Chapter 9 A Joke in His Eyes
Climbing upstairs, Alexander stood on the steps with his hands plunged into his trouser pockets, a gloomy expression on his face as he listened to the conversation emanating from a cellphone downstairs.
"Even though I'm getting on in years, Lillian, I'm not senile," Lisa said assertively on the phone. "Adam has already told me, Mr. Sinclair is quite fond of you. He dotes on you—it's not like him to agree to a divorce. Don't try to fool me!"
Fond? Lillian wondered where Adam had gotten the idea that he was really fond of her.
"Aunt Lisa, I'm not lying to you. Mr. Sinclair and I—there's no real emotion between us. It’s just a business arrangement. We really will divorce after a year."
Lisa chuckled disdainfully on the other end of the line, her laughter tainted with annoyance. "You've just gotten married, Lillian, and you've already forgotten us. Harry and I raised you both for twenty years. Even if not for our achievements, you must consider our efforts. Now it's your turn to repay the favor, and you're making excuses. This hurts Harry and me."
Lillian sighed. She had told the truth, yet was met with disbelief. Now, with family brought into it, she felt even more defenseless.
Seizing the quiet moment, Lisa continued, "According to tradition, you should come visit us with Mr. Sinclair. We can also discuss the finances with him in person."
Upon hearing this, Lillian panicked and quickly responded, "Aunt, his job keeps him busy and he won’t be coming back with me."
"You haven't even asked him. How do you know he can't come back?" Lisa's tone sharpened.
"Aunt, why don't you believe anything I say? He really won't come back with me," said Lillian, drained.
On the phone, Lisa's voice brimmed with mockery. "Lillian, I know what you're thinking. Now that you have money, you look down on us, your poor relatives, don't you? One must have a conscience. Oscar is still lying in the hospital and you need to think about him!"
After that remark, Lillian felt like she had done something terribly wrong. Lisa kept leveraging their familial ties, and if Lillian kept refusing, Lisa was bound to get angry.
"Please don't say that, Aunt Lisa. I don't look down on you at all," Lillian reluctantly conceded. "I’ll talk to Mr. Sinclair today, but I can't promise he'll come back with me."
"He's so busy. Something like coming home is sure to slip his mind. However, with your reminder, he's definitely going to come back with you," Lisa brightened up considerably when she heard Lillian agree.
Hanging up the phone, Lillian let out a sigh, fretting over how she was going to broach the topic once she got off work. But before she could finish her sigh, the sound of leather shoes clicking against the marble floors from upstairs made her freeze. Her gaze darted upwards as she spotted the descending figure, which drained the color from her face in an instant.
"Mr. Sinclair..." she muttered under her breath, cursing her luck. To get caught by him even in the stairwell was just her misfortune. She couldn't be sure how much of her earlier phone conversation he had overheard.
Alexander approached her, each step he took seemed frost with cold, his voice laced with iciness. "Lillian, were you planning to announce our secret marriage to the entire company?"
"I wasn't," she stammered, trembling with fear. "Mr. Sinclair, please hear me out. This place doesn't get many visitors, and I thought... I assumed a call from my family would certainly be about my marriage, so I took the call here. I never thought anyone would come here, especially not you!"
He scoffed mockingly, "No one comes here? Is that your excuse to blab about it to anyone? Now that your family knows, are you expecting to get money from me?"
"Mr. Sinclair, didn't you say our families could know?" she asked timidly.
"I was talking about my family," he retorted, his voice rising, "Did I ever say your family could know? Lillian, are you brainless? Do you think marrying me gives you the right to do whatever you please? Did you think marrying me would elevate your status? Your mind seems to be quite busy!"
"Mr. Sinclair, I never intended to ask you for money, please don't get me wrong," she pleaded.
However, her explanation was nothing but a joke in Alexander's eyes.
"You know what you're thinking inside," he warned her. "Let me tell you one last time, keep in line and do what you're supposed to do. Don't try any of your poor tricks on me; it's nauseating!" After his final cold glare, he turned and left through the emergency exit.
Lillian leaned against the wall, deflated and self-reproaching. She had acted hastily, and if anyone had overheard, she would have only caused trouble for herself. She firmly decided never to discuss her secret marriage on the phone at work again.
Still, she could see that Alexander truly despised her, his misunderstanding ran deep. If that was the case, he could easily find someone else for this arrangement.
"With that attitude, which girl could stand him? Who would want to be with him!" she consoled herself, then left the stairwell feeling sour.
Near the end of the workday, Lillian received a text from Kevin.
Kevin: [Ms. Hill, after work, please go to the parking garage. Mr. Sinclair is waiting for you in his car.]
Looking at her phone, Lillian couldn't help but wonder, wait for him there? Did he mean to go home together after work? Impossible, right?
She pondered for a moment but held back from asking outright, deciding instead to await further instructions.
After work, she deliberately dawdled to be the last one to leave the executive office, eventually taking the elevator down to the underground parking garage. Alexander had a reserved parking spot, and she made her way toward it.
Upon reaching the car, she cautiously looked around before quickly opening the door and getting in.
"Mr. Sinclair, is something up?" she asked, not believing for a second that he truly wanted to leave work together just to head home.
Alexander spoke with a serious tone, "My mother wants to see you."
"Ah? Your mom?" Lillian blurted out in surprise, immediately realizing her slip and quickly backtracked, "Why does Ms. Samantha want to see me?"
She had met Samantha before. Each time Samantha came to the company looking for Alexander, she had a stern face, and she had even scolded employees on several occasions. Her colleagues were all a bit afraid of her.
"What do you think?" Alexander glanced at her and then warned, "When you meet my mom later, lose the silly act. Don’t embarrass me!"
"Does Ms. Samantha know about us?" Lillian asked cautiously, "She's not angry about our marriage registration?"
"Just don't say anything unnecessary," Alexander instructed.
Lillian managed a soft "Okay," sensing that something was amiss. She was praying the evening would go smoothly.
