Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret - Chapter 72: Chapter 72
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"No!" Elise shot back. "I came after you both times, on my own. It has nothing to do with him! Don't try to twist things around on me!"
"You have two choices," Sally stated. "Apologize to my clinic in public, or I'm calling the cops and you can turn yourself in."
Elise stared, utterly shocked. "You're dreaming!" she scoffed. "I won't do either!"
With that, she spun around, ready to bolt.
"Carlos, lock the door," Sally said. "We're closing for ten minutes."
"Got it," Carlos replied.
Carlos was up in a flash, heading for the door.
Hearing Sally's commanding tone, Elise froze, whirling back to stare at her in disbelief.
"What do you think you're doing?" Elise's voice was laced with suspicion, her expression darkening. "I'm warning you, Sally! If you try anything, you'll regret it!"
Just then, Caleb, who'd seen the whole thing unfold from the entrance, slipped away as Carlos reached the door, hurrying to the Maybach parked curbside.
Caleb spotted Jaxon leaning against the car on a call and hurried over.
Jaxon was by the passenger door, his back to the clinic, oblivious to the recent drama.
"Mr. Zale," Caleb began quietly, even though Jaxon was on the phone.
Jaxon frowned, his sculpted hand covering the mouthpiece. "What's up?"
Caleb leaned in, voice hushed. "It's Mrs. Zale. There's some trouble."
Hearing Sally's name, Jaxon glanced towards the clinic. Seeing the closed door, he quickly told his caller, "Something's up. I'll call you back," and ended the call.
"What's going on?" Jaxon slipped his phone into his pocket, his striking eyes fixed on Caleb.
"Elise Tatum showed up with some herbal concoction," Caleb explained quickly. "Apparently, she was mad about Mrs. Zale hitting Lena Yasmin, so she threw the brew all over Mrs. Zale. Now Mrs. Zale is demanding an apology, threatening to call the cops if she doesn't get one. Elise is refusing. They're probably squaring off in there right now."
Jaxon's face instantly hardened. The air around him grew heavy.
Jaxon looked towards the clinic door but made no move to go in.
"Mr. Zale, shouldn't we check on her?" Caleb ventured. "What if Miss Tatum tries something... "
Jaxon cut him off before he could finish. "She locked the door. That means she doesn't want an audience. We'll hold off for now and see what happens."
"Right," Caleb agreed, quickly opening the car door.
Jaxon slid into the car, rolled down the window facing the clinic, and kept his eyes fixed on it.
Inside the clinic.
Sally sat on the sofa, her gaze cool as she looked up at Elise.
"I'm not going to do anything to you," Sally said, her voice devoid of warmth. "I just want to have a little chat about my clinic."
"Fine," Elise retorted, trying to sound unfazed. "You want to talk? Let's talk."
Just as Elise moved to sit, Sally cut in sharply, "I don't want to 'talk.' I want you to pick one of the two options!"
Her voice, now louder, startled Elise and even made Carlos jump.
Carlos had been working there for a few days, but this was the first time he'd seen Sally genuinely angry. She hadn't even been this worked up when the clinic was vandalized.
"I told you!" Elise snapped, digging her heels in. "I'm not picking either!"
She stood her ground, radiating defiance. Her hands were balled into tight fists.
Sally picked up her phone from the table, turned it, and angled the screen towards Elise.
"I've been recording this whole conversation, ever since you walked in," Sally said casually.
A flicker of panic crossed Elise's face.
"You bitch, Sally!" Elise spat. "That's low!"
"Your little confession about teaming up with Lena to frame me? It's all right here," Sally continued, unfazed. "If you don't apologize, I'll take this recording to the cops, along with the security footage from earlier. They can handle both your little stunts at once."
At Sally's words, the anxiety on Elise's face intensified. She was seething, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
She couldn't believe she'd walked right into Sally's trap, and there was nothing she could do about it.
The situation was infuriating; she felt like she was about to lose it. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.
'Why did I even come here today?' she fumed internally.
"Decide. Now," Sally pressed, her tone icy. "You have ten minutes. If you don't choose, I'm calling the police."
Sally's frigid tone made Elise grind her teeth in frustration.
The minutes ticked by.
Sally watched Elise squirm, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
Carlos, initially standing aside, moved to block the doorway, just in case Elise tried to make a run for it.
Elise was trapped
After a tense eight minutes, Elise finally caved. "Fine! I'll apologize!"
"Miss Tatum," Sally said smoothly, "if you're going to apologize, at least try to look like you mean it. If you go out there to apologize looking like you're sucking on a lemon, neither my clinic nor my patients will believe you're sincere. How do you expect them to forgive you then?"
"Who cares about sincerity for this dump of a clinic?" Elise muttered.
"The clinic might not, but the patients do," Sally countered, getting up and walking towards Elise. "Right?"
"Just get on with it!" Elise snapped. "Don't waste my damn time!"
Fuming, Elise started towards the door.
"Hold on," Sally called after her. "I haven't recorded the apology yet. Where do you think you're going?"
Elise stopped in her tracks. "Record what?"
When Elise turned, Sally was already at the reception desk.
Sally pulled out a small megaphone from under the counter and walked back towards her. "This thing can record. After you apologize, you're going to take this, stand out front for half an hour, and let my patients see just how sorry you are. Then, we'll call it even."
Elise's jaw dropped.
Carlos let out a snort of laughter from behind her.
Elise shot him a glare. "What are you laughing at?"
"Sorry," Carlos said, trying to stifle a grin. "It's just... a bit mortifying. Couldn't hold it in."
Hearing him, Sally's lips twitched into a smile. "It might be a little mortifying, sure, but it's the most sincere form of apology I could come up with."
Elise's face was thunderous. She fell silent.
Carlos stepped closer. "What's wrong, Miss Tatum?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Don't tell me you're backing out now?"
"You have two choices," Sally stated. "Apologize to my clinic in public, or I'm calling the cops and you can turn yourself in."
Elise stared, utterly shocked. "You're dreaming!" she scoffed. "I won't do either!"
With that, she spun around, ready to bolt.
"Carlos, lock the door," Sally said. "We're closing for ten minutes."
"Got it," Carlos replied.
Carlos was up in a flash, heading for the door.
Hearing Sally's commanding tone, Elise froze, whirling back to stare at her in disbelief.
"What do you think you're doing?" Elise's voice was laced with suspicion, her expression darkening. "I'm warning you, Sally! If you try anything, you'll regret it!"
Just then, Caleb, who'd seen the whole thing unfold from the entrance, slipped away as Carlos reached the door, hurrying to the Maybach parked curbside.
Caleb spotted Jaxon leaning against the car on a call and hurried over.
Jaxon was by the passenger door, his back to the clinic, oblivious to the recent drama.
"Mr. Zale," Caleb began quietly, even though Jaxon was on the phone.
Jaxon frowned, his sculpted hand covering the mouthpiece. "What's up?"
Caleb leaned in, voice hushed. "It's Mrs. Zale. There's some trouble."
Hearing Sally's name, Jaxon glanced towards the clinic. Seeing the closed door, he quickly told his caller, "Something's up. I'll call you back," and ended the call.
"What's going on?" Jaxon slipped his phone into his pocket, his striking eyes fixed on Caleb.
"Elise Tatum showed up with some herbal concoction," Caleb explained quickly. "Apparently, she was mad about Mrs. Zale hitting Lena Yasmin, so she threw the brew all over Mrs. Zale. Now Mrs. Zale is demanding an apology, threatening to call the cops if she doesn't get one. Elise is refusing. They're probably squaring off in there right now."
Jaxon's face instantly hardened. The air around him grew heavy.
Jaxon looked towards the clinic door but made no move to go in.
"Mr. Zale, shouldn't we check on her?" Caleb ventured. "What if Miss Tatum tries something... "
Jaxon cut him off before he could finish. "She locked the door. That means she doesn't want an audience. We'll hold off for now and see what happens."
"Right," Caleb agreed, quickly opening the car door.
Jaxon slid into the car, rolled down the window facing the clinic, and kept his eyes fixed on it.
Inside the clinic.
Sally sat on the sofa, her gaze cool as she looked up at Elise.
"I'm not going to do anything to you," Sally said, her voice devoid of warmth. "I just want to have a little chat about my clinic."
"Fine," Elise retorted, trying to sound unfazed. "You want to talk? Let's talk."
Just as Elise moved to sit, Sally cut in sharply, "I don't want to 'talk.' I want you to pick one of the two options!"
Her voice, now louder, startled Elise and even made Carlos jump.
Carlos had been working there for a few days, but this was the first time he'd seen Sally genuinely angry. She hadn't even been this worked up when the clinic was vandalized.
"I told you!" Elise snapped, digging her heels in. "I'm not picking either!"
She stood her ground, radiating defiance. Her hands were balled into tight fists.
Sally picked up her phone from the table, turned it, and angled the screen towards Elise.
"I've been recording this whole conversation, ever since you walked in," Sally said casually.
A flicker of panic crossed Elise's face.
"You bitch, Sally!" Elise spat. "That's low!"
"Your little confession about teaming up with Lena to frame me? It's all right here," Sally continued, unfazed. "If you don't apologize, I'll take this recording to the cops, along with the security footage from earlier. They can handle both your little stunts at once."
At Sally's words, the anxiety on Elise's face intensified. She was seething, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
She couldn't believe she'd walked right into Sally's trap, and there was nothing she could do about it.
The situation was infuriating; she felt like she was about to lose it. She was caught between a rock and a hard place.
'Why did I even come here today?' she fumed internally.
"Decide. Now," Sally pressed, her tone icy. "You have ten minutes. If you don't choose, I'm calling the police."
Sally's frigid tone made Elise grind her teeth in frustration.
The minutes ticked by.
Sally watched Elise squirm, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
Carlos, initially standing aside, moved to block the doorway, just in case Elise tried to make a run for it.
Elise was trapped
After a tense eight minutes, Elise finally caved. "Fine! I'll apologize!"
"Miss Tatum," Sally said smoothly, "if you're going to apologize, at least try to look like you mean it. If you go out there to apologize looking like you're sucking on a lemon, neither my clinic nor my patients will believe you're sincere. How do you expect them to forgive you then?"
"Who cares about sincerity for this dump of a clinic?" Elise muttered.
"The clinic might not, but the patients do," Sally countered, getting up and walking towards Elise. "Right?"
"Just get on with it!" Elise snapped. "Don't waste my damn time!"
Fuming, Elise started towards the door.
"Hold on," Sally called after her. "I haven't recorded the apology yet. Where do you think you're going?"
Elise stopped in her tracks. "Record what?"
When Elise turned, Sally was already at the reception desk.
Sally pulled out a small megaphone from under the counter and walked back towards her. "This thing can record. After you apologize, you're going to take this, stand out front for half an hour, and let my patients see just how sorry you are. Then, we'll call it even."
Elise's jaw dropped.
Carlos let out a snort of laughter from behind her.
Elise shot him a glare. "What are you laughing at?"
"Sorry," Carlos said, trying to stifle a grin. "It's just... a bit mortifying. Couldn't hold it in."
Hearing him, Sally's lips twitched into a smile. "It might be a little mortifying, sure, but it's the most sincere form of apology I could come up with."
Elise's face was thunderous. She fell silent.
Carlos stepped closer. "What's wrong, Miss Tatum?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Don't tell me you're backing out now?"
End of Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret Chapter 72. Continue reading Chapter 73 or return to Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret book page.