CHAPTER 8

“KEEP your mind in the game, Catherine Wayne.”

As she reminds herself and the whole point of why she comes back to this place in the first place. 

“Keep your head in the game.”

Shaking her head and out from the past moment, those eyes of Sam that almost take her out from the boundary of her plan is hunting her. She raises her hand and orders a drink just to cool herself and somehow erase those thoughts away from her mind. 

"I have high hopes for you myself, you can do this.”

She talks to herself while trying to convince her thoughts with those claims. Drinking the whole bottle of wine in one to three gulps. Making everyone present in the restaurant taken aback by her uncanny behavior. 

“Thank you.”

Handing her payment with some tip on the side. She went straight out of the restaurant in a tipsy state. But not enough for her to stumble down the road, yet. A once in a blue moon state and nature that she only does if she is stressed. 

“Samuel Lawrence.”

As she reads the name that is written on the business card that she receives. All with the disappointed and hating tone of hers. 

“Of course, business. I am all but business.”

Out of drunkenness, but maybe not. As the saying goes that people tend to be honest while drunk. 

“Accept it Cath, you are just his business.”

Protesting that fact, as she is hurting from deep within because of the thoughts that are not far to be the truth. She sobs like a kid for a moment, before shaking those thoughts away and fixing herself. 

“So what? He is also a business for you now. Just deal with it.”

Now convincing herself and all to her usual self and the turn unlikely her. She tries to book a cab with her phone. But turns out that her vision is starting to see double. She gives up on it and waited for a cab to pass by. 

“I’m tired.”

Pouting and all acting like a child. She remembers Nadia, that then she wanted to vent all her frustrations. Takes her phone as she sits at the closest bus stop. She dials ‘his’ phone number and she instead looks for it in her phonebook. 

“My life is unfair.”

She whines, making the people around her look at her awkwardly and step back and away from her for a few meters. 

“Just why on earth did I meet him and the first for this day?”

Now she blames. Ranting on her phone as she didn’t even let ‘Nadia’ say a thing in reply. 

“Did you know what he did? I am just a big business!”

Angry, as the people around her are on the brim of calling a cop or the emergency, maybe. She ends up crying on her phone, complaining it all to Nadia, and all along is cursing Sam’s name. 

“If only, just a bit. If I---”

Cut and stops herself as she realizes that Nadia is not saying a thing that long ago and no matter how she whines over the phone she always finds a moment to console her. She immediately looks at her phone and ends up with jaw drops, eyes wide, and in utter stupidity towards herself. 

“Your so stupid Cath. Just what happened to all of your wisdom.”

She then scolds herself whispering. Upon reading and realizing that it was an unknown number that she had dialed. Fearing for the worse, she compares it to the business card that Sam’s secretary gave and finds out that it is the same. 

“I’m dead.”

Waking up from her drunken state, like she had been poured a bucket of cold water. She crosses her fingers and wishes that it is not Sam that answered the phone. Placing the phone back to her ear and she listens to the voice from the other line. She closes her eyes and, 

“Cath, are you drunk? Where are you?”

Left with the worse possible scenario, as she would like to be swallowed by the earth and whole. She immediately hangs the call. Looks stupidly at the distance and for a while could not quite comprehend everything. As she is in the in-denial state. 

“I need to go.”

Convincing herself and taking it all to be a nightmare. Finally booked a cab as she just need to wait for it for a few moments. A luxurious car pulled right in front of her. With the people staring in awe. She on the other hand didn’t seem to care. Not before the one who came out from it is none other than the Casanova, Samuel Lawrence. 

“What are you doing here?”

She immediately asks, protesting in a kind of whispering tone as she didn’t want to have anyone’s gossip fly or anyone to know about her. For possibilities and the worse might spread and ends. And one of those is her career and the real reason why she is here. 

“Your drunk.”

Kind of a confirmation that he demands out of her, as he is in a mix of worry and anger because of her. Thinking for the worse that might happen and all after for a while that he just left her. 

“That is not what I am asking you.”

Still in a whispering state as they both are somehow in the brim of fighting over some small trivial thing. The people around them started to notice, and worse that they are starting to take their phones out. Thinking for the worse as they surely recognize Sam. She gives in and says. 

“Yes, I am. But a bit.”

Now disappointed, but more likely worried. Sam immediately open the door of his car’s passenger seat and pointed at it with a commanding tone. 

“Get inside. I’ll take you home.”

Holding her breath as she looks around and tries to cover her face for the sure-fire type of gossip that will spread around in this city of theirs. Also knowing that news is not bound and flies faster than a bullet. 

“No.”

She firmly declines and explains.

“I already call for a cab. As it is already on its way. You do not need to do this. I can take care of myself.” 

She emphasizes as she is also teaching him that she is not the same Cath that he uses to know that is someone who easily gets scared. Dependent on him in some ways, and an easy one that he uses to know what she is thinking that he is thinking about him. 

“Thank you.”

Walking away, as she couldn’t stand what is happening as they are more than just taking everyone’s attention. She started to walk away from him and fast. But not the type of giving up, Sam gets inside his car and tails her from beside, windows down from the passenger seat and convincing her. 

“Get inside Cath. You are drunk and I could not let you in that kind of state.”

With a deep sigh, she looks at him while still walking fast. 

“Thank you, but I humbly decline your offer. I am not that drunk and for the nth time, I can take care of myself.”

She declares, standing firmly with those words and her pride. But to both of them, it is not that easy to give up, especially since they already set their mind on it. Sam then drops his trump card that always works on her without any fault. 

“Then, should I call for Brian to fetch you instead?”

Stopping in her tracks as she gazes and looks directly at his smug face for dropping the trap that she couldn’t escape. Knowing her and how much she respects her older stepbrother. Considering that she couldn’t do anything to disappoint him after what he did for her in the past, and literary saving her life. 

“You wouldn’t dare.”

She threatens that doesn’t have any effect on Sam. Instead, he opens the door on the passenger seat and gave her the obvious choice. 

 “It’s your deal, your choice. Now, get inside.”

Biting her lower lip as she is fuming with rage. She took her phone and cancel the cab that she booked. Getting inside as she almost slams the door shut. Sam draws a winning smile on his face as he rolls the window up. 

“Where will you be staying and how long?”

Asking the basic questions that she doubts that he wanted to know as she knew that he already found the necessary information from Brian who in turn is working for him. She took a deep sigh and casually answer it nonetheless. 

“Take me to my mother’s house.”

With the choice that she had been thinking and deep, she only needed to stay in the such house for a while. And that she can tolerate it because of his stepfather who is much more a parent than her true parents had been. 

Sam knew it, as he didn’t pry more knowing how sensitive she is when it comes to her family. 

“How long?” He repeated, asking the same thing. “How long are you going to stay here, Cath?”

After a few silent moments the both of them. Cath replied in a weak tone. 

“One month? Maybe three, but I am not staying here longer than four months.”

 Disappointed, yet what could he do? Just then silence took over them as he drives her to her mother’s place. 

“We're here. Cath?”

Noticed that she had fallen asleep and was reminded of how an easy sleeper she is and especially when it comes to riding cars. A smile draws to his face as he slowly tucks the loose hair to her right ear. Leaning quite close, he whispers. 

“Can I make you stay here for good?”