Chapter 13 Did You Sleep With Him Yesterday

Although the apartment was small, it was immaculate. Everything was neat, tidy, and gleamingly cleaned. A pleasing smell of delicious food wafted out from the kitchen and Eleanor could not help but trail her gaze towards the dining table. It seemed like Mike had prepared a meal. She turned towards her son in surprise but was met with his chilly stare. The boy stood at the door, eyeing her from the top to the toe before letting off a cute scoff and walked away. Eleanor quickly went after him and held him in her arms. “Mike, are you angry with Mommy? Mommy was working yesterday.” Mike lifted his head and shot her a brief look. “I’m not angry. I’m just worried,” he said curtly. A wave of sadness suddenly washed over Eleanor and she pulled her son closer and hugged him tight in her embrace. Guilt ate away at her every time Mike behaved like a mature kid. All she ever wanted was for him to have a happy and healthy childhood without worrying about anything. But the twins were not in a good state when she delivered the babies prematurely. This was especially the case for Mike. Eleanor almost broke down when they found out Mike was not breathing when he was born. The doctors and nurses were on the verge of giving up on him when he finally came around and they quickly resuscitated him. And just like that, Mike came into her life and became the only consolation and purpose of her life. The father of the twins had left when she brought Mike home with her. She never knew who that man was, and neither did she know what happened to the other baby boy. Since then, her whole life revolved around making money. She wanted to give Mike a good education and a better living environment, where he could be free from all these nasty and gossiping neighbors. Mike saw through her sorrow and gave Eleanor a gentle nudge. “It’s okay, Mommy. I’m fine now. Let’s have lunch together.” After the meal, Eleanor cleaned up the table and tucked Mike in. Just as she was closing his bedroom door behind her, her phone beeped and a notification showed on the screen. It was her manager. Her heart sank as she read the message. Eleanor, I need you over at the company. Now. She hurried to grab a piece of paper and left a note on the table before dashing out again. It did not take long before her taxi pulled up in front of the company and she jumped off immediately, making for the manager’s office. But before she could knock on the door, Anais’ high pitch shriek came piercing through the door. “Do you think you can just settle this with money? I clearly told y’all there was no room for failure! And you guys said nothing would go wrong!” Eleanor bit her lips as she reached for the door handle shakily. All eyes were on her the moment she stepped into the office. Anais drilled her scrutinizing gaze through her and her glare intensified when she spotted the hickeys on Eleanor’s neck. Antagonism festered in the office in no time. Anais stormed towards Eleanor in rage and grabbed her by her collar, pulling it apart forcefully. Eleanor stared at her in shock and pushed her away immediately. “What are you doing?” she screamed, springing away from Anais. But Anais charged towards her and pointed a finger at her. “Who are you to question me? Eleanor Shelby, I know what you’re up to! You’ve been playing along just so you can sleep with Mr. Beaumont. Isn’t this why you took up the job in the first place?” “How can you say that? I’ve never thought about doing anything like that!” Eleanor shouted back. “Why can’t I say it? It’s the truth! I bet you slept with him yesterday!” Anais challenged, raising her chin at Eleanor provocatively. “Well, I...” Eleanor swallowed her words just as she was about to negate Anais’ accusations. She did sleep with Casper. And it was not something she wanted everyone in the room to know about. “Come on, tell me if you slept with him!” Anais pursued the question. “I’d rather not answer your question,” Eleanor mumbled, evading her glare. “You sl*t!” Anais howled. All her efforts went to the drain because of Eleanor. Not only did she cross Casper, but Eleanor also took advantage of the whole situation. The humiliating scenes from yesterday flashed in Anais’ mind and she clenched her jaw in anger. Anais went at Eleanor and grabbed her hair, demanding that she gave an explanation for what happened.