Chapter 49 : Why This? Why Now?

Cat POV "I… that… does it matter?" I asked, unable to say anything else. What did it matter how I felt, now? "When Luke and I spoke in France, he talked about you more than anything else," Alistair explained. "We had some good times together, but it wasn't meant to last," I said, shaking my head. "And why do you think that?" he asked back. "Luke and I are the closest members of the family. He tells me everything, and I know him very well." "He told me the two of you were very close as well," I agreed with a nod. Alistair sighed and sat at the head of the table like he was a CEO about to lead a very important conference. He lay his palms flat on the table. "Then believe me when I tell you that he was happier talking about you than anything else. Happier than I'd ever seen him," Alistair said, fixing me with a challenging look. It was like he was daring me to argue with him. "It doesn't matter, we aren't meant to be together," I said, shaking my head. "If that were true, do you think Luke would be genuinely devastated and broken by your sudden departure?" the old man asked, raising an eyebrow at me. My heart thudded heavily. I'd spent hours wondering what Luke would do, or how he'd react when he discovered I'd left without a word. I never thought he'd be devastated or broken. Maybe I just didn't want to think he would feel bad. "Despite how broken he was, he defended you when everyone else told him you were no good. He stood up for you no matter how many times they said you leaving proved you weren't worthy of him," Alistair continued. My knees wobbled a little, thinking about Luke defending me even after I'd hurt him so badly. Had he really stood up for me in front of his entire family? "It doesn't matter," I muttered, shaking my head. "He is marrying someone else now. He got over it pretty quickly." "Hmm, is that what you think?" Alistair asked me pointedly. "Do you think he'd marry someone else if he wanted me back?" I asked back. Alistair sighed and pursed his lips. "Victoria plays vicious games. She had a recording of you that made it sound like you were only with Luke for his money. She played it in front of the whole family." The blood drained from my face. "Sh-she did?" Victoria told me that if I left, she wouldn't play the recording for him! That liar. I'd thrown everything away to keep her from breaking Luke's heart, and she did it anyway. My stomach twisted in knots and my face scrunched up. She really had wanted to make him hate me. Maybe that was the only way she could get him back. So, their entire marriage was going to be based on a lie. Just like Aaron and Fiona. "Of course, Luke didn't believe it. Everyone else kept nagging him that he couldn't ignore evidence like that," Alistair's steady voice broke into my thoughts. "He didn't believe it?" I asked softly. Alistair shook his head. "No. He assured us all that the recording was taken out of context or had been doctored in some way." "Then why…" I shook my head. If Luke hadn't believed Victoria's likes why would he end up marrying her? Was Alistair just telling me what I wanted to hear? "That doesn't make any sense. If he didn't believe her, why is he marrying her now?" I asked, voicing my thoughts. "Well, you did leave without saying anything. Victoria told us that you flew back on a commercial flight and showed us the receipts for the airline tickets and car service," Alistair explained. "Yeah, that she paid for and organized," I whispered under my breath. "What was that?" Alistair asked, sitting straighter. "Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "Cat, you might not understand this, but in a family like ours, there are certain expectations," Alistair said slowly. "Trust me, I understand," I said, putting a hand up quickly to stop him from going on. "That's why I left." "Hmm," Alistair hummed. "Then it might come as a surprise to you to learn that instead of giving in to all his relatives' demands, Luke refused to speak to anyone, and he left." "He left?" I asked, perking up. Moving across the room, I slowly sank into one of the chairs across from Alistair. That was surprising. Luke left his family, probably without knowing his grandfather wasn't sick. He'd stood by me despite not being the ideal version of what his family would want for him to have in a wife. He hadn't let them get to him, even after Victoria had tried to expose me as a supposed gold digger. Why hadn't he texted or called? And how had he gone from all that to marrying Victoria? "The news of Luke's marriage to Victoria came very unexpectedly. I thought he was leaving to go in search of you," Alistair told me. I frowned slightly and looked at the table so I didn't have to see the hopeful twinkle in Alistair's eyes. "Well, he didn't. He never called me or reached out to me once. So, I'm guessing the happiness you saw in him wasn't strong enough to pursue," I said bitterly. Alistair chuckled, and I looked up at him, wondering what he thought was funny about all this. "I know my grandson. Marrying Victoria is a big mistake, and he is going to regret it forever. I can't let him do that to himself. So, I came to find you," Alistair said. I pursed my lips. "You seem to be the only one that thinks it is a mistake. Everyone else thinks that Victoria is a much better fit for Luke." "That's because everyone else thinks that marrying for money, status, and good business connections is more important," Alistair huffed. "But you don't?" I questioned, quirking an eyebrow. "You met my wife, Hazel, didn't you?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes, I liked her a lot." "Under our care and management, the vineyard has become more productive in our lifetime than all the previous generations of ownership combined. In my experience, marrying for love is the best business choice," he said, laying it all out for me. "You're the only one that seems to think that," I sighed, folding my arms together on the table. "I admit, my children and their children have lost sight of the bigger picture. I mentored Luke. Even though his parents never left him in the place for long, he thrived under my care and became every bit the man I knew he'd be, the man I knew I could choose as my heir," Alistair continued. "I'm not going to let him throw that away on the wrong woman." "You came to find me because you think I'm right for him and not Victoria?" I questioned. "Yes, I believe that you are the woman for Luke, not Victoria," Alistair said plainly. "You think that even after the recording Victoria played?" Alistair chuckled and shook his head. "My dear, whether that recording was real or not, I can take one look at where you are working and know you are not a gold digger. With your talent and brains, you could easily maneuver yourself into another firm like Luke's and be surrounded by billionaires," he said. "And because I'm working here, you assume I'm not a gold digger?" I countered. "I believe my grandson is far more astute than that. He didn't believe it, and nor will I," he offered. "I shouldn't have left," I said, suddenly realizing that Luke wouldn't have turned against me if Victoria had outed me while I was there. He'd defended me at every turn, up until he realized I'd run off! If I'd been there, he wouldn't have believed Victoria's lies. Hearing that both Luke and Alistair believed me made my heart thump painfully in my chest. I clasped my hands over my heart. Victoria had gotten in my head and ruined everything. "What did Victoria say to you that made you leave?" Alistair asked, his voice intruding on my thoughts again. "She made a lot of threats toward me, my mother, and Luke's business," I explained. Quickly, I told Alistair everything Victoria had done. The recording she'd had, and what it had really been about, how she'd threatened to destroy the Caribbean project, and how she told me she'd make my mom homeless. He listened with a stern, sharp face, his eyes getting narrower and narrower as I spoke. I thought he was going to get mad at me or think I was too gullible and weak. Maybe he'd change his mind about thinking I was right for Luke. "Yes, she can be ruthless, can't she? And those are just more reasons to think she isn't right for Luke. Catherine, Victoria will destroy Luke. She might think she loves him, but a woman like that destroys everything she touches. Do you want that for him?" he asked me in a grave voice. "That isn't up to me to decide," I pointed out. "Isn't it? Don't you love him?" Luke's Grandfather asked. Slowly, I nodded. "With all my heart," I admitted, realizing for the first time that it was true. The only reason I had left was that I loved him so much, I wanted to save his dream and let him find someone that was truly worthy of him. Maybe that person wasn't Victoria, but I wasn't sure if it was me, either. "Why do you love him?" Alistair asked. "Why?" I asked back. "I…" Shrugging I looked around the blandly decorated conference room. "He believed in me when no one else did," I said. "Luke saved me from myself and this horrible pit of despair that threatened to swallow me whole." "And why do you think he did that? Simply because you were a star employee?" Alistair asked, making me think. I'd always told myself it had to do with my work contributions, at least, that was why he had let me stay in his guest house and everything. "Luke is very smart. He wouldn't risk his reputation and relationship with his family for a fling," Alistair said. "His feelings for you are deeper than anything else." "Then why is he marrying Victoria?" I snapped, crossing my arms. Luke could have fought for me. If he really cared and really believed Victoria was making trouble, he could have called, come after me, texted me, anything! But he didn't. He just let me get away. "Perhaps for the same reason you're punishing yourself by working in a place like this and living with your mother, who you don't get along with," Alistair suggested with a rueful grin. I opened my mouth to say something and stopped. All words escaped me. "Now that we can agree Luke is about to make a horrible mistake with Victoria, will you do anything to save him, as he tried to save you?"