At Her Beck And Call

7. Not Salvageable

The divorce went down smoothly, almost too smoothly, and Mandy couldn’t help but wonder why Harrison had insisted on her getting the penthouse. It was odd enough of him to add a clause in their divorce agreement that she couldn’t house a man there, but what was his point?

Why would she even entertain a man in the penthouse that held so many memories of her and her devilish ex-husband? She was no masochist.

Did he truly think she would want to torture herself so?

Hell, she wasn’t sure she would even make use of the penthouse at all. But the fact was that she couldn’t sell it either.

She quite liked staying with her best friend, and Sam herself had expressed her own need for Mandy’s support.

They were both going through so much that the only solace they both had was one another.

It was bittersweet and saddening to hear back from her mother a week or so after the papers were finalized, after nearly two years absent, only to receive reprimands.

“What prompted you, you silly woman, to ask for a divorce?” Was what had first greeted her ears.

“Mom,” she released a sigh. “You don’t understand.”

“I do understand,” her mother denied. “You let your husband go.”

“He and I,” she began hesitantly, only to finish lamely, “we just didn’t work.”

“That’s what couple therapy is for,” came the harsh chiding. “I cannot believe you took such a reckless decision without at least consulting me first.”

The reckless decision she spoke of was obviously none of her concern, but Mandy didn’t dare say that to her mother – not even on the phone.

“Cat ate your tongue, little girl?”

“What was there to consult, mom?” Mandy sighed again. “You would have told me to act like a trophy wife ought to, and to shut my trap.”

“Exactly,” her mother agreed with her at once. “I hope you understand that I am saying this with your own interests in mind: Save your marriage!”

What was there to save? Mandy scoffed as she saw red at the memory of the mistress that had been daring enough to come knocking on her door. 

“I am not you, mother,” she told her briskly. “I cannot stand the thought of my husband going behind my back and bedding whoever he fancied.”

“You are naïve if you think men can be faithful,” her mother scoffed. “Save your marriage.”

“If I never see him again, it’ll be too soon,” was Mandy’s clipped response.

“Then, don’t expect to find me supportive of such foolishness,” her mother then told her.

And with that, she hung up without further ado.

“You never were supportive, mother,” Mandy sighed, looking at the phone wearily.

She knew that Harrison had wanted the whole matter to be solved without their parents getting wind of it. And Mandy, being the private no-fuss person that she was, had naturally agreed. Therefore, how her mom came to know, so soon, that they had gotten a divorce was a little bit of a mystery.

“Who was that?” Sam peeked into the living room. “Harrison?”

Mandy shook her head negatively “No.”

“Do I even want to know?” Her best friend quipped. “You have murder in your eyes.”

“It was mom.”

“Oh, she heard?”

Mandy nodded at her in response and released a sigh.

Sam grimaced slightly and then told her, “No matter what she said, don’t let her words get to you.”

Mandy merely nodded again even as her teeth gnawed on her bottom lip.

“I made pancakes,” Sam then announced in a sweet tone, no doubt trying to lighten the mood.

“Buying my silence now, Sam?” Mandy let out in a teasing tone.  

“Is it working?” Samantha raised an eyebrow at that.

“You bet,” she giggled.

“I’m glad because I am positively starving.”

“Let’s,” Mandy suggested.

Samantha started walking and Mandy followed suit.

They might not be the most talkative when it came to their problems but they were still each other’s most reliable support.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Harrison was distracted in a board meeting, and he was never distracted.

He remembered the way Mandy had refused a settlement – vehemently – and how she had insisted on getting the divorce over with, the sooner the better.

Did her paramour matter so much to her?

Or was she that eager to get rid of Harrison?  

“Are you okay, Mr. Michaelson?” One the shareholders asked him in a concerned tone that was no doubt fake.

Harrison weighed down his options as he looked at the bald man levelly, and then opted for, “I am not feeling well, I’ll have to admit.”

Admitting weakness wasn’t something he was fond of. But since he had been distracted enough to be called out on it, there was no escaping it. Should anyone ask anything of him, he could – god forbid – mumble. And Harrison never mumbled.

“We have discussed the most important matters for now,” he went on, not missing a beat, “As for the possible acquisition of David Corp, I’ll handle the matter personally.”

“Sure,” the shareholders agreed in unison.

There was a common glint of greed in most of their eyes.

And it wasn’t long before Harrison dismissed them, wanting to be left alone with her somber thoughts.  

No one – man or woman – had ever affected him so. He wasn’t one to allow his personal issues to affect his business mindset.

And yet, Mandy had achieved that.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt longing for anyone, much less her.

Mandy was plain at best, no matter how sweet she was.

Harrison ended up believing he needed to get laid. And for that very purpose, he needed to stop sulking in his office, drowning himself in work, and mingle more than he would want.