barbara ignored Sigurd's words, her eyes still begging me. 

"Okay." I said against my better judgment. "I'll give it a go."

She flung herself on me, and I hugged her back. 

This was exactly what I was trying to avoid. Saying no to her was becoming impossible.

I made the mistake of looking at Sigurd. His eyes were cold as he stared at me. 

I didn't care. I wanted them to hate me so I could be free from their family drama and now I knew for a fact that I had one down. Two to go. 

This charade should have ended months ago after Damian was shipped away.

With regretful steps, I went through the path Daxton had angrily walked through and found myself in their garden.

The Vice mansion was truly a sight to behold. 

Forgetting my mission, I gracefully walked through their field-like garden, immersed in its serenity. The wind blew strongly, filling my nose with flowery smells, and on impulse, I let my hair down and combed it with my fingers. I removed my heels, freeing my legs from the trapped shoe. Standing barefooted in the garden, I finally felt relaxed and free…

Until I sighted the good son sitting sadly on a bench farther into the garden.

I ducked, which was stupid because he was so lost in thought, and probably grief stricken, not even a deer running around this garden could catch his attention. So I stood up, then I turned around and started to walk opposite where he sat.

I stopped on my track. 

Squeezing, I shut my eyes and cursed under my breath. I knew I would regret my next action, but I turned around anyway, back to his direction, and started walking towards him. 

I'd done stupid things in life.

Like the time I was twelve and I thought it was okay to sneak into my twin brother's room at night because I was scared to death to sleep in my room alone after he convinced me to watch Chucky.

The most stupid would be that one time my parents hosted a certain investor and his family to show trust, and their older son, Klein had tried to get me in his bed. I said nothing about this to my parents because I didn't want to ruin the effort Martha and Berlin had put in…

Like I said, many stupid times.

But this was beginning to feel like it should be at the top of the list. All the other mistakes I was ignorant, but this, this I was smart enough to know was trouble, and I walked into it like a moth drawn to a flame. 

This would surely be written on my grave stone.

'Gwenever Welch, the girl who was stupid in her many wisdom.'

Oh fuck it!

Maybe I could mess this up so bad they are repulsed by me and never want to see me ever again.

"Hi." I said standing behind him. I got no response from him.

He was in his thoughts deeper than I presumed.

"Hi" I said again, but this time, my hand tapped his shoulder.

He turned. He didn't smile when his eyes landed on me. The dust, or whatever glitter was covering his eyes when we were flirting before must have fallen off.

I guess finding out I was going to marry his brother had done the trick.

"O-Kay. Can I sit?"

"Sure. What could be more fun than being reminded I flirted with my brother's wife."

This was going to be one hell of an evening.

I took a seat beside him. The distance between us was enough for a plus sized woman to fit in comfortably.

"We didn't get married. We almost did."

He turned with an abrupt and swift body movement, I was startled. 

"Why didn't you tell me… you know, like when I was hitting on you?"

"I—I—I… I don't know."

"Right. Because now that my brother is insane, you need someone else to drive your motors."

"Drive your motors?" I couldn't help the laughter that came out of my mouth. "You were trying to sound insulting but you came out looking like a joke."

He looked pissed.

"Sure. That's what you take from my statement. You know, if you'd really loved him, you wouldn't have let them send him away like that. You should have taken care of him like a god damn woman instead of chasing a career in the business world. Maybe it was best you didn't get married to him. I can only imagine the kind of wife you'd have been to my brother." Daxton spat venomously.

Now, I was the one pissed. 

I was fucking sick and tired of men always telling women where their place was in the world. It was like they regarded us as some kind of human toy that they could control and make decisions for.

"Look, you moron," I started, reveling in the shock on his face at my name calling. It was childish, but I wanted to hurt him. I'd expected differently from Daxton. I was so pissed I told myself I would never see him again. Even though he was a 6'5 looking like a male model with a smile to die for.

His aesthetic didn't give him a pass to be derogatory towards me. "Did you ever think that it wasn't my secret to tell? Your parents wanted to hide it from you, what was I supposed to do, go behind their backs? For who? Until a few minutes ago I had never met you."

"I—"

"Zip it. I'm not done talking and until I do, you sit tight, shut the fuck up and listen."

I'd never been this rude outrightly to anyone before. It messed up the whole innocent, pitiable, frail woman idea people had of me. Right now I didn't care. Daxton had crossed a line and he was going to pay for it.

"I am sick and tired of men always telling women that they have a limited role to play in life. I'm sorry that your brother is in the condition he's in, but asking me to leave my entire life and the company I've worked my butt off to build isn't fair, no, scratch that, it isn't right. I put my sweat and time into that company whether you acknowledge it or not is none of my fucking business. Let me ask you this. Would you give up the company to stay at home for a woman? No right? Because you believe you're a man, certain things are expected of you. Your talk about me staying at home and taking care of your brother to prove my love for him, as you bluntly put, is only applicable to women right? God! To think you had the least bit of sense. Fuck you Daxton Vice. You can go to hell for all I care."

I grabbed my shoes that had been sitting beside me the entire time. Standing up, I made my way to leave his presence when I felt his hand on mine, stopping me.