By the time George reached home, Amelia was fast asleep. He decided not to disturb her now and relay the news in the morning.
Early next morning, there was a lot of activity in the living room. As George made it there, he saw two men dressed in plain shirts and trousers, talking to Amelia. As soon as she saw him, she walked towards him.
‘George, these are the designers I told you about. I was just discussing about the hall and the living room. Come, join us. They’ve got some really good interior layouts,’ said Amelia.
George put his hand on her shoulder and said, ‘Amelia, before all this, there is something that we need to discuss. Can we put this task on hold for a while?’
Amelia gave a puzzled look and said, ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll give them another day.’ After which, she left.
At the breakfast table, Amelia said, ‘So what is it you wanted to discuss?’
‘My meeting last night. Adam has agreed to split up the lead. Two weeks is all I get for arranging the money for the shares,’ said George.
Amelia smiled. ‘You finally got him. That’s great news. Take all the money we have. We can always shift in the villa later. It’s not like it’s going anywhere.’
George smiled.
‘By the way, how did he even agree to this?’ asked Amelia, taking a bite of her bread and egg.
‘I finally have all the evidence against him. I blackmailed him. He didn’t leave, obviously, but surprisingly offered me a seat in the lead.’
‘Two weeks more and all our troubles will be over for good. It’s time for me to go now. Classes will start in a few minutes. I am already late. Bye. See you in the evening.’ said Amelia
Amanda Blackett entered, then she received the instructions for the lunch menu, and then Amelia left.
In the evening, George and Nicolas were seated in Nicolas’s garden and were having tea.
‘You seem happy today,’ commented Nicolas.
‘That’s because I am,’ said George.
‘Do share.’
‘I am buying half of Adam’s shares in two weeks.’
‘That’s great news, buddy. How did you manage to do that? I thought that guy had no ears for others.’
‘Just used some of Adam’s own dirty tricks on him.’
‘Ha ha, I didn’t know you can walk on that route too. Seriously?’
George was smiling now.
‘It’s celebration time, and we are here sipping tea. Let’s go out tonight.’
‘Sure, inform your wife.’
In the evening, Amelia, George, Hayley, and Nicolas were seated inside one of George’s favourite hotels in the city. They were eating, drinking, and laughing their hearts out. It was celebration time after all. They talked about life in general, happy times, good things, and good people. The conversation turned to Hayley’s daughter, and then towards Amelia and George, who had no kids.
‘My friend is a—’ said Hayley.
Amelia waved off her right hand in dismissal and said, ‘What is meant to happen will happen, no matter what. Besides the school I am teaching at, they are all my kids. I love them and they love me. What more could I ask for? I get to spend half of my day with them, and I am glad for that.’
George just stared into nothing. It was a topic he no longer talked about. He had given up hope a long time ago and had accepted that his little family would only consist of Amelia. He felt lucky for having a wife like her. The waiter brought their desserts then. This cheered up their moods.
‘How are Jeremy and Mark holding up?’ asked Nicolas.
‘Jeremy is too tired and dumb. Mark is passive and thoughtful. I wish they could have learned to stand up for themselves,’ replied George.
‘Not everybody has nerves of steel like you.’
‘It’s more about standing up against injustice. They have an equal right in each and every matter. Either they are indifferent or genuinely afraid of Adam. Or maybe they simply prefer for me to do their work.’
‘You don’t bother to know?’
‘Why should I? People who don’t have any ounce of self-respect are getting none from me.’
Nicolas nodded and ate his chocolate fondant. Silence had crept over the table. A moment later, George’s cell phone rang. He looked at the screen for a few seconds and picked it up.
‘Yes?’ he asked.
He listened to the voice at the other end for about ten minutes. The colour drained from his face and then became red with rage. He muttered out abuses too low to hear as he hung up. He could feel three pairs of eyes watching him expectantly.
‘What happened?’ asked Amelia.
‘The worst. Share prices just shot up,’ said George as he turned his face sideways to indicate that he didn’t want any further conversation.
The mood became tense at the table. Nicolas proposed they should call it a night. All unanimously agreed and left for their homes. Neither George nor Amelia spoke during the ride home. She could sense the tension in the air.
Half an hour later, as Amelia was changing into her bedclothes, her cell phone rang. The screen showed Hayley.
‘Yeah, what happened?’ asked Amelia.
‘Can you come outside for a moment?’ asked Hayley in response.
‘Sure, be there in a minute.’
A minute later, Hayley and Amelia met on the sidewalk. A cool breeze was blowing that ruffled their hair and hit hard on their cheeks. It felt pleasant though.
‘I don’t like the vibe of the sudden turn of events,’ commented Hayley.
‘Nor do I,’ said Amelia as they walked a bit further.
‘Is it dangerous?’
‘I am not going to lie to you, so yes, it is. Adam is dangerous.’
Hayley stopped and reached into her coat’s pocket. She produced an envelope and held Amelia’s palm and stretched it out. As she placed the packet on it, she said, ‘I hope and pray that you’ll never have to use it.’