Call It Business ( Book 3 of 'Call It' Series )

Chapter 59 | A Scandalous Escape

"Am I losing my mind or my dad tries to get Gerard jealous by talking with Mark?" Macy grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes at the bizarre view in the distance by the fences where Jeff and Beverly were pestering Mark.

In all fairness, it wouldn't have been a big deal if her dad didn't occasionally clap a hand on Mark's shoulder, did one of those fake laughs, and glanced around to possibly catch the reaction of a certain villain.

"Well," Judith said, her green eyes shifting between two hostile directions, "My son seems to know how to handle it."

Did he, really?

Puffing her cheeks, Macy craned her neck to steal a look at the villain, only to see him smirking through the conversation he held with... Matthias and Diane. Okay, it turned out her dad wasn't the only ridiculous one.

Suppressing a groan, Macy tipped her head back in aggravation. Yes, not letting the villain take her away from all the dysfunctional family dynamics was her idea, but, gods, wasn't it tempting at the moment?

She still possessed no courage or strength to deal with both sides. She could take down a notorious art smuggler, who was possibly a murderer, but talking with Jeff Wallace for two minutes to ask what was wrong with him as he insisted on a marriage contract as if everything was fine? Question Diane on why she left her without her voice shaking? No.

"Can I ask you a question?" Macy found herself mumbling in these desperate times that encouraged her to trust the evil sorceress as they walked to the gathering under the tents. Reading her dignified silence as a yes, she continued, "Why didn't you sign a contract when you got married? I mean, I see no issues with it. It's just Gerard and I have never considered one when we got married, and then I think he refused it because of the way you gave it to us." She shrugged a shoulder, her gaze bouncing to everywhere in the lush area but Judith's face. "But in long-term and reasonable circumstances, it makes sense, right?"

"No, what I did wasn't logical in any sense, and I think," Judith spoke, voice firm and ponderous, "Gerard thought the same thing I did once." Sending her a sardonic sidelong look at Macy's confusion, she cocked an eyebrow. "For me, it was playing a hand open. I'm used to people being with me because of my status. So, I wanted Stephen to be with me because he loved me, and to make sure of that, I gave him the chance of taking my money and leaving at any time he wanted."

"That's," Macy trailed off, licking her lips as a stunned confusion washed over her, "gambling. You could never be sure that—"

"As I told you, dear," Judith muttered, her green eyes shifting to a group of people approaching them. Tilting her head to her, she cautiously added, "I'm a high-roller and whether he likes it or not, he is my son."

That... strangely made sense.

Flipping the coin, Macy watched Judith Blanchard greet the group of people with fancy hats. Of course, it was impossible to understand if she liked them or not. Plastering a serene smirk on her lips and gracefully dragging the cane to the side, the evil sorceress had always made basic human gestures so expensively effortless.

Now, Macy had finally admitted the method acting wasn't her true calling, as the villain would say. However, she was tempted to give it one last try as she stared at her father in the distance, who seemed to be in deep conversation with a very bored Mark. Hah, perhaps she could, at least, save him.

With that rescue quest in her mind, she forced a smirk even though the corner of her lips twitched with irritation as she sauntered through the fences in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the bizarre chat first. Dodging a few people and trying very hard not to get distracted by the horses galloping at the field, she crept to them and practically hide behind a couple. Gods, this mission was doomed to fail since the first words had already sent a grimace to her face: