“Mona, this is bad. A lot of Kathleen’s fans have gathered outside our doors, saying that Kathleen lied to them. They’re all demanding an explanation from Miss Hathaway.”
When Mona heard the anxiety in her colleague’s voice, she frowned and said in annoyance, “Didn’t the news on the Internet already make it clear? Tell those people outside to look it up on the Internet if they don’t know what’s going on.”
“That’s what I told them, but they want to hear it from Miss Hathaway’s lips. They even threatened to create a scene outside, refusing to leave unless Miss Hathaway gives them the explanation they want,” the colleague explained in dismay.
Out of wits, Mona decided to concede to their demands. “If that’s the case, go outside and try to calm them while I look for Miss Hathaway. I’ll ask her about her thoughts on this matter.”
“Please hurry up, okay? I’m afraid that we won’t be able to stop them for long.” A look of distress appeared on that colleague’s face, and Mona nodded before dashing straight for Hathaway’s office.
She stood before the door and knocked a few times, announcing the reason for her presence, “Miss Hathaway, there are a lot of Kathleen’s fans outside, and they hope that you’ll clarify the Kathleen incident.” Then, she waited quietly at the door. A few seconds passed by, but no sound came from within the room. So, Mona knocked again and asked, “Miss Hathaway, are you there?”
Still, there was no sound from the office, and Mona started to worry because she remembered that Hathaway had arrived here rather early in the morning. “Miss Hathaway, I’m coming in if you’re not saying anything,” she said, turning the knob and pushing the door open. Immediately, a strong smell of alcohol rushed up her nostrils, and she saw Hathaway’s head resting against the desk.
Mona approached her and saw that Hathaway, who was usually so elegant and graceful, was slumped and disheveled on the floor with two empty bottles by her side.
“Miss Hathaway?” Mona called softly. Hathaway didn’t answer and looked like she was utterly drunk. Mona didn’t know what to do. Still, she crouched down and helped her up. That was when she noticed that Hathaway wasn’t wholly unconscious because her face was covered in tears that kept flowing from her eyes.
It was obvious that Hathaway didn’t want to wake up and face the harsh reality, but Mona didn’t want to force her, either. So, she helped Hathaway into the lounge in the office and left the room.
When she came out, the band member from earlier approached her once more in an even more distressed state than ever. “Mona, what did Miss Hathaway say? Those fans look like they’ll break the doors down.”
“If we can’t stop them, just call the police.” This was the only solution Mona could think of since she was equally helpless. Soon, the police arrived and quickly drove away the fans who were creating a ruckus.
Once all these frustrating matters had been taken care of, Mona slipped into her personal training room and called Tessa. “Tessa, I saw the news on the Internet. Are you alright?” she asked, worried about Tessa’s condition. Tessa briefly recounted the incident to her, ending with, “But I’m fine now. Don’t worry.”
Although Tessa tried her best to make her tone sound lighthearted, Mona still had the jitters after hearing the whole story. “I have no words about Kathleen. It really made me wonder why Susan was so hostile to you, but now the mystery has been solved. It turns out that’s because she’s Kathleen,” Mona said huffily, regarding Kathleen as her enemy as well. Tessa laughed and asked about Hathaway in concern, “I heard that Kathleen is given the death penalty. How’s Miss Hathaway doing?”
“She’s not doing all that great. When I checked in on her, she was drinking herself to a stupor and crying in her office,” Mona said honestly.
On the other end of the line, Tessa felt uneasy to hear Hathaway suffering, but that was all. She wasn’t a saint and could never repay the grievances she suffered with kindness. Finally, she could only ask Mona for a favor, “Please keep an eye on her condition for the next few days. I’m afraid that she wouldn’t be able to handle the blow and resort to some extreme actions.”
“I got it. I’ll keep a close eye on her,” Mona nodded. After Tessa hung up, she felt a heavy stone weighing down her heart. Nicholas, who was seated next to her, felt that something was amiss with her right away. “What’s wrong? Are you worried about Hathaway?”
“Yeah, a little,” she admitted and told him about her concerns. “Kathleen has been convicted, and I’m worried that Miss Hathaway would do something drastic out of grief.”
