Screeching Like a Banshee

I stayed at work until late at night and tossed everything else behind me. It was nearly midnight when I came out of the company.

I got home, and Winona was on the couch, holding a glass of champagne. Her gaze was still cool. I wanted to ask her why she was still up, but then my fury took over and shut me up.

She looked at me and said calmly, "I know what you did to Claude. Stop, and I will forgive you."

I sighed. Exhaustion grasped my heart and soul. Nothing I could say would be of use if Winona did not trust me.

My silence frustrated her. Winona slammed her glass onto the table. "Cat got your tongue? I'm talking to you! Say something!"

I took my coat off and set it aside. Then, I went into the bathroom to wash my face. Cold water splashed against my skin, and I felt much better afterward.

Winona came to the entrance and looked at me through the mirror. She took a deep breath and said gently, "I know you're jealous of him because he's being nice to me. Then, what you should do is treat me better. Besides, he's just a friend. You don't have to go so far. Or do you hate it when people are nice to me? You don't think I deserve better?"

I sighed and asked her what happened to Claude. She told me Claude lost important clients after important clients, and some of his competitors were engaging in aggressive competition against him.

She implied that everything was linked to me. If I hadn't told my subsidiaries to attack him, he would never have lost those clients. I frowned, and it was taking everything I had just to keep my anger in check.

"Then, tell him to prove it. I'm not the kind of guy who'd deny what I did. Still, I can't believe you'd buy his story when it's clearly a lie."

A hint of hesitation crossed Winona's face, but it was replaced by determination soon enough. She seemed to have a great deal of faith in Claude as a person.

"Claude's not a liar. He's always been a straightforward guy. He'd never lie to me."

I laughed mirthlessly. "And I have?"

She opened her mouth and tried to say something, then she muttered, "He has no reason to slander you."

That stabbed me right in my soul. 'He has no reason to slander me? Are you serious? The fact that he's trying to take over my place is reason enough!' I sneered.

"Really? Taking over my spot as your fiance is reason enough."

Winona's face fell, and she chided, "He's not a vile person, Nathaniel!"

She couldn't continue the conversation, and a moment of silence later, she walked off, huffing and puffing.

I looked into the mirror and sighed again. After that day, Winona pulled even further away from me. She kept avoiding me, but I didn't care at all.

The weekend came, and I went out with a friend to check some houses. When I came back, Winona was holding her phone, horror etched on her face.

I said nothing and changed into my slippers before heading to the study. She called out to me, "Claude's not feeling well. I need you to give me a ride to his place."

I ignored her.

Displeased, she snapped, "Enough with that tantrum, Nathaniel! Claude could be hurt, for all we know! What are you going to do if anything happens to him?"

'What am I going to do?' I mused. Icily, I answered, "Nothing. I'm not his husband, you know."

Winona screamed, "You heartless bastard!" She shot up from her seat, changed into a new set of clothes, and barged out of the house.

Silence encased the living room. The only sound left was that of my breathing. I slowly sank into the couch and waited for the time to pass.

Neon lights started to shine outside, lighting up the city.

Neon lights started to dwindle, dim, and pucker out.

She never came back.

Arrested

The moment I got to work, I noticed the looks everyone was giving me. My eyes scanned them, and they quickly developed an interest in whatever was under them just to avoid meeting my eyes.

Some were engaged in hushed discussions, but when I got closer, they scattered. I got into my office, sat down, and my assistant came rushing in. "You need to see this, Mr. Sommerson."

I opened the file, and I was greeted with a bad line. 'Unusual cash flow and forgery of contracts.'

I frowned and asked coldly, "Where did you get this?"

"F-Finance department," my assistant stammered. "T-They noticed the relation b-between t-the account of the funds a-and your personal account."

Flames of fury burned me whole. I asked my assistant, "And who started this whole thing?"

"C-Claude Landton, s-sir."

Flames of fury flared further.

Yet, I held it down and called Winona right away. "Where are you?"

Coldly, dispassionately, she answered, "Outside. Claude and I are talking business. What is it?"

I gnashed my teeth and sneered. "Good. He's accusing me of embezzlement and contract forgery. Tell him to get over here right now. We have matters to settle."

For once, she fell into deep silence. Then, imperiously, she said, "Why should he? His time is worth as much as yours. And he told me everything. The files are verified. It's true. You've been keeping him down for years, and you won't even let him expose the truth?"

I nearly blacked out. I clenched my fists so hard that my knuckles were white. No, my fury could not be held back this time.

"His explanation to you means jack shit! Who do you think you are? I gave you my money for five whole years, and now you're going to bite the hand that feeds you because of that bastard? If you love him so much, then I'll shove you and him into jail together!"

A pregnant pause ensued. I hung up before Winona could say anything, but my hand was still trembling. I worked myself to the bone to support her, and what did I get in return? An ungrateful wench.

I told my assistant to sort out the files and tell everyone about what would happen, then I grabbed my phone again. Moments of hesitation later, I called the cops.

Then, Winona showed up. She stormed into my office again, this time looking like something straight out of a horror movie. She was like a vengeful spirit. Claude was standing right behind her, grinning widely. I could see the smugness in his eyes.

I scanned him coldly, but Claude didn't even look away. He even nodded at me, as if he was challenging me to even touch him.

She screeched, "How dare you! How dare you yell at me! You have no— You have no right! Get down on your knees and apologize to Claude, or I'll never forgive you!"

The commotion grabbed the others' attention. I did not do as I was told.

Instead, I slapped her with every ounce of force my arm could muster. The impact almost made her stumble and lose her balance.

Claude quickly held her up.

The slap stunned her. Winona looked at me, shivering. Blood was trickling down her lips, but she said nothing.

Claude shot me a furious glare. "You can't hit her, Nathaniel! You're her fiance! I'm not going to let her marry you!" He turned to Winona. "It's alright, Winona. I'll call the cops. I'll make this bastard pay."

Right after he took his phone out, a group of cops came in. That stunned him, and he stood up. He had questions racing through his mind.

Winona cried her heart out, but the cops did not give her a moment of their time. They asked around and found out I was the one who made the report. Once they were done with their questions, they took Claude away for questioning.

She stopped crying. She jabbed a finger at me and shouted, "You got the wrong guy! You should take him away, not Claude!"

I laughed mirthlessly. Even now, she wanted to defend Claude and sacrifice her own fiance. Girlfriend of the year, huh?

Panicked, Claude stammered, "I was only going to report Nathaniel for financial dispute. Why are you taking me in?"

I sneered. "Because that's the general process. You accused me of embezzlement and contract forgery. You didn't do your homework, did you? Look before you leap, you know. You can't take me down if you're lazy. And this isn't over, Claude. We have a lot of trials to go through. See you in court."

Claude froze, then he swerved around, turning his attention to Winona. Winona was at a loss as well.

The cops took Claude away anyway. Winona had no idea what she should do. Leave? Stay? None of those sounded right, so she yelled at me. "Tell them it's not Claude's fault, Nathaniel! Tell them! Tell them to let him go, or… or I'll never marry you!"

I took a deep breath. Five years. Five years wasted on… this woman.

Coolly, I said, "Good. I'll cancel the engagement. We're done."