บท 10: NEVER AGAIN

The dining table became silent immediately, everyone paused their actions and stared at Grandma Elizabeth and Mary.

Mary didn't know what to say as she felt everyone's gazes on her. She returned to eating her meal like nothing happened but on the inside, her blood was boiling with rage.

When will this old woman die so that she can get the family's property? She clutched the spoon in her hand so tightly that her veins were starting to pop out.

Grandma Elizabeth ignored her after saying that and asked Adrian again,"Where is Erika?"

Adrian simply replied, "I don't know Grandma".

Grandma Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you mean by you don't know, have you not seen her since you divorced?".

Adrain could feel a headache coming but he still replied politely, "Grandma, we are no longer together and she can do whatever she wants", he continued with his meal.

Grandma sighed, "I don't blame the poor thing, she must have been happy that she was able to be free from your evil clutches. Adrain I keep telling you this and I will say it again, you missed a good woman". After saying that she got up and left with the help of butler David of course.

Adrain didn't understand why Grandma kept saying that. Erika is not the one he loves, it's Felicia or so he thought.

Mary glanced at her husband and wanted to ask him about the company issues but then, she remembered the slap and subconsciously touched her cheeks. She turned to Adrain instead, "How are things at the company Adrian?".

Adrain replied with only two words "Not good". He also didn't approve of the scene that his stepmom and sister caused and because of that some board of directors wanted to sell their shares.

Mary gulped her saliva, she didn't want to be poor again. She came from a poor family and did a lot of tricks to become the Madam of the mansion, now she doesn't want to lose it all.

She looked at Adam and said, "Am sorry".

Adam only gave her a cold look and left the table. His hard work is not going to go down the drain because of a senseless woman.

Far away from where they are, in an enormous company building with about 70 floors. On the highest floor, a man with spectacles that hung up on his nose read through the documents in his hands and listened to the man who was giving him information.

The informer said "Boss, it's been confirmed. She left their mansion and divorced her husband. Now she is with her family."

The man with spectacles replied, "That's good. Continue following her and report to me everything she does, everywhere she goes to whom she goes out with, and who she meets, do you understand that?".

The informer replied, "Yes boss, I will report everything to you". The informer didn't understand why his boss was asking him to follow this woman around all the time and it has been a year already. Oh well, it wasn't his business. He just had to do his job and get paid. He left the office and went to carry out his mission.

The man removed his spectacles and stared at the woman in the picture he was holding now. The picture was taken from the security cameras at the airport. He whispered, "You still look as beautiful as the last time I saw you".

He could still remember the first day that they bumped into each other clearly as it played in his head.

**One year ago

In the Harts mansion, Erika was busy doing her supposed chores when Mary went to her and said, "Hey listen, I want you to do grocery shopping for the house, we are running out of stocks." It was a lie. They always stock up their kitchen with food that could last them for a full year but she just wanted to trouble Erika.

Erika was a little confused but still politely said "But mother, am currently busy, After this, am going to tend to grandma's garden, you can send the servants instead".

Mary became angry and flared up "Are you arguing with me? You are not the one who pays the servants their salaries so you don't have the right to decide what I can send them on or not. I want you to go." She handed Erika the list of things to buy and the card to pay for it "Here is the list and card, you know the pin, and also don't spend more than what you have to pay for."

Erika obediently took it and left to go get the things needed not knowing that there was not a single money in the card.

Erika arrived at her destination started picking out everything on the list and summed it up to a total of 20 thousand dollars.

Outside the supermarket, a young lady's voice was the only thing you could hear in the black-tinted car as she begged and begged her brother to not send her back to the main mansion. "Ethan please, I promise to never go clubbing again until I become an adult ", Cassandra held her brother's hand and pouted cutely. That was her secret weapon to make him agree to anything she wanted.

Ethan stared at his little sister and instantly looked away when he saw her pouting. She knows that this trick always worked on him. He sighed and said, "Okay, I won't send you back to the main mansion since you promised to never go clubbing until you officially become an adult but only under one condition".

Cassandra's eyes lit up and she quickly said "Sure, anything Ethan."

"You are going to make dinner for us tonight", Ethan said.

Cassandra became even more happy. Since she can cook it wouldn't be too hard for her to fulfill the condition. "Okay then let's go grocery shopping".

"Hold on, this is what I want you to prepare for dinner." He showed her pics of Chinese dishes and she felt a sweat fall from her neck even though there was AC in the car. "Don't even bother to argue coz am not going to change it now let's go".

Cassandra thought in her head, "We are Americans, why would he want Chinese dishes? He just wants to make things hard for me, humph." And she slowly got down from the car.