Charles' POV:
Scarlett's grievance caused me so much heartache that I felt like a swarm of wasps were stinging my heart. After she left, I walked to Rita with a cold glance in my eyes.
"Why did you go to see Scarlett? If you could not take care of things on your own, then I would have helped you."
"Charles, what are you even talking about? I don't understand. I consider her as a part of my family." Rita looked flustered, but it was obvious that she knew what I meant. She was a smart woman, but her cleverness was used for the wrong things.
"Since when did you become so close to Scarlett? You did not treat her like family when you caused trouble for her, did you?" I sneered.
"I... I have realized that I was wrong before. I was blinded by jealousy, but now, I understand that Scarlett is a good person, so I wanted to invite her to our wedding..."
"That's unnecessary." I interrupted her with a frown. The way she nagged people all the time disgusted me.
"What... What do you mean by that?" Rita stammered as she held onto my sleeve.
I pulled my arm away, lit a cigarette, and slowly took a drag. "The wedding is canceled as of now, and as for your last wish, I can compensate you in other ways."
"Charles!" Rita snapped in disbelief.
Looking at her shocked expression through the screen of smoke, I felt very calm. "Rita, thank you for saving me back then, and I will try my best to satisfy you monetarily. But if it's a relationship you want from me, then I am sorry. I can't give you that. I'm a selfish person, and you have already trampled on my bottom line." "No! It's not like that. Charles, please don't call off the wedding. I apologize, and I swear I won't piss you off ever again." Shaking her head, she pleaded me with tears in her eyes.
"Enough, Rita. Don't embarrass yourself." I pulled away coldly.
"It's all Scarlett's fault. That bitch! If she hadn't intervened in our relationship, then you wouldn't have changed your mind. She is the one to blame! She is the third party!" Rita suddenly became hysterical. She almost seemed like she was going to eat Scarlett alive.
"Rita Lively, I don't want to hear this ever again. Scarlett and I are a real couple, and you have been cheating on me for a long time now. Do you really think that I don't know what happened between you and Richard?" I warned her with a sneer.
"I... I can explain. Richard and I are not like that. I am sure it was just someone spreading groundless rumors about us. Someone must have wanted to slander me."
"I don't want to hear another word from you." Disgusted with her, I stubbed the unfinished cigarette and left.
Scarlett's POV:
As soon as I got home, I received a call from Nina, asking me to join her for dinner at her house. I wasn't in the mood and I wanted to refuse her, but after her continuous persuasion, I finally agreed.
Nina was from a wealthy family. The same year that she had started working, her parents had bought her a duplex apartment. Moreover, she was a hard-worker, which had financially helped her live the life she wanted over the time.
Nina was the one that prepared the dinner that evening, and it was a sumptuous, fancy French dinner. Feeling full from all the delicious food, I was happy, so I volunteered to help her with the dishes.
"Honey, stay here tonight, okay? Let's have a girl's night and chat like the good friends we are," Nina suggested while feeding her pet in the living room.
I washed the dishes and hesitated for a while, but thinking that Charles would come to my house, I instantly agreed to her proposal.
After a while, Nina walked in with my phone in her hand.
"Honey, your phone is ringing. It seems to be an unknown caller."
"Answer it for me, please." I raised my hands which were covered in soap foam, indicating that I would not be able to answer the call.
Nina nodded and put my phone on speaker. A cool and pleasant male voice came from the other end of the line.
"Hello, honey." "Oh, wait! It's Nina here, and Scarlett is washing the dishes. Hold on, I'll hand the phone to her." Nina was startled when she heard Charles' voice, and quickly handed me the phone.
I wiped my hands awkwardly and took the phone from her. Nina, on the other hand, ran out of the kitchen, rubbing her palms as if she was afraid of hearing something that she should not be hearing. "Why didn't you save your husband's number?" she muttered.
"Why aren't you home?" Charles complained.
"Nina invited me to her house for dinner. Well, I have to go. I'm doing the dishes."
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