Chapter 464 – Beginning with a Daring Encounter

“I love you, Ace,” Celsie said as she watched him drive out of the parking lot.

“I love you more. So tell me, did Adolf deliver your lunch? And how did the meeting at the factory go?” Benne asked and listened as Celsie told him about it.

Benne’s lips curved in amusement as he listened to her. He found it amusing that barely thirty minutes ago, his head had been aching and he had been too exhausted to listen or process what the hotel managers had been saying. Yet, here he was listening to Celsie, and her voice sounded like sweet music to him. Love was just crazy business.

“I think I might need to get a bigger bag,” Lucas told his parents, who just walked into his bedroom to see him trying unsuccessfully to zip his luggage box.

“You don’t need a bigger bag. What you need is to learn how to organize the stuff inside properly,” Janet said in amusement as she walked over to him took out everything in the bag.

“Make sure you don’t skip your meals, okay?” Janet told Lucas as she helped him carefully arrange his clothes neatly into his luggage box.

“Mom, this is the fifth time you’re saying that this evening. Don’t worry. I don’t intend to starve myself to death,” Lucas assured her with a wide smile.

“I’m not saying you intend to starve yourself. I’m just saying eat healthy and hearty meals. You must not lose an ounce of weight,” Janet said, giving him a pointed look.

Lucas turned to his father for help, but Andrew shrugged, “Listen to your mom, she knows what she is saying,” he said, and Lucas sighed when he realized that they were both going to keep nagging him until he finally leaves.

“Do you want me to send you a picture of every meal I eat? Will that make you feel better?” Lucas asked dryly, and Janet gave him a nod.

“As a matter of fact, yes. A video preferably. I want to see you eating the meal from start to finish,” Janet said, and Lucas laughed incredulously .

“I already told you that I’m fine. You need to stop worrying about me. This trip isn’t about Rachel. I just need this break to figure out my life and next career move, trust me,” Lucas said, and Janet looked at him for a moment before giving him a nod.

“Is there something else you want to add?” Janet asked when she was done, and there was still room in the bag for more.

“Wow! How do you always do that?” Lucas asked in amazement, and Andrew chuckled.

“I ask myself the same question every damn time she does that. It’s like a superpower,” Andrew said, and Janet laughed softly.

“…” The sound of her ringtone interrupted whatever she wanted to say, and Andrew who was holding the phone handed it to her.

Once she saw the name of the caller, Sara, the smile on her face died, and was immediately replaced with annoyance as she rejected the call, and dropped the phone on the bed beside the bag.

“Is there a problem? Who was that?” Lucas asked when he noticed the annoyed expression on his mother’s face, and the knowing look on his father’s face.

“It’s nobody of interest. Have you called to let Celsie know you’re going to see her?” Janet asked, changing the subject.

“Not yet. I will give her a call on my way to the airport,” Lucas said, and Janet gave him a nod.

“Alright, we’ll leave you to finish up and get ready so we can drive you to the airport,” Janet said, and picked up her phone before walking out of the bedroom with Andrew following behind her.

Immediately they walked into their bedroom, Andrew looked at her, “You’re still not going to speak with her?”

“I told you before. I have nothing to say to her,” Janet said, not bothering to act like she didn’t know who he was talking about.

“You don’t have to say anything. But why not hear what she has to say to you?” Andrew suggested.

“After thirty years? No. I don’t think so. I don’t want to hear whatever she has to say,” Janet said as she looked through her closet for clothes to change into for the drive to the airport.

“Jane, Sara is your sister. Your only relation,” Andrew reminded her softly as he walked over to where she was and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I don’t care. Let’s not talk about her anymore, Drew,” Janet said as she walked away from him, and started taking off her clothes while fuming silently.

She wasn’t going to waste a second thinking about her selfish and self-centered sister. As far as she was concerned, Sara died thirty years ago after she stole their father’s money and only left a note telling them she was leaving to pursue a career in modelling and they shouldn’t search for her.

Things never remained the same for their family after she left. Their father never recovered from the shock, and he died a year later, while their mother had been left broken by both the disappearance of her daughter and the loss of her husband.

Things had been quite difficult for her mother and her as they struggled to repay her father’s debts since most of the money Sara had stolen had been given to him for a contract.

Not once in the last thirty years did she reach out to her. So how dare her try to come back after all these years? After all the pain and hardship she had made her face? She was never going to forgive Sara. Never.

“Jane…”

“Lucas is waiting, you should hurry up,” Janet said, and walked out of the bedroom before Andrew could say another word to her.

As she walked into the living room, her phone beeped with a message notification and once she saw that it was from Sara, she deleted the text without checking the content, and then she blocked Sara’s line.

Few minutes later they were ready to leave for the airport, and once they were seated in the car, Lucas took out his phone and dialed Celsie’s line.

*************

Celsie who was now seated on the bed beside Aaron, watched him as he slept restlessly, muttering words at intervals in his sleep.

If she had not chosen to excuse Benne and Harry so they could have a moment to discuss alone, she would have returned to the living room, since was beginning to feel like she was intruding on Aaron’s privacy by listening to all he was muttering in his sleep. She knew for a fact that the man wouldn’t be happy if he found out she had heard these things.

Despite knowing this, Celsie couldn’t deny that she was curious. Perhaps it was Sonia’s nosiness that was beginning to rub off on her.

From all she had heard thus far, she had been able to gather that Sara was his wife, and she had left. What she couldn’t understand was if this happened before he met Harry’s mother, or after. She also could not understand why he was being disturbed by this now. Or was this a recent development? Was Harry aware of this? Celsie wondered.

Unknown to Aaron that he had an audience in his bedroom and the sleeping pills he took was messing with his mind, Aaron relived the events of the past thirty years. How Sara had come into his life.

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