by J. A. Delese
“Ms. Lee. He is waiting for you in the car.”
“Hey! She said NO.” Josh stepped forward and stood in front of the driver.
This is too much. Catherine felt anxious. She could see people on the street were already looking at them.
“It’s okay. I will speak to him in the car, then,” she spoke out loud to calm Josh down and moved to his car.
“Cathy.” Josh tried to stop her, but she turned back and explained to him.
“Don’t worry. I just need to talk with this man briefly.”
Josh was still looking at her with a worried face, but he let her go. She got in the car. Tom was there.
“Who is he?” he asked. His tone was calm, but she could feel that he was not happy now.
“Hello, Mr. Sharpe,” she said pointedly. How could he ask about Josh like she was obliged to answer? Did he think that she was his secretary or something?
“Who is he?” he asked again.
“My friend,” she answered shortly. She didn’t even feel she should be polite to him anymore.
“The guy you mentioned before?”
“Who? Oh. No. He’s not.”
“Then who is he?” he asked.
Catherine turned her head to look at him. She understands a man like him could be arrogant to a certain point, but this was way over the line.
“Like I said, he’s my friend, and honestly, I don’t even know why I have to answer to your questions, Mr. Sharpe,” she knew she sounded upset, but she looked straight at his blue eyes. She couldn’t read anything from his face. He still looked calm. He didn’t look upset or angry.
What the hell is he thinking?
She doesn’t feel comfortable with this situation. Truth be told, she didn’t like this guy at all. She was usually good at reading people’s faces, but this one just made her feel uncomfortable. She had been careful until now, because she was afraid of men with power. She knew that they could do anything if they wanted to, but she felt that she should make her stand now.
“Mr. Sharpe, I thought I made myself clear.”
She looked at his eyes again. It wasn’t easy to look at him directly—she doesn’t really know why—but she continued to look at him. She wanted him to know how serious she was. She would not lose in this war of nerves.
“I just want to give you a small gift.”
He gave a small box again. She recognized that it was a luxury brand jewel box. It seemed he was expecting her to take it, but she was just tired of this. Did he think that she was some kind of gold digger? Did he think that she would be so happy to get jewels?
“I don’t want to take your gifts,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Because there’s no reason to take it.”
“Just think of it as a friendly gesture.”
“No, thank you,” she answered shortly.
He looked a bit surprised. Awkward silence filled the air. She was thinking quickly of what to say and refined her words in her head. She felt like she was standing up in court.
“Mr. Sharpe. I know I’m not being nice or kind now. I could just accept your flowers and gifts, but I don’t want to mislead you by taking those. I sincerely hope you understand,” she carefully finished. She didn’t know what to do, if he still couldn’t understand what she meant.
Maybe I should call the police next time. She hoped she was overreacting. She hoped that her bad imagination was wrong.
“Is it because of what I asked on the day?”
Yes. It is. The day was imprinted too roughly in her memory, and that made her decide to remove him from her head.
“No,” she lied. She already accepted his apology. If she said ‘yes’ now, it would make her a hypocrite, and she hated to be a hypocrite.
“Well… then…I don’t understand,” he said, confused.
“I don’t understand either. Why are you doing this to me? As you know, I’m not the type of girl you should be with,” she asked in a very sarcastic tone to make him talk more, but he didn’t say anything.
She felt bad that he couldn’t even answer her. He didn’t know how to answer this or take her words, but he still came all the way to meet her? She didn’t feel good at all.
“I’d better go now.”
She opened the car door and got out of his car. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t even look at her. She snorted and walked out. Josh was waiting for her outside. She felt so thankful for him.
“Are you okay?” Josh asked.
“Yes. Thank you for waiting for me,” she said with a grateful smile.
“No problem. Who was that?”
“I…don’t really know.”
Tom
He was walking in the dark. He didn’t really know where he was heading. He just kept walking. He thought he walked for a long time. He felt so tired. He sat down on the ground and rested. He suddenly felt something touch his face. Something cold. He looked up and saw that it was snowing. He didn’t feel cold, but he knew that it was snowing.
Strange….
He stood up and walked again. He didn’t know where to go, so he stopped several times, but he found lights. He walked toward the light. It was further than he thought it would be, so he had to run in the end. It snowed heavily, but he still doesn’t feel cold at all. He kept running until he found something in front of him. It looked like someone lying on her back. He couldn’t see clearly, since snow covered the person’s body, but he instinctively knew who it was. It was Liz. He ran to her. Snow covered her entire body, so he couldn’t see her face. He grabbed her arms.
“Liz! No! Wake up!”
He shook her body brutally. He could feel the cold air now. It was so cold. So freaking cold.
“LIZ! WAKE UP!” he shouted her name and shook her body again. Then he realized it wasn’t Liz. This girl didn’t have blonde hair. She had brown hair and looked totally different. He knew who this girl was. It was Catherine.
“Catherine?”
He didn’t know why she was here, but he shook her body brutally to wake her up.
“Catherine! Wake up!” he shouted.
He shook her for more than a minute, and finally she opened her eyes, but as soon as she opened her eyes, blood fell from her eyes together.
Tom opened his eyes and shot up in bed, breathing hard. His whole body was clammy with cold sweat.
Bloody hell.
What kind of dream was this? He went to the kitchen and drank a glass of cold water. He knew he would have the same nightmare again, but he had never imagined to see her in his dream—especially in that condition.
What the hell is this?
He felt so awful. How could he dream of her? What was she doing in his head? Has he gone mad?
“Why are you doing this to me?”
He recalled what she said last time. He didn’t answer her question, but he knew the answer all the time.
Because of your voice.
He could have said it, but he knew how weird it would sound to her ears. She would think that he was crazy.
Ain’t I? he asked himself. He might be. It obviously was not normal to dream like this every night.
He put more ice in his cup. He felt so thirsty. He drank two more cups of ice water. She had refused him again. He understood every word she said. So he came back to London without visiting her again. He knew that he should give up by now. He’d been telling himself to stop, but it was just so hard to do. She even showed up in his dream now.
She’s not Liz, he told himself again. He had repeated this sentence many times for the past week.
I know. She’s not Liz. She’s not like Liz. If she were Liz….
Liz accepted his gifts in the end. No matter how upset she was with him, Liz always forgave him in the end. Even at the very last moment in the hospital, she tried to comfort him.
“I miss you, Liz,” he whispered quietly. He still felt that she was going to say something back to him. He waited to hear her sweet voice, but there was no answer. There wa
s only silence. Silence filled his house. He could say he had gotten used to it, but honestly he was so sick of this silence.
Catherine
The jury foreman stood up and read the verdict. All she could hear was not guilty. She clapped along with her senior and her client. Finally, they won in this case. She shook hands with them both. She could see the plaintiff’s side. They were crying. She felt bad, but they didn’t have enough evidence, and it was their fault. She came out of the courtroom. Her client looked so satisfied and said thanks to her. Her senior, Gabriel, shook hands with the client again and answered the phone as it rang. It seemed like something serious, and he moved several steps to distance himself from her and the client. Her client, Mr. Culp, looked at her.
“Finally, this is over! Shall we go out for drinks some time?” he smirked.
She didn’t like the smirk on his face.
“Probably not,” she refused politely.
“Why not? I’m not your client anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
He burst out laughing when he heard her words. She chuckled with him.
“I sincerely hope not to see you again in court, Mr. Culp.”
“I will try.”
He flashed that annoying smirk to her again and left. She waited for Gabriel to finish the call, but it seemed like it was not going to end soon. She was about to turn her head to the other side when a sudden gush of water drenched her face. She stood there, shocked and looked at the person who did this to her. It was the old lady who was one of her plaintiffs.
“You sneaky bitch!” the old lady yelled at her. “Why on earth would you defend a man like that? You sold your soul for money! Do you know my granddaughter is dying in the hospital?”
She kept yelling at her. Gabriel finally came over and stopped her, calling for security. The security guards rushed over and dragged the old lady out.
“Are you okay?” Gabriel asked.
She didn’t say a word at first but nodded.
“Let me go to the ladies room.”
“Sure.”
Gabriel moved to clear the way. She felt people watching her. She walked as naturally as she could. She made it into the ladies room and wiped her face with tissues. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup had streaked under the water. She looked at herself closer in the mirror. The girl in the mirror looked so weak and fragile.
You should be stronger than this, she told herself. She must be stronger. This was just the beginning. She would get more critical cases as well as all sorts of attention at the same time. It was either good or bad.
You did what you have to do.
Yes, she did what she had to do as a lawyer. We all do what we have to do in this world. Besides, the girl was not dying at all. She was getting treatment in a psychiatric hospital. The old woman exaggerated it.
She sighed deeply. Her life was going to be like this. There would be lots of moments like this. She knew that she could not avoid them, so she must become stronger—much stronger than now. Otherwise, she wouldn’t survive.
Tom
“Are you sure, your grace?” Reg asked. He usually didn’t talk back or ask questions, and that was why Tom kept him as his driver. This time, however, he asked again.
“Yes,” Tom answered shortly.
Reg turned the car and drove in the opposite direction. Tom’s brain told him to stop, but his heart asked for it. Maybe she would reject him again. No, it was not maybe. She would definitely reject him again. This girl was quite stubborn. She was really not like Liz. He wouldn’t need to visit this many times if she were like Liz.
You wouldn’t even need her if Liz was still with you, he reminded himself. It was true. He wouldn’t come to New York again to find her if he had Liz at home.
The car stopped. He looked up at the apartment. No lights on. She wasn’t home yet. He didn’t know how long he should wait for her, but if he called, she would find a way to avoid him, so he decided to wait. He felt Reg’s eyes checking on him from time to time through the rearview mirror, but he didn’t mind. He understood how Reg felt right now. Reg had never seen him like this. Surely, he thought it was weird and strange.
He checked his emails on his phone. He didn’t like waiting and literally hadn’t waited on anyone before. He snorted at himself. What he was doing now was just so ridiculous. What kind of billionaire waited for a girl in front of her house three times?
“Your grace, I think it’s her.”
He lifted his head up to check what Reg had said. A young woman with brown hair got out from a black sedan. He could tell that it was her. He also got out from the car. Given his previous experience, he didn’t think she would get in his car again. When he alighted from his car, he heard someone talking to her.
“Don’t take it to heart, Cathy. It’s just work.”
“Thank you, Gabriel,” he heard her reply. He could see her clearly now. She was wearing a black formal jacket and black skirt. She had twisted her hair into an updo. It looked so neat and suited her well. She looked beautiful. He approached her, and it seemed that she heard his footsteps. She turned her head and looked at him with big, round eyes. She looked shocked. It stung him inside that she didn’t look happy at all to see him, but he suppressed his anger. He took several more steps to get closer to her. He felt that she looked more beautiful than he remembered.
“Hello, Catherine,” he said gently.
“Hello, Mr. Sharpe.”
Though she also said hello, he felt her voice had no energy. He thought it was strange. She usually spoke with a very firm and strong tone.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. How can I help you?” she answered right away. He could tell that she wanted to leave. He felt annoyed, but he still spoke nicely.
“Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me or some drinks?”
He said what he had practiced for the past hour. He didn’t know why, but it was really not easy to say this sentence. She didn’t answer but looked at him. He was looking back at her, hoping that she could see how hard he was trying now. It took several minutes for her to think about this and he felt impatient.
“No. I’m so sorry,” she finally answered. Rejected, just as he expected. He felt his blood boil. Was she really out of her mind? How dare she do this to him!
“Catherine.”
He stepped toward her.
“Please, Mr. Sharpe. Not today,” she said and shook her head lightly. Her tone was begging and her eyes were teary. He was completely taken aback by her voice. She never spoke in that way to him before. She was always way too proud of herself. He felt that something was wrong with her today. He wanted to know and comfort her if it was possible.
“What happened?” he asked, but she didn’t answer right away.
She looked at him for a short moment.
“Just very tired. Can we talk next time?” she said, and he stepped backward.
He hesitated about what to say to her. It was not a permanent refusal. She had said next time. At least he didn’t get angry because of that word.
“Alright then…later maybe…,” he said.
“Thank you” she answered shortly and walked into the apartment. He also turned back but couldn’t leave. He stayed there for several minutes. He was worried about her. Maybe something happened at work. Just now the guy who drove her home said it was just work. Which meant something happened at work.
He was thinking of going up to her apartment and talking with her, but he decided not to do it. She wouldn’t like it. This girl was not the type to cry in a man’s arms. He took several steps to his car. Then he suddenly heard the door open behind him, and he whipped around. It was her! She came out of the house! He thought she might be looking for him. Perhaps she changed her mind. Perhaps she wanted to talk to him about what happened at work. She came out and just stood at the entrance. He was about to call her name, but heard someone else call her name instead of him.
“Cathy!” A tall you
ng man called her name out loud. She turned her head toward the direction the man was walking from and ran into his arms. He could hear her crying. She was crying, and the man was comforting her. Tom couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t believe what he was looking at now. Tom realized that was the man she mentioned before. The guy she liked, the guy who was now covering her cheeks with his hands and kissing her. He felt his heart breaking down at the sight. He felt this was getting serious. Way more serious than he thought it would be. They were in love!
Catherine
She stood in front of her bathroom mirror and looked at herself. She looked so beautiful in this new slip. She lit candles in her bedroom. It was an important night. Tonight was a night for her and Patrick. They had been dating more than a month now. She liked him so much, and she could feel that he also liked her. He had even said I love you to her. She didn’t say anything that time, but she was going to say something tonight.
For the past several weeks, Patrick had been so busy, but finally he could spare some time tonight. She’d been also working hard, but she felt so happy and peaceful these days. She didn’t even feel tired of this heavy schedule. She thought maybe this was the power of love. Patrick’s love gave her the power to endure everything. She felt so light hearted. It seemed like everything was fine—her work, her personal life. Most importantly, she hadn’t heard from Mr. Sharpe for about a month.
Finally gave up.
She felt so relieved and excited. He could never imagine how uncomfortable she was whenever he came to talk to her. She checked the clock. It was almost time for Patrick to come over. She lay on the bed and posed as romantically as she could. Thanks to her thin door, she could hear Patrick’s footsteps approaching. She could feel her heart pounding. She heard the doorbell ring.
“Come in,” she said cheerfully.
She usually could not act boldly like this, but she wanted everything to be so special tonight. She loved Patrick and thanks to him, she could forget everything that made her sad. She heard him opened the door, and he walked into her house. “Hello, darling,” she said with a smile. She looked up at him and realized it was not Patrick.