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I, on the other hand, had my nerves bundled up into a string of excitement and anxiety. The CEO of Crawford, possibly one of the most powerful men in the country, was standing in front of me. I hadn't expected him to act that way—calm, with a hint of lovingness behind his warm smile. His pictures and news of him on the internet portrayed him as a taciturn and cold figure.
He carried hints of the twins' features, having the same curve on his nose, and their green eyes. "I hope your mother hasn't been giving you too much trouble."
"We're trying to cope," Ryan responded.
Mrs. Crawford scowled. "What do you mean trouble?"
Her husband placed his hand on her shoulder. I could tell he was treating her gently. "It's nothing, sweetheart. Why don't you go get yourself something to eat? You haven't been eating enough lately." How he managed to find it in him to treat a monster like her so tenderly boggled my mind.
She tipped her chin up. "You always do this."
"Please."
"But I'm not hungry."
"I'll join you in a minute."
Mrs. Crawford hesitated for a second, but she listened to her husband eventually. She shot a daggered stare at me before strutting away. Good riddance. She walked away in a huff, slamming her heels onto the marbled floor. Richard Crawford angered, yet subdued her at the same time. I could definitely get used to watching her like this.
"Nice to meet you, Scarlet," he said, offering a handshake.
Perplexed by the unlikelihood of this situation, I gripped his hand. "Nice to meet you too, sir."
"I'm sorry about my wife."
My first instinct was to yap on all the trouble she gave me, but for the sake of manners, I contained myself. "Oh, that's okay. She hasn't been too much trouble." Besides getting my dad fired, and giving me a couple of sleepless nights.
"She's not exactly the nicest person," Richard Crawford said.
I didn't know how to react to that. Why was he still with her if he thought of her as mean? The man was old, but still reasonably attractive, with defined features like a strong jaw and those beautiful green eyes he shared with the twins. It wasn't uncommon to remarry at his age. "Well, um, no she isn't."
"I'll try to make sure she doesn't give you any trouble in the future."
Ryan intertwined his fingers with mine. "We'll make sure of it."
"She can be very lovely. Things just haven't been the same lately." A tinge of darkness crept into his expression. "Try not to hate her too much."
"I don't hate her," I lied.
"The function’s running very smoothly by the way. Good job. Ryan and Riley talked to me about you. I'm expecting to see more of you around."
I was sure he was saying that to be modest, but I bowed my head and replied, "Thank you," anyway.
When he left to return to the side of his wife, I looked up at the twins and asked, "What was that?"
They both raised a brow.
"Our parents?" Ryan asked. "What about them?"
"I don't know. They feel... off."
"They're not exactly a romantic couple."
I should have expected as much. The scandals of the rich weren't exactly old news. "Oh."
"My dad was right though. My mother used to be really nice."
Not believing his statement, I gave him a confused look.
"Then she got pregnant with a third child. My father was busy with his company, and he hardly ever came home early because of work. Her parents passed away around that time, and she had us to take care of. There were one or two helpers around, but she wanted to be there for us most of the time. Eventually, she stressed herself out too much and my dad wasn't there to support her. Her personality changed. She got angry more easily, and went into fits regularly. One day, as they fought, my mom ran down the stairs and tripped. She had a miscarriage."
I sucked on my lower lip. "That sounds... serious."
Riley added, "A few years later, she was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. My dad blames himself for it, so he never left. But it's difficult to love a woman who only cares for herself."
I put my fist over my mouth to hold back a chortle. So, Mrs. Crawford was a clinically certified narcissist. Her story didn't invoke a single ounce of sympathy in me, although I shouldn't have been so harsh on her. But her disorder led to a destructive behavior that didn't just affect her, but everyone else around her. In fact, it probably hurt others more than herself, considering she had a billionaire still longing to protect her well-being.
However, it did manage to make me hate her less, if only a bit. "That's interesting, I suppose."
***
"I need to go to the washroom," I said, holding my hand over my stomach. Maybe it was something I ate, or pregnancy nausea again. It was a light discomfort, but I wanted to wash up, just in case.
