Chapter Fifteen
Guilt assailed her. Comparing him to her parents and Mike was a low blow. Esther hadn’t meant to hurt Matthias the ways she had but it was for the best. It was selfish of her to allow him to make love to her but when he touched and kissed her; she’d been lost. She selfishly took this opportunity to be with him one last time because she knew there could be no future between them.
She wasn’t sure how he had gotten her address if she didn’t get it from Fiona. It didn’t matter because the next time he came over unexpected, she wouldn’t answer the door. She should have known better than to open the door when she didn’t see anyone through her peephole.
Maybe in the grand scheme of things it didn’t matter. What she really couldn’t figure out was why he hadn’t given up on her yet. Most normal people would. It wasn’t as if Matthias would be lacking female companionship if he ended his pursuit of her. Esther remembered when they used to date how the women would stare at him. She always assumed they were wondering why such a delicious looking hottie would be out with her.
Part of her wanted to believe that Matthias’s love wasn’t the waneing kind but she couldn’t shake the feeling one day it would. When he looked at her scars, he didn’t run away which was a promising sign but there was so much more, things she was scared to speak out loud. Maybe Fiona was right and she did need to go to therapy. She thought she could heal herself by reading motivational books, but apparently, they weren’t enough.
She glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even ten o’ clock yet and she wasn’t going to get any sleep anytime soon. She rolled out of bed and headed to the shower to wash the scent of sex from her body. She’d just gotten out of the shower before Matthias had knocked on the door so this would be her second one tonight.
Once she emerged the bathroom after a long steamy wash, she noticed her business phone ring. No one usually called that number this time of night. Curiosity got the better of her and she looked at the caller ID to see who it was.
The number looked familiar but she couldn’t remember where she’d seen it.
Against her better judgment, she answered. “Hello?”
“May I speak to Esther Wilson, please?”
She knew who it was right away and was surprised to hear from him again since she’d ignored his first call. “This is she,” Esther answered formally.
“Esther, this is David. Your brother.”
She hadn’t spoken to him in years and she really had no desire to do so now but instead of just hanging up, she greeted him as amicably as she could. “Yes hi, David.”
“Is that all you have to say? ‘Hi, David?’”
“What exactly would you have me say? I thought I was giving you a standard greeting. I’m sorry saying hi offends you.”
“Your sarcasm is unnecessary, Esther. I’m calling because you missed our mother’s funeral.”
“I never said I would come.”
“But you had a commitment to her as her daughter.”
“I wasn’t her daughter, I was more like a slave to her.”
“Our mother was recently buried and you’re being very disrespectful to her memory.”
Anger welled in Esther’s chest. David was the most like her father. He always had to be right and get the last word in. “Did you just call to scold me or is this a point to this communication?”
“You know, I tried to reach out to you and give you an olive branch to show you we had no ill will toward you after what you did. I guess you were just too stubborn to accept.”
“See, there you go again. You said you and the other two forgive me, but what exactly do you think I need forgiving for?”
“For leaving our mother when she needed you. You just up and decided to go somewhere none of us could find you. After all our parents did for you, the sacrifices that had to be made so that you were taking care of.”
“What exactly did they do for me besides abuse me and make me feel lower than low?”
“They were there to discipline you, Esther. You were a very unruly child.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. “That’s not true and you know it. You even helped them beat me. Our mother made my life a living hell. Nothing I did for her was ever right so hell yeah, I left and I would do it again if I could. So honestly, you can take your raggedy-ass apology and shove it up your ass. Don’t bother calling me again and that goes for the other two as well. If you can’t accept the truth of what I’m saying inside of making up things then maybe one day we can talk but until then, I’m not interested in anything you have to say.”
He didn’t answer for a bit and Esther wondered if he had hung up.
“Well, I’ve done my duty by you. No one can say that I didn’t try.”
“You really didn’t try, though. You called me to chastise me because I don’t have the same feelings you do for a woman who would have spit on my grave had I been the one to die first.”
“Exodus 20:12 says—”
“Yes, I know. I’m supposed to honor my mother and father, but did they ever honor me when I was being smacked and beaten, starved and publicly humiliated? Was I being honored when our father would try to come into the bathroom while I was bathing? And you…you, Josiah and Malachi, stood by and watched them do that to me. Not once did any of you stand up for me. But yet, I’m supposed to do all the honoring?”
David remained silent.
“Nothing to say for yourself? I didn’t think so.”
“They were still your parents.”
“Right. And that’s the sad part in all of this.”
“The good Lord wouldn’t have wanted you to hold on to this bitterness.”
“It’s so convenient for you to bring that up when you weren’t the one who suffered, David. It’s clear that you condone what they did to me because you continue to make excuses for them. But you know what? I forgive you. I’m not doing it to salve your guilt, that’s something you’re going to have to deal with for the rest of your life. I’m forgiving you for my own peace of mind because when I hang up, I’m never going to speak to or think about you again. That goes for the other two who didn’t have the guts to even call me. And you know what? I harbor no ill will toward them or you but as far as any of you three are concerned, you have no sister. Do not contact me again.” Without waiting for him to reply she ended the call.
Severing the ties to her brothers should have made her sad, but instead, she felt nothing. Esther had never been particularly close to her brothers, but a small part of her had held out hope that maybe one of them would stand up for her but they never did. For David to throw out that quote to her to justify what her parents did had been the final straw. She wouldn’t allow him to twist religion for his own game. It’s the same trick her father had used. Esther had eventually made peace with her maker and found her own path to spirituality. There were people like her father and mother who took religion and bastardized it for their own means. It was disappointing to know that her brother David was on that same path. She wished him well, but he, Josiah and Malachi were out of her life.
Now there was one more problem she needed to banish from her life.
Matthias.
She still wasn’t sure how he’d gotten her address and that was a bit unnerving but so was his persistence. Esther thought when she showed him her scars he’d go running but instead, he’d lovingly kissed all of them. He worked her body like a musician playing a well-tuned instrument. It made it all the harder to push him away. She loved that man too much to saddle him with her issues. But Esther decided that if he continued his pursuit of her, she would tell him the truth of why they couldn’t be together.
All of it.
~~~~~~~
The thrill of anticipation raced through Esther’s vein. Today she’d be signing a contract with an investor; granted, that she liked the samples Esther provided for her. When she pulled into the parking lot of the building, she had to take several deep, calming breaths. Her dreams were finally coming true.
Her hands shook as she packed up the items she needed for her presentation. As she walked into the building, she bumped into someone, nearly spilled the contents of her box.
It was the tall brunette that she’d seen with Chris that day in the sandwich shop. Apparently, the other woman recognized her as well.
“Oh, I remember you.” She gave Esther a warm smile. “You’re Esther, right?”
“Yes,” she nodded cautiously.
“I’m glad I ran into you again because I lost your card. I’d placed it on my desk but it disappeared. Maybe it fell on the floor and the custodian swept it away but I was really looking forward to that consultation. I’m looking for an MUA for my wedding.”
“Oh? You’re getting married?” Esther asked out of politeness. She didn’t know why Tiffany’s presence in this building unnerved her considering her connection to Chris.
“Yes, Chris proposed last weekend.” She held out her hand and displayed a rock that would have rivaled Gibraltar.
“Wow, that’s beautiful. Congratulations.”
“Oh, gosh, look at me babbling again when your arms are full. Who are you here to meet?”
“Uh, Jennifer Chandler. She’s interested in investing in my makeup line.”
Tiffany frowned. “Jennifer Chandler? She’s…”
An alarm was raised in Esther’s mind and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. “She’s what?”
“Oh? It’s just…she’s a relatively new associate and...well, I guess it doesn’t matter. I’m sure she has the boss’s okay.”
“You work with her.”
“Yes, I’m the personal assistant to one of the partners.”
“Oh? What a coincidence that you work with the lady I’m about to meet with. Do you like working here?”
“I love it and my boss isn’t too bad to work for when he’s not in one of his moods. Ma—” Just then Tiffany was cut off by the ring tone of her cell phone. “I’m sorry, I have to take this. Would you mind terribly if you left another card with Jennifer?”
“No problem.”
“Sorry again for holding you up. Nice seeing you again.” Tiffany answered her cell phone and headed out the building.
Was it simply a coincidence that Tiffany, Chris’s now fiancé, worked at this company? Maybe it was just a coincidence. “You’re being paranoid, Esther,” she told herself.
Taking another series of deep breaths she headed to the receptionist desk. A pretty woman with a large curly. “How may I help you?” she asked.
“I have a meeting with Jennifer Chandler at three o’clock.”
“Okay, ma’am. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll call her to come get you.” The reception pointed to the chairs in the lobby.
“That won’t be necessary, Renata. I’m here.” Esther turned around to see Jennifer.
Renata nodded and returned her attention back to her computer.
“Great seeing you again,” Jennifer greeted.
“Thanks for this meeting. I really appreciate the opportunity. I’d shake your hand but my arms are full.”
“No worries, do you need any help with those?”
“I’ve got it.”
“Then I’ll take you upstairs to the conference room.”
Esther followed Jennifer to the elevator, down a long hallway until they reached their destination. Though she still hadn’t been able to shake that uneasy feeling in her stomach, Esther relaxed once she unboxed all of her products and began her presentation.
Jennifer nodded and asked questions at the appropriate moments and examined the samples Esther had brought.
The blonde sat back in her chair with a thoughtful expression on her face. “I have to be honest and say that the market is saturated with indie makeup lines so you have to have a gimmick or something that really pops. That being said, I think you had a very well-thought-out business plan and I like the idea of you wanting to start out in subscription boxes. Those seem to be really hot right now. And what you also have going for you is that you’re marketing to people with skin tones that aren’t usually catered but you still have a variety to appeal to the masses. And I must admit this Berry Dazzler, lip gloss will be a huge seller because it smells good and it’s also moisturizing. You’ll really get environmentally-conscious crowds because it’s cruelty-free and vegan. I could foresee you putting this in health stores as well if you’re considering another avenue of revenue. With all that being said, I’d like to make you a preliminary offer.”
Esther wanted to squeal with joy. “Really? Thank you so much!”
Jennifer smiled. “I look forward to working with you.”
“So what now?”
“We’ll have another meeting to go over contract negotiations and after that, we sign a contract and then we work together to get your products on the market.”
“This means the world to me. Thank you again.”
Jennifer stood up and held her hand out to Esther.
Esther gave the hand an enthusiastic shake as she stood as well.
“My apologies, but I have another meeting in five minutes, so if you’ll please excuse me?”
“Sure. I just need to put my products back in the box.”
“No problem, take your time.”
“Oh, wait. Would you mind giving my card to Tiffany? I ran into her on my way in here.” She handed Jennifer one of her business cards.
“Sure. I’ll just leave it on her desk.” Jennifer took the card before walking out.
When Esther was alone in the conference room, Esther jumped and fist-pumped to celebrate her victory. She couldn’t wait to get out of here and tell Fiona her good news. The smile wouldn’t leave her face as she finished boxing her items.
“I see you had a good meeting.”
Her heart fell to her feet at the sound of that familiar voice. It couldn’t be. Esther turned around to see Mathias standing in the doorway.
“What are you doing here?”
He smirked. “Why wouldn’t I be here? This is my company.”