7

The accusation felt like a slap to Damian's face. He loved Bianca. She was accusing him of being infidel. 

“I have been nothing but faithful in this marriage. Today is the first time I've ever seen or met Eleanor,” Damian explained himself.

“I don't believe you,’’ Bianca snapped and she immediately hung up on him.

Damian stared at the phone for a few moments wondering what had just happened. Bianca had never reacted this way before. Not to him.

“Is everything alright?” Eleanor asked.

Damian put his phone in the breast pocket of his jacket and nodded, “Yeah, everything's fine.” He replied, looking out the window.”

Bianca began to pace. She and Regina dismissed the guards and returned back to her office. She was still so angry but then, she realized that she hadn't asked him what she wanted to ask him.

Her mind had been occupied by the fact that he left with the CEO and in anger, she had forgotten to ask about what happened between him and her sister. Again, she dialled his number. This was the second time today.

Damian had hit her sister. She just wanted answers.

The man she had married had never been violent. He had never once raised his hand in anger. But here she was, staring at her sister’s swelling face. She was trying to understand the man she knew to the man she was hearing about now. He had even gone with another woman.

When his phone rang, he hesitated. It rang thrice before he answered, “Hello?”

Bianca skipped to the point. “Why did you hit Regina?”

“I’m not proud of it, Bianca. I didn't mean to but you don’t know the full story.” Damian replied.

Bianca tightened her grip on her phone. She was so mad. “I don’t need the full story. You hit my sister, Damian.” She said. “How could you? Is this because I filed for divorce? Is this how you fight back?”

“Fight back?” Damian asked, fustrated. “Bianca, you think this is about the divorce? What happened with me and Regina had nothing to do with us.”

“Oh, really? Because from what I'm seeing, it seems like you’re taking out your anger on my family now.” Bianca said. She looked at Regina's cheek. She had tears in her eyes and she was holding her swelling cheek.

Bianca expected him to argue and deny it. She expected to explain why he had done such a horrible thing. But instead, there was silence on the other end of the line.

“Damian?” Bianca asked. She looked at her phone. He was still on the call.

When he spoke, Bianca heard the disappointment. “You didn’t even ask why, did you? You never do.”

Bianca frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean that you’re always so quick to jump to conclusions when it's about me. You never ask why whenever I do something. You don’t even want to understand.” He said.

“Understand what? That you hit a woman— my sister? There’s no explanation for hitting someone, Damian. None.” She replied.

“I didn't mean to touch her. It was a slap and—”

“You think that a slap makes it better? You think I care? You’re my husband or at least you were.”

Damian scoffed. “I’m not your husband anymore, Bianca. Remember? You divorced me. And maybe you never really knew who I was because you never cared about me.”

For some reason, his words hurt her more than she expected. Their marriage had been happy, in a way. She remembered all the times they spent laughing together and getting to know each other. How had they gotten here?

She shook her head. “You owe Regina an apology. I want you to meet with her and apologize in person.”

There was a long pause, and then Damian said. “I’m not doing that.”

Bianca was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“I said no. I’m not apologizing to Regina.”

“Damian, this is—”

“I've said what I've said, Bianca. I have no reason to apologize to Regina for what she did to me.”

Before Bianca could reply, he hung up. She stared at her phone. He had hung up on her. Just like that. She couldn't believe it.

"Bianca?" Regina called.

Bianca looked at her sister. The swelling of her cheek had become worse. The mark on her cheek was now purple.

Whatever Damian's reasons, this was unacceptable. “Get up, let's go to the hospital. We need to get that looked at.” 

Regina nodded as she stood. "I just can’t believe he did this.” She was still playing good victim.

Bianca wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders and led her to the door. “Neither can I.”

They had already reached her car in the parking lot when Madison rushed towards them. She had an excitement about her.

“Miss Calloway!” Madison called. Bianca and Regina turned to look at her. “I have some wonderful news.”

Bianca furrowed her brows. “What is it, Madison?”

“Everest Corporations just announced they’re hosting a charity gala next week. They’re using the event to publicly recruit new partners. And your company is on the guest list!” Madison announced.

They were on the guest list?

For a moment, Bianca couldn’t process the information. The same woman who had left with Damian had actually considered business with her? The company name being on yhe guest list would open doors for them that she’d only dreamed of. A partnership with Everest Corporations would be a game changer.

This whole day had been terrible but she felt excited about this opportunity. But then she glanced at Regina and her sister’s swollen face reminding her of the situation she was in.

Still, attending the gala and potentially securing a deal with Everest was too important to ignore.

“That’s fine,” Bianca said, trying to sound more bored than she felt. “Make sure everything is in order. We need to prepare thoroughly for this.”

Madison nodded. “Of course! I’ll start making the necessary arrangements right away.”

As the secretary hurried off, Bianca turned back to Regina.  “I’ll get you to the hospital first. Then we’ll figure out what to do about Damian.”

The two women got into the car. Bianca's driver started the car.

Regina leaned her head against the window. “I don't think Damian is going to apologize.”

“He has to. I'll make him face the consequences of his actions. I'll make sure of it.” She promised.

Everest Corporations could be her way forward. She couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. Not now, when everything else in her life was falling apart.

But as much as she wanted to focus on the future, the change in Damian was occupying her thoughts. 

By the time they reached the hospital, Bianca had made up her mind. Damian wasn’t going to get away with this. He couldn’t.

Damian Williams would regret ever laying a hand on her family.