Chapter 41: Ladies Night
Chapter 41: Ladies Night
Helen and Charles got to James’ mansion in no time, after they had called him and heard how he sounded down over the phone.
Getting to the living room, they met him sitting on the couch, sipping wine from the glass in his hand.
Helen hurried to where he was and collected the glass from him.
“James, what are you doing? Why are you drinking?”
She placed the cup on the center table and sat close to him on the couch.
“I told you not to come here,” He muttered, and Charles let out a loud sigh and rolled his eyes.
“What is wrong with you? What happened?” He asked, and Helen also bounced her head.
“We fought. It’s no big deal.”
“A fight?”
“Yes! A fight. I fought with Amelia after taking her away from her boyfriend.”
“Did she tell you she is dating him?” Charles asked tiredly. NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.
“Does she have to tell me that?! I saw her!…” He sprang to his feet and began to pace in front of them.
Helen and Charles exchanged looks as they watched James’ body language as he spoke.
“He was feeding her at a restaurant and she was smiling like a fool!” He smacked.
“Hold on. Why are you so mad about that, James? You do the same thing all the time. You brought a woman home on your wedding night!”
“I know… but… I don’t want her close to that man, and that is it! I don’t like how I feel when she talks to him.”
Charles divulged a smirk and looked at Helen again.
“I think I know what is going on here. James, you are jealous, right?”
James shot him a deadly look and scoffed.
“No, I am not! I just don’t want her anywhere close to that man. Remember, she is married to me, and almost everyone in Alabama knows this! I can’t let her tarnish my image and pull attention to my business.”
Helen exhaled loudly and threw her head backward.
“Okay… where is she now?”
“Who knows?! She left angrily. She is probably with that guy right now! All she could say to me was that she wanted a divorce.”
After James finished talking, he slammed into the couch and an awkward silence set in afterward.
His head was lowered, while Helen and Charles looked at each other, they used their eyes to communicate. They wanted to know what to say to their depressed son.
“But you talked about divorcing her to me, right?”
“Yes, I did! But I wasn’t thinking straight then. It’s going to do more harm than good.”
“So you are worried that if you divorce Amelia, it could affect your business because the media would carry it?”
“Yes! She is not worth the attention either.” He responded.
“So all these are just because of your business? Not because you love her?” Helen asked.
“Love her? Where the hell did you get that idea from, mother? I don’t love her, okay? You caused this in the first place. I never wanted to marry her, but now I’m stuck with her because of you!” He smacked and stood up from the couch again.
“Hey, James! Don’t talk to your mother like that!” Charles responded in a loud tone and sprang to his feet too.
“I’m pissed, okay? She slapped me and I couldn’t do anything about it! I’m so f**king angry right now!”
“Fine! Do you want to keep yelling? Let’s keep doing that! I’m sorry I forced you to marry her because I feel she is the best for you, I’m sorry for trying to make your life and future better!”
Helen grabbed her bag angrily and stormed to the main door. James clenched his jaws and lowered his head, trying to contain his anger.
“Your stubbornness will take you nowhere, James! You better do what is right!” Charles said to him and ran after Helen.
“Mom! Mom!” James called, running out of the house too. He got out of the mansion and saw that Helen was sitting in the car already. She was yet to close the door.
“Don’t call me! I should have left you to waste your time! I love you and that is why I want the best for you. I should have known you wouldn’t value it. She deserves someone better!” She yelled back
at him with a shaky voice.
James saw tears streaming down his mother’s eyes and his heart scattered in his chest. He never wanted to see his mother cry, especially because of him.
“Mom, I’m sorry, okay? I…”
Helen slammed the door of the car shut, causing James to shut up. Charles ignited the engine and he drove out of the compound in no time.
“F**k!” James yelled at top of his voice and threw a punch at the wall. He hit the wall so hard that his knuckles cut and began to bleed.
He looked at his hand as it bled and clutched his jaws again. He walked into the house and shut the door behind him.
***
Elena walked into her room and found Amelia lying on the bed, deep in thoughts the same way she left her.
“Please, don’t tell me you are still thinking! C’mon, Amelia. You are too young for this! How old are you?” She asked, sitting on the bed.
Amelia heaved a loud sigh and pulled herself up. She sat up and rested her back on the bed’s backrest.
“I’m twenty. I know I’m too young….”
“Well, I’m twenty too.” Elena butted in.
“You are twenty?! Really? Why do you act thirty sometimes?” Amelia asked in awe.
“Should I take that as a compliment or insult?” Elena asked, and they both giggled.
“It’s a compliment,” Amelia replied.
Her smile slowly faded off after some seconds, she lowered her head and began to fiddle with her fingers.
Elena stood up and lifted the bags she brought back home from her outing. She began to remove the clothes she had gotten one after the other.
“So… when I went out, I did a little shopping for you, since you will be with me for now and you have nothing to wear. We will be going to the club tonight because I won’t let you sit at home and keep thinking…”
“Elena…” Amelia called.
“Yes?” Elena looked up and saw Amelia staring at her with a sad face. She exhaled softly and folded her arms.
“Don’t tell me you won’t go out with me tonight, trust me, I will drag you down to that club myself!”
Amelia smiled faintly and shook her head. “It’s not that, Elena. It’s about James… I don’t think I can stop loving him. I mean, he is my husband…”
“Your husband? Well, that is true. But he became your husband because you wanted to please your uncle and his parents, not because you loved each other. Am I right?”
“Yes, you are. But I have feelings for him already, Elena.”
“Yes, but it’s a one-sided thing, isn’t it? James isn’t a preacher of love. I don’t think he would ever love a woman for real.”
After Elena finished talking, she saw Amelia looked even sadder than she was before the talk about James. She reached for her hands and held them firmly.
“Listen to me, Amelia. I won’t force you to dissolve your feelings for him, okay? All I want is that you to be happy. We are too young to suffer at the hands of the same man. The first step to forgetting about him is a ladies’ night!”
She screamed the last statement in excitement, and Amelia burst into laughter.
“Ladies’ night?”
“Yes. No talk about your husband! Just drink and dance. I bet you will feel better by tomorrow morning!”
“I don’t think I like the way I am when I’m drunk. I’m always a handful.”
Elena let out a little laugh and walked to her closet. “You expect me to be scared about that? If we can’t come home because you are too drunk, then we’ll sleep at the hotel next to the club. It’s as easy as that!”
“Hm… okay. You seem extra excited about this though.” Amelia responded.
“Why won’t I? I haven’t gone on a ladies’ night before, because I don’t have friends. But now, you’d make that happen… So, come and help me pick an outfit!”
“Hmm.” Amelia bobbed and stood up from the bed and proceeded to Elena’s closet too.
*
The loud hip-hop music at the club filled their ears as they walked in. The dull club lights were too bright for Amelia’s eyes, so she took a moment to adjust to the lights.
“Let’s have a drink!” Elena said in a loud tone in Amelia’s ear. She didn’t wait for her to reply before she started pulling her to the counter.
They both sat on the stools in front and placed their bags on the counter.
“Hmmm… What would these beautiful women love to drink?” The handsome bartender asked, smiling seductively at Amelia.
“Tequila, please… and don’t look at my friend like that! You have eye-banged her already.” Elena responded, and the bartender giggled.
“I’m sorry about that, but damn she is so hot!”
Amelia lowered her head shyly and smiled. “Thank you.”
Elena looked at her and noticed that she still had her wedding ring on. She knitted her brows and leaned closer to Amelia.
“I told you to get rid of this! Why are you still wearing it?” She asked, pointing to her finger.
“I’m sorry, I forgot. I’ll take it off now!” Amelia hurriedly pulled her ring out of her hand and threw it into her bag.
“Good.”
Elena let out a satisfied smile and looked away. Her eyes wandered around the club, looking for someone in particular.
Soon, her eyes fell on a man in a corner. He waved at her with an evil smirk, and she smiled back.
“Hey, Amelia. I’ll be right back,” She said in Amelia’s ears and Amelia bounced her head.
“Hurry back. I can’t drink alone.”
Elena nodded and tapped Amelia’s shoulders as she stood up and headed to the corner.
She got to the man and they greeted each other, planting a kiss on their cheeks.
“You came with her, hun?”
“Yes, I did. I believe you haven’t forgotten our plan.”
“I have been in this game for years. Trust me with this.” He responded, and a smirk slowly crept up Elena’s face.
She turned to look at Amelia and saw her having a chat with the bartender.
‘Let’s see how James would ever love you now.’