WORTHY (12 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Sebastian’s house was every bit as grand as she’d imagined it would be. The floor to ceiling glass windows, the grand staircase, the muted furnishings—every corner reeked of wealth—it was all too much for her to take in. Had it not been for Sebastian’s comforting hand laced through hers, she would have bolted before his parents even came out to greet them.

It was Sebastian’s father who greeted them. Caitlin had seen photos of him in the papers but looked younger in person and seemed to share the same boyish charm Sebastian had.

After father and son exchanged pleasantries, Sebastian propelled her forward to introduce her. “Dad, this is Caitlin Thompson. Katie, meet the great Roarke Avery.” Sebastian said jokingly with flourish.

The dark, eagle-sharp eyes focused on her, looking at her intently. His aristocratic nose and formidable presence seemed intimidating for anyone who met him the first time. Then, he broke into a warm, welcoming smile. “Miss Thompson, it’s a pleasure to meet you finally.”

Silently expelling the breath she was not even aware she was holding, Caitlin smiled back and exchanged firm handshakes. “The pleasure is mine, sir.” She timidly replied.

At that moment, a woman in her forties walked down the grand staircase, looking as regal as a queen holding court. Sebastian left her side to meet the woman halfway and gallantly kissed the hand she proffered. She was stunningly beautiful. Caitlin could not help but stare at her in awe.

“And that is Sebastian’s mother and my wife, Audrey. Come, she’s looking forward to meet you.” Roarke assisted her forward. At that moment, panic started to well up inside of Caitlin.

Sensing she needed a boost of confidence, Sebastian casually held her hand. The movement did not escape Audrey and Roarke’s eyes.

‘G-good evening, ma’am. You have a lovely home.” Caitlin smiled warmly. Her upper lip was slightly twitching with the tension inside her.

“Hello, dear. Finally, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you all week.” Audrey offered a small smile.

 Caitlin simply smiled back in response. She did not know how to carry a conversation with Sebastian’s parents who both seemed larger than life.

“So, are you also attending Princeton?” Roarke asked.

“Ah, no not really. I’m planning to enroll again this upcoming semester. I’m a senior at Bloomfield College but I had to stop school to help with my brother who had to undergo a kidney transplant.” Caitlin babbled, trying to hide her uneasiness. Despite their efforts to welcome her, she never really felt at ease.

“Oh dear. Sorry to hear that. But is your brother all right now?” Audrey asked, sounding sincerely concerned.

“Yes, he is. Thank you for asking. He is recuperating now.” Caitlin replied with a smile.

“That’s good to hear.” Roarke chimed in, studying her intently.

“And how about you son, ready to join the company next year?” Roarke turned to Sebastian who was pouring himself a glass of cognac from the nearby bar counter.

“Of course, dad. Looking forward to it. In fact, I plan to spend more time with you during the holidays to learn the ropes, so to speak.” Sebastian replied, raising his glass in mock salute.

“Good, good. Remind me to go over with you some details after dinner, will you? I’d like to ask your opinion about something. I seem to have trouble keeping up with the technological trends these days.” Roarke’s smiled widened. Anyone could see he was more comfortable talking about business than sitting in attendance and listening to mundane chitchat.

“Ah –ah. Boys, I won’t have both of you boring us to death with business, okay. Not at my table. C’mon all of you, dinner is ready.” Audrey announced, gestured towards the dining room.

It was not any regular dining room. It looked more like a dining hall you’d usually see at 5-star hotels that is decorated for entertaining guests on a regular basis. Tonight, they will be occupying just one end of the massive table. Again, Caitlin could not help but feel like a fish out of water.

Dinner was served with such flourish. She was told that most of the dishes served were Sebastian’s favorite like the duck consommé and the kobe and matsusaka steak
.

Their talk mainly revolved around basketball, which Caitlin found out was a sport that Sebastian and his dad were both passionate about. As dinner progressed, the family regaled her with Shawne and Sebastian’s antics when they were still toddlers.

Caitlin presumed the wounds had started to heal for them, since they were able to talk freely about Shawne. Still, the gaps of silence reveal their pain as they drifted to their own thoughts. Somehow Caitlin felt like an intruder in a family reunion.

After a sumptuous dessert, Roarke invited Sebastian to his office to discuss some business matters while Audrey and Caitlin were left in the living room.

Caitlin was looking through some old photographs of the family when Audrey sat beside her. Pointing at the picture of the two boys, she shared, “Between the two, Shawne has always been the more outgoing one. We often depended on Sebastian to keep his twin brother on a tight leash.”

“Yeah, Sebastian shared some of the pranks they pulled off in the past, most of which may have been masterminded by Shawne.” Caitlin chuckled softly.

“Ahh... But don’t be fooled, Sebastian also had more than his fair share of mischief. Ah, the boys were quite a handful.” Audrey reminisced fondly, her eyes growing cloudy.

“I am sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine how hard it must be.” Caitlin said quietly.

Regaining her composure, “Yes, it is. One can never truly recover from a loss of a son. And now, we only have Sebastian and I will do everything to protect him.” Audrey said, looking straight into Caitlin’s eyes.

Caitlin suddenly felt uneasy. Audrey’s words came across like a thinly veiled warning.

Standing up, Audrey went to the bar and claimed her abandoned glass of wine. “I don’t want to mince words with you, Caitlin. You seem to be a fine woman. I’d like to know if what is it that you want from my son?” Audrey asked haughtily, her voice sounded condescending.

Caught off guard, it took Caitlin several seconds to respond. “I…I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Is it money? I can give you the money you want.” Audrey did not raise her voice but her words cracked in the air like a whip, lashing at Caitlin.

Shocked, Caitlin could only gape at her. Surely, she did not hear her correctly.

At the look of her stunned face and feigned innocence, Audrey felt irritation bubble up inside her.

“Okay, I’ll be blunt. I have a copy of a newspaper article showing you with an older man—Senator Palmer at his hotel room taken just this week.” Audrey’s eyes pierced through hers as she handed her the newspaper.

Caitlin gasped when she saw the pictures and read the malicious article. The page headline read, “Is Sebastian Avery Smitten With Senator Palmer’s Mistress?” Caitlin reeled in shock. The newspaper had a picture of her and Sebastian along with some furtive photos of her and Gordon on several occasions. One showed her kissing her dad on the cheek in the entrance of his hotel room and another enjoying dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.

Given that they were alone and the public had no clue about her real connection with Gordon Palmer, they were bound to assume she was his mistress.

“I had to pay several hundred dollars to have this page removed from the paper. A concerned friend alerted me just in time. No mother would want her son to be dragged into this kind of scandal.” Audrey said wryly.

Caitlin obstinately kept her silence. She did not want to blurt out words she would later regret. She also knew she had to protect her father. She could not defend herself and tell Audrey that Senator Gordon Palmer was her father. It would not only sound absurd to her, it could put her father’s bid for re-election next year at serious risk.

It was the reason why her father had asked for her understanding. He was just waiting for the elections to end before he could publicly acknowledge her as his daughter. Gordon simply did not want his daughter to be used as a pawn in the dirty and cruel world of politics. Apparently, the precautions they’d taken were not enough.

“I don’t know if you love him or it’s just for the money but this gossip is bound to leak sooner or later. I refuse to have my only son dragged into this mess.” Audrey continued her little tirade.

Audrey’s words were not menacing at all. Those were simply the words of a mother protecting her son, as any mother would do. Caitlin knew it and fully understood her. But the unfair accusations cut her to the core. Even if she could explain and correct the misconception, it would not change one thing—she does not belong in their world. In her eyes and the rest of the world, she would never be good enough for Sebastian Avery. And so Caitlin was forced to endure the biting words in silence.

“I really don’t have any objections to whom Sebastian chooses to bed. But I do want to have a say when it concerns his future and the future of our company. I won’t have the Avery name sullied.” Audrey continued.

Despite her resolve, tears started to roll down her cheeks. For over a week, she’d made herself believe they were ordinary people and that everything in her life had finally started to fall into place. That finally, she would have a little ray of sunlight in her bleak, problem-riddled existence. That the fates were finally smiling down on her. Sadly, reality had a jarring effect on what had seemed to be a fairytale romance. Like her mother, she was deemed undeserving of a happy ending.

History had somehow repeated itself, Caitlin though cynically. Now, she can imagine how her mother must have felt when her father could not marry her because she was not born rich and did not belong in their elite circle.

Caitlin somehow had a fairly good idea how this would all play out and she did not want any part of that. She had been through a lot in life, but she refused to just stand there and allow people to trample on what little dignity she has left.

These people can be so malicious and wicked,
Caitlin though disdainfully.
If only they knew the truth.
Her tears were falling in earnest.

“Listen, I don’t know your story—why you do what you do—but Shawne’s death was a devastating blow to us, Caitlin. I just want to protect my family from further pain.” Audrey said quietly, her voice quivering with emotions.

It became clear to Caitlin now. Audrey was asking her to stay out of Sebastian’s life. “Here… take this.” Audrey handed her an envelope, which no doubt contained a cheque—the price of leaving Sebastian.

Hiking her chin, Caitlin looked at Audrey squarely in the eye. “Save your money. Believe it or not, I don’t want any of it.” It was as if someone had slapped her over and over.
These rich people are so full of themselves
, Caitlin thought scornfully.
They think their money is the solution to everything.

Anytime now, the dam holding her turbulent emotions was bound to break. Her muscles quivered in her effort to control her tears. She needed to get out of there and fast, she thought as she furiously wiped the tears.

Summoning her last ounce of courage, Caitlin stood up and hiked her chin up. “Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Avery. I hope you understand I cannot stay long. I will leave it up to you to come up with an explanation on my behalf.” Caitlin said coldly as she hurriedly grabbed her purse and turned to leave.

Audrey watched Caitlin walk away. She was not proud of what she had done but she knew in her heart it was the right thing to do. Sebastian has a very promising future ahead of him and she certainly would not watch anyone trample that.

After half an hour, the father and son finally stepped out from the library, laughing. Roarke was tapping Sebastian’s back, “I can’t wait for you to join me, son. We’ll make a great team,” his voice reflecting his pride.