My Boyfriend's Old Flame Returns with a Child

: A Family of Ruthless People

My boyfriend's old flame returned with a child in tow, her face a tear-stained mess.

"I'm truly in love with him. I'm begging you, please give my son and me a chance."

My boyfriend berated me for being so heartless.

I laughed. If I wasn't ruthless,

do you think the company could have gone public with his indecisive personality?

Oh, right. It's not just me who's ruthless.

My whole family is ruthless!

1

Sylvie Sloan's move was quite a play.

She showed up at my boyfriend Ryan Kendrick's office in broad daylight with a three- or four-year-old boy in tow, staging what was essentially a palace coup.

I looked at the child's timid little face and pretty much pieced it together. I'd seen photos of Ryan Kendrick as a child, and this boy bore a striking resemblance.

I didn't need to hear another word; the plot was obvious. The ex-girlfriend gets pregnant and runs off, only to return years later with her child as leverage to take everything back. What a fucking cliché.

"Vera, I know my returning now puts you in a very difficult position, but I'm suffering, too. I love Ryan. We were together in college, and if it weren't for you... we'd probably be married by now."

Watching Sylvie Sloan's saccharine, manipulative act, I couldn't stop myself from scoffing. "What is it you're really trying to say?"

Sylvie Sloan suddenly lunged forward and grabbed my arm. The instant tears and her red-rimmed eyes only made her look more pitifully fragile.

"I don't want to break you two up, but every single moment I was away, I couldn't stop thinking about Ryan. I thought about him so much my heart felt like it would shatter. Our son asks for his daddy every single day. He shouldn't have to suffer for the mistakes I made. Can you... can you give Ryan back to me?"

'So this is what a real bitch acts like.'

"The truth is, you saw that Ryan is successful now and you regret leaving, don't you?" I shoved her hand away and brushed disgustedly at the spot on my arm she had touched.

The expression on Sylvie Sloan's face froze for a second. She probably didn't expect me to call her out so calmly.

What she didn't know was that in all the years I'd spent helping Ryan build his company, I'd almost never walked away from a negotiation empty-handed. The moment someone opens their mouth, I can read their true intentions and cut right to the heart of the matter.

"How could you say that about me? How could you..." Sylvie Sloan's tears started flowing even faster as she lunged at me again.

I dodged out of instinct. Beneath the vulnerability in her eyes, I could see a flash of malice.

'She's finally about to drop the act.'

This farcical display needed to end, and quickly. This was a company, after all, and not the place to air dirty laundry.

Suddenly, a child's shriek came from behind me, and a little body latched onto my leg. "Don't hit my mommy, you big meanie!"

I... cursed internally.

I'd forgotten this was a team effort. This little one was the real weapon.

At least I couldn't just kick him away like I could have with Sylvie Sloan.

"Let go," I commanded, my face stern, hoping to scare the boy off.

"BOO HOO HOO! Why are you hitting my mommy, you big meanie!"

The boy started pummeling me with his tiny fists. It didn't hurt, but it was deeply unsettling.

Sylvie Sloan threw herself forward again, wailing for me to leave her child alone.

I let out an exasperated laugh. "Save it. I'd advise you to get a grip and watch yourself."

I flung her hand aside, and she collapsed limply against a low cabinet.

And, what a coincidence, her forehead struck a hard corner and started to bleed.

And in another stroke of perfect timing, Ryan Kendrick returned.

"Someone call 911! Call an ambulance!" Ryan Kendrick yelled, sweeping Sylvie Sloan into his arms with a look of pained concern. Right on cue, the boy rushed over to them, his face a mess of tears and snot.

"Vera, you've really done it now. You're unbelievable!" Ryan Kendrick glared at me, his eyes like daggers. Then, cradling his precious old flame and taking the child's hand, he walked out without a backward glance.

Meanwhile, Sylvie Sloan, nestled in Ryan Kendrick's arms, shot me a triumphant, mocking smirk. There wasn't a hint of weakness about her.

And as for the boy, he was puffed up with pride, as if he'd just been crowned the heir apparent.

Fine. Just fine.

A family of three, presenting a united front. And I was the outsider.

As the gossiping crowd of onlookers dispersed, a profound sense of helplessness washed over me. It was obvious I had walked right into a trap.

'How stupid.' I can read an opponent's bottom line across a negotiating table, but I can't read the intentions of the human heart.