20. Jasmine
Chapter twenty
Jasmine
“I haven’t told him yet,” I chuckle. “But I plan to do so today.”
“Oh, shut up. Anytime I ask you about it, you’re always planning to. You’ve never told him.”
“Ana, it’s hard, okay?” I roll my eyes, skipping to the pot to check the boiling contents. When I’m satisfied, I return to the counter and climb onto the stool. “You think it’s easy to just blurt out that I’m pregnant. I don’t know how he would react to it.”
“What?” Ana shrieks. “That man loves you. He will be beyond elated when he learns that you’re pregnant.”
“I mean, yes, I guess. But with his family issues and everything, I just feel like his heart is torn, you know?”
“Have you seen his mom since that lunch? ”
“No. Just his dad.” I’ve been in France for two weeks, and while Mr. Ace would occasionally drop by to say hello, Mrs. Ace acts like we do not exist.
“So, you’re for sure going to tell him today?” Ana asks. “No more delays?”
“No more. He’s out with his dad, so he isn’t home. He’s been gone for a few hours now, so I believe he’ll be back soon. As soon as he walks through that door, I tell him before I change my mind.”
“Atta girl,” Ana whoops excitedly. “And I’m going to be the most amazing godmother in the world. When are you returning to New York?”
“I don’t know. I mean, France is too beautiful.”
“Ugh, I hate you. I’m lonely. Come back.”
“How come you’re lonely? What about Boris?”
Ana scoffs, and I burst into laughter. “What’s with the scoffing? What about him?”
“He keeps asking for more, Jas. Like…why can’t he just be satisfied with sex? The sex is freaking crazy.”
“What?”
“The other night, we were in my room when I got a call from John. You remember John, we used to work together at—”
“Lifesafe John?”
“Exactly. And you know how cordial John and I are, so we talked and laughed on the phone for a while. After my conversation, Boris started questioning me on who I was talking to, what his name was—”
I throw my head back as laughter explodes out of me. “What?”
“Girl, I was shocked. He was demanding exclusivity, and I am not ready to commit right now, so I walked him out of my house. He’s been blowing up my phone, but I’m done.”
“I thought you liked him.”
“Duh, I do. But I’m not blind. He seems like the obsessive type. I don’t want to be with someone who is like that. I’m more ready to be in a relationship, period.”
“Ana, you don’t even know what you want,” I groan. “One minute, you’re whining about how you want a man. The next minute, a man comes around, and you’re walking him out the door.”
Ana sighs tiredly. “That’s because the man I want doesn’t want me back.”
My heart skips because I have a feeling she’s talking about Riley. “Who is this man? Tell me.”
“I’m not telling.”
“Ana, please.”
“Nope. ”
“But I tell you everything. I—” The sound of the doorbell slices the air. “To hell with you, Ana. Alec is back. You can keep your lonely life to yourself for all I care.”
Ana laughs. “You know you’re such a wicked troll, right?”
“Whatever.” I stop at the door. “I’ll call you back. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I hang up the phone and open the door, but the laughter and excitement cease when I see Mrs. Ace. She’s standing in her usual outfit and fascinator style, and the permanent haughty look is like a cherry on top.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. Uhm, Alec isn’t home.”
“Good.” She marches past me and sits on the couch.
How rude!
I take a deep breath and walk towards her. “Would you like some water? Juice?”
“Nothing. Sit down; I’d like to talk to you.”
I take the seat across from her. “I’m all ears.”
She’s silent for a few seconds before clearing her throat. “I know what Alec must have told you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know what he must have told you to make you feel relaxed,” she smiles. “He must have said he doesn’t care about our decisions, that he loves you enough to be with you despite his family’s disapproval, blah blah blah, all these sappy words, and you fell for it like a dumb bimbo.”
I purse my lips, and she continued. “If I offend you, you’re free to attack me in return if that’ll make you feel better because I’m here to tell you some hard truths, which will be uncomfortable.”
When I don’t respond, she continues. “The Ace family raised Alec into the man that he is today. You fell in love with him because I raised him to be him. He cannot do without his family. We’ve been with him all his life, and he’s known you for how long?”
My stomach swirls with pain, but I don’t respond.
“Alec may love you right now, I won’t deny that, but give him a few years of alienation from his family, and that love turns into stone-cold hate. You’re not special. There are thousands of girls like you out there, Jasmine. But in this family, we want people with substance. You don’t even have a job. How do you intend to help Alec with anything? This relationship is already a disadvantage to him.”
Her cool eyes meet mine, and all I see is dislike and annoyance. “Eve is an asset, and because of you, her family doesn’t want to have anything to do with ours. Do you know how much we have potentially lost from this? More money than you can ever imagine. But I don’t suppose you would understand that because of your…uhm…background.” She eyes me condescendingly.
It’s like she’s waiting for me to speak, but I keep my mouth shut. “The reason why the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer is because the rich think in terms of assets and value. The poor are emotional thinkers, and they will never get value from it because emotions are fickle.”
“I’m not poor.” I cut her off, struggling to quench my anger.
“Excuse me?” she responds as her perfectly trimmed brows arch.
“I’m not poor,” I repeat. “Just because my family isn’t as rich as you doesn’t mean I’ll let you sit there and talk trash about us.”
Mrs. Ace smiles darkly. “Oh, so you are not completely dumb. Great.” She sets her bag on the couch and leans forward. “Listen to me and listen very well. I can sit here and talk trash about your family all I want, and there’s absolutely nothing that you can do about it. You know why?”
I don’t respond to her vitriol because I don’t want to give her the satisfaction. She continues anyway. “You don’t have any real power. You can only sit there and cry. But you know I’m telling the truth. So, what’s it going to be, Miss Ambrose?”
There’s a lot of fire on my tongue, and I’m dying to spit it at her. Who does she think she is coming up here to tell me what I can and cannot do? Yet, as I look into her eyes, I see a resemblance between her and Alec. It’s subtle, but it’s there, reminding me that this is Alec’s mother.
I love Alec, and I will try as much as possible not to disrespect his mother, no matter how hard she’s pushing me to the wall.
“I think you should take this up with Alec. Why are you coming to me?”
“Because, for some reason, he won’t listen to me when it comes to you.” Her gaze roams my face. “He is determined.”
“Maybe he’s in love. Have you considered that?”
“Oh, I know he’s in love; I’m not disputing that,” she says. “Another thing I know is that this love won’t last because he will not get the blessings of his family, and by the time I’m done with your family, he won’t get their blessings either.”
I suck in a breath, and she smiles. “I didn’t raise my son all these years for him to end up in a relationship with someone like you. Alec is an asset, and we have deliberated over him for years. You shouldn’t be in the picture, Miss Ambrose. Take yourself out of it.”
I’ve watched lots of movies where this happened, and I never for once thought it would happen to me. It’s the same scene where the man’s mother threatens the lady to leave her son alone. The only thing missing is a fat check as an incentive to stay away.
As if reading my thoughts, Mrs. Ace smiles. “You won’t take a financial loss, I promise you. I’ll have my accountant send you—”
“Please don’t insult me.” I rise to my feet, interrupting her before she even completes the sentence. “I don’t need your money.”
“Oh, but you do.” She’s looking up at me, yet she manages to look dignified. “You’re broke, and you don’t have a job.”
“And yet I’ve been surviving. Like I said, do not insult me.”
She purses her lips, and I shake my head. “I am not a billionaire, but I will not suck up to one. I am comfortable, and I live well within my means. If you want me to leave your son alone, fine, but keep your money to yourself. I’m sure there’re a lot of charitable organizations it can go into.”
“My family and I are doing enough of that. Didn’t Alec tell you?” She grabs her bag and stands. “Oh, he doesn’t tell you about the family business because he knows you wouldn’t understand a thing,” she said, laughing. “Admit it, you’re way out of your league here. I’m only doing you a favor in helping you get out now, or else you’ll regret it much later when you have more to lose.”
“Get out.”
She narrows her eyes. “What did you just say to me?”
“Get out.”
She laughs. “I’ll forgive your rudeness because I know you’re hurt, but don’t you ever speak to me like that again, especially when you’re standing in my son’s house.” She pushes past me and heads to the door.
“Mrs. Ace?” I turn to her, and she pauses with her hand on the knob. “Have you ever considered that your son doesn’t listen to you because you’re the problem?”
“What?” She turns to me.
“Your son isn’t happy with the family, and that’s why he loves to spend all his time in New York. Home isn’t here because you’re always breathing down his neck and telling him what to do. He’ s a grown man.”
“You will not tell me how to raise my son!” Anger flashes in her eyes.
“Of course.” I nod. “But I must warn you that even if I leave Alec alone, you’re not going to have him.”
“So now it’s a competition?” She snarls. “Is that what you think this is?”
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s a cry for help. I’ll leave Alec alone because, more than falling in love with a man, I want his family to accept me, and I’m obviously never going to get that here. But I love Alec too much to let him continue to live this life, and since you’re never going to accept me anyway, I’m going to say it.”
The muscles in her chin flex, but she says nothing.
“You’re his mother. Stop treating him like you’re his managing director. He loves you and wants to relate to you like a son, but you only see dollar bills when you look at him. You have completely pushed him away, and he’s starting to resent you.”
“Are you done?” She asks, and when I don’t respond, she nods. “I don’t ever want to set my eyes on you again. I hope this talk yields us both what we want because hell is the other option, and it’s not for me. I hope I’ve made myself clear. Good day, Miss Ambrose.” She walks out the door.