novelraw Chapter 124: Perfect Opportunity
Chapter 124: Perfect Opportunity
Chapter 124: Perfect Opportunity
Brooke angrily burst through the door of the house, her face flushed with anger, she slammed the door shut behind her. Lottie, perched on the plush velvet sofa, looked up in surprise, her perfectly manicured eyebrows arching in question.
"Brooke, darling, what is the?" Lottie asked, setting aside her crystal glass of wine. "You look like you have had a horrendous day."
"Why are you home?" Brooke asked rudely, "Shouldn’t you be out trying to help dad get released?"
Lottie sighed mournfully. "I am sick of trying, I decided to give myself a break."
The toll of trying to get Jeff out of his unfortunate circumstances was beginning to tell on her, she had not been to the salon in over two weeks. As much as she loved Jeff, she did not know how much longer she could cope.
Everyone was avoiding her and talking behind her back, she was fast running out of money and needed James back on his feet so that they could find a way out of the mess they were in.
"But please, tell me what has you so upset." Lottie eagerly moved to the edge of her seat and pulling Brooke to sit beside her.
"It’s Lyse!" Brooke exclaimed, her words tumbling out in a rush. "She is awake! And she is back with Brandon now!"
Lottie’s brow furrowed in surprise. "What do you mean she is back with Brandon?"
"Apparently, she has amnesia so she does not remember that Brandon broke up with her." Brooke answered forlornly.
Lottie’s surprise quickly morphed into a calculating gleam in her eyes. She leaned forward, her interest piqued. "Amnesia?" she repeated, her voice low and thoughtful. "What do you mean, amnesia?"
"I mean she doesn’t remember anything," Brooke explained, pacing excitedly across the room. "She doesn’t remember the accident, the fact that Brandon dumped her at the altar, she doesn’t remember... well, she doesn’t remember a lot of things."
A slow smile spread across Lottie’s face. A smile that Brooke had seen many times before, a smile that usually preceded some sort of manipulative scheme.
"She doesn’t remember... everything?" Lottie pressed, her voice laced with a newfound hope.
"I don’t think so," Brooke replied, her anger turning to confusion as she noticed the strange look on her mother’s face. "Why? What are you thinking?"
Lottie stood up, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of triumph and anticipation. "This is... this is a miracle," she murmured, more to herself than to Brooke.
"A miracle?" Brooke repeated, her brow furrowed. "Mom, It’s not exactly a cause for celebration. She and Brandon have gotten back together, did you not hear that part?" She enunciated loudly.
"Oh, but it is, darling," Lottie said, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. "It is the perfect opportunity for us."
Brooke stared at her mother, her confusion growing. "Opportunity for us to do what?"
Lottie placed her hands on Brooke’s shoulders, her eyes sparkling with a newfound energy. "Don’t you see, Brooke?" she said, her voice low and conspiratorial. "Lyse doesn’t remember how... difficult we have been to her. She doesn’t remember the things we said, the things we have done."
Brooke’s confusion deepened as she stared at her mother, wondering if the stress of going around trying to get Jeff out was catching up to her, she was making no sense.
"Why do you care that she does not remember what we did to her?" Brooke asked.
"Look at the big picture." Lottie said mysteriously. "We can manipulate her into getting us what we need."
"Mom, you can’t be serious," Brooke said, pulling away from her mother’s grasp. "How is any of that going to be good for me? How are you going to take advantage of the situation?"
Lottie’s smile widened. "Take advantage?" she repeated, her voice laced with mock innocence. "Darling, I would never. I am simply looking at this from a... practical standpoint."
She began to pace the room, her mind clearly racing with possibilities. "This is my... our chance to mend fences with Lyse," she continued. "To rebuild our relationship. And... well, perhaps to ask for a little... assistance."
"Assistance with what?" Brooke asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
Lottie stopped pacing and turned to face Brooke, her expression turning serious. "With Jeff," she said, her voice low and pleading. "He will be sent back to prison when he gets better, Brooke. And I’m running out of options. I need Lyse to convince Levi. With his connections, with his influence, he could help me get him out."
Brooke stared at her mother, her disbelief growing. "I just said that Lyse has lost her memory, and that means she does not remember Levi, how is your plan going to work?" Brooke said, sounding exasperated.
"It’s simple enough, if she regains her memory she is not going to want to be with Brandon," Lottie smiled cunningly. "If we play this right, we could use it to get Brandon back in your bed."
"What if the amnesia is permanent?" Brooke asked hesitantly.
"Then you show her that Brandon is a piece of shit." Lottie snapped impatiently. "You create a rift between Lyse and Levi."
Brooke’s ears perked up and she looked at Lottie with interest, "how do I do that?"
"You blackmail him." Lottie said simply.
Brooke frowned, "how do I do that?"
"Do I have to teach you everything?" Lottie asked impatiently and shook her head, "You simply corner him with the threat to tell Lyse, then you let her catch you or something, why don’t you think Brooke!"
Brooke’s face brightened up and she grinned at the excellent idea. "That is actually a brilliant idea." She said.
"Of course it is." Lottie said haughtily.
Brooke saw the wisdom in what Lottie was saying. She could pretend to befriend Lyse like before and seduce Brandon, this time she would leave a lot of evidence so that Lyse could catch them.
If it had happened before, then it could happen again. She just had to make sure that she planned very carefully.