Chapter 81: Chapter 81

"Hello, Mr. James. How are you doing? It's been a while. How is aunty?"

"Ah, thank God, Carol dear. I'm doing as well as can be. I was beginning to worry that something evil had befallen you and my boy. My wife and I have been calling you and him for some time now, but haven't got any response yet. I hope you both are doing okay."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, Mr. James. The thing is that I've been ill for the past three days and I'm just getting myself back, so I turned off my phones and wasn't taking any calls. I think that is why you were not able to reach me."

"I'm sorry about that, my dear. I hope you're better now."

"Yes, I am."

"And your husband? He has not been taking my calls, which is very unlike him. We had a little altercation before I left, but I thought that we had resolved it. I don't know why he is not taking my calls all of a sudden. Is he well?"

"He's fine. He's just been so preoccupied, what with trying to take care of me as I was sick, and shuttling between here and Sacramento."

"Sacramento? Does that mean you're back from the Maldives? What on earth is he going to do in Sacramento that he has to be shuttling between here and there?" Mr. James asked in surprise.

"To see how Jessica is faring, of course."

"I beg your pardon? Who's Jessica and why does he need to see how she's faring?" Was the shocked reply.

"Um... well... I..." Carol began, pausing when she realized that Sebastian had not informed his uncle of the whole thing for reasons best known to him.

"Carol? Never mind. I'll surprise you soon. I have to go now. Bye, dear." He said and hung up the phone before she could ask him what he meant by his statement of surprising her.

"Okay. That was weird." Carol thought to herself as she continued with her drawing. She soon lost track of time, and she was so immersed in her drawing that she did not hear someone calling her name at first until the person must have repeated the name about three or four times. Startled, she glanced up to see Mr. Sebastian standing in the garden. Carol did not recognize him at first, as he was looking like a shadow of himself, and was almost afraid until she did, remembering that Jessica had been kidnapped from this very garden.

"It's me, Mr. James." He said. "Do you mind if we go into the house to discuss? I'm feeling too weak to stand, and the breeze here is too much for me."

"Of, course. What on earth are you doing here? When you said surprise, I had no idea that it was such a big one."

Mr. James smiled at her indulgently, but she could see in his eyes that he was very worried. Carol marveled at how drastically sickness could affect someone in such a short time. The man was almost down to half the size she had known him to have when she first met him and looked so frail that she felt sad for him, but she made sure to keep the sadness off her face in case he mistook it for pity.

"So tell me, dear. Why has my boy not been picking my calls?" he asked as soon as they got to the living room and made themselves comfortable on a soft cushion chair.

"I really wish that I had the answer to that question, uncle, but I honestly don't. I did not even know that Sebastian was not taking your calls. Like I said earlier, I have been ill myself, and have been resting a lot, so I don't even really know what is going on around here."

"Ah, yes. You did say that."

"Can I get you anything to drink? Carol asked, wondering why the man was here.

"No, thank you, my dear. I'm fine. Now to the real reason why I had to come here this evening without my wife's knowledge. What was that you said about my boy spending time shuttling between here and Sacramento to see a Jessica?"

"Well, I don't get why he didn't tell you about it, but he found his ex-fiancée, or according to him, she found him."

"Oh my God! That's such a surprise." Mr. James exclaimed, looking troubled.

"Yes. It was a surprise to us too."

"So you mean Sebastian leaves you alone while you're sick to go be with his ex? What is wrong with that boy for chrissakes? After the countless times that I told him that that girl is no good for him, he still goes ahead to see her, and even worse, leave his sick wife alone?"

"Oh no. It's not like that." Carol said hastily, feeling the urge to defend her husband and wishing that she had kept her big mouth shut. It was not her place to tell Mr. James anything that Sebastian did not want him to know. Anyway, she was not at fault. If Sebastian did not want his uncle to know, he should have told her not to inform him.

"Pray, tell me. How is it then?"

"According to what Sebastian told me, she was kidnapped and the people who kidnapped her set them up when he went to meet her. To cut the long story short, they shot her in front of him. A bullet even grazed his arm, but thank God, he's okay."

"What? So you mean to say that all this happened and Sebastian did not think to inform me about any of it? Where the hell was Frank when people were shooting at them? Of what use is a bloody bodyguard if he cannot do the work that he was hired for?" Mr. James said angrily, working himself up and breathing heavily.

"Oh no. Frank was there. He shot the man who was shooting at them dead." Carol explained, quickly telling him all that she knew about the incident.

"Oh, thank God." Mr. James said, heaving a heavy sigh of relief. "Were there other people? I don't believe for a second that that man was working alone. Did they get any other person?"

"Not that I know of, sir."

"So Jessica is still alive and doing fine?"

"Well, she's barely alive, but she's hanging in there from what I heard. She's been unconscious ever since the shooting. Sebastian had to arrange to fly her back here immediately so that she could get proper treatment and so that he can easily keep an eye on her. I haven't seen her, but I plan to go visit sooner or later."

"And how are you feeling about her return?" Mr. James asked, watching her with his shrewd, penetrating gaze.

"Well. I'm happy for her that she was able to escape her kidnappers and that she's alive." Caol replied, keeping her gaze downcast.

"You know what I mean. Are you not afraid that Sebastian will go back to her?"

"I honestly don't know what to think. To be honest, I'm trying my best not to think about it."

Hmmm. Something's very wrong. My boy did not even inform me that you're both back from your vacation. It was when you told me that he went to Sacramento that I knew that you were back."

"Wow. I didn't know that. Do you think I should call him now so that he can speak to you?" Carol asked.

"No. It's fine. You said that he was in Sacramento, not so?"

"Yes sir."

"What hospital is she admitted to? I would like to pay a visit to her. I'll just meet and talk to him there. That way, it will be a surprise and he'll not be able to avoid me."

Carol told him the name of the hospital in which Jessica had been admitted and he nodded absently, making a mental note of it.

"So you really don't mind that Sebastian is spending so much time with her?" Mr. James asked again.

"Well... to be frank, I do, but then, I'm trying to be really considerate. After all, she's in a coma and has nobody. Someone has to be there for her. Besides, it's not my place to dictate what Sebastian should do and what he should not do. After all, this is just a contract marriage."

"Don't ever say that. Don't worry. Leave that to me. I'll handle it. No woman will come between you and my boy...at least not when I'm alive. Anyway, I have to go now."

"Are you going to visit her now? Sebastian might have left there since it's late, you know."

"No, I'm not. I'll go tomorrow." Mr. James said.

"Okay."

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the real surprise." Mr. James said, sounding really pleased with himself.

"Oh? What is it?"

"We are now next-door neighbors."

"Huh?" Carol said, not sure that she had heard him well.

"That's right, my dear. We are now next-door neighbors...or at least not exactly next door, considering how big this property is. I and my wife bought the property next to this one so that we can be close to you guys, and so that my wife would not feel too lonely when I'm gone." He told Carol, leaving her to gape at him.