Raymond Carnegie shot up from his wheelchair as if he had never needed it.
"Who has arrived?" he demanded.
Charles gestured downstairs, "The lady downstairs, your bride, Raymond. Mrs. Carnegie."
Never in his wildest imaginations did Raymond think that the duplicitous woman would find her way here. His "office hours" had led him back to the old villa, yet here she was.
With a piercing, suspicious gaze, Raymond looked at Charles, "How did she find us?"
"I don't know," Charles answered, shrugging helplessly, "Could it be Master Carnegie? He went to see the lady this morning."
Without another word, Raymond snatched up his phone and dialed Bradley. As soon as the call connected, he demanded in a frosty tone, "Old man, didn’t you promise me that if I tied the knot, you wouldn't reveal our identity to Paige? How on earth did she end up at the villa?"
On the other end, Bradley, lounging leisurely with a coffee outside, was untroubled by Raymond's icy demeanor. A chuckle escaped him.
"Did your meet her?" he asked, his voice easy and relaxed.
Raymond responded sharply, "You wanted her to run into me, to catch me off guard, didn't you? Well, you'll be disappointed. Charles saw her; but she didn't see him."
Bradley just chuckled and then explained Paige's job-hunting story.
Raymond, rubbing his forehead with his elegant fingers, said in exasperation, "Couldn’t you have helped her find a different job?"
"It was her choice," Bradley retorted, "Besides, if you don't care about your new bride, I have to look out for my daughter-in-law. If you want to keep your identity under wraps, just don't come home when she's around."
Raymond was taken aback. "What?"
So, to enable that duplicitous woman to work here, he couldn't even return to his own home?
His suspicions about the woman grew. She was up to no good.
The first step: Conspire with Louis to get close to him. No, to sleep with him and leave a provocative message.
The second step: Ingratiate herself with Bradley to marry into the family.
The third step: Just show up, aiming to step into the role of the Carnegie family matriarch as if it was her right.
And what next? What else did she covet?
Having witnessed the unfolding drama, Raymond grew increasingly curious about Paige's appetite; what exactly did she yearn for, and how much did she envisage wanting?
After the call ended, Raymond turned to Charles. "Keep her out of my room, don't even let her set foot upstairs."
Charles nodded emphatically, "I'll text Sean right away."
Meanwhile, downstairs, Paige hesitated, still in disbelief, and asked, "A monthly salary of ten thousand dollars?"
Sean, hunching his shoulders respectfully yet shrewdly calculating, wondered if the madam was displeased. Catching on quickly, he offered, "How about this, Ms. Sackler? Fifteen thousand dollars, would that work for you?"
Paige was stunned. A raise just like that?
Sean breathed a sigh of relief. If the madam was pleased, all was well.
But in the end, Paige declined the fifteen thousand dollars. Six thousand was more than enough, ten thousand was beyond what she had ever imagined.
Besides, she wasn't truly there for the job. She had an ulterior motive. The higher the salary, the heavier the guilt.
That afternoon, without much work to do, Sean mainly showed Paige around the villa, to get her acquainted with the environment she would be working in.
Paige was exceptionally attentive during the tour; detail was crucial to her.
Once home, Paige immediately curled up on the couch, scrolling through her phone which displayed the blueprint of a house.
And not just any house, the blueprint laid out the structure of the very villa belonging to the Carnegie family!
Paige pored over the blueprint, rolling around on the sofa, murmuring to herself, "Where could the hidden space be? Where's the entrance?"
---
Back inside the villa, Raymond Carnegie finally exhaled in relief when he heard Paige had left. Even after years away, his room remained untouched, preserved just as it was.
This particular room of Raymond's was a study in secrecy. Its cleanliness and order were meticulously supervised personally by Bradley.
Approaching a statue of a medieval knight, Raymond twisted the hilt of the sword held in the knight's hand. A wall spun halfway around, revealing a specially designed door. Raymond keyed in the password, entered, and as the door shut behind him, Charles waited outside, vigilant. Once Raymond was inside, no disturbances were permitted, and absolutely no one was allowed in without permission.
It was only because of pressing matters that Raymond had returned to the familial mansion today.
After so many days back in the States, he had been staying at Windrain Tower all along.
Taking advantage of today's ‘day at the office,’ it was a good time to swing by and handle some affairs. He hadn't expected Paige to show up here as well.
When Raymond Carnegie stepped out, he was carrying a brown paper bag in his hands. Undoing the twine, he pulled out the contents and, after scrawling his signature on the documents, handed them to Charles, "Get this project back online and personally deliver the file to the group."
Charles took a brief look, and a twinge of unease hit him, "This... Mr. Carnegie might not agree, right?"
Raymond's gaze was sharp as he looked at Charles, his tone carrying a certain command. "Since when did Hawke Corporation fall under his jurisdiction?"
Charles quickly shook his head, "Of course not. I'll deliver it right away."
Raymond glanced at his watch, "First, take me home. It's quitting time."
Charles almost didn't catch the meaning of ‘quitting time.’
Raymond gave him another penetrating look, and Charles hurriedly apologized, "Sorry sir, I'm still adjusting."
As Raymond wheeled out from the elevator on the third floor, Bradley had already returned. They ran into each other just by chance.
Seizing the moment, Bradley instructed Sean to fetch a box from his room's safe and bring it over. When it was handed to Raymond, he couldn't help but divert his attention to cope with the matter.
"What's this?" asked Raymond.
"Could you drop off a gift for me, tomorrow, at the International Grand Hotel?" Bradley replied.
Raymond looked up, "Wouldn't Louis be more suited for such a task?"
Bradley shook his head, "He could only represent himself. You going on my behalf will make a statement. Besides, you've come back, it's time to make an appearance at Northwind."
Raymond let out a soft smile, "What difference does an appearance make for a cripple?"
This time, it was Bradley's turn to chuckle, "Making an appearance is all about setting the stage to stand tall. Go on, you've got history with them too."
Raymond raised an eyebrow. "What history?"
"Something from over a decade ago. Their rare-type-blood donation saved your life."
Although Raymond had been looking for an excuse to avoid making the trip, the mention of this particular matter jogged his memory. He hadn't realized before that the person who donated blood and saved his life was from this family. Now that he knew, he felt it was only right to pay a visit.
"Alright, I'll be there on time," Raymond agreed.
Meanwhile, at home, engrossed in analyzing the blueprints of the villa, Paige's phone suddenly displayed a reminder.
Reminder: Tomorrow is Margaret's 70th birthday!