Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-three

Aware that the days were numbered, I would always try to show my love to him. He has always been there, taking care of me and protecting me from harm’s way. Dad will always be in my heart, no matter what.

“Who do you think sent it?”

Biting my lower lip in contemplation, I shrugged at Chad in reply. The threat was replaying over in my head and I didn’t need to read the message again, already memorized. It had been a few minutes only, which Chad and I were supposed to spend together even if they were brief, but encountering this had made me fear the worst.

“It could be anyone, Chad. Dad has a lot of enemies, but receiving a threat was always done verbally. I’m sure this is the reason why he had a heart attack.” I’m shocked to see such a thing… Especially when it’s about Harvey’s kidnapping.

“Could it be someone you might know?”

I rested my chin under my knuckles, thinking hard. Who could it be? Dad suspected Mrs. Montgomery—but I can’t tell Chad that! No, he’d be surprised and ask why… That would only lead us to misunderstanding and possibly fighting over it.

“Maybe, but I won’t go deeper with that. Like I said, it could be anyone.”

I wasn’t prepared for any of this to happen and wanted Chad to help me solve this, make a plan whatsoever, but when he stood up from the edge of the bed, he suddenly said his farewell.

“I have to go, Rachel. Your parents need you the most and my mother wants me in her office this afternoon for a meeting. I hope you understand...”

“Oh.”

Slightly disappointed, I fought back the shock and forced a smile instead. Don’t be selfish, Rachel. This is important to him, and besides, he’ll be back. “Okay, take care then, Chad. Let’s continue this another time.”

The blond man gave me a lopsided grin and leaned down, planting a chaste kiss on my lips. “Thanks. See you around, baby.” He winked. “I’ll call you once the meeting is over.” As he was leaving the room, his scent slowly dissipated too. After a few seconds, I went to the balcony—which was now open for me to use after the supposed capture of the criminals—and gazed down at Chad. His car was waiting out in the cold. The scarf he lent me was wrapped around his neck, protecting him from the cold as well as the coat keeping him warm. As if sensing my stare, he looked up and waved at me.

Waving back, I beamed down at him when he gave me a flying kiss. I pretended to reach out to catch it and placed my hands over my heart, giggling softly at how goofy he looked. Once in the car, I watched as he drove out of the estate and down the road, vanishing from sight. The icy air caressing my skin, I shivered while my hands wrapped around myself in instinct.

I better get inside…

Eyeing Dad’s phone sitting on top of my bed, I couldn’t help but frown at it in suspicion. What if Dad was right? What if it is Mrs. Montgomery? Surprised at my own thoughts, I shook them out of my head and bit my lip in deep thought. We don’t have any evidence against her, it would be wrong to judge the person right away. Who could possibly be the real mastermind?

***

Two days have passed since Dad was released from the hospital. The days were slowly growing colder and colder, since December was only three days away. Things didn’t change, but there were a few quirks that came after Dad’s heart attack. Mother became more careful when it came to his food, halting him every time he was about to eat. This would result in them arguing at the table—how Dad would insist that he was fine and that Mom would keep shaking her head, not satisfied with it.

Harvey, who was informed about what happened—Mom and I debated with it for just an hour until we came to a conclusion to tell him—was now trying to cheer him up in every way. Also, much to my surprise, he minimized his video gaming, knowing that Dad disapproved of him playing every day.

The food served at every meal either consisted of vegetables or a little bit of meat. Harvey and I were still adjusting to this new order, but we had to do it for Dad. Mom thought that if we ate something that the doctor forbade him to take, Dad would feel left out—but it seemed to me, the way Mom was being overbearing…she was making it worse.

“I can eat fine on my own!” The house staff would glance up in curiosity as Dad would shake his head at Mom, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

“Shut it, Damon! It’s your fault you had a heart attack because you had to drink that whiskey every night!” Mom looked livid, the spoon she was holding still in the air, waiting to be shoved into Dad’s mouth. “Now, you have to be a good boy and eat this, or so help me—!”

Let’s just say that sometimes, Mom being overbearing was just a way for Dad to take care of himself…so that he wouldn’t sleep on the couch at night.

“Are they going to be like this forever?” Harvey grumbled, a deadpan expression on his face as he watched our parents arguing about how a grown man shouldn’t be spoon fed. “Because I don’t want to be late for school.”

I giggled and patted his head, lips curved in a smile. “I doubt that, Harv. Mom’s just seeing to it that Dad eats right this time. Don’t you want Dad to stay healthy?” The boy sighed and muttered farewell, Henry following him out the door.

Phone ringing, I fished it out of my pocket. Mom halted her actions and had a small glint in her eyes as she stared at my phone, knowing very well who it was. I held my phone protectively over my heart as I walked out of the dining room. Oh Mom, it’s creepy that you know everything… A mischievous grin on my lips, I answered the call.

“What does the great almighty Chad Montgomery want to know right now?”

“Good morning to you too, baby. You know I can sense your sarcasm miles away?”

I chuckled and decided to stand in front of the wall length window, gazing at the scenery before me. “How are you? Have you eaten breakfast already?”

“Yeah, I’m actually heading for work right now.” The other line was filled with honking and what seemed to be the bustling city. “How’s your Dad?”

“Mmh, he’s fine. He’s still fussing about how Mom and I are treating him. It’s just the way it is for him now, ever since that day. He should just accept it and let us take care of him.”

“Well, a man does have pride. I’m sure your Dad doesn’t want to lose his.”

Rolling my eyes, I focused my sight at the lone rose bush below, covered slightly with snow. “Men and their pride…” I grinned, teasing him. “Are you telling me you don’t have any? The last time I checked, it was…overflowing.”

A bark of laughter came from him, I could imagine him shaking his head. “Yes, I do have pride, too. But I’m sure you know what triggers it. Oh, wise and beautiful, Rachel Maxwell.”

“All right, all right. You don’t have to talk my ear out of it.” I pretended to yawn. “It’s troubling how boring you can get sometimes.”

The reaction I was anticipating to come out exposed itself, leaving shivers in my body that would probably last until we saw each other again.

“Do you want me to prove that I’m not boring?”

Ignoring the quite colorful flashbacks that came with his words, I laughed in a low voice and challenged him instead. “Sure, please do. I’m quite bored up in this tall tower.” A moment of silence passed between us, the distance a bit maddening. Then, dropping the act, I leaned against the wall as I let down my guard. “I miss you, Chad.”

It might’ve been two days of no contact, since Mom wouldn’t want to risk Dad seeing me and Chad, but ever since our last meeting I’d been pondering a lot of times in his absence. Whether he was eating right, not stressing himself out, or that he slept well.

“Me too, baby. Me too.” He sighed into the phone, tiredness reeking just from it. “I want to see you, talk to you…feel you.”

“Can you come over to my office this lunch?” I asked softly, “We can eat at this restaurant I discovered last night, or do you want to eat somewhere else?”

“Sure, I’ll pick you up by eleven, and yes, we can eat at that restaurant. Anything you like, Rach. And if I were you, I’d take a spin with your new ride.”

That was all it took for me to hurriedly get dressed and drive all the way to my office in record time with the new car Dad gave me on my birthday. It’s not that I didn’t like the Mini Cooper—which was my favorite—but Chad insisted on me taking the Audi A4 today.

I must finish everything this morning so I can spend time with him! Parking my car at the regular spot, I got out and was about to grab my bag when someone tapped on my shoulder.

“Yes, what is it—?” I stopped short and widened my eyes at who was standing in front of me.

Arianne Howard, sporting a wild look on her face, took me by the shoulders and began shaking me. Dark bags were under her eyes, signifying that she hadn’t slept well ever since. The shock of seeing her here, right before me, was the understatement of the century.

“Miss Maxwell, I know you said— I know we had a deal, but you must listen to me! I have something urgent to tell you and if she knows about this, she’ll kill me! Miss Maxwell—”

“What are you doing here?” I quietly questioned, mind still processing. Taking my quiet state for understanding her situation, Arianne had a determined look on her face.

“There is no time, Miss Maxwell. I must say this to you or you’ll never know! Behind all the harassment and the kidnapping of your brother, it is Mr—”

“I said, what are you doing here, Howard?” Voice in a dark tone, I took a step forward with my eyes narrowed at her. “Haven’t we discussed this before? We had a deal, am I correct? I gave you a chance to start over, yet here you are! Do you really want to go to jail?!”

At my sudden outburst, the traitorous snake backed away with her hands up in defense. “Miss Maxwell! Please just listen to me! I promise never to let you see my face again, if you could only let me say this. It’s been bothering me ever since and I didn’t want to wait any longer! She might kill me and bury all the evidence!”

Who? Who would kill her?

“Who are you talking about Howard—?”

“Miss Maxwell!” Both of us sharply turned at the mention of my name, security guards running towards Percy leading them. Sensing the danger, Howard was clearly torn between running or doing what she came here to do. However, the latter sounded more appealing to her, even as she was being dragged away by the men.

“Miss Maxwell! Take heed about my warning!” she screamed, feet scraping the ground. “Don’t listen to what they say! Please be careful around her! It’s all her fault—”

“Silence, woman!” Percy hissed at her, glaring at Arianne. “You should learn to hold your tongue!”

Watching as Arianne was being dragged away, screaming how I should heed at her warning, I gave her one last glance and moved out. As soon as I reached my office, I was suddenly shoved with tons of paperwork by my temporary assistant. The sprightly young woman, who was the same age as Arianne, practically burst into my office, carrying all those papers and giving me a cup of coffee even when I didn’t ask her to.

By the time I finished the first batch, she brought another stack, and when lunch time neared, I was done. “Miss Maxwell!” Hearing her high-pitched voice, knowing that she brought the paperwork again, I hid behind my desk. Not now! I need to see Chad!

The door swung open, the sound of her muttering under her breath lasting only a second until the door clicked shut. Is she gone? The patter of footsteps reached my ears and made me cower further into my desk, a drop of sweat rolling down my forehead. Did she find out something was amiss? How did she know I didn’t leave?

“Baby, what are you doing down there?”

Glancing up from my hiding place, I stared right into limpid blue eyes that were filled with curiosity. Chuckling sheepishly, I stood up from the floor, Chad taking my hand and aiding me up. “Sorry, love. Had to hide from a certain assistant of mine.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Chad gestured outside the door. “You mean the ball of sunshine outside?” He shook his head, squinting like he had the sun shining down on him. “It’s a mystery how that girl has all that energy. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with something like that.” He then laughed. “I practically had to fool her into letting me in your office.”

“Well, she doesn’t know you’re my boyfriend. Of course she’ll be suspicious of you.”

Chad took my hand and pulled me to him, walking towards the door. “Come on, Rach. We need to get lunch now and I want to spend more time with you.” At his words, I giggled and snatched my phone along with my bag from my desk.

“All right, all right!” I chuckled at his impatience. “We don’t need to rush!”

Passing by my flustered assistant, papers in her hands, I waved goodbye as I let Chad lead me out. “Miss Maxwell! What about you paperwor—?”

“When is your other assistant coming back?” Chad inquired as we rode down the elevator. “What was her name again? Patty, right?”

I nodded and silenced my phone before pocketing it. I didn’t want anyone or anything to disturb us. Especially now that we had to be extra careful since Dad might see us.

“Yeah, she’ll be back soon. Maybe around the second week of December.” Leaning against him, I wrapped my arms around his shoulder, face close to his. “I miss you, love. Would you mind proving to me how you’re not boring now?”

A dashing grin came across his features, hand lifting my chin as his lips were close to touching mine. “Gladly, Miss Maxwell.”

Fate was cruel to us at the moment, against me and Chad kissing in the elevator, the doors sliding open and the employees rushing in. Seeing their bosses, they slightly bowed their heads at the sight of us in greeting. Chad had to bite back his laughter when one of them acted like they were from the army, what only lacked was a salute. I rolled my eyes at him but a ghost of a smile was on my lips all the way down to the ground floor.

Percy watched us with slightly narrowed eyes as we exited through the front door, the employees greeting us back and forth. “Will we even be able to reach the restaurant in time?” he joked, guiding me.

It took a few seconds for us to reach his car and the next thing I knew, we were driving down the road. Hand wiping the sweat off, I leaned back on the leather seat and released a breath.

“That took a while… I’m glad we’re out of there.” Or I would’ve drowned in the mountains of papers.

Chad sympathized and squeezed my hand while the other was holding the wheel. “Don’t worry…” he drawled, eyes on the road. “Your business won’t go up in smoke. Even if she’s so happy-go-lucky or skittish, your assistant could live for another hour.”

Making sure that the GPS was now set, I relaxed in my seat and thought happy thoughts. It was a bad decision to make, for all the happiness went back to sadness and anger. Images of Arianne flashed before my eyes and I couldn’t help but grimace at the memory of her. Was it just me or did she look skinnier? My worried self must have radiated too much concern for Chad to notice, or he was just too observant.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, parking the car in front of the restaurant. A woman’s voice, however soft, announced that we had arrived at our destination. “You suddenly became silent. Is there something wrong?”

“I…” I cleared my throat and faced Chad, nervous to tell him. “I saw… I saw Arianne Howard today. No, she came to me in the parking lot this morning.”

The way Chad’s cheery face turned to something akin to fear and anger mixed all together at a fast rate was alarming. Wait a minute…fear? I reached for his cheek, caressing it, and made him lock his eyes with me. Just as I expected, even his blue eyes were filled with hatred towards the woman.

“Chad?”

“You saw her?”

I was about to give him my answer when he shut the car’s engine off and walked out the car. I hurriedly did the same and caught up to him.

“Chad! Wait up!” Is he pissed? What should I do? I wrapped my arm around his, not letting him escape. “If there’s something bothering you, Chad…just tell me.”

“Didn’t we tell her not to appear in front of us again?” He sighed and nodded at the usher, leading us to a table for two. “Did you agree to see her? Or was it just by chance?”

Oh, so that’s why…

“It was just by chance. She wanted to see me and warn me about someone.” He remained silent, listening to me. “Of course, she wasn’t able to do so since security arrived. Next time, I’ll make sure she won’t even get near me. I haven’t forgotten what she did to me.”

My response made Chad smile, clearly happy at my words. He wrapped a hand around my waist, brought me close so that we were practically joined at the hip as we walked towards our table.

“Now, that’s what I like to hear. You shouldn’t be with that trash anyway, she did something to you, so it’s normal for you to stay away. I’ll also make sure she doesn’t bother you again.”

“That’s…sweet of you.”

He helped me sit down, dragging the chair out. After ordering, we busied ourselves with mindless chatter. Fragrance of the meals served entered my nostrils, aroma filling the whole restaurant. My stomach growled in hunger, anticipating the waiter to come back with our dishes.

“Rachel, can I ask a favor?”

“Yes, what is it, love?” I looked up after checking the time on my phone. Seeing the troubled expression he was sporting, I kept my phone and gave him my full attention. What else could be bothering him? Is he still not over with what happened between me and Howard?

Chad placed his hand above mine, squeezing gently. “Can I…borrow another two million dollars?”