Chapter 12
For some reason, I couldn’t make myself open the letter. I kept staring at the words on the back of the envelope.
‘With Love,
To Lilith Mendez, my protégé’
Sighing, I held it to my chest and turned onto my side to cuddle it. Mrs. Beaumont really had been a mother figure to me, and I missed her so much. I knew she had a dinner party coming up and I’d be able to see her soon.
Finally bringing myself out of my nostalgic days as her apprentice, I opened the letter and read through it.
Dear Lilith,
I hope you’re doing well. It made me so happy to see you at Barry Halls’ wedding. And I think you did such a wonderful job finding him a wife, she’s an absolute sweetheart, even if she’s not as rich as his parents would have liked. Her intellect brought so much more to the table than simply a pretty face would have (although a pretty face can be enough to get by with).
A lot of parents have been coming to me, praising you in your skill of finding their children suitors that are tailored to their happiness. Whilst I know you haven’t had the happiest ever after, your gift of creating love between people never diminishes. You’re absolutely magical, my darling.
You can guess what I did when I was approached by an Italian couple yesterday. They own some of the finest wineries in the country, but have a son who does not wish to take over the company. They begged me to do them an impossible service of finding them a daughter-in-law who could do so, as to pass the company down to her. The family conflicts are complicated to the point they’re willing to allow this.
I suggested I would send you to them in Italy myself. You need not worry about a thing, it will all be covered. You are to stay a few weeks with them, and the pay is handsome. All you need to do is find him a wife who would also take over their assets and carry them to greater heights of success. They were so impressed with how Mr. Halls’ business and life was going, and I told them it was all your doing.
That aside, I’m aware of the turbulence in your life. All you need to know is that you worked hard to get where you are. You walked out of my office after your training and faced the world on your own, with my name needed nowhere to help you. I can’t explain the happiness I feel when someone comes to me to talk about you, only for me to tell them that I had the honor of having you under my tutelage.
Your work is unconventional, it is different. It is more human. You are empathetic and kind to people, and you go beyond your repertoire to give people what they need, if not what they want. No matter what the circumstances, our circles are tight knit and we all know just how wonderful you are as a person outside your work.
We believe not a word in the papers. I would advise you to lay low for the time being while the others and I rally in your favor to protect your image. There is nothing you need to worry about.
If there is anything you need from me, anything at all, I’m just a call away. Or an e-mail. Perhaps a letter. Whichever you may prefer. Also, I hope you remember the dinner party I told you about. It’s on the 15th of November. I’ll introduce you to your new clients then, so do wrap up all of your work and have a packed bag to go, should you accept my offer.
Let me know when you can. I look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you soon.
Much love,
Mrs. Agatha Beaumont
Tear drops fell onto the beautiful soft paper as my eyes read the letter over and over, especially the last three paragraphs. The pain of feeling blemished and humiliated finally surfaced, and I cried. Hard. I stuffed my face into my pillow and wailed into it, suddenly feeling so alone in the glaring absence of Mrs. Beaumont around me.
She truly was the mother I’d always wanted.
Would it be too much if I asked to stay with her just for a week? But that would be so very ridiculous. Who even does that?
After a good cry, I straightened myself up in determination and decided to be strong. I knew I could pull through this. I wasn’t as alone as I believed, not anymore. It was time to face this problem head on and deal with it.
But first, I absolutely needed some sleep.
The restaurant was well lit, with elaborate chandeliers raining down from high, curved ceilings. The off-white walls were accented with intricate gold designs that screamed royalty. The air was cool and was lightly fragranced with the smell of fresh flowers.
It was a gorgeous place and Lyra seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. But I wasn’t going to be there just yet.
I kept myself discreetly at the Helvig’s entrance, keeping an eye out for Blair. It didn’t take long for me to spot her leaving the building and getting in her car to leave. That was my cue to go in.
“All you need to do is walk in confidently like you work there,” Lyra had explained when she’d dropped me off here in her own car, “No one will stop you. Too many people walk in and out of this building and half the people here don’t even know each other. You’ll be fine.”
Taking her advice, I walked in with my head held high and jacket collar up around my neck. My hair was let down loose, which was new considering I always kept it tied up. I had on a pair of steel rimmed glasses and blue contact lenses. It was ridiculousl how much small changes could render a person unrecognizable.
Lyra was right. No one bothered to turn a head towards me. There were too many people too distracted by their errands. And since I wasn’t walking towards the reception, they paid me no mind.
My heart was beating in my throat, regardless. I was nervous. The muscles in my legs were slowly turning to jelly, and I was waiting for someone to call me out and catch me in my disguise. But I made it to the elevator and no one had anything to say.
Letting out a deep breath, I let it carry me up the floors. I couldn’t believe how far I was going to clear my name. Well, not really clear it, but to get evidence of her bullshit. Was I too desperate? Perhaps.
The elevator dinged open and I walked out towards the large doors. With each step I took, the door only seemed to get further away from me. I understood that I was simply panicking, though, and kept on going. The doors were upon me in no time and I didn’t waste a second getting inside.
No later than a minute, I found myself behind her desk rummaging through her drawers carefully. She did have files, but nothing that looked out of the ordinary. Looking towards the computer, I carefully reached for the button to turn it on. It opened to the lock screen.
Crap, I sighed, I need her password.
But honestly, though…how smart could she be?
I went to the hint: B-day ;)
Huh? No need for a winky face, sheesh. Going through my own recent memory, I punched in her birthdate in about 3 different formats, but nothing worked. I groaned, going back to the hint to see if I missed something. The winky face stared back at me, as ridiculous as ev–
Oh… I realized with a sinking heart. Not her birthday.
It took two tries, but it worked.
Cristo’s birthday.
My eyes stared at her screen, disappointed. I knew it was her but…I didn’t think Marcus would be involved. He was the one who supplied the pictures. I knew he had invasive tendencies but I didn’t think he would properly stalk me this much. He had so many pictures of me in so many places. Most were with Cristo. Each was dated.
This was insane, but at least now I had proof to have a restraining order against him.
I forwarded all emails to myself making sure all the directory information was included that marked the dates and e-mail addresses of the two. I got ahold of the mails Blair sent to publications to post the pictures.
It was all heartbreaking to see in person. Shaking my head, I made sure I’d gotten everything and went into her sent mail to delete evidence of my presence, and then further checking the trash folder. I left no stone unturned.
I understood she was still in love with Cristo and they were dating again, but saw no reason why she should go as far as to ruin me. What kind of deranged jealousy was this? Didn’t she have everything? A good life, a good family, a secure future?
Why was she after me?
Groaning, I held my head to massage the oncoming headache away. I knew I should get to the restaurant immediately before she noticed me gone for too long.
To say I was sour was an understatement. Forcing a smile that evening was the most difficult thing I had to do. Blair was there with Cristo by her side, and I stuck to the other end of the table with Lyra, keeping out of their vision. Cristo didn’t even bother looking at anyone else besides Blair, and I knew he was already a goner for her.
There was no way he would believe me if I tried to explain it to him. He was head over heels in love with the girl.
I may have what I needed, but I‘d lost what I secretly wanted. I hated myself so much for finally admitting to it. I liked Cristo, for real. And he was gone now.
Did it even matter if I cleared up my name?
“Lilith,” Lyra whispered to me, “here, look at this.”
I took the tablet from her and looked at a message posted in the US Matchmakers Official group site. It was from Mrs. Beaumont’s assistant.
In light of the recent news regarding one of my students, Lilith Mendez, I would like to ask everyone to not engage in spreading the false allegations made in such articles. Lilith Mendez has been my student for two years, and has worked hard without the need of my references to make a name for herself in the United States. There is no evidence to prove her lack of ethics and disloyalty to this industry, except pictures of her working like she always has since receiving her license.
When I saw Lilith Mendez years ago, she stood as a scholar with a proposal in the works of science. She offered her genius creations to me, claiming it would boost my work fourfold. What I did intuitively, she had managed to create a computer system out of by studying the human being, their body and mind. Seeing the levels of empathy and far-sightedness she possessed in terms of connecting with people, I asked her to join me for a day in my ventures. It was my luck that she felt drawn to this career, and she accepted my offer to be her mentor.
Never before had I ever had to extend an offer to anyone. People came to me, not the other way around. And so for two years, I saw this shy, brilliant, and hopeful young lady grow into the magnificent woman that I know now, blooming with potential, kindness, and love for all kinds of people. Lilith Mendez changed me, taught me to love those who I was brought up to be wary of. She made me see relationships in perspectives much different from money, but other kinds of compatibilities which would make them last longer with lesser conflicts.
Funnily enough, whilst Lilith Mendez might not believe in true love and happily ever after, she still holds love in her heart that’s only waiting to be given to the right people. Through all of her hardships, she’s strived to look past the surface of people’s actions and dig deeper to understand them. It is beyond anyone to believe that Lilith Mendez, who is so successful as a matchmaker with a career that won’t slow down any time soon, someone who keeps to herself and trusts very few people, would find the need to seduce a man she barely knows on a personal level.
The nature of her work, however similar to others, is different at its basics. She doesn’t treat her clients as patients at a hospital for a diagnosis. She treats them as a friend, ready to understand what they want and need.
Lilith Mendez, my best student, if you are reading this then please hold your head high. There are many who have sat with you, and even more that know you in your truest sense. People believe in your pure nature and good-heartedness. Do not let baseless allegations bring you down.
-Agatha Beaumont
I read the message with tears springing into my eyes and went through the plethora of comments with positive and supportive messages, some even going as far as to tag the publications that released the articles of accusations against me with their dissections.
Looking at Lyra who smiled at me comfortingly, I knew I’d be all right.
I just really needed to take Blair down before she hit me where it hurt.