The Process
Chapter 85 The Process
NINA’S HOME, NEW YORK. “I am telling you, Tania. That witch dared to stand before me and act like nothing foul happened between us.” Nina ranted into the receiver. She can’t seem to get over Andrea’s attitude the day before. It felt like she wasn’t in her right senses, talking like they had only lost each other’s contact. Tania let out a string of curses. “I should have been there to beat the living daylight out of her. She is such a bitch!” Nina ruffled her hair. “I really can’t wait to teach her a lesson. I want to see how she would be able to live knowing that Asher is no longer as wealthy as she thinks him to be.” “Serves her right. Now that she isn’t the billionaire heir as expected anymore, she might be seeking out another home to wreck. You should be careful with Xander.” “I would be damned if I let what happened with Asher happen again. Moreover, Xander is not shallow like Asher is. I have had enough of being tossed around by those morons. I think it is time I get back to work.” “Just calm down. Discuss it with Xander and hear his opinion. Don’t just go running on your own, then.” “Yes, Tania. I am so sorry for bothering you when you are busy.” “Oh, please. You know you can call me whenever you want. How is my baby doing?” Nina smiled at the reminder of her daughter. “Her cute self as always. The only thing she bothers about is feeding.” “As it should be.” Tania giggled. “Alright, I will talk to you later, bye.” She hung up. Nina’s hand quivered as she held the phone while steadying her breath. No matter how much she tries to ignore the thought, it will not leave her. She can’t seem to wrap her head around Andrea’s attitude. It was the same as Asher the day they met again. It’s almost like they do not feel any remorse for everything they put her through. What if she had died? Would they still sing the same tune? She wrapped her arms around herself, blinking back the tears that laced her eyes heavily. Xander kept asking her if she was alright, and she assured him she was okay, even though her heart was in a wreck. She had cried herself to sleep, feeling sorry for her unfriendly fate. “Is everything okay?” Venus asked from behind, startling Nina. “So sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Nina smiled weakly; she had almost forgotten about the guest. Venus had arrived when she got on the call with Tania. “It’s alright. How is winter?” “She is sleeping, and you don’t have to worry. Carla is with her. Are you alright? You look pale.” “I…I am fine.” She replied in a stutter. “No, you are not. I know that face. Come now, let’s walk around the house,” Venus urged. Knowing it would be a waste of time to argue, Nina walked next to her. They rounded the back of the house that oversees a flower garden, which Nina had indulged in since she moved into the house. Venus inhaled deeply. “This place is so nice.” Nina nodded absentmindedly. “Nina, what is the matter? You should know you have a family now, and sharing your burden is okay.” She stared blankly at the beautiful flowers before exhaling slowly. “I am just wondering if I might be the problem.” “Why?” The tears rolled slowly down her cheeks. “I never had a family of my own. When I met my ex-best friend, Andrea, I felt complete and trusted her with all my heart. Then came the ex-husband, Asher, even though his mother was a snob and the father hardly saw anyone except himself. I felt lucky to have a family of my own. I endured their odd characters for years and ensured myself that no family is perfect. But I must have been wrong. They hurt me so bad without any show of sympathy.” Nina let out a shaky breath. “I tried not to be too affected and immersed myself in my work. I almost hurt Winter in the process. I was lost in my world, hellbent on letting them see I could rise from the ashes. I deprived myself of so much. I couldn’t let myself get help from people willing to help me because I thought they would try to trample upon me due to the help. It was my only way to feel like a person. I yearned for love, but the ones I trusted didn’t give it to me. I feel so stupid.” She sobbed. Venus caressed her back gently. “No, baby. You are not stupid. It’s okay to let it all out. Keep talking; it will make you feel better.” “I tried to forget them. But I couldn’t, so I started daydreaming about the day they would meet me and feel sorry for all they had done. To my surprise, we all did meet. However, there was no regret in their eyes. They made me feel like they did absolutely nothing wrong. I almost thought I had imagined everything that happened, but they didn’t do anything. But my heart says otherwise. The pain and torment I had to endure in the last months made me feel almost lifeless. I can’t help but think that I might be the actual problem. Maybe people can’t be with me because I am not doing something right.” Nina sobbed loudly, hiding her face in her palms. Venus guided her to a bench to sit and kept caressing her back until she seemed calmer. “You know, I have also made costly mistakes with the people in my life. Xander, I was always meddling and almost brought a nut head into his life. My husband, I faulted him so much and ended up hurting myself. In the end, I have my first child hating on his father. It took me a while to see how much destruction I was causing in the lives of those I care about. It had nothing to do with them. It was all me. I stopped making others feel like they were the problem when I accepted what I was doing. You see, those people that hurt you are evil, and as long as they do not think of what they do as harmful, they won’t change anytime soon.” Venus smiled weakly and held Nina’s hand. “Baby, you are not the problem. You are a bright light that people desire to have around them. Never let anyone make you think otherwise. If there is one thing I trust the most, it is my brother and son’s instinct. They knew who you were and showed you off to every one of us. And I can attest to it that you have a lovely soul. Those fools will pay for all that they did. Never waste your tears over those losers. Raise your head high and show them who the boss is. Don’t cry, honey. They aren’t worth it.” Nina sniffed and leaned into her embrace. They remained seated, staring at the flowers and enjoying the weather as it cooled. *********************
DAWN’S HOME Dawn cursed through clenched teeth as she pressed the phone firmly to her ear. “What exactly am I paying you for? How can it be so hard for you to find that sort of information? My patience is running thin! I will have to find somebody else if you don’t get it done this time. You have a week to get back to me!” She ordered and hung up. Throwing her phone into the bed, Dawn pulled at her hair in frustration. Just when she thought she was at the peak of getting what she wanted, the person she relied on decided to make a mess of everything. She bites down on her nails hard, anxiously tapping her feet on the floor. She can’t seem to do anything except think of a way out. Minny walked into the room, pointing a phone at Dawn. “Mum wants to speak to you.” She said. Dawn waved a dismissive hand. “I am not in the mood for that right now. Tell her to call back later.” Before Minny could give her mother feedback, the line went dead. She must have heard Dawn’s response and hung up. Minny observed the room. There were empty boxes of pizza and beer cans littering the room. Clothes were scattered on the closet floor; used tissues were everywhere. One look at Dawn, and one would almost think she is homeless. Her hair was unwashed, and her face looked swollen from lack of sleep. The stench the room emitted wasn’t entirely healthy. The sight of everything bothered Minny. Without a word, she returned to the kitchen to pick up a trash bag and to the room to clean it up. “Oh, you don’t need to do that. I will take care of it.” Dawn said absentmindedly. Minny didn’t respond and kept picking up the trash. “Leave it, Minny.” “Why? So that you can pile it up more? What is going on with you, Dawn? You don’t look like yourself anymore; it’s almost as if you are fixated on something, making you lose your mind. I thought we shared everything. Why won’t you talk to me about this one? I might be of help.” Dawn stared at her for a few seconds and turned her face away. Since Minny had given her opinion about her obsession with Xander, she promised to keep anything concerning him away from her. “Are you saying all of this because of my dirty room? I already told you to leave it. I will get the cleaner to handle it. I am like this because of the stress at work. No need to worry.” Minny scoffed inwardly; if she didn’t know better, she might take Dawn’s word for it. But it’s beyond that. Her eyes shift like someone trying to hide something, and she has received odd calls and responded in whispers. This is weird from her end; Dawn loves to speak loudly on the phone. It is her way of boasting about whoever it is on the other end. “Fine! Will you at least have a bath and look better? You look like a mess. I will clean up quickly, and then we can eat out. I know you have a question to answer whenever Mum calls again. I can’t keep covering up for you.” “Alright, I will take a bath then.” “Great, and please don’t forget your hair. It looks like a bird’s nest.” Dawn rolled her eyes and replied in sarcasm before going to the bathroom. “Yes, mum.” “I will try and hurry up here.” She yelled behind her. As soon as Dawn entered the bathroom, Minny snatched Dawn’s phone from the bed and unlocked it. Thankful, she hasn’t thought to change it. She searched through her messages and found nothing. Neither did her mail have anything suspicious. Minny went to her call log and wrote the two nameless numbers at the top of the list. For some unknown reason, she thought to search her gallery. To Minny’s surprise, she saw a picture of a form with Xander’s name. It’s a sperm retrieval procedure form that he must have done. She furrowed her brow in confusion. Why would Xander need to do that? Probably, he has a child through IVF. She looked closely, reading through the rest of the content. According to the paper, he seemed to have retrieved it for future purposes. Minny gasped when she put two and two together. Was Dawn planning to get the sperm for herself? Her sister is running loco as it stands. She has to do something, or everything would be a mess. Without wasting time, she airdropped the image to her phone and put the phone back in place. Dawn came out two minutes later. “Oh, my, that was refreshing,” Dawn mumbled, drying her hair with a towel. “See, it wasn’t so bad,” Minny said. “So, where are we headed?” “Anywhere of your choice. What do you think about some Chinese?” She inquired, still cleaning. “No, I think I am in the mood for comfort food. What do you think?” “I think you have had enough of them. Pizza must be swimming freely in your belly as we speak. It would help if you let it be for now. Don’t worry; I have a place in mind and will take you there. I am sure you will love it.” “I had better love it. I don’t want to end up going out for nothing.” “Trust me.” Minny mused. She stayed quiet for a while before clearing her throat. “What do you think about having a profile on a dating site?” Dawn paused halfway with her hair. “Why would you want to be on a dating app? Do you not have enough men coking after you?” She joked. “I was thinking you might like it. You know, you get to meet different kinds of personalities. That way, you get to have fun and see new places.” “Did mum put you up to this?” “I won’t say she didn’t. She proposed the idea first.” She lied “I am so done with you two. Stop meddling in my business; I can handle it myself. I will be ready in five minutes. How about you?” Dawn asked. Minny had almost forgotten that they were heading out. She nodded quickly. “Yeah, sure. I will join you soon. I need to trash this.” She said, hurrying out. Something has to be done as soon as possible.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.