Whether Paige had cast some sort of spell on Bradley or not, Raymond had no clue.
But what he did know was that she had Louis wrapped around her finger, and quite tightly at that.
Despite spending years overseas, Raymond stayed updated daily on Louis' affairs. Over all these years, women were notably absent from Louis' side.
Yet, the embrace Raymond witnessed last night clearly showed Louis pulling someone close, voluntarily no less. The intimacy of that gesture suggested an extraordinary bond.
But according to the recent diggings, Paige had only recently been released from prison.
This begged the question: when did their relationship start?
Lost in thought, Raymond suddenly posed a question to Bradley.
"Dad, what's the history between the Carnegies and the Sacklers?"
Bradley took the chair opposite Raymond, "The history between our two families? I would rather put it as the history between you and the Sacklers. Remember the time you lay on that operating table, barely clinging to life, and all of Northwind couldn't find your rare blood type? Then out of the blue, a member of the Sackler clan, a direct match, goes through eight blood withdrawals in three days, just to pull you through."
Since then, the bond between our two families only grew stronger. Oh, that's right, Louis, that boy, got pretty tight with the Sacklers as well and even got engaged to their heir a few years back. Currently, as you can see, Louis isn’t getting any younger, and his mother mentioned their upcoming wedding just the other day. I gave them my blessing. Two great things happening all at once. How wonderful!"
Louis engaged to the Sackler family heir?
Raymond suddenly remembered meeting a Miss Sackler at Margaret's birthday bash.
Suddenly, Raymond asked, “The blood transfusion I received back then, it was from which member of the Sacklers?”
Bradley shook his head slightly, “The Sacklers never said, and you really shouldn't sweat the small stuff. Even if they had, we will always be indebted to them. You don’t need to worry about these trifles. If there's any debt of gratitude, Louis should be the one to deal with it."
Not wanting to probe further, Raymond dropped the subject.
In the middle of the conversation, Sean came in.
After knocking, he entered and asked, “Madam has finished her lunch, and she’s done with her work for the morning. Given that Mid-hill Villa is a bit out of the way, should I arrange a car to take her down the mountain?”
Knowing the poor motor access, Bradley promptly responded, “Of course, but let's keep it low-key. Have the grocery shopping van give her a lift and say it’s on the way.”
"Alright, I’ll get on it," replied Sean.
Raymond furrowed his brow, finding Paige more and more enigmatic, especially her relationship with Louis.
If Paige was a woman Louis had sent to his bed, why would Louis hold her so dearly?
But if that wasn’t the case, how would he explain what happened that day?
As soon as Sean left, Bradley noticed Raymond’s troubled mood and spoke earnestly, “You know, with young couples, it's all about spending time together. The more they do, the closer they become.”
After that, Bradley didn’t push any further. He knew Raymond well enough to know that more words would be pointless.
Moreover, for someone like him, managing to persuade Raymond to tie the knot before turning thirty was already pushing the envelope.
Had Raymond been in better health, no one would have been shocked if he pushed off settling down until he was forty.
With Bradley gone, Raymond found himself alone with his thoughts in the wheelchair, his mind adrift.
Charles, for one, could see why Bradley was so taken with Paige. Bradley had a sharp eye for people, so he wouldn't likely choose a flawed match for Raymond.
Charles ventured, "Sir, about last night, there must be some misunderstanding. Madame didn't strike me as that type of person."
Raymond turned slowly to meet Charles's gaze, his eyes carrying a subtle hint of warning.
Charles promptly shut his mouth, managing a small, tight-lipped smile.
Paige, stepping out of the villa, bumped into the kitchen staff heading down to the market.
Spotting the luxury Mercedes parked next to her, a lady from the kitchen leaned out the window, beaming at Paige, "Ms. Sackler, it's inconvenient to get down the mountain, need a lift while I run errands?"
Paige had encountered the errand-running lady during her meal with the staff.
What she didn't expect was that from their brief encounter, the lady would remember her surname.
Glancing at the Mercedes, Paige's initial reaction was, "Is this... the grocery car?"
The lady nodded, "Yes, Ms. Sackler, hop in. It's serendipity that your off time coincides with my shopping trip."
Paige wasn't one to be too polite, especially with the inconvenient local transport. And since she had other plans for the afternoon, she gratefully accepted the ride.
Raymond watched from the window as the grocery car drove away. Just then, a Ferrari zoomed up. It was Louis!
He narrowly missed crossing paths with Paige, who had just departed in the grocery car.
A subtle curve appeared on Raymond's lips: perfect timing, a missed encounter.
Invited over by Bradley, Louis went straight to Bradley's study as soon as he parked.
Standing respectfully in front of Bradley, Louis greeted, "Grandpa, What’s the matter?"
With a stern look, Bradley began, "The marriage with the Sackler family has been arranged. I've picked out a few dates. Take a look and see which one you prefer."
With that, Bradley handed over a sheet of paper inscribed with several dates written.
Louis took the paper in his hand but hesitated, saying, "Grandpa, Raymond isn't even married yet. I believe there is no need to rush for mine, right?"
Bradley's gaze darkened as he replied, "You needn't worry about Raymond's wedding plans; I've already chosen for him. There's a debt of gratitude between the Sackler and the Carnegie families. Since you and a young lady of the Sacklers were engaged five years ago, it's high time we finalized that engagement."
Louis knew that when Bradley spoke in this household, his words might as well have been the law.
However, there was one detail about the engagement that Bradley never quite understood.
Now that Paige was back in town, Louis never considered marrying Xena Sackler without, at least, sorting things out with Paige.
Noticing Bradley's firm stance, with even the date nearly picked, Louis decided to make a stand for himself.
He folded the paper with the wedding dates and gently slid it back onto the desk before he deeply nodded his head.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry, I never fully explained the engagement to you. Five years ago, the Sackler family member I got engaged to wasn't Xena, as you believe. Xena has a sister named Paige. The woman I got engaged to five years ago was Paige, not Xena!"
With those words, the study was encapsulated in an eerie silence.
In another room, Raymond stood up abruptly.
On the giant screen in front of him was the live footage of Bradley's study!