"If you dare walk out that door today, we are through!" She shrieked. "If you know what's good for you, get your ass up here and serve us. Clean up the room. Do that, and I won't hold you accountable for embarrassing me tonight."
I said nothing.
Turned around. Walked up the stairs.
Kevin burst into laughter. "I'm telling you, Elisa—your dog-training skills are world-class! You could make a career out of this."
Elisa snorted proudly, arms crossing. "This useless trash. If my mom hadn't been so soft-hearted... I don't know what kind of bewitching potion he gave her to make her insist I stay with him."
She sneered as I reached the landing. "A cowardly waste like him... if he leaves me, he'll never live this kind of luxury again in his entire life."
Hearing this, I finally laughed.
"Elisa, you're right." My voice was steady. "I really did rely on your mother to live a 'good life.'"
The contempt in her eyes deepened. She pointed a manicured finger toward the master bedroom, where tangled sheets lay in chaotic evidence.
"In there. We were a bit too... intense. Hurry up and change the sheets and the quilt. Why aren't you moving? We have important matters to discuss."