“We’ll be together forever,” promised Christopher as he held me tightly in his arms.
I felt like crying again. I couldn’t believe that there was nothing I could do to fight death. What will Christopher do if I were to die? He is so fiercely loyal and emotional. He’d probably be especially heartbroken.
I hadn’t stayed in Avenport for a while, but so much had happened there. That was especially true within the Miller family. At first, Benjamin was deemed to be the heir of the Miller family, but for some unknown reason, Benson became the center of attention and even went on the news after I got back. Didn’t Benson and Crystal go to the same school back in the day?
I guess that means Benjamin has since fallen from grace. He’s probably having a hard time now. I pointed at the tv screen and asked curiously, “What happened? Are the Miller brothers fighting?”
“Yeah. That’s not surprising, though. One brother’s an illegitimate child of a mistress while the other is the legitimate son. It’d be weird if they are civil to each other,” replied Christopher. He had brought me over to the store to buy some clothes, and he insisted that I pick his outfit for him.
I chose two outfits for him, and he looked especially dashing in both. It was as if he was a model, and I felt ever so envious because I was not the type that could pull off just any outfit.
“I met the boys a few times and thought that the two siblings interacted well together. They even hung around Crystal like a team and didn’t seem to be at odds.”
The drama had always been abundant within rich families, and Benjamin’s situation with Benson was just like how things were between Yvette and me. I used to be envious of Benjamin’s ability to ease the tension and interact well with his siblings. Turns out, they simply have different battlefields. Men fight for power, and that makes the argument between ladies look like nothing.
“You don’t actually think that they were sharing Crystal, do you? There was definitely a competition between them… I mean, unless Crystal can somehow split into two or something,” replied Christopher as he stared at me like I was an id*ot. In an instant, I felt dissed, so I secretly stepped on his toe.
What I never anticipated was that I would meet Benjamin soon after. He actually dropped by in person to look for me. Huh… that’s strange. We don’t know each other well and never interacted outside the public. The only time we ever spoke was when he passive-aggressively insulted me.
I was actually surprised to hear that he didn’t marry Crystal, who didn’t seem to be really into Lyle. She acted like Lyle was just a toy she wanted to take away from me. Unfortunately, Benjamin was the kind of guy who would sacrifice himself for the woman he loved and actually set Lyle and Crystal up.
My guess was that Crystal only kept Benjamin hooked and never got together with him because he never made the first move. Lyle was more passionate and always took the initiative.
“Yvonne Tanner, tell me where Crystal is right now!” demanded Benjamin as he stormed toward me. He kicked the grocery I just bought aside, and it was obvious that he was here to cause trouble.
I noted how he hadn’t shaved and looked exhausted with his bloodshot eyes. I almost clapped in admiration. This man is under tremendous stress from work, but he is still so determined that he made the time to ask me about Crystal. I didn’t need to ask or wonder how he learned where I was living because I knew that Lyle must’ve played a role in that.
I sighed as I massaged my head. Once again, I repeated, “Crystal was with Lyle, so can you guys please ask him about her whereabouts? Why is everyone targeting me? Is it because I seem like an easy target to bully?”
“Lyle refused to say anything, and I saw how he was chasing after you earlier today. Tell me. Did you seduce Lyle and get him to hide Crystal away? Don’t overplay your hand, Yvonne. I know that you have been bullying Crystal ever since you were a kid, and I won’t hold back if you don’t give me a satisfactory answer today.”
Benjamin cracked his knuckles. He looked like he would assault me if I didn’t tell him the truth.
At that moment, I regretted asking Christopher to go to the other side of the city and buy some fresh seafood. He’d be gone for a long while, and that gave Benjamin the opportunity to come and harass me.
