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Chapter Nine: Maggie

It doesn't usually feel this difficult focusing on an assignment, but for some reason right now it does.

Putting down my Algebra book, I look up at my bedroom ceiling with my feet leaning against the bed's headboard, sighing as I wonder why I feel this unmotivated to do tasks I'm normally always in the mood to do. My mind just seems like it's wandering elsewhere.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't know where, because the truth is I do, I just don't want to cave into it because I know once I let my thoughts linger into it long enough, it's gonna be hard to crawl out.

I put down the book, sit up and march my way outside of my room, just trying to find ways to get distracted because somehow homework just isn't cutting it.

It's been days ever since Levi sorted things out with you-know-who, and since that day I hadn't once heard from him nor did he make any attempts to try and talk to me.

Sure, we'd make eye contact every now and then but he'll simply disregard me afterward, which made me come to the conclusion that Levi indeed put things to an end.

Maybe I was just being paranoid, and even though how easily the situation got resolved and the thought alone uneased me, I tried my best to keep it off my mind.

Most of the time, I was failing. But the lack of encounters I've had with him did its best to help me get back on track, plus it's not like we ever really had a reason to talk to each other before all of this, this outcome was only bound to happen soon enough.

The second I got downstairs I instantly aimed for the kitchen, but before I did I caught sight of my mother lounging in the living room, and with that, I plastered a smile on my face.

"Hey, mom. How are you-" I said, approaching her but soon stopped when I took notice of her ragged condition "Mom, are you okay?"

She looked up at me, her eyes tired as she smiled softly at me "Oh yes, I'm fine. I'm just stressing out over my work. That's all."

I take a step forward, taking in the state of the room cluttered with files and documents "Are you sure? You look tired and you seem to have a lot on your plate."

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Really. Just some last-minute paperwork but I promise I'll go get some rest once I'm done."

"Well, do you want me to help you-"

"No." she exclaimed, automatically stopping me from bending down and picking up the papers scattered all around the room, making me raise an eyebrow as she gave me yet another strained smile "Go up to your room and don't worry about me, okay? I got this."

The firmness of her tone made me stand up but even so, I kept looking at her, worried "Well... okay. But just know if you need any help-"

"Of course, of course. If I never need assistance I'll be sure to ask. Thank you, sweetie." she said, her tone rushed but I didn't dare try to push it as I mirrored her smile, feigned.

"Hey Frank," I asked as soon as I walked into the kitchen to see him wiping the kitchen counter "Do you have any idea what's going on with mom?"

"Oh, I'm afraid not, sweetheart." he answered, "However, I have noticed she's been very stressed out lately."

"Exactly. Can you keep tabs on her to see what's going on and tell me about it? I'm worried."

He nodded "I'll be sure to alert you if I find out anything,"

I smiled at him for that, grateful, and as soon as I gathered snacks from the kitchen, I headed back up to my bedroom, getting more than what I bargained for when I aimed to just clear my head from getting too suffocated with my thoughts.

Because if anything, my thoughts only seemed to have increased.

* * *

The more I saw her trying to hide her emotions, the more I saw him showing his.

As days passed my worries only seem to increase by the minute, with my mom constantly being all over the place and looking exhausted, whilst Evan seems to get back to his natural state of becoming half the cause of my anxiety.

Because the more my mother tried to hide her problems and feelings from me, he suddenly started showing me some of his own.

I would spontaneously catch him smirking at me from across the room, catching me by surprise because he went from completely ignoring my existence to suddenly acknowledging it?

He's always looking at me like he's planning something.

Like he knew something I didn't.

Like he had something up his sleeves that I didn't know about.

Either with the mischievous glint in his eyes, the way the ends of his lips tugged up whenever we walk past one another, and it certainly didn't help that he's making me wonder if he's going to go back to his old ways and cause unneeded problems back in Henderson High when I'm already worrying too much about my mom back at home.

I'm probably just thinking way too much into it, maybe I'm just letting my mom's constant slump and continuous efforts to push me away make me suddenly more aware of my surroundings and peoples' actions, but then again you can never be too sure.

* * *

Okay, at this point, I am most certainly sure I am not hallucinating.

In retrospect, I probably look like I am because of how it's clear on my face that I'm being too rigid with my environment and the people around me. But truth be told, I'm only feeling this way because of Evan.

Maybe, it's just my habit of trying to analyze people and interpret their actions including my mother as to why I'm acting like this, but I know Evan has been acting too weird himself.

From making such vague and intense eye contact to giving me particular glances from a mile across, to giving me seemingly harmless smiles to suddenly a devil's grin.

I know a spawn of Satan when I see one, and right now I'm currently dancing with the devil.

This is why there's not a single doubt in my mind anymore regarding my intuition deducing that Evan's amends about being sincere was just too good to be true.

"Hey, are you okay?" Emily asked as soon as we started packing our things up just as classes had ended "You seem so dazed lately, is this about Evan again? Didn't Levi already take care of that for you?"

"No. It's not about that." I replied, my voice wavering "It's just about my mom, and how she's been acting strange these past few days."

That's partially true, not lying about that. Excluding my observation towards Evan lately, back at home is where the actual issue in my life arises.

My mom is still yet to tell me what's troubling her and if the time does come she tells me, I don't know what I'll be expecting. Oddly enough, for some reason, I still don't wanna find out.

Because the situation might end up being too bad and I'm reconsidering just letting her take care of it alone, but the guilt instantly consumes me as soon as I'm brought back to how she's been looking recently.

"Have you asked her about it?" Emily asked.

I sighed, shaking my head "I did, but she just keeps pushing me away and I just feel like the problem involves me," I said, telling her the truth of what I honestly felt.

"Maybe she just doesn't wanna burden you. Maybe she'll open up about it soon but for now, the least you could do is be there for her." Emily advised.

I nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right."

That is what I have been doing though, every time I come home I make sure to see how she's been doing, and to no luck, every single time she seems to always keep pushing me away.

But somehow, today's different.

I came home and immediately tried to rid my mind off of the tiresome thoughts that have been occupying my mind these past few days. Due to the fact I've been thinking too much lately here at home and back at school, I've decided for once to try and ease my mind. I think today's not gonna be any different than the previous ones and not set my expectations too high.

But boy, does the element of surprise have a way to indeed surprise anyone if it wants to.

Because before I could even fully step into the house, Frank already greeted me, half of his body peeking through the living room doorway "Maggie, your mother wants to see you."

My eyebrows practically shoot up to my forehead "What?"

Is she finally gonna talk to me about what's been bothering her? And just when I thought I wouldn't make any progress.

I immediately made my way towards the living room only to see her in her natural habitat. On the couch, for once not in her study hiding, but as always with hundreds of files scattered around everywhere "Mom?" I called out, walking up to her and putting down my school bag in a chair next to the couch "Is everything alright? You want to tell me something?"

She rubs her hands together, which is something I've noticed is a habit of hers whenever she's either anxious, reluctant, or nervous to speak about something. It's the same habit she did before she broke the news to me that she and my father were getting a divorce.

It was both a devastating yet relieving moment in my life - relieving because we can finally live in peace without my father's disastrous presence being around anymore. Devastating because I know my mother still had doubts if she wanted to go through with it.

"Have a seat," she told me to which I obliged. She took a moment to speak, but as soon as she did, her tone was timid. "So, it's already obvious that this past couple of days I haven't been myself, and that I look too stressed out for my own good."

"Exactly, and I just wanna find out what's been bothering you so I can at least help. You can tell me, mom." I reassured as she let out a sigh.

She takes a deep breath before speaking again. "A couple of weeks ago, your father's team contacted me in regards to the divorce settlements and summons that we established we could claim after the divorce..."

"One of them being the company that our parents invested in and signed to us so we could work together as a couple. In the past, we had agreed that if a divorce were to happen we would share it. But due to some legalized paperwork that I had gullibly let him do all the work on, he had somehow managed to butcher the contracts so in the end, if a divorce were to happen, the company would end up being his..." she explained as I felt my breath hitch.

"It doesn't help that after the marriage he had forced me to be a stay-at-home wife. This is why he had the unfair advantage of signing the papers on both of our behalf that had claimed he's the rightful founder of the company in spite of our parents' wishes."

"But you know your father and I's relationship, he's always been selfish and he's anticipated the divorce. That's why I'm not surprised he's done this." my mother said indignantly.

I was speechless. I tried my best to fully comprehend the situation and to stay calm despite the huge burden that's been dropped on us, as well as the atmosphere suddenly shifting, making the room a lot more compact and tense. Or maybe it was just the overwhelming emotions seeping out of us, with my mother obviously on the verge of either breaking down or throwing a massive fit and me, stunned, sentimental but at the same time outraged.

"So what you're telling me..." I drawled "Is that what we're left with nothing?"

She gulped before shaking her head "No. I contacted your grandparents and they'll be calling Meredith and Vince to discuss this whole thing with your father. To try and convince him that what he's doing is wrong."

"Which it is, he can't just leave us and take everything we've ever had to survive with him. He's rarely here in the house and was a shitty dad and husband, the least he could do is have the common decency to leave us with a little bit of financial support."

"I know, but knowing him and how much he's waited for this moment to come it's highly unlikely that he'll let his parents persuade him to do anything that goes against his wishes."

"So what?" I asked, bewildered, "We're just gonna let him get away and end up homeless?"

"Don't be ridiculous." she chastised, though her tone was calm "Upon calling your grandparents I asked them if I could claim back my inheritance over Carpenters & Field."

"That's great." I beamed.

She lets out a sigh "It is, however with the spontaneity of the divorce your grandparents didn't expect I'd end up coming to inherit the company, so they pretty much set their retirement before all of this went down months, months back, no one's been there to manage the company. The staff is decreasing and for all I know, it could end up being out of business."

"Basically bankrupt, then?" I retorted "So what, that's it?"

She shook her head once more and by this point, I'm wondering how many times she has laid out some bad news only to somehow find a loophole "Not entirely. I've found a solution but it's still in... reconsideration."

I furrowed my eyebrows "Reconsideration? Mom, our lives are at stake here."

She sighed, rubbing her face in an exasperated manner before she looked up at me, her lips forming into a thin line "Then I hope you can reconsider this, sweetheart."

With that, she rummaged through the piles of documents cluttered in piles on the table and took one and handed it to me, which I carefully withdrew from her hold, remaining eye contact before looking down to examine the file she had handed me.

I took my time examining it before flipping the document open, slowly by slowly, and then reading through the papers as I felt my heart pound erratically inside my chest.

Affiliation of both parties of conjoining their rightful heirs, I flipped through it, suddenly feeling my mouth go dry, with permission from both respective companies.

I flipped again.

To bound corporate alliances and have each inheritor take possession of their heritage regarding business and properties.

... And again.

Which will all be done in the synthesis of civil partnership in the hands of marriage.

"You're getting me involved in an arranged marriage?"

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