CHAPTER EIGHT

David calmly watched the scenario with a surprising patience that he had never expected to gather. Maybe because it was an amusing thing to see and something new that had never occurred.

The scenario watered down the humiliation he had suffered in his ex-in-law’s hands. Who could even think of such a situation.

Imagine Sandra, the world's most classic, sophisticated and career-oriented woman, fighting barefooted for a man she had repeatedly called a pauper and whom she had divorced without an eye blink.

It wasn't something that could happen even in his wildest imagination but here they were, watching her display her madness like an Oscar-award actress.

It was indeed a ‘wonders shall never end scenario’. The more she acted out the more his heart jumped with more merry. How wonderful, things were playing out.

“What do you mean ‘where?’” Dustan breathed heavily wondering for the umpteenth time if he had not chosen bad luck for himself, or a mentally unstable woman whose brain switched on and off whenever and wherever.

For he couldn't even believe his eyes nor his ears at the rudeness of Sarah. To think that she was supposed to be a well-bred lady spoke millions to his now alert brain.

“Don't you have eyes anymore? Or have you suddenly gone blind?” He gritted his teeth with full force and energy, imagining himself giving her a merciless bite but recoiling at the thought of biting a mad woman.

“Oh, would you stop speaking in parables,” she chastised him, shaking her head so maniacally that they fell around like thunder struck her.

“There's only four of us in the room, two men and two…” then she gasped, her breath caught in her throat and nostrils ceasing the flow of air.

“What?” Her eyes bulged large, her eyebrows darting closer to her front hairline and her jaws almost low enough to touch her bare breast.

“Do you mean…” she pointed at a now calm Roseline who allowed her face to hide her anger and thirst for revenge and was now putting on a mask of queenship waiting patiently for Sandra to lose her guard so that she could descend on her.

“Absolutely. I never knew you could be this foolish,” Dustan could hold back his anger no longer as he let out as much frustration as his heart could carry wishing there was a way he could just fling her out the room to save himself from more embarrassment.

“But…why.. why… did you not stop me?” She stammered, folding her pointed fingers back in as she tried to hide the fear that shone in her eyes like a meteor and the vibration in her voice that pointed terrifyingly to sorrow.

Dustan took in a deep breath in order to have enough energy to ignore her. “I'm ready for the meeting,” he turned to face Roseline with a forced genuine smile that barely grazed his eyes and that would have been accepted genuinely but for the fact that Roseline was not ready to play forgiveness.

“If you like, we could discuss how best to punish her?” He went on, seemingly in the dark about Roseline's thought, bowing slightly to show a gentle reverence.

It was then that Sandra immediately got all the conviction she had been waiting for.

Putting two and two together was harder than necessary, as she now had to relive the moments her head had been on fire and tongue had been sharper than a knife.

She tightened her eyes and fist with every word and anger she could relive. She needed no soothsayer to tell her that she had battered down everything.

But still, she wasn't used to being in the wrong and was struggling with difficulty to find some fault to pin on Roseline too, to reduce her guilt and give her some breathing space.

Now she was left in a dilemma. Not knowing whether to beg on her knees or just politely ask for forgiveness or walk away with her pride intact and the deal cancelled.

The last two options sounded and looked more enticing than the rest because she was beginning to conclude that in a way, it was Roseline's fault.

What would she be doing with her man just a few hours after her divorce? She tried to reduce the guilt in her heart by thinking of Roseline as a provoker.

But causing trouble certainly wouldn't help her career as she had promised to keep her career first before her feelings.

So she decided to straighten her face and politely apologize. “I'm sorry,” she rushed the words, avoiding eye contact at the eyes watching her and analysing literally everything about her.

Of course she was embarrassed and would've rather hit her head on the wall than apologize. But she had to. Her company was at the brink of bankruptcy and it would be pure stupidity to act with pride.

With the cold reminder of her predicament, she bent her neck in the form of a bow, biting her lower lip so hard that she tasted blood.

Roseline began her reply with a soft chuckle. “Is that supposed to pass for an apology, a meagre “I'm sorry”?” She chuckled once more, clapping her hands in wonder.

“Blood splattered out my mouth and you're saying sorry?” She humphed, shaking her head sarcastically.

“After basically assaulting me?” Roseline's voice rose higher and higher, making her stand to her feet.

“No, I refuse to accept that,” her voice carried enough finality to educate Sandra on how bad she had acted.

“I'll do anything,” Sandra said calmly, hands tightly by her side trying to cut more rude statements from rushing from Roseline and piercing her heart more than it had already done.

“Then kneel!!!” The command sliced throughout her chest like a butcher's knife dissecting an animal and sent fight or flee signals to her newly throbbing brain.

It wasn't so much the command, but the commander. She had never expected David to scream at her that way.