Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty-two

Life is too short to find a needle in a pile of hay. Life is too short to take the long way, take the shortcut instead. But bear in mind that not all shortcuts get great outcomes.

“Is he okay now?”

Looking up from the ground, Mom’s eyes widened at the sight of me, and the next thing I knew, she threw herself around my arms and started crying. “R-Rachel, where have you been?” The rest of her words were muffled as she sobbed on my shoulder. Deciding to sit on the bench, I waited for her to calm down and once she did, I handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

“Mom, what exactly happened? Why is Dad here?”

The bodyguards merely stood next to us like a statue, waiting for orders. However, I could feel them staring at us through the dark-tinted sunglasses they wore.

Mom blew her nose and wiped it before answering softly, eyes red from crying. “H-he suddenly collapsed in our bedroom. I didn’t see it happen, but once I came in, he was lying motionless on the ground.” Licking her lips, she continued. “We r-rushed him to the hospital just in time. The doctor hasn’t come out with news yet.”

How did this happen? Is this what I get? Is this my punishment? For lying and trying to hide what’s between me and Chad? Out of all people, why my Dad?! How did he even get a heart attack? Well, he’s the only one who could answer that question… I better ask him when he wakes up.

Hospitals are one of the many places I didn’t like—I mean, who does? Whenever someone just mentions about it, death or illness is what comes to mind. Once, I considered becoming a doctor, but then I realized how much of a coward I am when it comes to seeing blood, and I tend to feel guilty if I didn’t happen to save the patient so I scratched the idea.

It was quiet between us, all just waiting for any doctor to approach us to say that Dad is all well now. I faced Mom.

“Where is Harvey? Is he back at home?”

Mother shook her head, eyes bleary. “He’s at school, I walked with him out of the house and came back to the room to get ready for work when I saw your father.” Heaving a sigh, she leaned back and closed her eyes. “At least he didn’t see your father like that. Your dad doesn’t want to worry your little brother, it may affect his studies.”

“So, you’re going to keep it from him again?”

When she nodded, I couldn’t help but grit my teeth in frustration. “Do you think Harvey will like all this secrecy? Last time, we kept it from him about all the harassment, and in the end, he was the one who got it bad! He got kidnapped, if you don’t remember.”

Shocked at my reaction, Mom frowned at me in confusion. “Rachel, what are you talking about—?”

“I said, we shouldn’t keep this from Harvey!” I argued, not liking where this was going. “He deserves to know what is happening, it’s like you’re isolating him! Do you know how Harvey will feel once he catches us lying? He’ll feel left out of the family! Do you want that to happen—?”

“I know what’s going to happen, Rachel!” Surprised that she raised her own voice, she cleared her throat and spoke softly this time. “I know, Rachel… But this is what your father wants. I’m only trying to protect you brother, I’m sure you’ll understand that. I don’t want him to feel the same way we felt when Denis died.”

“Is that so?” My heart felt like it dropped to my stomach, memories of facing the grief all alone when I was a child flooded my mind. How can you say that? Both of you were too caught up with your mourning to even pay attention to me! “You don’t want Harvey… to feel sad? I agree with that, but the way you want it to happen, how come you never did the same for me?”

“What? Rachel, I don’t understand what you’re saying—”

“It’s okay…” I beamed at her, not wanting to show my weakness. “Both of you were mourning for the loss of Denis, I did the same too.” But it would’ve been better if you guys didn’t leave me alone and bury yourselves with work.

Sensing my phone vibrating, I took it out only to see a message coming from Chad. Oh, he’s awake now… A small smile made its way to my face as I read the contents.

Chad: I don’t care if it’s burnt, at least you made me breakfast. Hahaha! But next time, let me do the cooking. I’m afraid you’d burn down my kitchen…

To: Chad Well, you better get the fire extinguisher ready then.

“Rachel, it’s mean of you to scold your mother for hiding this incident from your brother when you’re the one who’s hiding a bigger secret.”

Like I was touched by fire, I inched away from her. A huge, knowing grin was on her face, telling me that she knew what was going on in my mind. What is she saying? Wait, does she know? Can’t be…

“What are you talking about, Mom?” I slowly sat on the bench after her announcement. “What do you mean I have a secret?”

“I know you’re dating Chad, dear.”

“What?!” In an act of trying to cover it up, I waved my hands dismissively. “No, what are you talking about? I’m not dating anyone, Mom. That’s really funny!”

She furrowed her eyebrows, a small pout on her lips. “Don’t lie to me, Rachel Maxwell! I know what is going on between you and that man. Do you think you could hide it from me, your own mother? It’s obvious that you like him too, so I wouldn’t be surprised anymore.”

Releasing the breath I was holding in, I leaned back against the wall and compressed my lips together in thought. There’s no use in hiding it anymore now that Mom knows…but I’m sure we can just keep it this way and announce it to the public once everything’s okay. The problem is, judging by Dad’s current situation, I can’t tell him since he doesn’t trust the Montgomery’s. Probably, hearing that me and Chad are dating would give him another shock.

“Is that why you were gone last night?” Gasping, I glanced down from the ceiling to see Mom leaning towards me in curiosity. “You were with Chad last night, am I right? Is that why you didn’t show up from breakfast only to say that you went to work early? Do you think you could fool me with such an explanation? Seriously, you should be glad I didn’t tell your father last night.” I winced at her tone, not expecting her to scold me right here where people passing by watched us with nosiness.

“Mom, not here…” I whispered to her, gesturing at the people watching. “It’s embarrassing!”

Sighing, Mom shook her head. “You’re trying to fool an old woman like me who did the exact same thing before?”

“What?!” Now that is shocking. “You did the same?” This made her giggle and nod a few times.

“Well, it was back then when your father tried to court me.” Mom laughed at the memory. “Your grandmother would scold me afterwards, saying a lady shouldn’t go out in the middle of the night to see her man. Who knows what people would say if they saw you—but no one was around, so no one really knew about it except her. As for your father, I told him last night that you were already in your room fast asleep and that you didn’t want to be disturbed. I also did the same with Harvey and your friends. If only they knew you weren’t actually in there...”

“Really… I can’t imagine you escaping in the night.” It’s something I don’t see happening, especially by how Mom is respected by thousands of people. It’s also impossible because of how ladylike she is. By a man’s standards, she’d meet his and I’ll be nowhere near her level.

“Do you love Chad?”

Face flushing redder than a newborn baby’s cheeks, I buried my face into my hands. Her merry laughter filled the hall, enjoying how embarrassed I was. “Mom! Why are you asking such questions?!”

“I was merely asking, Rachel. I’m worried now that you entered another relationship, it may end up like the last one…” Her voice turned down to a whisper. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

Body frozen still, guilt seeped into my heart. How can I be so selfish? Sure, they may have somewhat left me alone during their grieving, but they made it up by taking care of me after… They even warded off Nathan after I ran away from the wedding. Just remembering it makes me relive the total disaster that time.

“Mom…”

Click! Both of us gazed up at the double doors opening, the doctor walking out. Immediately standing up, we both approached the man. “Well? How is he?” Mom questioned, hands slightly quivering. “How is Damon? Is he fine?”

“Yes, Mr. Maxwell is fine now.”

Sighs of relief swept through the hall, glad that he’s now all right. Taking Mom by the shoulder, the doctor talked to her, and while the two were in deep conversation, I checked my phone to see Chad’s reply.

Chad: Where are you? I’m heading to your office right now but your assistant told me you’re not in. Did something occur?

Realizing I didn’t get to tell the new temporary assistant that I was out on an emergency, I hurriedly typed my reply.

To: Chad Sorry, Mom summoned me to the hospital because Dad had a heart attack. Let’s meet somewhere else, I have something to tell you.

Chad: What? You’re at the hospital right now? What happened to Mr. Maxwell? Fine, let’s meet at Starbucks.

“Okay, I get it, Dr. Hill,” Mom replied softly, looking quite downcast. Pocketing my phone, I went up to them.

“What’s wrong? Dad’s okay, right?”

Dr. Hill faced me and nodded. “Yes, he is fine now since it was just a minor heart attack…but I recommend him to stay in bed for a few days. He needs rest and needs to cut down on foods that are high in cholesterol. Mr. Maxwell is also exposed to a lot of stress, which is why I suggest he doesn’t go back to work to ensure he gets well.”

“Doesn’t go back to work?” I repeated, connecting the dots. Mom looked like she already knew where this was going. “You mean…”

“Yes, he needs to retire.”

***

“Retire?”

I nodded gently, not knowing what else to say, hands brushing the sides of my plastic cup, the strawberries and cream frap almost empty. After the doctor told us about how Dad’s work might cause him more stress, Mom and I didn’t know what to do but wait for Dad to wake up, tell him the news.

“Your father won’t like this,” Mom mumbled, walking towards the room where Dad was transferred to. “You know how hardheaded he is. He’ll probably just take medication every day and forget the whole thing, insist that he is fine… I told him how many times already to take care of himself!”

“Mom, what’ll happen if Dad retires?” Just the thought of it was making me nervous. If Dad retired, naturally Mom would take over, but what if they both decided that I was ‘ready’ to be the next head of the company? What would I do? What would Rachel Maxwell do?

“Rachel, am I thinking what you’re thinking?”

Glancing up at Chad, I sighed and leaned back in my seat. Even the cafe’s music that was meant to relax me didn’t work. My nerves were all over the place since Dr. Hill suggested that Dad retired.

“I don’t know, Chad. Just the thought of taking over is…horrifying.”

“What are you going to do?” Chad grabbed his coffee and sipped quietly. I shrugged, staring at the oatmeal cookie on the plate. I actually had no idea what to do once it happened. “Are you going to take the position?”

“If nothing is at stake, I won’t.” Crossing my arms across my chest, I huffed. “To be honest, if nothing happened to Denis I wouldn’t have to worry about this at all! But, whatever happens…happens.”

“So, you’re saying that you’ll take it?”

“What choice do I have, Chad?” Moving my gaze to the city outside, I slumped further into my seat. “Besides, it’s not even official yet. Dad’s stubborn self will argue with Mom about not retiring. I have to wait for further development.”

“You could always…give it to someone else.”

“What?”

Chad smiled. “Think about it. If you convince your parents to sell the company and—”

“No, I’m not going that far.” I laughed, shaking my head at his suggestion. “You’re telling me to sell the company that my parents worked hard for—blood, sweat and tears—to some man out there? Are you seriously suggesting that? Have you gone mad?”

“Rachel—”

“What would you feel if I told you to sell your company that your parents worked so hard to bring up, huh?” Sitting up straight, I leaned forward and frowned at him. “Working hard to build an empire just to sell it to some stranger in the end? Are you serious?!”

“Rachel, stop! I get it, okay?” Feeling the eyes of the other customers on me, I backed down. Chad’s expression was similar to a puppy being attacked, only this time it wasn’t as cute as I thought at first. “Look, I know you’re scared shitless right now… You’re wanting to become a writer, and from here, they’re deciding to either put you in charge— I say you wait.”

“Wait until what? They have already decided to—”

“Calm down!” Reaching out, Chad took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “There’s no need to get your panties in a twist—well, I’d like to remove them right now…” He trailed off when I narrowed my eyes at him, giving him the ‘not now’ look. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Maybe soon, but my advice is that you just relax. Your father is still here, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Taking a deep breath in, I tried to relax and just let the music flow freely into my head. He’s right, Rachel. You’re getting ahead of yourself… Now’s not the right time to worry about all this. Instead of worrying about this, I should worry about Dad… Make sure he’ll get well. Oh god, my head is all over the place.

“You know? You’re right…you’re right, Chad.” I sat up straight, wanting to look all collected. “I’m sorry for being so jittery and all.”

“By the way, you wanted to talk about something else, right?”

Remembering what it was, I nervously played with my fingers. “Yes, um, about our relationship…”

“Yes, go on…”

“Mom knows about it.” His reaction was one of surprise, but it seemed to me he already saw it coming. “Chad, what do you say?”

“I…saw it coming? I don’t know, usually you can’t hide anything from your mother because one way or another she finds out. Not to mention, your dad too.”

“No, he hasn’t found out yet.” I sat back, feeling relieved that he wasn’t angry. I’m kinda guessing he’s happy that Mom did. “Mom and I are still considering telling him because, after all, he had a heart attack. Maybe telling him will have to wait. Also…” I grinned at him. “Last night was amazing.”

“Huh! Of course, last night was awesome.” A smug look on his face, Chad raised his chin slightly in the air, all proud. “You spent it with the great handsome Chad Montgomer—”

“Okay Chad, let’s finish our beverages and go.” As he was mumbling how rude I was for interrupting his speech, I couldn’t help but giggle at his silliness. But as we finally finished our drinks and began to head out of the shop, my mind wouldn’t rest, giving me images of Dad passing the company to me.

Will it really happen? Will I really succeed the position? What’s going to happen to me? What’s going to happen to my dreams?

“Hey, you okay?”

Snapped out of my thoughts, I glanced up to a worried Chad gazing at me. “Y-yeah, I’m fine…just a bit tired, that’s all.”

“You sure? Do you want to go home?”

Taking the scarf he handed me, I wrapped it around my neck and nodded. It wasn’t snowing today—in fact, it was only cold. December was fast approaching and we were expecting heavier snowfall. October and November were just full of cold winds and slight snowing, but it would be December in a couple of days. Harvey and Patton’s birthdays were near.

Once inside Chad’s car, I turned up the heater and we rode all the way to my house. Christmas decorations were already being brought up, a couple of stores already having fairy lights displayed. Even the radio had a few Christmas songs mixed in along with the pop ones.

“Can’t believe Christmas is here soon…”

“Hmm? Do you want to spend Christmas together?” Chad asked, placing a hand on my thigh while the other was on the steering wheel. “I have a few places in mind where we could go. Maybe, skating?”

“Yeah, right.” I brushed back my hair, not liking how it was covering my face. “I don’t know how to skate. You’ll probably laugh at my face.”

We continued to talk and once we got there, we were greeted by Percy and the rest of the bodyguards. Is it just me or are they giving Chad the evil eye? They must’ve suspected him of stealing me last night—which he actually did.

“Good afternoon, Miss Maxwell.”

“Hello, Henry!” I greeted him, taking my coat off but deciding to put it back on when I realized I was still wearing the red dress from last night. I better change into comfortable clothes soon! “Is Harvey here?”

“Not yet, Miss Maxwell.”

“Okay, call me once he arrives.”

Gesturing for Chad—who was beaming at Henry—to follow me, we climbed up the stairs and went straight to my room. “I need to change first, Chad. I’m sure you’ll give me privacy, right?”

“But there’s no need to hide, Rachel. I saw everything alread—”

“Wait! I have to get something in my parents’ room first. Stay in there, okay?” Pushing him into my room, I closed the door behind him and ran to Mom and Dad’s room. I have to see what caused Dad to faint… There’s got to be something that triggered it. I just have this gut feeling…

Searching Mom and Dad’s room was a bit hard, not that their room was untidy—in fact, it was more arranged than mine—but nothing was out of the blue. There was nothing wrong, nor any sign of strange things. Kneeling down, I squinted and looked under the bed, only to see Dad’s phone.

What’s this doing here?

Grabbing it, I stood up straight and typed the password, which was Harvey’s birthday. A text message popped out immediately, and once I read it, I gasped in surprise.

From: Unknown Damon, I’m the REAL mastermind of your son’s kidnapping. Who is behind bars is just a stupid dummy. You’ll fall from that high pedestal of yours and your family is going to pay too. I’ll also steal that company of yours.

Who is this? Who dared to threaten my father?!