Ruth's POV
I had always prided myself on my ability to judge a person. All it took for me was one glance to determine the kind of people they were so I could categorise them, dismiss and move on.
But that had all changed when a certain Torpedo had ran into me weeks ago. What else can explain my constantly changing opinion of him?
The Caleb that I had come to know from these past few weeks was sarcastic, flirty, warm, and unexpectedly protective.
That was the guy I had wanted comfort and bring peace to, just an hour ago. Sure, I had sensed the sparks of darkness in his depths, but those moments were fleeting, and not something that I had thought I would have to deal with.
It was hard to believe that the man who was standing on the threshold right now was the same man that had refused to let my hand go just last night, as if he had somehow sensed my fear of getting lost in this humongous mansion, and had wanted to assure me that he would never let that happen.
This man? He looked as friendly as an iceberg in the middle of the Artic.
Even if he had not addressed Callahan as "father", it wouldn't t have taken me a moment to figure out why Callahan and Ana's eyes had looked so familiar even when they were of a different colour. Because at that moment, he looked exactly like his father. Angry, arrogant, nasty and cold.
It was an irony perhaps, that while Caleb looked like a spitting image of his father, Callahan himself didn't resemble that scornful old man at this moment.
"Hello son," Callahan replied in a raspy voice of a sick, old man. He wore a soft, reverent expression, so unlike his previous self that I had to blink to make sure this was the same man who had practically called me a corporate hoe a few seconds ago.
The man on the wheelchair looked like someone who adored his son so much that his eyes followed Caleb as he walked in, and stood next to me.
Caleb, on the other hand, regarded his father with a detached expression, as he placed a hand on my waist and looked down at me. For a moment, I thought I saw the Caleb from night before peek out.
But then he turned back to face his family and, if possible, his eye grew ten degrees colder than before.
"Caleb, we—" Ana spoke up, but he gave her a look of such loathing that she cut off mid-way.
Tristan placed an arm around her, and completed her sentence, "— were just talking about you."
"And why did either of you think that I was interested in your existence?"
"Don't behave like a child, Caleb."
"Don't behave like a father, Tristan."
I watched their conversation, and realised how different it was from the back and forth I had witnessed him have with Leo. It was obvious that there was no love lost between them.
"Son, we need to talk," Callahan spoke in a tired voice, as if he had already witnessed this confrontation too many times before.
"No, you need to talk. We need to leave. There's only so much of this family reunion that I can take." Caleb shot a nasty look at Ana, and for a moment, I felt sorry for the poor girl.
No longer did she look bubbly or young. Suddenly, she looked worn out, like a leaf that could fall off the tree at the slightest breeze.
"You don't need to be rude to her, Caleb. This doesn't involve her." Her husband spoke through gritted teeth, tightening his arm around her.
"I couldn't care less either way. Thanks for letting us stay over, Leo. I'll talk to you later."
"You might wanna stay and hear them out, Caleb."
"And why would I wanna do that?" Caleb answered, but I could tell he was no longer interested in my answer. With his hand onto my waist, he practically dragged me towards the door, as if he cannot wait to escape.
"Because this is what you're here to do. We're on a work trip. Remember?"
Hearing that, I paused mid-stride, forcing Caleb to stop too. Something clicked in place, and I almost face-palmed myself for not seeing it before. So, this was the reason Caleb was the one dispatched to deal with it. "Talk it over".
"CrossRoads softwares."
"You know about CrossRoads?" Caleb asked me in confusion. How can he not know?
"Ofcourse, I do. These are the people who are taking over InfoWeb Softwares. Didn't you read that file you asked me to take a print-out of?"
His face went blank for a moment, and then turned livid as he faced his family again.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"We tried to talk to you, Caleb but—"
"—but what Tristan?
As Tristan stepped ahead, I could almost feel Caleb vibrate with anger.
"But you weren't ready to listen. You weren't ready to—"
"—to what? Accept defeat? Accept you as my boss? Accept you marrying my sister? Accept you as a family? Accept what?!"
In all the little time that I have known Caleb, I had never seen him so out of control. It felt like he was barely holding himself back from lunging onto someone.
The urge to comfort him was back again, and this time it accompanied with the need to calm him. Just then, I felt someone watching me.
Looking up, I found Leo looking at me. Even though I couldn't read his expression, it snapped me out of my thoughts.
What was I doing here? This was Caleb's personal matter. His family affair.
I had no business meddling into this. I had no business feeling like I had any superpower to comfort him either. It was stuff of movies.
No one can comfort another person, unless it is their place to do so. And Caleb had never given me that place.
With that thought in mind, I looked back at Leo, and nodded my head towards the door, indicating that I was leaving. He subtly nodded back, as I turned and walked out of the door.
Outside, I went back to the bedroom, to retrieve my purse and phone, scrolling to find Shayari's number on it.
I felt my throat close up as I recalled my conversation with Callahan Cross. It might get called good manners, to not reply back to the elderly, but it didn't feel any kind of good at the moment.
I needed to talk, and there wasn't anyone else who could make me feel better right now. I walked out of the room, making my way down the stairs, and out of the mansion. As huge as the place was, it felt suffocating at the moment.
The air outside was crisp, letting me take a few cleansing breathes. I paced around the driveway, calming myself.
I hated family dramas. And I hated it even more when I got unintentionally involved into one. I just hoped that they could solve whatever mess they were all in, so InfoWeb Softwares can be free of this.
Suddenly, I terribly missed my predictable life back home. Life before Torpedo and all his adventures. For some, it may be boring. But for me, it was peaceful.
Lost in thoughts, I jumped when someone cleared their throat behind me. Turning, I saw a driver at looking impassively at me as he confirmed, "Ms. Brooke?"
At my nod, he continued, "I've been asked to drop you, ma'am."
"Drop me where?"
The question was barely out of my mouth before my phone rang into my hands, startling me again. Ellen Cole's name flashed onto it, confusing me as to why she was calling me so early in the morning.
"Hello?"
"Ruth! Wow, you actually answered my call."
"Yay, Ellen. Wanna open the champagne bottle?" I gritted my teeth. I was already having too interesting a day, and didn't need her to make it even more so.
"Maybe in the evening, at your welcome back party?"
"Excuse me?"
"Well, that's why I'm calling you, Ruth. I just got a call from your boss, asking me to book you a ticket back to Seattle."
"Back to Seattle? I came here to work. I can't leave until I've attended the mee—"
What the hell? Caleb can't send me back like this. It was not only inconsiderate, but also unprofessional. I was here for the firm. He can't just have me pack up and leave.
"Haven't you heard, Ruth? Your whole trip to Boston was pointless. The takeover was finalized, signed and announced yesterday evening."
Yesterday evening? When we were at the party? Didn't Ana say her father -well, Callahan- had some work to do, and that was why they had skipped the party?
Something wasn't right. And I had a feeling it was somehow connected to the family reunion I had just witnessed.
Meanwhile, Ellen continued talking, apparently taking my silence as a que for her to speak.
"... Your luggage from the hotel and reach airport by 2:30PM. Your flight takes off at 3:30PM and—"
"I gotta go talk to Caleb. I'll talk to you later Ellen."
"Wait, what? Talk to Caleb? Why?"
"Because he needs me."
Ellen scoffed, "needs you? And why would he need you, Ruth? The deal is over. Takeover has happened and—"
"Ellen, you don't understand. He needs me right now. Its my gut feeling, but—"
"Listen to me honey, a man like Caleb doesn't need anybody. Well, not until it suits him. Trust me."
The concern in her voice made me pause. For one moment, she sounded like the Ellen I used to know. The one I was best friends with since my first memories went back. But then she spoke again, and that moment was gone.
"You just got to accept that your adventure is over. You need to come back home. Come back to the reality."
She paused, before continuing, "besides, I doubt if Caleb needed you, I'd get a text stating, "please book a ticket for Ruth Brooke to be sent back to Seattle, at the earliest, since her presence is no longer required here anymore." Nothing good has happened to you since you went there anyways, so what's the problem?"
Nothing good has happened to me?
An image of Caleb lifting me up on the tree stump last night flashed into my mind. Even after all that I've had to endure, I knew it wasn't true. The next words Ellen spoke, though, doused me like a bucket of cold water.
"When will you stop forcing yourself on others? If Caleb had needed you, he'd have told you that, instead of letting you go. Back then, if I had needed you, I'd have told you so too. Old habits die hard, don't they cousin?"
With that, she disconnected the call, letting her words echo in my mind, bringing painful memories from the past.
Back then, if I had needed you, I'd have told you so too.
Did I have a habit of forcing myself on others in the name of them needing me? It certainly seemed like that, with the way things had turned out with her. The fresh air suddenly felt too heavy to breathe now, with my mind muddled and confused.
This all felt too much. Like I was filled to the brim, with no way to escape. I looked around for some inspiration. Some way - some sign - to decide what to do next.
My phone pinged with an email, notifying me that my flight back to Seattle was booked under corporate booking. Even though my gut feeling told me that I'd probably regret this, I finally decided to take what sign I was given, and get the hell out of here. Escape this mess, and maybe it'll work itself out.
Besides, Ellen was right about one thing. If Caleb had needed me, he'd have told me so, instead of letting me go.
"Ma'am?" The driver's voice reminded me that he was still standing there, waiting for my instructions.
With my mind made up, I answered, "drop me at the airport, with a quick pit-stop at the hotel, please."