One Wild Night

Chapter 893  Unexpected Ally

After Mia and Diana had spent most of the morning shopping, Diana suggested that they have lunch together before going home, and Mia reluctantly agreed, since she had been looking forward to eating the meal prepared by Jeff.

As they made their way to the restaurant, which was within the mall where they were shopping, Diana looked at Mia, wondering if she could really trust her.

The last thing she wanted was for all of this to be a set up, and for Mia to expose her to Henry if she so much as confided in her.

But thinking about it again, she had been observing both Henry and Mia since she returned, and they didn't seem close in anyway. The fact that Henry had put her in charge of Mia told her that much.

As shocking as Mia's revelation had been, it sort of made sense and explained why she would fake her death and run away from Henry for the past three years, if she really didn't go to be with her lover.

Her instincts told her that Mia was telling the truth, and could be trusted. Deciding to go with her instinct, as they sat down to have lunch, Diana asked for a wine and Mia looked at her with frown.

"You know you shouldn't be having that in your state, right?" Mia asked and Diana nodded.

"Yeah. Can you tell me more about your marriage with Henry?" She asked and before Mia could decline she continued, "If I'm going to convince him to divorce you and marry me, I should know what kind of person he is. I wouldn't want to marry a man, who would give me such scars," Diana said and Mia shook her head.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about. I doubt Henry would ever treat you that way. He had his reasons for doing this to me. Reasons I only just recently realized," Mia said and Diana frowned.

"I don't think any reason justifies this act. This is a Barbaric act. No one, not even an animal deserves any such inhumane treatment that would leave such scars on their skin. And you shouldn't make any excuse for him, regardless of what you think you did to deserve it," Diana said fiercely, and Mia looked at her for a moment, taken aback by the anger and passion in her voice.

"I wasn't making excuses for him. I know I didn't deserve it. I'm only trying to say Henry loves you. I've seen it in the way he looks at you and speaks to you. He has never looked at me that way. He wouldn't even let me have his baby. He beat his babies out of me both times I was pregnant, yet here you are pregnant for him, and he is ecstatic," Mia said, and blood drained from Diana's face.

"He did that to you?" Diana asked, and Mia blinked back the tears that gathered in her eyes as she forced a smile and nodded.

Without thinking, Diana reached across the table and touched Mia's hand, "Oh, Vanessa," she whispered softly.

"This is weird," Mia said with a shaky breath as she pulled her hand away from Diana's reach.

"You're the last person I expect sympathy from. I'm not telling you these to feel sorry for me or so you can leave Henry…"

"He will never know we had this conversation," Diana promised, holding Mia's gaze, and then Mia looked away as the waiter brought their drinks.

Seeing that she needed to also gain Mia's trust, Diana took a deep breath, deciding to take the risk, "I'm not pregnant," she whispered after the waiter left, and Mia blinding surprise.

"What?" Mia asked, and Diana smiled and nodded.

"But you said…"

"I lied," Diana said calmly and Mia frowned.

"Why? Henry would kill you if he finds out you deceived him," Mia said, her voice filled with fear and concern for Diana.

Diana smiled, "I know."

"You do? Why then did you lie? And why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you my secret so you can trust me," Diana said and Mia's frown deepened.

"Why? Why do you want me to trust you? What do you want?" Mia asked suspiciously and Diana shook her head.

"Nothing. You're a young lady like me. I feel bad for you. But most importantly, I figured that you might hate Henry almost as much as I do," she said and paused when the waiter brought their lunch.

"Hate? You hate him? Why?" Mia asked curiously after the waiter left again.

Diana took a deep breath, the aroma of the freshly served dishes mingling with her rising emotions. She glanced at the spread in front of them.

Mia had chosen a light salad with grilled chicken, avocado, and a tangy lemon vinaigrette, while Diana opted for a hearty bowl of pasta, creamy with Alfredo sauce and sprinkled generously with Parmesan.

Cutting a piece of chicken from her salad, Mia looked at Diana, her curiosity barely contained. Diana stirred her pasta absentmindedly before speaking.

"I hate him because he's a monster," Diana said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not just because of what he's done to you, though that's more than enough reason. He manipulates, controls, and destroys everything in his path."

Mia paused, fork in mid-air, and watched Diana intently. The raw emotion in Diana's voice was unmistakable, and it resonated deeply with her own experiences.

Diana continued, her eyes fixed on her plate. "Henry is charming to those he wants to charm, but behind closed doors, he's a ruthless man. He uses people until they're no longer of value to him. I've seen it happen to others, and I know it's only a matter of time before he turns on me."

"And yet you are with him?" Mia said, more as a statement than a question.

Diana merely nodded.

"Did you approach him knowing these? Or did you fall in love with him and later got to know the kind of person he is?" Mia  asked as she took a bite of her salad, chewing slowly.

The crisp lettuce and creamy avocado tasted bland compared to the bitterness of their conversation.

A sad smile played on Diana's lips. "I told you I approached him. It was a calculated move. I have my reasons. For now, I need to stay close to him, to gather as much information as I can to destroy him. Believe me, I want nothing more than to see Henry Rosewood crumble. I want to see him on his knees. I want to see him weep. He needs to be taught that he is human and not some immortal."

Hearing the hatred and bitterness in her voice, Mia was curious to know Diana's story. She wanted to know what Diana had against Henry, but she was also too cautious to ask any questions or seem too interested, lest she fell into a trap, if this was one.

Mia reached for her glass of water, taking a sip before speaking. "I hope whatever you're planning works."

"I hope so too," Diana said, finally looking up to meet Mia's eyes. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Mia's gaze softened, "Whatever you're planning, be careful. Henry is dangerous, and he won't hesitate to hurt you if he feels threatened," Mia warned.

Diana nodded. "I know."

They ate in silence for a few moments, the clinking of cutlery against plates the only sound between them.

"Can I ask you a question?" Mia asked curiously, since she had been wondering about it since Jeff arrived.

"Yeah."

"Why did you ask the last chef to leave? Is this new chef your person?" Mia asked, wanting to know if Diana was working with Tom or something.

Diana paused, fork in mid air as she met Mia's gaze, "No. I don't know him. Why do you ask?"

Mia shrugged, "I'm just curious."

"Actually, it wasn't my idea. I'm being blackmailed," she confessed to Mia.

"Blackmailed?" Mia asked in surprise, and Diana nodded.

"I don't know who is blackmailing me or how they found out about my identity and reason for being with Henry, but they asked me to fire the last chef. I'm not sure why they asked me to do that either or if the new chef can be trusted," Diana said, but Mia could guess it was Tom and Harry.

How did they know about Diana? Was it Tyler? Mia mused. Perhaps she had underestimated them and what they were capable of.

"I need to use the restroom," Mia said abruptly, "Want to come?" She asked, since Diana was always following her about.

Diana shook her head, "I don't think there is any reason to do so anymore when we are alone," Diana said and Mia smiled.

"Thanks. I will be right back," Mia said, and headed for the restroom, leaving her purse behind.

As she walked, she tried to decide on the right person to call. She had memorized the numbers of Tom, Harry, Sonia, and Jeff, but now that Jeff was here, she didn't know his new number and had no way of reaching him.

As Mia walked into the female restroom, she decided to call Sonia since it was late at night, and it would be easier to bother Bryan and Sonia than to bother Tom and Harry. Looking around, she saw some ladies in the restroom and approached them.

"Hello! I seem to have left my phone at home, and I need to make an important call. Mind if I borrow your phone for a moment? It won't take a minute please," she said politely.

As the ladies looked her over, they took in her appearance and immediately recognized her as Mrs Rosewood who had been all over the news a week ago.

"Sure. You can use mine," one of the ladies offered, and Mia smiled at her as she stepped to the side and dialed Sonia's line.

The phone rang for a few moments before Bryan's sleepy voice answered. "Hello?"

"Bryan, it's Mia," she whispered urgently.

Bryan immediately sounded more alert. "Mia?" Bryan asked, and Sonia who had been stirred from sleep by her ringing tone sat up.

"It's Mia?" She asked, reaching for the phone as Bryan placed it on speaker.

"Hey, Mia! Are you safe right now? Is this your…"

"Listen, this isn't my phone. I'm using someone's phone in a public restroom and I need to be quick. I just need to know what's happening. Do you guys know about Diana? And is Tom blackmailing her? Is that how he got Jeff to be employed?" She asked urgently, needing to confirm that she could trust Diana.

"Yes to all your questions. Why? Did something happen?" Bryan asked curiously.

"No. She was telling me about it and I needed to be sure I could trust her. I have to go now. I will call you again whenever I can. Take care of yourself and the baby. Don't call back," Mia said quickly and hung up before Sonia could say anything.

She deleted Sonia's number from the phone and turned to see the ladies staring at her. She flashed them a smile of gratitude as she handed the phone back to the woman. "Thank you so much."

The woman nodded, watching Mia with concern since they all knew about her mental illness.

Mia walked into one of the toilet stalls, and pretended to ease herself. She flushed the toilet and then washed her hands before going out to meet Diana again.

She was sort of relieved to know that Diana wasn't lying to her. Now that she knew she could trust Diana, she felt a flicker of hope.

Although Diana was an unexpected ally, Mia made up her mind that she wasn't going to tell Diana about her own plans. She wasn't going to tell Diana either that Jeff was her own person.

She was just going to let everything play out, and see how it goes, while silently supporting Diana. She didn't want to be caught in the middle of anything went wrong with Diana's plan. She needed to have her own revenge.