Chapter 8: Is Mr. Sterling always so bossy?
1034 Words
"Stop," said Brian, raising a hand.
Garwood then said: “Sir, it’s your father’s sixtieth birthday this weekend. It’s at the Ritz. Your younger sister called me just now, asking if you’d like to go.”
"Tell her I’m busy” he sighed. “And arrange to have the gift sent, something big and expensive.”
Garwood hesitated for a moment, “Since you returned to Los Angeles, you haven’t been back to see your family. This time…"
“That’s enough.” Brian interrupted, stern-faced. It was getting dark out and he could see the phosphorous street lights were flickering on, one by one in the distance. “Pick up Alessa and drive her home.”
Garwood bit back his tongue and nodded, went to leave.
Judy hurried over. “Oh, you know the poor relationship between Mr. Sterling and his father,” she hissed. “why keep bringing it up? You know it only makes him upset.”
Garwood forced a smile: “I just want to know why. It feels like there’re secrets everywhere with this family and I know none of them.”
He’d been Brian’s private bodyguard for two years now, not long enough to figure out the Gordian knot that was the Sterling family. Judy, meanwhile, had been with Mr. Sterling since his birth and knew every detail about him. In a lot of ways, mused Garwood, she was like a mother to him.
Judy shot Garwood a look that said ‘leave it’ and waved a hand dismissively. “Let it go, Garwood. And besides, didn’t Mr. Stirling ask you to send that young girl home? Chop-chop!” She said, clapping her hands.
***
When Alessa came to the gate, she realized that she was still none the wiser about who this guy actually was.
She decided to collect her thoughts about what she did know.
He was single as he wasn't wearing a ring. He was handsome. Alessa blushed a little at that.
He seemed to be interested in her, but he did do something terrible to her.
Lord, what bargain have I struck? She thought.
She felt a twinge of regret – or was it buyer’s remorse? – take hold. She wavered, standing below the awning of an oak tree a little down the drive when her phone started to ring. She answered the phone, it was Jose. “Where are you?”
She frowned. “What?”
“This Sunday is my grandfather's birthday. Jose said impatiently. “I will pick you up tomorrow morning. Dress yourself up pretty and don’t embarrass me."
She clenched her teeth: “I’m. Not. Going. And I don’t want anything more to do with you and your family."
Jose’s tone was cold: “I don’t want to bring you there either but it’s not up to me. It’s my granddad, he’s real big on family. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get him mad at me. I’ll pick you up tomorrow and don’t bring your mope face along. Try cheering up a bit, eh?
"I...“ Jose hung up before she could protest.
Suddenly any second thought she had before about this Mr. Stirling vanished. Whatever he wanted, it would be a price worth paying to get rid of Jose and her cousin, Mandy.
She neared the gate at the end of the gravel drive. “You're going so soon, miss.” The guard waved.
She smiled at him as he stood uneasily.
She was about to ask a few questions from the security guard, when Garwood caught up to her in his car. His head out the window: “Miss Schultz, get in the car please, Mr. Sterling asked me to send you home.”
She got in and they pulled away.
Along the way, Alessa probed for further information about this man Sterling and what she had gotten tangled up in. But Garwood was good at his job and remain stoic. “Miss Schultz, I’m here to take you home, not to play twenty questions. If you do have any questions about Mr. Sterling, you can ask him yourself.”
Well, that’s that. She thought.
Alessa knitted her brow: “Is Mr. Sterling always so bossy?”
Garwood shrugged: “You’ll know soon enough.”
Alessa sighed and slid back into her seat.
“Stop here, please,” Alessa said as they rounded the bend onto her street. Garwood stopped and she got out and rushed into the house without looking back. Before she could get upstairs, however, a hand clapped her on the shoulder and Mandy was there, grinning. “Alessa?” said Mandy. She was in her PJs eating cereal. “Where have you been?” Suddenly, the image of Mandy on top of Jose lit up like wildfire in her brain. She felt sick and desperately wanted the image out of her head so she thought about Mr. Sterling instead.
As soon as his face emerged in her mind, those disgusting images of Mandy and Jose vanished.
“Hmm?” She replied to Mandy, turning her head back.
"Why the hurry? Where’d you go tonight?”
“Just took a walk.”
"Is that so?” She said, her voice lowering to an interrogative tone. “With who? I saw the car – who the hell was that?” Mandy was going straight for the jugular.
“No one sent me back, okay? You’re wrong.”
“No, I’m right and I know what I saw. And it wasn’t Jose’s car.” An edge of envy entered Mandy’s voice now, the way a cat screeches before a fight. She made to go upstairs but Mandy blocked her and went on: “I don’t want to lecture you, little cousin, but if you’re going to be a good wife for Jose, you can’t simply go off in other men’s cars at this time of night.”
Alessa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The nerve of it - with no small sense of irony dolloped in.
She stared at Mandy with a sardonic grin.
Mandy felt naked under Alessa’s gaze. “Don’t look at me like that!” She said, swatting her face away.
- Writer
