Chapter 48 : An Unexpected Guest

Cat POV My heart felt like it was cracking open, a fragile egg being smashed to pieces. I glanced at the article my coworker had shown me again, my chest aching and my stomach trembling. Victoria was right all along. As soon as I was out of the picture, he ran right back to her, and now they were getting married. It seemed like Luke had never loved me at all. Sighing, I folded the pages over so I didn't have to look at the article anymore. With one final heave, I got up and went back to the sink. Quickly, I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I touched up my makeup again and double-checked my clothes. As much as I wanted, I couldn't hide in the bathroom all day. My coworkers didn't know anything about my past, and I didn't want to have them ask me all kinds of questions. Not to mention, I had to make a good impression on them if I was going to be working there long-term as I wanted. With one final look in the mirror, I nodded to myself. If I could just make it through the day, I could go home and worry about everything else on my own. As I sat at my desk, I planned to get a pregnancy test at lunch and figure out what was going on with that. Until then, I'd just have to sit there, chewing my fingernails, all the possibilities rushing through my mind. The firm I worked for now was a lot smaller than Luke's. I didn't have my own office anymore. I had a cubicle that butted up against several other cubicles. When my coworkers were on the phone, I could hear them talking, and sometimes, it interfered with my concentration. As a new employee in a small firm, I wasn't heading any projects. I was pretty much a glorified receptionist, reviewing reports and "familiarizing" myself with the industry. It was nowhere near as creative and fulfilling as the work I was doing before, but it was close to my mother and far away from Luke. I fired up my computer and started going through my emails. There were a lot of new announcements about the current office building that the company was working on. As a smaller firm, they only took on a couple of projects at a time, and it was a lot easier to manage. I replied to the emails that I needed to address and then went on to review office building blueprints. My input wasn't respected yet or even considered. I'd still make notes on all the blueprints in case someone would notice them and see my worth to the firm. "Catherine Walker call reception, please," a voice rang over the intercom. First, I winced at hearing my name being called over the very loud PA system. I grabbed the phone off my desk and hit the extension for the reception desk. The same girl that had brought me the newspaper was working the reception desk. "Cat, there is someone here to see you. A man… a very handsome man," she said, giggling lightly. I chewed my lower lip and my stomach fluttered. Could it be Luke? Had he come to see me, finally? He was supposed to be getting ready for his own wedding. I wondered if he'd realized he was making a mistake or just couldn't go through with it after everything. "Someone, to see me?" I asked. It would be strange for Luke to come to my office instead of going to my mom's house. Unless he was under a time constraint. Then he might want to come here instead of waiting for me to get out of work. "You said he's handsome. Is he tall?" I asked. I wanted to get a little more information about this visitor before greeting him. If it was Luke, I'd need to think of what I was going to say to him and I didn't want to be completely blindsided. "He's tall. And very well dressed," the receptionist said. "Like, custom-tailored suit or just fine lines?" I questioned. "Custom tailored, definitely," she reported. "Did he tell you why he was here?" I pressed further, chewing my lower lip. "Not really. He just said he had to see you right now before it is too late." I swallowed hard and my stomach flip-flopped. "Before it is too late." That easily could have been Luke with second thoughts about marrying Victoria tonight. The article hadn't had pictures of Luke or Victoria, so the receptionist might not recognize him. "Does he look worried?" I asked. "Worried? No, I wouldn't say worried. Maybe a little impatient," she told me. "Cat, what's with all the questions? Are you trying to avoid seeing him? I mean, he might be a little aged, but he is still a fox." "Aged?" I asked, a pit forming in my stomach. Luke was definitely not aged. It couldn't be him. Suddenly, I felt silly for trying to give myself even more hope. Luke was marrying Victoria. It had been announced to the entire world. What reason would he have for coming to me now? I knew Luke, and he didn't second-guess himself like that. "Thanks, I'll be right down," I muttered. Now, it was curiosity that had me going more than hope. I couldn't think of any "aged" men that would want to see me. A strange twist twinged my stomach, and I looped my arms around myself as I got up from my desk. What if it was my mom's boyfriend? Or one of the many she had? What would one of them want with me? When I got to the reception desk, my visitor was standing with his back to me, examining a painting on the wall. The picture wasn't anything special, but he seemed completely enamored with it. I went to the receptionist, speaking in a low whisper. "He is well dressed, isn't he?" "Oh yeah. He didn't give me his name, but he said you'll want to see him," the receptionist said with a shrug. "Thanks," I muttered. "Do you know him?" she asked. Sighing, I looked at his back. His suit was a deep burgundy color and made of the finest fabric, custom cut to fit his exact shape. He had a cane in one hand, with a unique-looking, polished gemstone on the top and a golden foot on the bottom. I was willing to bet that the gemstone and the gold were real. "Excuse me, sir," I said, walking up to him. Slowly, he turned to face me. His eyes and the curve of his face were familiar, but I knew I'd never met him before. "Ahh, Miss Catherine Walker," he said in a voice that was laced with a strange accent. It sounded a little French with some British mixed in. He wasn't from around here, not with that accent, and not with the suit. "Can I help you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. He smirked, revealing that he was much stronger than the timid old man he was trying to portray. "I think we should talk in private," he suggested, holding an arm out and inviting me along with him. He didn't seem to have a limp at all as if the cane was all just for show. "Excuse me, but I don't know who you are. I'm not going anywhere with you," I argued, shaking my head. The man nodded at me, appreciatively. "I was told you were quite the firecracker." "Are you here because of my mom? I have to admit, you're a lot nicer looking than most of the men she ensnares," I said, getting testy. This was not the day I needed some random stranger playing mind games. The man grinned and bounced his eyebrows at me. It was a familiar gesture, and I gasped, taking a half step back. "My name is Alistair Carter. I'm Luke Carter's grandfather," he explained. My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes practically popped out of my head! "But… you…" "Now, can we go somewhere private to talk?" he repeated his question. "I… you… weren't you dying?" I blurted out, pointing at him. Quickly, I lowered my accusing finger. My cheeks burned hot and red and I looked at my feet. Alistair chuckled. He was remarkably fit and healthy for a man that had been on his deathbed a few weeks before. "Yes, with a family of billionaires spread all over the world, it is hard to get them all together in one place," he said, his eyes twinkling. "I don't understand," I said, furrowing my brow. "Sometimes, the only way to get them all together is by creating a tragedy. From time to time, if I pretend to be deathly ill, I get them all in one place and can catch up with them," he said, laughing and tilting his head back. Again, I just stared at him. Was Luke's grandfather really telling me he faked being ill so they'd all come to visit him? "I'm too old to be flying around the world to visit everyone, and they are so busy, nothing short of my declining health will get them to drop their lives and come to me," he went on. I sighed and shook my head, laughing lightly. "So, the Carters really are insane," I muttered. "Perhaps we are. Can we please have that private chat, now?" he asked, giving me an expectant look. "Sure, come with me," I said. I led Alistair to one of the board meeting rooms. A little dazed, I glanced back now and then. He was casually examining the walls and the buildings as we walked. Now, I understood why he looked so familiar. Luke had a lot of his features. When we'd heard Alistair was sick, Luke had told me how close they were. He'd been genuinely upset. I wondered if Alistair felt any guilt for worrying everyone so much about his health. "So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked when we were alone in the meeting room. Alistair leaned his cane against the large conference table. I shut the door and flipped the lock. For some reason, I didn't want any of my coworkers getting involved in this, or getting nosy about my life. "I would have liked the chance to get to meet you back in France," Alistair said. Clearing my throat, I crossed my arms again. "I doubt that is why you have come all this way to fin- see me." "Right you are, my dear. However, I do have a simple question for you, in regards to someone that is very, very important to me," he explained. "Okay, what is your question?" "Are you in love with my grandson, with Luke?" he asked.