Vengeance is a sweet fruit

BLESSINGS OF MOTHER'S LOVE

Stella’s P.O.V.

I didn’t know why I reacted like that. I was hurt. I was not the aggressive type. I was always chirpy, sweet and caring. I never shouted on anyone in my past life. I felt hurt whenever dad hid anything confidential related to our business but shared with Lexi. That hurt a lot. I was much capable than Lexi. Dad was not partial. He loved me more than Lexi. Still, he put Lexi above me in the business matters.

When I heard that Nicholas hid something related to business and my work, it infuriated so long inner anger of mine that got mixed with Andrea’s temper and I …. I blasted.

When I woke up, I found myself in my bedroom. Mom told me that I fainted in the office and Nicholas and Tyler dropped me as the doctor told them that I would not wake up soon. I was still weak and needed time to heal. I saw worry and pain on mom’s face and it made me saddened. She was not my mother but the biological mother of Andrea. For her, I was her Andrea. She was worried about her daughter’s wellness and it made me more saddened. I couldn't get love and care as Stella.

I craved for mother’s love throughout my love. I was jealous of Andrea for having such a loving and caring mother. The love in her eyes for her daughter, it made me cursed the fate every time. Why did fate put me in such a condition? I then made me understand that fate did this because the fate didn’t want to make mom suffer for the loss of her only daughter and it wanted to give me motherly love. It was the only reason why did fate did this?

“Andy?” I opened my eyes to Mom’s voice.

“Yes, Mom?” I asked her in a tired tone. I was feeling dizzy and very exhausted. I tried to sit down on the bed but my head started spinning again. I held my head and felt mom’s hands on my shoulders. She helped me in laying down again.

“I brought dinner for you, sweety. Let me feed you”, she said to me in a gentle tone. I hummed and then she raised the pillow beneath my head by adding another one. Now, I could eat properly. She fed me by her own hands and I felt greedy. I liked the way she was feeding me so lovingly. I was having Chicken n Corn soup as the doctor suggested for something light in the dinner.

“I think you should rest for some more days, Andy. Look at yourself… you are looking so pale”, she complained in a loving voice while putting the spoon in my mouth. I gulped down the content and smiled.

“Mom…I am fine… it’s just…. Nicholas again made me angry”, I made a face and she smiled. “You are a grown-up woman, Andy. But sometimes, you behaved like a 5 years old brat”, she made a face like mine and we both laughed then.

“You know I love you so much, mom”, I chirped and she looked at me surprisingly. I felt something weird and got alerted.

“Did I do something wrong, mom?” I asked her nervously. My heartbeat starting raising.

“No…. of course not sweety…. It’s just…. You rarely showed your emotions…. And … I love you too, sweetheart”, her eyes were teary now. It overwhelmed me. I raised my hands towards her unconsciously. She put the bowl on the side table and came to me. She took me in her embrace and I felt her relaxed. I tightened my grip on her. Her motherly warmth sent a wave of relieving into my body. I really wished for this type of affection in my past life almost every day and it seemed that God had answered my prayers.

“You are my only reason to live this life, Andy. I only want you healthy and safe”, she said to me while stroking my hairs lovingly. I hid my face in her crook and inhaled her scent. After sometimes, she put me down on the pillow and started feeding me again.

After finishing my meal, she gave me my medicines and then tucked me in the duvet before bidding me good night.

I tried to sleep but couldn’t get any. I thought that I already had slept for a long time, so that was the only reason, I was not able to sleep right now. I opened my eyes and picked up my phone. I opened it and saw a few messages from Nicholas and Tyler. I smiled and opened Nicholas’s messages first.

Nicholas: you really scared me, Andrea. Don’t do this again on my face. (sad emoji)

I smiled and laughed a little. Then I opened the next message.

Nicholas: if you woke up, just send me a message of okay. I am still worried about you. (sad emoji)

I pouted. How much he cared about Andrea. I opened his next message and it made me alert. He sent this message a few minutes before.

Nicholas: Hey… I know that you are not well and I don’t know whether you woke up or not. I just wanted to tell you that The CEO of Tips and Toes is coming tomorrow for a meeting with us. I received a mail on your ID this evening. I want you with me at this meeting. So…. See you in the morning….

My heart started racing after reading Lexi’s name again and again. Finally, I would see her in front of me again. Every torture of her replayed in front of my eyes and my eyes went teary. I batted my lashes for a few times to shrug off the tears.

I had to prepare myself for this meeting. She was cunning like a fox and I didn’t want to let Nicholas down in front of her. She was very good at manipulating the facts and made her opponents kneeled down in front of her.

It would be my first time to face her as a business associate. I knew her tactics like the back of my hand but I didn’t want to raise her suspicion for me. For her, I would be PA of Nicholas and I have to maintain Andrea’s attitude with my knowledge. I must not let her win this time.

I immediately replied Nicholas back:-

Andy: Hey bossy… I am perfectly fine now and sure will be with you tomorrow. You can’t get rid of me soon.(winking emoji)

I hit the send button and then took my laptop from the side table. I opened the laptop. I was about to open my mail when my phone started ringing. I looked at the watch. It was almost 11 p.m. Who could call me this time?

I picked up my phone and saw Nicholas’s pic on the caller screen. I immediately picked the call.

“Hey bossy… missing me so much?” I asked him in a teasing voice.

“Care to explain sweetheart, why are you still awake?” he asked me in an annoyed tone and I pouted as if he could see.

“How rude are you? Don’t you love me?” I asked him in a complained tone but instantly regretted. How stupid I was? I slapped my forehead.

“Uhhh…. You should…”, I instantly cut him off. “don’t you think so highly of you Mr Nicholas Anderson. I was just kidding. Okay”, I said to him in a flat tone but my heart was pounding hard in my chest.

“It’s just… I want to go through everything before tomorrow’s meeting. I already have done my work but still, don’t want to take any risk. I have heard about her reputation. As the face of our company, we should be strong in front of her”, I explained to him in a professional tone and heard him chuckling.

“You are really something, Andrea. Well…. Just don’t stress yourself. You really scared me today”, he said in a concerned tone and I smiled.

“Okay bossy”, I chirped in a kiddish tone and he laughed. Then he bid me good night and we both hung up. I sighed and then looked at my screen again.

I opened my mail and filtered our correspondence with them. I already had noted down every important detail but wanted to reassure everything. I started reading them one by one and again noted down what I thought would be important for the meeting.

I received some mails notifications and saw that Nicholas had forwarded me his correspondence with them. I mentally thanked him.

After taking notes from my mails, I started opening the mails he forwarded me. I started taking notes from them too. I felt something off in some mails. Though most of them were written in a very professional way, some lines were out of the way. I tried hard to get their meanings. They all were in different mails.

Suddenly I realized what she wanted to convey here. My face immediately turned cold and I felt anger building up in me. She was hitting on Nicholas.

“You stole everything that was mine, Lexi. But you can’t have him. He is mine”, I threatened her mentally. “You will never …ever… have a single hair of him….”, I was fuming in anger now. “Let’s see what you have gotten yourself into, Ms Lexi Hummings”.