Chapter 9 - The Ladies Who Brunch
I took Friday afternoon off to go to the bank and reroute my direct deposits. When I arrived back at the apartment at 2:00 PM, I expected the place to be empty. Eric was at work, and Brittany was supposedly out shopping.
But as the private elevator doors opened into my foyer, I heard the loud, cackling voices of several women.
I crept quietly down the hall. Gloria was hosting a lunch party in my dining room. She had invited five of her friends from West Virginia who had driven up for the weekend. They were drinking my expensive wine and eating off my fine china.
I stood in the shadows, listening.
“Gloria, I just can’t get over this place,” a woman with a thick southern drawl said. “It must have cost a fortune.”
Gloria let out a boisterous laugh. “Oh, it did, Martha. But you know my Eric. When he sets his mind to something, he gets it. He bought this place in cash. Said he wanted his mama to have a nice place to visit.”
“What about his wife? Claire, right? Does she work?” another woman asked.
“Oh, Claire,” Gloria scoffed dismissively. “She has a little office job in advertising. It keeps her busy, bless her heart. But Eric carries the serious weight in the family.”
My blood turned to ice. She wasn't just enjoying my home; she was actively erasing my existence to elevate her son.
“It’s so generous of Eric to let her live here,” Martha cooed.
I couldn't take it anymore. I stepped out of the shadows and walked directly into the dining room.
The table went dead silent. Gloria’s face drained of all color.
“Claire!” she gasped. “You’re home early.”
“I am,” I smiled, my voice dangerously calm. I looked around the table at the wide-eyed women. “Hello, ladies. Welcome to my home.”
Gloria swallowed hard. “I was just telling the girls about Eric’s lovely apartment.”
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“Were you?” I asked, pouring myself a glass of sparkling water. “That’s funny. Because I bought this apartment for three point five million dollars, three years before I ever learned Eric’s last name.”
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