7
Landon was true to his word. He and his bruised face stayed away for several days.
But he wasn’t idle.
On the third day, the gifts started arriving. An endless stream of flowers, jewelry, and limited–edition handbags filled the living room until it looked like a luxury department store. He also sent sappy, apologetic text messages every day, professing his undying love and regret.
The cloying scent of the flowers made me sneeze.
This scumbag is really pulling out all the stops. Trying to buy my mom’s forgiveness with expensive garbage.
Mom didn’t even glance at any of it. She had the bodyguards pack it all up and dump it at the local landfill.
Then, she made a phone call.
“Cancel all of Landon’s supplementary credit cards.”
“And that Eastside project he’s managing? I want a full audit. Freeze all non–compliant payments immediately.”
Go, Mom! Cut off the supply lines! No more dog food for them!
It was a brilliant move, a direct hit to Landon’s greatest weakness. He was a reckless spender, and his mother and sons were even worse parasites. Add his mistress’s family to the mix, and without Mom’s money, they wouldn’t last a day.
Sure enough, the very next afternoon, Landon burst through the door, his hair a mess and his eyes wild with panic. The bruises on his face had faded to ugly shades of green and yellow, making him look both pitiful and ridiculous.
“Renee!” He threw himself at her feet. “You can’t do this to me!”
“The cards are canceled, the project funds are frozen… we’ll be out on the street!” he wailed. “I know I was wrong! Punish me, do whatever you want, but you can’t take away my livelihood!”
Mom sipped her coffee, unperturbed. “I didn’t take it away.”
“Renee, I’m begging you. One more chance. This is the last one!” He clung to her legs, his eyes red from crying.
1505
1505
Chapter 2
I patted her arm gently.
Mom, don’t push him into a corner just yet. A cornered dog might bite. He could become dangerous.
Her expression softened slightly. She set down her cup and looked down at him. “Fine. I’ll give you one more chance.”
Landon’s head snapped up, his eyes shining with manic glee.
Mom picked up another file from the table and tossed it to him. “This is the new development project in the West End District. It’s
one of the most important projects for the company. It’s yours now.”
“Succeed, and we’ll forget the past. Fail…” Mom paused. “And you will disappear from this company for good.”
Landon snatched the file like it was a holy relic. He was convinced her love for him had won out, that she was finally coming to her
senses.
“Don’t worry, Renee! I will give it my all! I will work myself to the bone for you!”
Clutching the file like a get–out–of–jail–free card, he practically scrambled out of the house.
The moment he was gone, Mom’s phone buzzed. It was a series of photos.
In them, Landon, the old hag, the six boys, and the mistress were all living together in a high–end apartment complex just a few
blocks away from our house. They looked like a happy, complete family.
The coldness returned to my mother’s eyes.
“You love to act, don’t you, Landon? Fine. I’ll build you a bigger stage.”
