"Mother..." I spoke in a warning tone and my mother interrupted me.
"Enough with the hypocrisy. I'll only remove the news and ask your ex-wife to remove the article from Rousell Entertainment, but I will never apologize to her publicly."
And without further ado, my mother left the room, leaving me alone and wanting to destroy everything in my path.
What a heartless person I had as a mother.
The news disappeared minutes later, still, I called Gerard, the president of NY Entertainment and scolded him, questioning his professionalism. I ended the call with a warning that our partnership would end if he published notes at my mother's request again without the company's consent.
I arrived at the company earlier than usual. There were few employees. However, my assistant was at her workplace as always.
"Good morning, Mr. Lancaster, you're here early today." I gave Cristina a unfriendly look and walked past her to my office without saying a word, or I would end up taking out my bad mood on the poor woman. I didn't even finish getting to my desk and my mother was calling my cell phone. I let out a tired sigh and answered.
"What's going on now?" I asked indifferently, with a cold voice. I was tired of my mother sticking her nose in my business.
"You don't have to talk to me like that. That woman is the worst!" My mother sounded furious and frustrated from the other side of the line. She didn't have to put up with Amelia mistreating Sarah. I had made it clear to her countless times before, so I ended the call without listening to what she had to say.
I sat in my swivel chair and looked at the morning traffic from the window. I wanted to pick up my phone and call Sarah, apologize a thousand times, talk to her, tell her the secret of my past that I never dared to tell her. She would understand the reason why I distanced myself, why I neglected my marriage.
But she had blocked me everywhere.
I cursed myself over and over again for believing in the NY Entertainment article. Of course, she wouldn't be capable of it. I was the one who failed, the only one responsible for everything going to shit, because of my cowardice and disgusting actions.
"This better be the last time you hang up on me!" My mother's loud voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I found myself obliged to turn my chair to see her standing in the middle of my office, with Cristina trying to stop her.
"Cristina, leave the lady. I'll take care of her." I ordered my assistant, and she nodded with blushing cheeks before leaving the office and closing the door behind her.
"I'm listening." I said indifferently, as if it was just any other person visiting my office.
"I've reached my limit with that shameless woman. I contacted Rousell Entertainment to have the article removed. It's only fair after I had all the articles about her taken down, and she simply refused. She ordered them to keep the article up for longer. She's a disgrace, who does she think she is?" My mother vented, once again mistreating Sarah. But unlike previous times, I remained calm, observing her every move.
"You have to do something. This can't just be left like this."
I raised an eyebrow, feeling that this was the perfect excuse to do what I had planned since Sarah blocked me.
I asked my assistant to come to my office and within seconds, she was peering through the door.
"Do you have a cellphone with you?" I asked Cristina, and she took it out of her blazer pocket in response.
"Call Ms. Sarah."
My mother's face showed surprise, but this was what she wanted, right? For me to solve the mess she caused herself. And in the meantime, I could talk to Sarah about everything that had happened. I didn't care if she decided to distance herself forever after listening to me. At least I would have clarified everything.
I felt nervous as Cristina held the phone to her ear, and my mother sat silently in front of my desk, impatiently waiting for Sarah to answer the phone.
My hands got sweaty when Cristina passed me the phone, just in time to hear the voice on the other end of the line.
"Hello?"
My heart skipped a beat when I heard her sweet voice after several days of her absence. I stayed silent, with my mouth slightly open, unable to utter a word. Until I remembered that this was my chance to talk to her after the last time I saw her.
"Sarah?" I asked the dumbest question. Of course, it was her. I would recognize her voice even if she had a cold.
"Yes, this is Sarah. Who am I speaking to?"
Suddenly, her voice turned cold, and I felt inexplicably annoyed. Did she forget me so quickly? Did she forget my voice?
"Alex..." I stopped myself, thinking that she wouldn't want to call me that anymore.
"Alexander Lancaster." I said uncomfortably under the curious gaze of my mother and my secretary.
"Mr. Lancaster. I hope your sudden call is to inform me that you've already signed the divorce certificate."
I turned in my chair towards the window, to avoid the two women realizing how much Sarah's cold response affected me. Her emotionless words pierced my heart.
I gathered myself, remembering the main reason for the call.
"I have already signed the divorce papers, Ms. Petit. However, the reason for my call is not precisely for that, but about the recent news in which we have been involved. Do you think you have a few minutes to talk and clarify the wave of rumors?" I spoke normally, as if I didn't taste bitterness in my mouth from Sarah's coldness and indifference.
I didn't remember her that way.
"At the moment I do not have time to talk, I have a very tight schedule as you can understand."
"A tight schedule? I highly doubt you don't have a few minutes from your 'tight schedule’ to listen to me." I let out a tired sigh, trying to remain calm.
"I won't steal much of your time from your busy schedule. Tell me the time and I will call you back." I insisted, refusing to accept the idea that she wanted to avoid me at all costs. I needed to talk to her.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. If what you want is for me to lower the rating of Rousell Entertainment where your reputation is affected, you should have thought about it before contacting NY Entertainment to defame me in such a way."
I clenched my fist on my leg and refrained from throwing Cristina's phone on the desk because of how stubborn she had become.
I didn't care about talking about my reputation, I deserved it after all. I just wanted to tell her that I needed to see her and clarify everything. I didn't want her to hate me or be left unaware of my reasons and my biggest secret, but I couldn't do it with the women in my office attentively listening to the conversation with Sarah.
"If it is true that NY Entertainment is associated with Lancaster Collection, it was not me who was responsible for this. I have already reprimanded them for the published articles." I clarified to make the idea disappear that I was the one responsible for the wave of rumors in which she ended up being the most affected.
Was that what she thought of me?
Did she think I was capable of speaking ill of her?
How mistaken she was.
"Mr. Lancaster, I'm not interested in knowing more. The damage has already been done. My reputation has been tarnished and even if you were not to blame, you have a lot to do with it in some way. After all, they won't talk about Sarah Petit, but about Mr. Lancaster's ex-wife. Have a pleasant day."
I was about to speak, but she ended the call, leaving me with the words stuck in my mouth and with boiling blood in my veins from the anger of being hung up on like that.
I closed my eyes, containing the anger that was bubbling in my system and turned off the cellphone screen while trying to calm my irregular breathing and the anger that unleashed by hanging up without even paying the slightest attention to me.
The worst part of it all was that she was absolutely right.
Even though I was not the mastermind behind all of this, I still remained responsible, if not more than the person who started it, because they will see her as Lancaster's ex-wife, not as Sarah Petit.
Damn it.
I turned my chair and met the curious gaze of both women. I handed Cristina the phone at the same time that my mother spoke.
"What did that woman tell you? Look how she left you, with a red face from anger and you still defend her."
I put on a big smile, even though I was furious inside.
"I couldn't convince her to take down the article, but I have come up with a better idea to fix this whole mess that you yourself have started."
And I really hope it worked. It was the last option I could resort to.
"You should sue her for defamation, that would be the best idea." My mother said, convinced that I would do something that would further harm Sarah.
I laughed loudly. I would never do that. I looked at Cristina, who was motionless in her place waiting for me to give her an order, and of course, I would, I would give her an unexpected order.
"Cristina, please. Prepare the private jet for Mrs. Amelia and me, bound for Paris. We are going to the Doinel fashion house."