Chapter 3
The housekeeper brewed coffee. Justine had a taste for Blue Mountain coffee. Its smooth, delicate aroma lingered in the room.
After taking a sip, she asked, “Did you talk to William about what I told you last time?”
Scarlet stiffened for a split second. “Not yet.”
She had tried to contact William, who was still at Grandfall then. She told him over the phone that she wanted to talk, but he was busy and had little to no patience. He responded curtly, “Whatever it is, wait until I’m back.”
Scarlet called a few more times after that, but he never answered. In the end, she stopped trying.
“You didn’t take a word I said seriously, did you?” Justine’s forehead creased. “I told you to talk to him. It’s been ages. I don’t even know what you’ve been doing all this time.
“Now that he’s back, the two of you should make time and finalize the divorce. Get it over with as soon as possible.
“The way you’re living now is just inviting people to laugh at you. Even if you’re not embarrassed, I am!”
Over the years, nothing had given Justine more headaches than William and Scarlet’s marriage. Had she known things would turn out like this, she would never have agreed to it in the first place.
“Divorce is the best outcome for both of you. I’m acting in your best interests.”
The coffee mug was a little too hot. Scarlet curled her fingers slightly and dropped her gaze to the coffee, following the wisps of smoke rising and fading on the surface.
It would be the best outcome if she didn’t love William.
“I’ll talk to him,” Scarlet said.
Just then, the housekeeper announced, “Mr. Arthur and Mr. William are back.”
Scarlet turned around.
William had returned with his father, Arthur Cooper. He was usually relaxed in private. His suit jacket was draped over his arm as he walked in mid-conversation with Arthur, a lazy smile on his lips. However, the smile faded when he noticed her.
Justine hadn’t seen her son in a long time. She rose from her seat with a bright smile and walked up to him. “Why did you decide to come back all of a sudden? You didn’t even tell me.”
William responded, “I wanted to surprise you. Do you not like it?”
“I don’t need surprises. I’d be glad if you didn’t drive me to an early grave. You leave and come back whenever you want,” she grumbled, though she was clearly delighted to see him. “You’ve lost weight again. Have you been skipping meals?”
William stood there lazily, letting her look him over. “You say that every time. Why don’t you just plant me in the backyard?” he grinned.
Justine slapped his arm. “Honestly, you and that mouth of yours.”
William had always had a sharp tongue. He could talk his way into anyone’s good graces, and he was just as articulate and persuasive in an argument.
He matured with age, but he was still the same at heart. Scarlet had never once won an argument with him.
…
During dinner, Scarlet sat next to William.
Arthur had been in a position of power for many years and carried a natural air of authority. Scarlet had been afraid of him since she was a child.
He asked about her, as was customary at the dinner table. Scarlet answered each question stiffly, as if she were a student getting questioned by the dean. When he shifted his attention to William, she let out a quiet breath of relief.
The father and son talked about work for most of the meal. William’s achievements on Wellton Street in the last few years were plain to see. Arthur nodded from time to time, his tone full of pride for his son.
Scarlet had a lot on her mind and didn’t have much of an appetite. However, she was afraid that if she set her cutlery down, Arthur would start questioning her again. As such, she pretended to eat, slowly counting the pieces of penne.
Perhaps she had been counting too carefully, and Arthur noticed. “Is the food not to your liking?” he asked.
Scarlet was about to respond when William shot her a look. “She needs to eat cat food.”
Arthur was dumbfounded.
Scarlet was about to explain, but William seemed unsatisfied with his parents’ reactions. Leaning back in his chair, he lazily added, “I have no idea what she’s been eating lately, but she can give birth to cats now.”
Scarlet was rendered speechless. She wished she could dig a hole through the earth and disappear.
Justine shot daggers at him. “All you do is spout nonsense, you little rascal.”
Arthur fell silent with a solemn expression. At his age, he didn’t quite understand youngsters’ jokes. He tried to make sense of it and concluded that Scarlet must have either a gynecological issue or a psychological one. In any case, as her elder, he couldn’t ask her about it directly.
“Scarlet… are you feeling unwell?”
Scarlet’s face flushed crimson, and she hurriedly explained, “No, I’m fine. He’s just messing around.”
After dinner, Arthur and William went into the study. Justine brought them some soup and didn’t return for quite some time.
Scarlet waited in the living room. She hadn’t slept well the night before and had worked all day. Before she knew it, she dozed off on the couch.
Ellen Paige, one of the housekeepers, came over and gently woke her up. “Scarlet.”
Scarlet rubbed her eyes. “Are we leaving?”
“Mr. William and Mr. Arthur are still discussing something in the study. They probably won’t be done anytime soon.” Ellen had looked after Scarlet since she was a child and treated her like her own daughter. “I’ve cleaned up your old room. Why don’t you go upstairs and get some rest?”
Scarlet rarely came here unless it was a holiday or she was summoned. There were still a few of her belongings upstairs, mostly childhood items. There wasn’t much that truly belonged to her.
Scarlet asked Ellen for a cardboard box. After packing everything up, she came downstairs with the box in her arms.
William happened to step out of the study at the same time. He glanced at the box she was carrying and inquired, “What’s that?”
“Things from when I was little. I forgot to take them with me.”
He tugged at the corner of his lips. His expression was unreadable, but it definitely wasn’t a smile.
While walking downstairs, she said, “Next time, don’t spout nonsense in front of your parents.”
“Nonsense?” William stopped in his tracks. He raised his hand to loosen his tie before looking over his shoulder at her. “Didn’t you say that yourself?”
Scarlet replied, “I was joking. Yet, you took it straight to your parents. It was very awkward for me.”
William slipped his hands into the pockets of his suit pants and looked at her with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He acted as if he would go along with anything. “Fine. From now on, I’ll document everything you say.
“Then, you can label what I’m allowed to tell people and what I’m not. I’ll follow it to a letter, so I don’t accidentally leak one of your little secrets and end up as your punching bag.”
Scarlet caught on this time. He was being sarcastic.
“I’m not using you as my punching bag,” she explained.
William didn’t care about her explanation. He spun on his heel and headed downstairs.
Scarlet followed behind him. He was tall, his silhouette drawn lean and upright by the muted light of the stairwell. His pace seemed slow, yet she couldn’t quite keep up. Before long, she was left behind.
As soon as she walked out of the courtyard, a black Bentley was already waiting at the entrance. William stood by the car, lighting a cigarette. The ember glowed and dimmed between his fingers and made him look roguish.
When he saw her, he stubbed it out. “Are those long legs of yours just for show? You’re so slow.”
Scarlet wanted to tell him that she was carrying a box. She also wanted to ask if he was blind, but she couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath on him. For some reason, the two of them had lost the desire to communicate with each other at some point.
The thought of just letting things slide surfaced in her mind time and time again, swallowing everything she wanted to say.
William opened the car door and tossed his jacket inside. His long fingers rested on the edge of the door as he said coldly, “Is that everything? You might as well take everything with you today.”
“This is everything.” Scarlet’s temper flared. “What’s left belongs to your family. You can keep it!”
Then, she bent down and got into the car. William scoffed behind her before closing the door and getting in from the other side.
His manners were ingrained in him. Yet, his sharp tongue and indifference were innate.
Scarlet used to think he was merely a charming philanderer. She only realized how cold and heartless he could be after they got married.
End of the Contract,Start of His Obsession
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