"And Greta?"
Philippe stiffened.
"That his two sons have fallen for a woman he despises is certain to make your father turn over in his grave. Is that why your sister-in-law is now your mistress?"
Philippe's lips tightened. "I cannot believe you are bringing her up here—-"
"You are feeling guilty," she observed. "Your wife does not know about her then?"
If Charlee-Mae had not lost her memories, such a question would've required him to lie, but because his wife now believed herself to be in love with him, Philippe was able to speak the truth to his mother.
"Non, Maman, she does not...and I have no plans of her ever finding out."
The fierceness of her son's tone told her everything she had to know, and a tremor of relief shook Sandra's slender frame. Oh, thank God, thank God.
Philippe was surprised when her mother suddenly gave him a warm embrace. "Maman?"
"I am just so happy for you, mon fils. I was worried at first, of course. I thought this marriage of yours was a sham. I thought you only meant to make me relinquish your shares, and you'd soon divorce your wife to marry Greta."
That had been his plan. Marrying Greta, in his mind, would've been his final act of revenge against a father capable of coldly rejecting his own flesh and blood on account of an imperfection.
"But now that I have seen the two of you together, and because I cannot but think this is a work of God, to have Cha-Cha of all people become your wife..." Sandra reached up to cup her son's face. "Listen to me, Philippe. I know you hate being given advice, and I know that has much to do with your father, but if you are to ever listen to me just once, then let it be this moment. Get rid of Greta before it is too late."
Philippe was prevented from replying with Charlee-Mae walking back in, and Sandra quickly moved away before her daughter-in-law could be made to think something was amiss.
"I'm back!" Charlee-Mae sent an apologetic smile to Sandra. "I'm sorry I had to leave—-"
"Non, non, I completely understand. All is well with your sister-in-law?"
"She thinks it's so me to have this kind of accident—-"
Sandra laughed. "It is."
"Maman!"
"But I mean it in a good way, ma fille," the older woman reassured her. "No matter what trouble you run into, you always find a way to look at things positively. It is why I love watching your vlogs."
"Aww, Maman, you're making me blush—-"
Sandra's shoulders started to shake as she suddenly remembered one of Cha-Cha's vlogs. "How can I do that when that man with a huge package—-"
"Maman!" Philippe could not believe he had heard his mother - his church-going, ultra-conservative mother - had just uttered such a thing.
Sandra could not help laughing at her son's visible discomfort. "Oh, relax, mon fils."
His wife was laughing as well. "The package thing is an inside joke."
Philippe was starting to wonder whether he had married a stand-up comedienne.
“A few months ago, I went on a date with a guy from Tinder—-"
"And the man's English was terrible," Sandra recalled.
"Very terrible," Charlee-Mae added, and as she and her mother-in-law looked at each other, it was as if their words called the same memory to mind, and both women started laughing again.
"The f-first thing he said—-" Charlee-Mae was barely able to speak between giggles. "—-was that he might make me blush because—-"
"He had a huge package for you," Sandra cried out.
"But it really was just a package!"
Charlee-Mae and Sandra turned to Philippe, thinking that he would join in their laughter, but when they saw the all-too-pleasant expression on his handsome face—-
Charlee-Mae quickly turned her laugh into a cough while Sandra checked her watch and feigned shock at the time.
"Please." Philippe's voice was silky. "Don't stop at my expense. I'd love to know more about this other man my wife was dating."
Sandra pretended not to hear anything. "Oh dear. I'm late for my next appointment." She turned to Charlee-Mae. "I'm sorry, my dear. I have to go."
Charlee-Mae was starting to feel nervous at how Philippe was still looking at her. "Don't leave me, please?"
Sandra pretended not to hear this as well, and instead turned to her son. "Will you walk me to the lift, mon fils?"
"Bien sûr, Maman." Philippe turned to his wife. "And when I come back, we shall talk about packages—-"
"But there's really no need," Charlee-Mae said earnestly. "It's only your package I care about! Your package is—-"
Philippe swiftly ushered his mother out of the room and closed the door before Sandra could hear any other things about his package.
"Your wife is so adorable, Philippe."
"You make her sound like a pet."
Sandra let out a gasp. "I do not!" But then she saw her son's lips twitch, and she realized he had merely been joking. Joking!