Chapter 74

74 Where Is My Ella?

Maggie’s eyes widened and her mouth was left agape. Slowly raising a trembling finger, she stuck it into her right ear as she tried to wriggle out any dirt blocking her hearing. Her brain couldn’t comprehend the instruction Ella just gave. It was as though her daughter had been possessed by strange magic.

Ella had never dared to go against her instructions when reprimanded or even talk to her in this demeaning manner. Although Ella was a hard-headed child, she always had great respect for her mum. Whenever she was caught misbehaving in the past, she would always ask for forgiveness and display genuine remorse.

“Where is my Ella?” Maggie questioned herself out loud in bewilderment causing Leon to suppress a wicked grin.

As if responding to Maggie’s incredulous question, Ella answered ironically. “I am right here, mum. I am standing before you. There is no need to be dramatic.”

Ella directed her attention to John and gave her instructions authoritatively. “John, take my mother home. However, if she refuses to come along with you, kindly help charter a taxi for her and give the taxi driver directions to the villa.”

Without sparing her mum a second glance, Ella and Leon proudly left the puzzled and overwhelmed Maggie behind. They both entered their car and zoomed off.

Maggie stood transfixed on the spot as she watched her daughter walk away with a man every fiber of her loathed. She was tempted to run after Ella, drag her by the hair, and give her a resounding slap for her rudeness. However, her feet remained glued to the ground as they refused to obey the instructions of her brain.

John stood for a while as he waited for Maggie to return to reality. He was so thrilled with the way Ella handled her mother. When Ella referred to Mr. Leon and him as family, his mind was enveloped in an unfathomable joy. This joy gave him the moral to manage Maggie irrespective of whatever she was going to say henceforth or do.

“Mrs. Porter,” John called politely after standing for more than five minutes without Maggie saying anything. “Can we please leave this place? It’s already getting dark.”

.....

Maggie woke up from her self-activated trance and glared at John. “You...” she paused and held back her tongue for fear of what John might do to her if she insulted him. Her body shook with fury as she angrily stepped into the limo and slammed the door in John’s face.

John smiled slyly as he saw the defeat in Maggie’s eyes. He walked over to the driver’s side of the limo, got in, and drove off.

When Maggie arrived at the villa she was welcomed politely by Paul.

“Where is my daughter?” Maggie asked Paul impatiently as John had hurriedly left her in his care.

“You are highly welcome, ma’am.” Paul bowed politely as he ushered her into the villa. “Mrs. Treshvire will join us soon. It seems you arrived before her.”

“Are you people deaf or something?” Maggie bellowed. Her face was red with accumulated anger. “Stop calling me, ma’am! My name is Mrs. Porter. Also, for your information, my daughter is not Mrs. Treshvire. She is simply Ariella Porter.”

“Noted, Mrs. Porter. Can I show you to your room?” Paul gestured politely towards the stairs.

“I will wait in your sitting room until she comes back,” Maggie replied angrily and started walking towards a section of the house she assumed was the sitting room.

“Mrs. Porter,” Paul called out sharply. “I’m afraid you’re going the wrong way. The sitting room is this way.” He gestures and walked ahead of Maggie.

Maggie grumbled inaudibly as she followed Paul to the sitting room. However, in her riled-up state, she stole furtive glances at the luxuriously furnished home. There was no denying that the Treshvires were stinkingly rich. Wealth and class exuded from every corner of the sophisticated villa. She felt intimidated by the display of luxury all around her.

“Can I get a glass of water?” Maggie perched on the edge of a single couch as though the seat was lined with brimstone. Her throat felt parched from all her shouting and stress.

“Certainly, Mrs. Porter. Would you like some juice and snacks alongside?” Paul inquired politely.

“Water would just be fine,” Maggie said curtly. Although, she inwardly felt bad for her rudeness to the middle-aged respectful man.

“Okay, Mrs. Porter,” Paul gave a short bow and left. He instructed a house staff to take Maggie’s luggage to the room prepared for her. Afterward, he sent another staff with a glass of water to Maggie.

——–

After Leon and Ella left Maggie back at the airport, he drove to a prestigious five-star restaurant; where he ordered an expensive bottle of wine to celebrate his wife’s audaciousness.

All through the drive to the restaurant, Leon couldn’t stop singing Ella’s praise. At some point, he stopped the car by the roadside and showered her face with kisses. Ella kept proving to him by the hour that she was his perfect match.

“My love, I am super proud of you.” Leon raised his glass to a toast. “The way you stood up for our love in the presence of your mum is priceless. This is to us being a formidable and unstoppable team. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” Ella’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she raised her glass and clinked Leon’s.

After having a memorable time at the restaurant, the two love birds retired to Leon’s second apartment. They had dinner and stayed back on purpose until it was almost 11:00 PM.

All this while Leon was been updated on Maggie’s numerous tantrums back at the villa. He shared this with Ella and they both had fun laughing out their hearts at Maggie’s excesses.

Sitting on a double couch and enjoying some snacks together; with Ella leaning on Leon’s shoulder, they spoke at length about Maggie.

“Babe, your mum reminds me of mine when she is in one of those menopause moods,” Leon said laughing. “She could be adorable sometimes and repulsive other times.”

“Yeah, mothers will always be mothers,” Ella chuckled. They’re like two sides of a coin. You never know which face turns up until it is revealed. Nana told me not to confront her. She said in due time, Maggie would change her ways and ask for my forgiveness.” A wave of sadness crossed Ella’s face and quickly dissipated. “I can’t wait for that day to come.”

“Until that day comes, you have me, Olivia Denise, Nana, Ivory, my dad and so many other persons by your side.” Leon stroked her hair tenderly. “We will all stand by you and defend you from all enemies. Don’t you ever forget that?”

“I won’t,” Ella leaned closer and kissed Leon on his lips.

“Let’s get back to the villa. Paul just informed me that Maggie has gone to bed.”

“Okay, love.”

....

By the next morning, Maggie woke up late due to exhaustion. After a quick shower, she came down to the sitting room; where she was met by Paul.

“Good morning, Mrs. Porter. I hope you slept well?” Paul said politely as he walked up to her.

“Good morning, Paul,” Maggie responded calmly. She marveled at Paul’s politeness even after all she did to him the previous night.

If she had been in his shoes, she would be snubbing herself right now. She had poured all her frustration on the innocent Paul. Even at that, he remained ever respectful and nice towards her. This definitely has nothing to do with the family he worked for or money. Paul is truly a nice man in and out.

“Is my daughter back?” Maggie questioned in a subtle tone.

“Yes, Mrs. Porter. She came back with Mr. Leon last night,” Paul replied.

“Can you please take me to her?”

“Certainly, Mrs. Porter. I was coming to get you before you showed up. She’s in the dining room. Please, follow me.” Paul led the way to the dining section.

Ella and Leon were having their breakfast when Maggie showed up.

Maggie stared at the both of them as her blood began to boil. She took calculated steps towards Ella and stopped a few meters from her due to Leon’s intense gaze.

“Good morning, mum,” Ella spoke calmly as though nothing was amiss. “I hope you rested well. Please, join us for breakfast.”

“Good morning, Maggie.” Leon half smiled and continued munching on his food.

“I can see you both are having fun at my expense.” Maggie glared at them accusingly. “You left me here all alone last night, making me pour all my anger on Paul and now you’re acting like nothing is wrong?”

“Mum is too early to start nagging.” Ella stared lovingly at Maggie. “I was told you didn’t take dinner last night. You know that’s not good for your health. Please sit down and eat something. Olivia told me that you were placed on some medication. Those drugs would harm your system without food. Please, let’s not quarrel this early morning. When I get back from work, we will talk at length.”

Maggie wanted to say something but then her legs started shaking. They were too weak to carry her tired body. She had starved herself the previous day due to heartache and loss of appetite. She knew Ella was right about her eating something. She also remembered the promise she made to Moses and Edna. She contemplated for a second before taking a seat seven feet away from Ella.

One look at the different mouth-watering delicacies on the table reawakened her appetite. She picked up a plate, served herself, and ate in silence.

Leon and Ella exchanged furtive happy glances as they watched her eat silently.

After rounding up with his meal, Leon was about to leave the dining room when Maggie asked a question that provoked his spirit.

“Leon, your mother told me about your promiscuous lifestyle. How many ladies have you lured to bed with your wealth aside my shameless daughter.”