“Liberty, are you hiring at the moment? I don’t have a job, and my age makes finding one a pain. I can’t beat those young girls out there.
“You can hire me if you’re looking to hire. I’m not asking for a lot. I’m happy with eight thousand dollars a month with meals and accommodation included.”
Chelsea changed the subject.
Echoing her daughter, Mrs. Brown told her former daughter-in-law, “Liberty, Chelsea has been out of work for a long time. It’s going to be hard for you to run the place and look after Sonny. You should hire someone to help you. Chelsea is not an outsider. Plus, she’s a good worker. It’s better for you to hire her than someone you don’t know. You might end up with a thief for all you know.
“I can look after Sonny, so you can focus on running the business.”
If Mrs. Brown was watching Sonny, Liberty would have to go to the Browns’ home to pick the boy up, and she would bump into Hank. Liberty and Hank had known each other for more than a decade, and they had a son together, so sparks may reignite.
Mrs. Brown could kick the Yate girl out when Hank had a change of heart to go back to Liberty. The Browns never had a quiet day since the prodigal and wretched girl married into the family.
Jessica was useless in the kitchen, and Mrs. Brown could not tell Jessica off without making her cry. That was usually how Hank and his parents got into fights.
With a long face, Liberty uttered, “I’m not hiring. I can’t afford it.”
A monthly salary of eight thousand dollars?
Liberty was only a small-time business owner. She would be lucky to break even and make a small profit, much less hire anybody. Even if she planned to bring someone on board, she could not afford that kind of salary. Besides, Liberty would never hire Chelsea.
“I can look after Sonny. He’s attending kindergarten in September.”
Liberty knew what Mrs. Brown was up to.
The old lady was trying to use Sonny to get her and Hank back together. As if Liberty would remarry Hank.
Liberty had been down that road before. She was not foolish. Why would she put herself through hell again?
Sure, Liberty still had feelings for Hank before the divorce happened.
However, the messy divorce killed whatever love she had left for the man. Now, Hank was dead to Liberty.
She would rather be a single mother forever than take Hank back.
The Browns were having second thoughts now because Liberty had a rich aunt, and her sister married into a wealthy family. The Browns were merely looking out for themselves just like the money-hungry Hunts.
“Why can’t you afford to hire? It’s not like you don’t have the money. Hank gave you a lot for the divorce settlement. You don’t need a lot to set up a restaurant. I bet you don’t want to hire me. Liberty, no matter what, we were once family, you…”
With her mother nudging her, Chelsea stopped short and left her words hanging.
Chelsea was used to it.
She was used to having her way with Liberty.
Grandma May turned on her heel and went to the loo. Shutting the bathroom stall behind her, the old lady whipped out her phone and gave Zack a call.
Zack soon took his nana’s call.
“What’s the matter, Nana?”
Grandma May could tell from Zack’s husky voice that he was in a good mood. Needless to say, Serena had something to do with it.
Such were the men of the York family. They only had eyes for the love of their life.
They would give all their emotions to their beloved, and only their wives could trigger any emotions in them.
“Give me Duncan’s number. I don’t have his number saved. I need to talk to him about something urgent.”
“You can talk to me about it, Nana. No need to look for Duncan.”
“I don’t need you. Stop with the questions. Hurry up and give me Duncan’s number.”
Zack skeptically gave his best friend’s number to his nana. At the end of it, he persistently asked, “What happened, Nana? Why do you need to talk to Duncan?”
“It’s none of your business. Go back to work.”
Grandma May immediately hung up on her darling grandson after getting Duncan’s number.
Over on the other side, Zack was speechless.
Could he not be a little nosy to ask about it?
Grandma May dialed Duncan’s number and spoke in an anxious tone when Duncan picked up, “It’s bad, Duncan! It’s bad! Those absurd people are out to get Liberty again. It’s Liberty’s ex-mother-in-law and sister-in-law. They’re jealous that Liberty set up a diner. They want Liberty to transfer the ownership of the restaurant to them. Liberty can’t face those two women alone. She’s no longer the two-hundred-pound woman she was.
“I’m only an old lady. There’s only so much I can help with. I couldn’t scare them away by lying on the ground. I can only call you for help. Your office is the nearest to here. You can send a few security guards over.”
Without giving Duncan a chance to speak, Grandma May terminated the call.
“I’ll know what you’re after if you come here in person, but I could be wrong about you if you send your security guards instead.”
Clenching onto her phone, Grandma May exited the loo.
There was no telling what the Brown mother and daughter said because Liberty appeared furious and was chasing them out.
Grandma May nearly went to drag Mrs. Brown and Chelsea back.
How was Duncan supposed to play the hero without the Browns around?
Luckily, Grandma May could count on Mrs. Brown and Chelsea to stick around. They refused to leave like that.
“Liberty, Chelsea is in a tough spot. Hank doesn’t have a lot of money since the wedding is coming up. It’s not like you spend a lot on yourself and Sonny. You have your sister to help you anyway. You have the money to lend Chelsea two hundred thousand dollars to start a business. Don’t worry. It’s just a loan. She’ll return the money. We’re family after all.”
The real reason Mrs. Brown and Chelsea were here was to get money from Liberty for George to start a business.
With a straight face, Liberty clicked her tongue. “Don’t play the family card with me. My mom only gave birth to me and Seren. We’re unrelated. You should leave before I grab the broom.”
Liberty should let her relatives deal with her former in-laws. It would be a battle between the nasties.
“No matter what, I’m Sonny’s aunt. Can’t you look upon Sonny’s sake…”
“You’re Sonny’s aunt, not mine. Sonny is living off his mother now, so using his name won’t get you anywhere. Get out of here. Stop coming over to harass me.”
Chelsea scowled. “You can either lend me the money or give me a job. Otherwise, I’m not leaving. You can’t make me go!”
She then walked to a table and took a seat.
Liberty was annoyed. The nerve of these people!
Grandma May watched without making a sound.
Liberty removed Hank from her list of blocked contacts and gave Hank a call. She waited until he picked up before callously uttering, “Hank, hurry up and take your mom and sister away. They came here to talk ill about you and Jessica again. I’m getting sick and tired of listening to them.”
Hank was at a loss for words. Did his mother and sister not go to Liberty to ask for money?
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.