Carl has yet to speak since I told him what had taken place. Truthfully I did not need to tell him anything, but found myself doing so.

I need to get my anger and hatred back in proper standard, because I cannot give in to him.

"If he had not mentioned speaking to Dr. Phillis, would you have continued?"

"There is a chance." I see him nod at the corner of my eyes. He opens the door, getting out of the car, and I quickly open my own.

"Is that all?!" I shout, making my way round the back of the car, Mr. Baker standing near his door.

"What exactly do you want me to say Paulina?" He turns around, pushing his hands into his pockets.

"You finally got to be with the man you love. I'll see you at home." He turns again and I feel myself getting angry. I run up o him, forcing him to turn back and face me.

"Stop being condescending."

"Comdescending?" He laughs.
"Paulina what is it that you want me to do?" He folds his arms.

"I don't show emotion your angry, I show emotion your angry. What exactly am I to do then?"

"You know I do not love you."

"Yes we have established that. It was simply I that was a fool to believe, that after all that has happened recently, something may have changed."

"Exactly."

"Okay." He says and turns to leave, but I grab his arm again.

"Do not walk off when I am talking to you Carl!"

"I thought we were finished speaking."

"Fuck you Carl." I grit out and for the first time since meeting him today, something other than his nonchalant attitude passed over his features.

"Fuck me she says. Eff, fucking me." He grabs hold of my chin, staring down at me with so much rage.
"For the first time in my life, I regret ever fucking marrying you Paulina. I regret liking you, I should have listened to my father when he told me to not marry you." He grits out, tightening his hold.

"Let me go." I try to push his hand off me but he only tightened it more, beginning to hurt me.

"You're hurting me Carl."

"Good. Maybe you'll feel how I feel every fucking day!" He yells in my face, shocking me even more by pushing me away from him by my face, making me lose my balance, but I manage to keep my balance.

"Carl Ignuis-Kingston!" Someone shouts his name, neither of us looking away from each other. I look behind him to find his mother rushing out the elevator to us.
"I did not raise you to put your hand on a woman!" She tries to grab his attention but he would not stop staring at me, nor I, him.

Carl had never put his hands on me before, never lashed out at me.

How much more am I to tolerate? When you sleep with that bastard? His words that day come back to mind, and my eyes glisten with tears.

"I get that you are angry Carl, but never put your hands on your wife. She is a Kingston-"

"So fucking what!?" He shouts, turning to her.
"So because she's a fucking Kingston she can-" he cuts himself short, passing his hand through his hair, and storming off towards the elevator.

I look after him, feeling numb above all else.
He...he pushed me.

His mother says something to me, but it sounded all muffled. I watched as he enters the office, glaring at me until the elevator door cuts off our line of sight.

I couldn't believe he treated me like that. He...manhandled me.

"Paulina!" Mrs. Ignius gently turns my head to look at her.
"Do you have anywhere to go love? Any meetings soon?"

"N-no." I shake my head.

"Okay. Austin I will go with Paulina and her driver. You can head back to house." My eyes widen and I look behind me finding, her driver standing outside of her car, not to far from us.

He looks to me, but nothing passes over his face. I couldn't really read him. Did he hear what had transpired between us? Will he tell her?

"Austin!" She calls out to him again, and he nods.

"Call me if you need me ma'am." She nods, and he gets into the car, reversing and driving off.

"Come on darling. I was heading out to shop for some things, you can join me." She says leading me back to my car. Mr. Baker opening the door for us.

——

"Oh darling black most certainly is your color." Carl's mother compliments, and I freeze up slightly, but shake it off.

It's the color black she speaks of Paulina not...you know. My conscious tells me.

"I did not think shopping for lingerie was what I expected of this spontaneous trip Mrs. Ignius." I try to joke, but it was clear the atmosphere was still somewhat tense.

"I always buy myself a new set when my love is angry. Sex always tend to ease the tension."
She says standing from the plush couch. Her eyes scan my appearance before she gestures for me to turn around and I do a small turn.

"I don't think Carl will want to do anything with me Mrs. Ignius." She tuts her tongue, shaking her head.

"Ignius men are very understanding and love very hard dear. They love to lead, and are dominating when it comes to sexual things." She says walking up to me, fluffing hair.
"From a woman married to an Ignius for many years, intercourse with an angry Ignuis man is very thrilling. I tend to make him mad on purpose sometimes." She chuckles, tapping my cheek and walking away.

"Go ahead and change dear. We have much still to do." She waves me off over her back, and I turn in my shame, walking back towards the small room. "We'll take that red one, and the previous two we'll take in black if you have Harper dear." I hear her say as I close the beige door.

"Having a Kingston shop at any establishment means good for any business. Won't you agree dear?"

"Indeed. It's a privilege to bring any sort of increase to a business with my presence." I hear her hum from outside the door. I carefully pull the silk dress over my head, jumping in fear when I find Mrs. Ignius standing in the doorframe of the slightly opened door through the mirror. I spin around to look at her, my heart beating out of my chest.

"Mrs. Ignius!" I hold the dress tightly to my body, trying to cover my almost nude frame from her eyes.

"Just wanted to make sure of something hun." She says and exits the room. I stare at the closed door in astonishment.

——

We settle in at the restaurant, many people waving towards me as we walked pass them.

"Oh it's been so long since I went shopping with someone other than myself." She states as we settle down at our private table, more to the back of the scenic restaurant, that had the most beautiful view of the town.

"I would assume the Mrs. Ignius to have many friends." She laughs, shaking her head.

"So many pretenders are amongst society darling. You never truly know who you can trust." She says while staring me directly into my eyes.

"Indeed." I replied, smiling brightly at her.

"I heard Ms. Jackergoff had tried to advance towards Mr. Ignius." She chuckles, picking up the glass of water and taking a sip.

"The woman truly needed to know her place. However I worry no longer. She has been spoken too." I stare at her and she smiles at me.

"Are you ladies ready to order?" The waiter approaches us.

"Oh yes dear." She says picking up her menu, looking it over.
"I'll start with the Oysters Rockefeller please. And for my main course I'll have the....Sole Meunière, pan-fried in butter with lemon and a side of Pommes Anna—the crispy, butter-baked potatoes."

"Excellent choice Madam. And for you Mrs. Kingston?" I look over the menu. I'm not sure what, but there was something a little intimidating about her smile.

"I'll start with the...shrimp cocktail, with the Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Yorkshire pudding for my main course and a side of Creamed Spinach to go with it." I close the menu, handing it to him. Carl's mother intently stared at me while I ordered, which I tried my best not to be bothered by, but it was somewhat hard.

"Would you ladies be interested in any desserts?" We both shake our heads.

"No thank you darling. We won't be staying that long." She replies making the fair man blush. He picks up the menus and leaves after telling us our food will arrive soon.

"Do you have any meetings planned for today?"

"I have one at four thirty." She nods, looking over her watch.

"Two hours max. You have much time." I force a smile, nodding.

"How has things been with Carl? Is my son treating you well?" She questions, seeming to be watching me every move.

"Better than I deserve." She hums.

"I never pry into other married couples businesses, but if my son is mistreating you, you let me know."

"No he- he's never acted like this before, I promise you. We were just having a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding." She says, not believing me.

"I promise you Mrs. Ignuis, he has never acted as such before." She stares at me for a moment before nodding.

"I'll take your word for it honey. But if it ever happens again, let me know." I nod. We fall into a short silence, my eyes scanning the restaurant finding few eyes looking towards us. I smile at them, and their faces light up with their own smiles.

"You know he has always liked you." I look back at Mrs. Ignuis.

"Mr. Ignuis had mentioned it before." She smiles.

"You both actually didn't meet directly. We were at an event and you came with your parents. I believe you were ten then, seeing as he is three years your senior. Not much was shared between us adults seeing as your mother and I were practically rivals, but I noticed my baby boy couldn't seem to stop looking at you." I laugh softly, thinking back at the many times mother would constantly complain of a woman when I was younger.

Makes me wonder how they even came to an agreement to have us both married.

"How did you both come together to decide that Carl and I should marry?" She stares at me.
"I only ask because both you and mother have openly hated each other for many years." She softly chuckles, pushing her dark hair behind her ears.

"I don't hate your mother, I simply despise her sometimes pompous behavior, and I am not one to tolerate it; and regarding marriage, it's only wise for the two most wealthy families in Pemberton to be allied together by the strongest of unions."

"It also means an increase in wealth and connections." I add and she nods.

"Indeed. But I also found you very interesting indeed. It is known that the Kingstons brought much aid to the less fortunate over the last few years of the depression, but when I saw that you secretly had hampers and care packages distributed all over Pemberton, especially to colored communities while away on your honeymoon, was when I realized that you truly were the best choice for my Carl."

"You did not believe I was before?"

"I thought you to be just like your mother, but I realized you are not like her." Far from it. To be like my mother, is not to be at all.

The waiter returns with our starters, and we continue in small conversation. Carl's mother truly was significantly different from my mother. She held a love for life and family highly in her heart, while mother held a love for reputation higher than everything else.

"I was looking over the photographs from that girl Barbara's photoshoot, and it was okay. But when I reviewed Mr. Benjamin's work." I try my best not to tense up at the mention of his name.
"I truly do believe Eric made a fine choice. Don't you agree?" She picks up the smallest fork, loosening the oyster from its shell.

"I have yet to review his portfolio, but I trust Carl and Eric's judgment." She nods, bringing the oyster to her lips, eating it with such elegance.

"Do you know Mr. Benjamin?" She asks after swallowing, and wiping her mouth with her napkin.
"He spoke of knowing you all from way back, as he stated."

"Oh..um..." she raises an eyebrow at me.
"Him and his family once worked for us."

"Oh, then it is marvelous to see him do so well for himself." she says but she still had a suspicious look in her eye.

"Indeed." I force a smile to my face, feeling my posture slightly lower out of cowardice, but I couldn't have her questioning my relation with Assad.

"He seems fond of you no?" I try my best to keep my face neutral, especially since she was watching me so intently.

"I was very close with his mother, and that lead to him and I having a friendship."

"Always so kind to everyone." She says and I smile softly.
"It's admirable. In this day and age, no one is as respectful to the colored community. Quite sad indeed, but I am proud of the stand that you continue take. If the most influential don't speak up, then who will."

"Exactly." I watch as her eyes analyze me. My mind continued to chant to me not to lose my composure but it was hard under the soft yet surprisingly firm stare of the older woman.

"All couples argue dear." She finally speaks and my eyes widen in surprise.
"I will not intrude and stick my nose into finding out why you argue, but I want you both to communicate with each other. It is the only way problems can be solved, am I understood?" She places her hand in mines and I give her a small smile, nodding yes.

——
See you in the next chapter✌️