Chapter 99: Chapter 99

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Caleb's POV

"I made sure the bomb was planted!"

"But did you see him inside the car? Did you watch the car go up ablaze, Caleb?" Kelly asks me. I can't respond, as the answer is obvious. My one mistake had made my entire plan come crumbling down on me.

"What if he really isn't Lucas? Just a look alike—doppelgänger." I suggest. She nods at me, holding her stomach. The baby would be coming anytime soon.

"It's insane. How does his doppelgänger end up here, again, in London, in our circle? Don't you think that's suspicious? I can bet on it, that damned man is Carrington."

"Then I'll kill him again. This time, for sure."

"No, Caleb. He won't die that easily. Besides, the plan was never for you to kill him!" She whispers. She continues, "You already made the same mistake once, and we lost all his money to the government. That's billions of euros and assets, locked up because they all think he's dead. This time, we take control of not just the company but his assets before anything happens to him."

I wanted Lucas dead. I had worked for him for years, and I wanted all he had. There were no grudges, except the fact that I couldn't let him succeed any further. I wanted what he had, all he owned, and if I couldn't get them, none of us would keep them.

*******

Entering my closet, I take out my Kelly bag and bring out I and Luke's wedding documents. The very thing that binded us together in the first place.

I open up the documents and read through, forcing the tears in the corner of my eyes to not come out. I take the wedding and DNA documents and head for Luke's room. I enter, and I shut the door as I always do. I didn't want anyone inside, except myself and probably Louis.

I reach for a box, where all C.I related files and documents had been kept after moving out of the manor. I have a hard time finding documents that contained his writing, but eventually, I do. With shaky hands, and already knowing the outcome but still doubting, I compare the three documents. The handwritings are identical. They are the same. I sit down on the ground, on the verge of breaking down as I stare at all three documents. It really was him. That man pretending to be Richard, was none other than my Lucas. My Luke. It was him. I clutch my chest, my heart aching.  "It's you." I whisper, a million thoughts going through my mind. My mind flashes back to the night I witnessed him with Rose. I can't seem to get it off my mind. I had come to the conclusion that Lucas was definitely hiding his identity for a reason, but if he was, why would he go that far with Rose? Why would he do that with her if it was all just one big lie? Or did he really have feelings for her? Was history repeating itself again, only that this time, Luke was the one to fall in love with another? Was he really out of love with me and in love with Rose?

********

Diane's right on time as I reach the office. "Did you get my text?"

"Yes, ma'am. I did. Here are the files." She says, handing over Louis files to me. "Keep them. Have my chauffeur drop it off at the new school." She nods and turns to leave. "Wait!" I call.

"Yes, ma'am?"

I move closer to her and whisper, "Anything new on Caleb?"

"Nothing, ma'am. He's been off the grid lately, he and Kelly haven't been in the office for a few days. Seems odd. Caleb never misses a day."

"I can understand Kelly not coming to work because she no longer works here, but why Caleb? Do you know if Kelly's given birth?" I ask her, wanting to know why Caleb had been absent. "Go." I say to Diane. I think back to the last time I'd seen them both, and I pause as I remember the altercation we'd had. "Oh, no." I gasp, as I realize that I might have provoked Caleb against Lucas, who everyone believes to be Richard. I had told Caleb that Richard was indeed, Lucas and if my suspicions were correct about the reason behind Luke's pretense and the tragedy that occurred four years ago, then I'd just added more fire, to an already wild one.

**

Sitting on my office couch, I'm confused on what to do. There was no one I could share my problems and absolutely no one to confide in. I couldn't speak to Rocket because he was a possible suspect, and I couldn't speak to Alex either because he might not be as truthful as he appears to be. I couldn't run to Luke to tell him everything I'd discovered because he'd probably deny knowing whatever I was talking about. Lydia. My good friend, Lydia. I missed her, and in a situation like this, she would be the only one who would understand and be ready to help. I hated the fact that we had to communicate through letters. I wondered why she would cut off all digital communication with me, and everyone else she knew and loved. I take out my phone. I dial her number, and surprisingly, it rings. I gasp, surprised that her number actually rang. There's no response, however, so I try again but this time, it's turned off.

"I need you, Lydia."

******

As I go through the company's progress and financial reports, my door swings open. I look up.

"It's you." I state, standing up, somewhat uncomfortable.

"Natty. May I come in?" Rocket asks. I can see he's holding a bouquet of dahlias and roses. I nod, wondering why he'd come here. I look at the clock right beside the door. It's almost lunchtime.

"I got this for you. . .I hope you like them." He says, handing the bouquet over to me. I smile as I take a whiff of the flowers.

"Of course, Rocket. I do. Thank you." I respond, still feeling a tad bit awkward. I smile at him.

"You must be wondering why I'm here, right?"

I nod. "Hm. Why are you here?" I ask him. He brings out a small paper bag from inside his jacket. I raise my eyebrow in confusion.

"Are you sick?" I ask, as I see that it's a branded pharmacy bag. He nods a no.

"I was on my way to the hotel when I saw a delivery man outside the house—your house."

"And?" I ask, curious.

"I don't know, I was just curious. I told him you're my wife, and that you weren't around to collect the package—

"But I didn't order for anything, Rocket. I don't really shop online." I say, wondering what must've been in the bag. "Can I see it?" I ask, stretching my hand out for the bag. He doesn't give it to me, however, he opens the bag. I look at the package. It's a pregnancy kit. I look at him and back at the package.

"What is this?" I ask, confused. What was he playing at?

"Natalie, are you pregnant?" He asks, looking at me straight in the eyes. I burst out laughing. I flip my hair as I chuckle uncontrollably.

"Come again?"

"Are you pregnant, Natty?" He asks, and I realize that he's very serious.

"Surely, you can't be serious. Of course not. I'm not pregnant." I state with all seriousness. Or was I? Bloody Hell. I had no clue. I couldn't be. I was certain.

"When last did you have your period then? Answer me, Natalie."

"Excuse me? That is none of your business. I agree, we've had unprotected consensual sex multiple times for the past month, however, I am not pregnant, Rocket, nor do I plan on getting pregnant."

"Forgive me. Forgive me, Natty." He says, getting up and approaching me. He holds my hands. He kisses them. "I'm sorry, I was carried away. Don't be upset."

"No, I'm not upset, Rocket. Though I should be. I mean, did you sleep with me all those times hoping to get me knocked up?" I ask.

"No, Natty, no. I would never. I'm sorry, I just got carried away because I saw you ordered for the test kit. I thought you got it because you suspected you were pregnant." He says.

"That's the problem, Rocket. I never ordered for it. I wonder why my name's on it."

"So, if you're not pregnant, then, who is?" Rocket asks.

"Someone in my house, I'm guessing."

It'd been three days after I'd found out about the pregnancy kit, but I'd been unable to find out who it was for. I suspected Aunt Ruth, so I thought it would be best to give her some space if she wanted to conceal her pregnancy. I wouldn't say anything about it if she wasn't ready. However, it was still very possible that the kit didn't belong to aunt.

"It's perfect. The silver Swarovski earrings." I say to my stylist. He nods at me.

"Your taste is exquisite. You know, there's only 5 of those earrings."

I chuckle. "Really?"

"Yes. You know you're a big shot if you own those." He responds.

"Oh, don't flatter me."

"I'm not. You really aren't in the public eye again as you were a few years ago."

"Hm. I agree. I was all about parties and gatherings then, wasn't I?" I ask.

"You were. Now it's just whenever your name pops up, it pops."

"I don't even pay attention to the media so I really don't know what they say. However, I do know they talk about my marriages. Is it not?"

"Yes. . ." He responds, and I nod, giving a plain smile. I look into the mirror. "It's perfect, James. Thank you for getting me ready, I know it was such short notice."

*********

It's about thirty minutes after six, and Alex's yacht was set to leave in the next forty five minutes. Somehow, Rocket had ended up being my date for the party. I dial his number, but it gets disconnected. I sigh. "Where are you?" I wonder, heading out of my place to his.

"Get the car ready, Donald." I say to my chauffeur. In no time, I am in Rocket's house.

"Rocky?" I call out, my voice echoing in the living room. "Hello?" I call out, wondering where he could possibly be. I bring out my phone again to call him, he probably was at the hotel. It doesn't go through again.

I begin to go up the stairs as fast as I can. Could he be sleeping? I ask myself internally as I walk into his room. "Rocky?" I call. There's no response. I look at the time on my phone. It is 6:40PM. I had come to the conclusion that he wasn't at home.

I begin to leave. I needed to get to the boat before they left. I had put in so much effort into planning Alex's party, and I just wanted to enjoy the evening out and be happy. I'd gotten dressed up and glammed up, so I'd ensure that my outfit and makeup did not go to waste. However, as I begin to alight the stairs, I pause. I turn, and Rush back into Rocket's room. I leave the door wide open behind me as I go to his closet. I begin to go through his drawers, hoping to find something or some sort of evidence to prove that Rocket was indeed, hiding something. Subconsciously, I pray and hope that my suspicions were false. I hoped that I didn't find anything against Rocket. I heave a sigh of relief as there's nothing suspicious in his belongings.

"Thank God." I whisper to myself, using my handkerchief to wipe off the sweat on my forehead. I leave the closet and go to sit on the bed. Somehow, I was glad that Rocket had nothing to do with Luke's disappearance. It would break me to know that he'd gone to such lengths to separate me from the one I truly loved. My phone rings, and it's Alex calling. "Bloody hell," I say, as I notice the time. It's exactly 7 PM. I decline the call, getting up to leave. As I reach the stairs, I realize I'd left my handkerchief back in the room, so I hurry back there to get it. It's on the floor, so I squat to pick it up as my dress is a bit tight. I pause, as my concentration shifts to the bed. Something tells me to raise the foam, so I do. There's a piece of folded paper there. I look at the door to ensure no one's there. I take the paper and drop the bed. I unfold the paper, and my jaw falls open in shock. I sit down on the bed, so that I can process what I'd just seen. I gasp, unable to believe what was right before my eyes. It couldn't be.

*******

"Natalie!" Alex calls, as soon as I enter the yacht. I look at him, giving a small smile as I'm still shaken by what I'd discovered a few minutes ago. How could Rocket have done something so despicable?

"Hey!" I hear, as I'm dragged out of my thoughts. "Why are you standing over here? You seem lost." Alex says, taking my hand.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I remembered something. I can see there are a lot of guests. Where's Eleanor?"

"Oh, she's over there. You want to say hi?"

"Sure."

**

"Hello, Eleanor."

"Mom."

"Darling. Hello, Natalie. How are you?" Eleanor says, and I can fill some sort of unspoken tension fill the air. I look at her, and back at Alex.

"Fantastic. How are you, Eleanor? I must say it's been a while."

"Perfect. Has it now? How's your newest husband? Enjoying marital bliss?"

"Mother!" Alex yells, he turns to me. "I'm sorry, she didn't—

"No, it's okay." I respond. I turn to Eleanor, "My marriage to Rocket was for convenience alone. My son needed a father, and Rocket was the closest thing to that in his life, so you have it. As for, your son, well. It was something we both had to do in a moment of fear."

"In other words, you used them." I hear a third party say, and I turn around to see who it is. It is Rose. I roll my eyes. Lucas is beside her. I look away, irritated and jealous.

"Did you?" Eleanor asks.

"Mother, can you stop this?" Alex says to Eleanor. I turn around and walk off. There's a table filled with flutes of champagne. I take one, and begin to sip.

"I'm sorry. She shouldn't have said those things."

"You invited Rose? Why did you do that? You didn't think to ask me?!"

"I'm sorry. . . I'm just as shocked as you are. Are you even. . .? What's going on here, Natalie? I thought, I thought Lucas was dead? How is he here? With that woman?"

I sigh. "I'm sorry. It's your party, you can invite whoever it is you wish to." I state. "It's a long story, but how do you even know her? Did you hand invites to everyone in London?"

"Rose is my sister, Natalie."

"What?" I ask, wondering if I heard correctly.

"Rose is my sister, Natalie. I too just recently found out she was in town. I had no clue. It was only right for me to invite her. Do you know her?" I stare at him in absolute shock. How could it be?

"Rosette Burke. Alexander Robinson. How so?"

"Different fathers. Plus, we seldom speak. Hopefully, that can change now she lives here."

"And all this time, you had absolutely no idea that your sister was married to Luke?"

"Of course not. I did know she was married but I had no idea it was to him. I mean, I just saw him just now."

"What?" I ask again, confused.

*****

"Unbelievable." Alex states as I finish narrating the events of the past few months, from when Lucas returned.

"Natalie, believe me, I had absolutely no clue. I didn't know about them."

"I believe you, Alex." I state, assuring him that I did when in reality, I didn't. At this point, I didn't know who to believe.

"I'll go get us drinks." I say to Alex, wanting to get at least a few moments alone. I'd made two shocking discoveries in the past hour and they'd just weakened me. I take a mini pavlova as I reach the food table.

"You should try the cheesecake. It's moist." I hear an oddly familiar voice say as I eat my snack. I turn. It is Lucas. My heartbeat increases and I begin to feel butterflies in my stomach as I stare at him. Our eyes are focused on each other. Those blue eyes, I missed looking into them. I look away.

"Please, get out. I don't want your wife on my neck." I state, deciding to play along with his plan. It was the least I could do to help him even though it broke me.

"I'm sorr—

"I don't need your pity or your sympathy. Go to your wife, and I'll find my husband, so he can make love to me, just as you do to your wife." I state, looking him in the eyes as I walk away.