Chapter 566 - Tell me why? (2)

4 June, Coffee House, City K

Lexi looked at Rachael and said "You know I value our friendship. Joan, on the other hand…"

Rachael lifted her hand and said, "Do not go there."

"Rachael, stop worrying. Joan is just being silly. If she has a problem with me, she has opportunity after opportunity to talk to me about it. Hell, she has a fitting appointment at the studio tomorrow, and if she has something to say she can tell me directly, rather than putting you in the middle of it."

Rachael sighed and said "I am worried. There is something…"

"Rachael stop worrying about her. Joan is being like many of a bride that I have seen during my time in the fashion industry. She is just going crazy and demanding in the lead-up to her wedding, and nothing will change that."

Rachael closed her eyes and opened them after about a minute. "I just do not know what to think. All she has done in the last week is complain about you and Sally ignoring her whenever she contacts you."

Lexi paused. Yes, she had a couple of missed calls from Joan in the last week, but there were other pressing things for her, personally. "Rachael, she has to realise that the world does not revolve around her. That is hard for a bride to accept in the lead-up to her wedding, but does she not realise there are issues with our family for Sally and me. Dominic has Leukemia, Phillip is towards finishing his treatment round with his cancer, I have my injuries. Yes, we are excited for her, but…"

Lexi stopped, knowing that if she continued, she would snap. For a couple of weeks, Joan had been pushing her, wanting to draw a reaction. Was it because she was worried that she would say something about her s.e.x.u.a.lity to her fiancé? Trying to figure out her motive in doing it, it was impossible. Did she want to threaten her, draw her closer or drive her away? There was no logic in actions.

"You have to have some focus on your family. That I get, but she is doing is constantly getting to me with her complaining. You know I cannot take that."

Lexi sighed. The one thing that Rachael was never able to cope with is people complaining to her about others. She hated conflict, due to what she was exposed to by her parents. They constantly argued, dragging her into every argument that they had, constantly trying to make her pick sides.

"Your parents, still playing their games?"

"They have never stopped, despite their divorce, what is it now, six years ago. The worst thing is, despite everything they have still not finalised their property division. Mother puts forward a financial offer to finalise everything, the old man delays responding and comes back when he decides to respond that the offer is insufficient. It is a repeating cycle and mother does her best not to drag me into the argument, but the old man cannot help himself. With every little dispute, the first thing he does is come to me and complain about how evil mother is, before telling me I must tell her to increase her offer by, whatever he wants at the time."

Lexi looked at Rachael and saw a look of frustration pass across her face.

"Do you need to vent about your parents?"

"Sometimes, I want to tell the two of them to grow up and leave me out of their arguments. When it comes to mother, because she has come to realise how much her past actions, that has lessened over time. In some respects, our relationship is becoming better, but when she lapses and pulls me into an argument, I snap at her. After some time, she realises what has happened and eventually she apologises. The old man, however, just does not get it. You know what he did the other day?"

Lexi looked at Rachael and could see by the look on her face that she needed someone to hear her venting. Wanting to give her the opportunity, Lexi said "Tell me."

"That b*stard. He had his most recent demand from mother for their settlement rejected. His demands were outrageous. It amounted to about sixty five percent of mother's current assets, along with him receiving a monthly payment of about seventy thousand. He had the gall to come and complain to me that mother's refusal was unfair because he had helped her build up her assets over their marriage."

"He is an idiot. At the time they divorced mother's assets were about a third of what they are now. Part of the growth is due to the growth of the upscale restaurants, and the few locations they have opened over the years. Where the explosion in the company growth is, is simply due to my efforts. You know what that b*stard told me I must tell mother, that it had to be handed over to him. He is not stupid as he can see where there is the opportunity for continued growth. When I told him to back off what I had developed, you know what he said?"

Lexi shook his head, and hesitantly said "No."

"That b*stard said that I was a good child for developing what belonged to him. When he finally got that I had a deal with respect to forty percent of the shares, I could not believe him. He changed his position and told me that I had to tell mother that she had to give him all the shares other than that which I would get immediately and increase the cash payment by fifty thousand per month."

Rachael stopped, shook his head, and continued "He does not get it. I am not his messenger, nor am I going to help his satisfy his need for money. He thinks I am stupid, but I know about his new wife and so-called stepchildren. He cheated on mother throughout their marriage with the new wife. As his mistress she bore him a daughter and two sons. They are the children he loves and wants to give everything to, rather than caring about the child of his first wife, the one that had the money that allowed him to keep his mistress support his children while they were together."

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