When Tessa needed a break between meetings and work errands, she headed to a café ready to fuel her energy. On getting there, she finds her father-in-law, Richard. But what happens when his lunch date isn’t Tessa’s mother-in-law?
I never imagined I’d find myself in the middle of a scandal. But there I was, standing in a café on the other side of town, staring at my father-in-law, Richard. He sat there, quite content with himself, as he kissed a woman who was definitely not my mother-in-law. My heart was pounding, and I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
I was embarrassed for him and myself.
How did I end up here?
Well, let’s back up a little bit.
So, I married Daniel about a year ago. And it was something out of a romantic comedy. We met by chance at a florist because I wanted to get flowers for my mother, and Daniel came in to hide from someone he knew on the road.
Daniel’s family had money and a lot of it. It was old money that made them rich and powerful, and they knew it. They made no secret of the fact that they thought he could do better than a simple wedding gown designer like me.
“You know that’s not important to me, Tessa,” Daniel said over dinner one evening. “You’re what I want. Not money or power or status.”
And that was good enough for me. Daniel loved me, and despite their initial reservations, they came around. They even helped me get a job at a company run by Richard’s friend, Charles.
Soon, I wasn’t just a wedding gown designer but had a line of trendy clothes I was working on, too. It was much better and more lucrative than I could have dreamed.
Later, they even helped Daniel start a small marketing agency, which did really well. It seemed that everything was going fine. We were happy in our careers, and our family life had less drama and more happy occasions.
I thought things had finally settled down between us all. But that was until this happened.
I had been out running work errands all morning, preparing for a new client to come in. So, I needed different fabrics in various shades of purple. As the hours passed, my stomach became more irritable, and I knew it was time to get some food.
“Let’s eat, Tessa,” I told myself as I entered the café.
As I walked in, thinking about all the options that I liked on the menu, I saw them.
There was Richard, my father-in-law, his back to me, leaning in close to a woman who giggled and touched his arm. Then, they kissed.
I felt my stomach drop. I knew that woman! She was Elizabeth, Charles’ wife. My boss, Charles. Panic surged through me. I turned to leave quietly, my mind racing, but Richard spotted me. He jumped up from his seat, nearly knocking his coffee over.
“Wait!” he barked, rushing over. “What do you think you’re doing, Tessa?”
I tried to keep my voice steady, but my legs were shaking. Richard had always intimidated me. There was just something about the way he behaved, like the entire world needed to bend to his will.
“I was just leaving…” I said quickly.
He grabbed my arm, his grip tight and almost painful. I knew there was going to be a bruise there in the morning.
“Listen carefully, girl,” he growled. “If you tell anyone about this, I swear I’ll ruin your life. Do you understand?”
I stared at him, stunned.
“Are you seriously threatening me, Richard?” I asked.
“Take it however you want,” he snapped loudly, his eyes darting around to make sure no one was listening. “But if you breathe a word of this to my wife, you’ll lose that job I helped you get. Daniel will lose his business. And this fancy and comfortable life you’ve found yourself in… it will all be over.”
I pulled my arm free, anger bubbling up inside me.
“You’re ridiculous, Richard. You think that you can just bully me into silence?”
“Keep your voice down!” he hissed, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
But I couldn’t help myself.
“Why? So no one hears that you’re a cheating liar? That you’re sitting here with Elizabeth, of all people?”
Richard’s face went pale.
“You know Elizabeth?” he asked, clearly not connecting the dots.
“Richard, really? Of course I know her. She’s Charles’ wife. You know, Charles… your best friend and my boss?”
His eyes widened, panic flashing across his face.
“Look, this is none of your business. You just keep your mouth shut.”
“Or what?” I challenged, crossing my arms. “You think you can scare me into silence? Ruin my life because you can’t keep it in your pants?”
He stepped closer, the smell of his cologne so strong that I winced.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with,” he said.
“Oh, I think I do,” I shot back. “You’re a coward, Richard. And you’re about to find out that karma has a way of catching up with people like you.”
Just then, Richard’s phone rang. He pulled it out, still glaring at me. His face blanched as he saw the caller ID.
“It’s Charles,” he muttered.
He answered, his voice suddenly soft and careful.
“Charles, hey… yeah. I’m just in a meeting right now.”
I watched his face closely as he spoke. His expression shifted quickly from nervous to terrified.
“What? No, I haven’t seen Elizabeth. Well, I… no… I didn’t. Look, I can explain!”
Richard suddenly pulled the phone away from his ear, his face drained of all color. He stared at it, then back at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
“What did you do, Tessa?” he demanded.
I raised an eyebrow.
“Me? I didn’t do anything, Richard. I’ve been right in front of you the entire time. Sounds like your actions are catching up to you.”
It turns out that karma was quick to act that day. Charles had been trying to reach his wife all afternoon, eager to tell her about his reservations to a new restaurant for them that evening.
And when she finally picked up, it was during my showdown with Richard. While Elizabeth lied about her whereabouts, Charles had overheard our entire argument. He didn’t need a full explanation: he knew enough to understand what was going on.
He had been suspecting Elizabeth of having an affair for a long time.
Charles’ reaction was swift. He ended their friendship on the spot and immediately pulled his investments from Richard’s company. Without those funds, I could see Richard’s life quickly spiraling away into bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, I got an unexpected call from Charles later that week.
“I’ll be back at the office tomorrow,” he said. “Let’s meet in my office after lunch.”
“Thank you for your discretion,” he said, though we both knew I hadn’t been discreet at all.
But I did manage to get a photo of Richard and Elizabeth before Richard saw me. And after his confrontation, I sent that photo to Charles and my husband.
“I’d like to offer you a promotion,” he said. “To lead designer. More responsibility, more pay. You won’t have to rely on Richard’s money.”
“Wow, thank you…” I said, stunned.
“Just keep up the good work, Tessa. And don’t let people like Richard push you around.”
So, here I am now, sitting in my office with a view while Richard scrambles to pick up the pieces of his shattered empire. Daniel told his mother, who threw Richard out immediately.
And me? I’m just a happy girl who was in the right place at the right time and making sure that Richard got what he deserved.
What would you have done?
