After all the guests had departed, the expressionless Eva sat at the table peppered with leftovers and stared vacuously at the wall.
Wesley asked his daughter cautiously, “Are you alright, Eva? I told you before that I wasn’t sure, but who could have guessed Skylar would still be seeing Tobias?”
Eva looked back angrily and snarled, “How could you be so muddle-headed, Dad? Why didn’t you tell me when both of you knew it all along? Now you got me looking like a complete idiot.”
Wesley mumbled, “I couldn’t have known that they were still together. I assumed that a big-shot like Mr. Ford would only be fooling around with her.”
Eva bit her lip, and her eyes burned at the seats previously occupied by Tobias and Skylar. “Yeah, not like she’s good enough for him. She really made me look so bad today.”
Sharon was heartbroken to see her own precious daughter so aggrieved. “This isn’t going to last for Skylar. Didn’t you see how nobody knew about her? If Tobias was serious about being with her for the long haul, why would he be so secretive about it?”
Eva could not stand listening to the mention of Skylar’s name, as hearing that name once more might send her over the edge.
She had no idea how she was going to face Tobias back in the office.
Over the years, Skylar was like an unwanted weed that would never amount to anything even if left to its own devices.
“Were you unhappy with the way I handled the situation?” Skylar asked.
She was unsure if Tobias minded being called away from his family reunion to become a tool for her little tantrum.
Tobias was seated by the bed, seemingly in great discomfort after having one drop too much.
“Why would I be unhappy over such a trivial matter? I’ll be there anytime you need me to.”
Skylar passed along a hot towel to Tobias which he used to wipe down his own face. He then retrieved an envelope from his suit pocket and handed it over to her.
“Merry Christmas!”
Skylar examined the paper-thin envelope before she opened it up to find a check. The number of zeroes on it was too many to count.
“This gift is a little too weighty for me,” Skylar said before she replaced the check and slid the envelope back.
“Why not? Keep it…” Tobias furrowed.
“It’s too much. Besides, I don’t need this because I’m already able to earn my own keep.”
“How much can you possibly make? Just hang on to it.” Tobias’ tone had an almost condescending quality to it.
Skylar was a little exasperated and disconcerted by his scornfulness. It would seem that no matter how hard she tried, her efforts were never good enough for Tobias.
Meanwhile, his phone kept ringing away. A quick peek at the number displayed on the screen made Skylar a little nervous, as one call from Claudia could prompt him to leave at any given moment.
Tobias picked up and grunted twice with his deep inflection.
Skylar said in disappointment as she leaned against the wall, “Will you be heading back this late? It feels kind of like your wife’s checking in.”
Tobias did not take well to her casual quibble. “Know your place and think before you speak.”
Not knowing how to respond to that, Skylar handed him his coat.
Tobias slipped on his coat the moment he received it, but after some thought, removed it and leaned back weakly against the bed. “I’m not going anywhere else. I shall keep you company tonight…”
