Chapter 72: Chapter 72

CHAPTER 29

"Good morning, ma'am." The workers chorus in unison.

"Hello. I asked to see you all here this morning, because, number one, I want to introduce myself. Some of you might know me, some of you might not. I'm Natalie, and this is my house now. Sadly, I'll have to let you all go. I can not afford to have my ex-husbands people around me at this time. I will compensate you greatly. All I ask, is that you leave before 1pm. Thank you." I say, as I walk back into the living room.

Louis is downstairs with Ashley. She's feeding him a bottle, but there's a fish shaped plate filled with sliced salmon, blueberries, apples and mini pancakes. I blow him a kiss and he laughs, showing his small growing teeth. I begin to make a call. "Hello, Olga. Yes, hi. I was wondering if you could come down to Shoreditch with your team? I want my house redecorated. No, not the penthouse. I'll send you the address. Yes, come and take a look. Thank you. I won't be home though so update me via texts or e-mail. Bye." I say, as I drop the call. Lydia walks in.

"Well, are you ready?" She asks.

"No. I'll be ready in 20. Let me freshen up." I say. I go to Louis. "My love, do you like your breakfast?" I ask, as I bend to level with him. I pick a slice of salmon and eat. "This tastes good, Ashley," I turn to Louis, "Mommy's going out. I'll see you in the evening, my love. I love you so much." I say, as I pat his head. He doesn't even pay any attention to me, he just concentrates on his food.

***

I had slept in one of the other rooms. I couldn't bare sleeping in my room. It was obvious that Luke and Laurel had been staying there. I carry my box and drop it on the bed as I try to ignore the wave of nostalgia hitting me. I open the box and set out my attire for the day; a bias skirt and a shirt.

I'm in the bathroom and I feel the urge to cry, remembering my moments with Luke. We confessed our love here, we made love here countlessly here. This was where Louis was conceived. One misunderstanding ruined everything. It made my blood boil that he could disrespect and disregard my memory enough to let another woman take my place so fast. It made my blood boil that he disrespected our matrimonial bed by letting Laurel sleep on it, even further by getting intimate with her. It took me 2 years to move on. Now, I had to expose Laurel. I return to the room and pick my phone. I make a call. It's the red-haired woman. "I need a job done."

***

Lydia and I are in the car. "Give me a second." I say to her, as I make another call. "I have something to give to you. Meet me at Sycamore Beach if you want it. It belongs to Luke after all." I say and drop the call, nervous.

"Who was that? Laurel?" Lydia asks.

I nod. "There's something I have to do."

"What are you doing, Natalie? Why do I get the feeling that whatever you're about to do isn't good?"

"Like I said, I don't know what's good or bad. If Laurel had done the right thing that day, my father would still be alive. She didn't, so down she goes." I put on my shades as I drive off.

****

We arrive at the spa. "Oh, I already feel relaxed!" Lydia says as she exhales. I chuckle.

"Lydia?"

"Yes? Don't tell me you're about to bail on me. Natalie!"

"No, no. Not exactly. I'll need to leave for about an hour or more. It's very urgent. I just need your help. Incase anyone asks, I was with you all day. I'll go in with you and call for an Uber. I'll leave from the back."

"But where are you going to?"

"I can't tell you. It's best you don't know. It's safer for you, Lydia."

She nods. "Get back here in an hour, okay?" She says as she hugs me. We get down. We go into the spa. We give knowing nods to each other and go our separate ways. I reach the backdoor. "Here." I say, giving the security guard a few £100 notes. He lets me pass. Luckily, there's a taxi parked a few feet away from me. "Sycamore beach." I say, as I get in.

***

I'm heading towards Sycamore beach when I receive a call. "You moved her? Where? I'm paying to follow my instructions, not do as you please. Keep her there. I'll turn now."

I arrive at the Soho walk-up. I pay the taxi driver and get down. I watch him drive off. I go into the building. It sounds awfully quiet. I call the red haired woman. "I'm here. Where are you? Where's she?" She responds, and I put my phone away. I walk to the last floor upstairs, and I open the door. There's 3 men, all dressed in black, the red haired woman and another woman, alongside Laurel, who's tied up on a chair, unconscious.

One of the men put a piece of clothing soaked in alcohol in Laurel's nose. She wakes up. "What the hell is this?" She yells, realizing her current situation. She tries to break free. "Natalie have you gone insane?! I won't leave you alone when I get you." She growls.

"I'd like some privacy, please." The men look at me then the red haired lady. She moves closer to me and whispers into my ear. "They need their payment."

"I'll settle that before I leave." I say to her and she nods. They leave.

I move closer to Laurel. I hold her chin. "You killed my father, Laurel."

"I don't owe you anything, but I'll tell you this. It wasn't my intention to. I really didn't think your father would have a cardiac arrest and die. It's your fault that you were a whore. Either way, hedeserved to die for having a— The back of my right hand connects with her face. "How dare you?" I ask her, trembling with anger. She felt no remorse.

"You wanted to harm me! You could've taken it out on me! You didn't have to drag my father into it— you knew, everything. You knew my father was sick and yet, you chose to call him!"

She chuckles and her voice disgusts me to my bones. "I warned you from the very beginning. I told you to stay away from him. You didn't listen. I had to teach you a lesson, and I swear if I wasn't tied up to this chair, I wouldn't let you leave this building alive!" She yells. She spits on the floor. I move to her back, and I grab her hair. She shrieks. "Not if I kill you first."

"So, you're going to kill me?" She asks, and I squirm internally, excited as I hear the nervousness in her voice.

"You know, Laurel, once upon time, I was as pure and naive as the first ray of sunshine. I wouldn't even hurt a fly. I thought of no evil and committed no evil, but thanks to you, this is a necessary evil. My sense of forgiveness and perception are blinded by only one thing, and that is revenge."

"So you're confessing that everything you've done so far has been all part of your plan?" She asks. She begins to laugh.

"You can laugh all you want. You, turned me into this! Lucas turned me into this! My innocent father died because of you, and Lucas paved the way for that!"

"You have some guts, Natalie, you brought your lover into the manor! I saw you with him. Oh, I did, severally. I let everything go on even though I knew who he was."

"I'm not going to exchange words with you, Laurel." I say, as I walk out of the room. I go back down to the third floor where the red haired woman stays. I open the door.

"Well? Are you done?" She asks.

"We need to move her. Now." I respond.

"Where?" The red haired woman asks.

"Just knock her out, and follow me. Can you get me a taxi?"

***

I watch from the corridor as Laurel is being bundled into a mini van. I go outside and enter the taxi waiting for me. "Caterham Asylum." I say to the taxi driver. That was my plan for Laurel all along. It was what she deserved. The best place to hide her was somewhere in Croydon, no one would think of it. If Luke started looking for her, he wouldn't imagine it could be somewhere in Croydon or a psychiatric home for that matter. I had no remorse in my heart. Nothing, could make me forgive Laurel or Luke. The only way I would forgive them was if they brought my father back to me. That was impossible so, they had to pay.

***

In no time, we arrive at the asylum. I pay the taxi driver. I get out of the car and walk into the hospital.

"Hey!" The red-haired woman calls. I turn. "Don't just leave us. What do we do now?"

"Hold on a minute." I say, as I walk into the hospital.

"Hello," I say, as I get to the counter. "Where's Dr. Faye?" I ask.

"She’s not seeing any— "Tell him Natalie Richardson has come. I want him in front of me now."

***

"Mrs. Richardson!"

"Dr. Faye. Hello. Your staff should really be acquainted with me. I donated millions of Euros to your hospital."

She chuckles nervously, "My apologies. She's new. Please, shall we go to my office?"

"No. I'll like to go straight to the point. I spoke to you months ago, in regards to someone I wanted in your facility. She's here."

She nods, taking off her glasses. "Okay. How long are we keeping her here for? Do we need to run tests?"

"No, not all. She's mad. That's all you need to know, no questions asked. You'll keep her here until I say otherwise. No visitors, and no documentation whatsoever that proves she's here."

The woman looks at me, and gives a small smile. "As you wish. Where is she?"

"Outside. I want her admitted now."