Catherine woke up with a bad headache. She had been thinking all through the night about her parents' proposal for a blind date. She looked at the photographs of the handsome men her mother had personally handpicked and scoffed.
"I can't believe she's so keen about getting me married to someone else" she muttered to herself. As she stepped out of her bed, her mother, Mrs Stuart walked into the room.
"Darling..." She said with her arms stretched out before her. She embraced Catherine, and they both sat on the bed beside eachother.
"Have you thought things through my dear?" Mrs Stuart asked, but Catherine recoiled.
"Listen my dear, I have no intention of forcing you to get married to Gregory, although I would have preferred him to anyone else, but still, your decisions count, you..."
"My decisions count?" Catherine asked Interrupting her mom
"That's a lie mom " she said with teary eyes.
"I love Ryan a lot, the whole city is aware of our engagement, but you're still trying to force your own choices on me. I thought you cared so much about the public eye and your reputation, what's happening to you now? Aren't you aware that marrying me off to someone else will raise the brows of the society? This is a wrong step mom, you have to come to terms with the fact that I've chosen Ryan and let us be!" She said.
"Be quiet Catherine!" Mrs Stuart yelled
"You know nothing about an ideal man. Ryan isn't the man for you! You don't need anyone that will bring you into the limelight, or expose you to the eyes and slandering tongue of the society, trust me, you aren't ready for that." She said.
"Moreover I don't want a son-in-law with a lousy mom, you need a quiet and well behaved man that has nothing to do with the power struggles between the rich and the famous here." She yelled, but caressing Catherine's hair, she spoke in a calm voice.
"Listen Catherine, I want the best for you, and keeping you away from the public eye is the first step towards that. I want a man as respectful as Gregory, but since you've refused him, I want someone whose background isn't the type the paparazzi would follow around, you're my only child Catherine, you've got all you need, you're not a poor child that has to get married into a rich family to earn respect or a place in the society, no, all that isn't necessary, please understand my point of view I beg of you." Catherine buried her face in her palms in frustration.
"Mom please don't do this to me!" She begged as a tear escaped her eyes. Mrs Stuart embraced her patting her head as she spoke.
"You have to listen to mommy just like you've always done, okay?" She said, but Catherine didn't speak a word in reply. She knew it was going to be difficult to reject her mother's proposal, but she placed her hopes on Ryan.
"I'm sure he'd get us out of this" she thought to herself.
"You need to get dressed Catherine, I'd like you to meet someone today, his name is Louis Grosvenor, he's a Finance compliance officer, and has the best character any woman could dream of. I'm not asking that you fall in love with him today, but I must advice you as a mom, if Ryan was truly meant for you and had your interest at heart, he would not have agreed to get married to someone else despite the fact that he had openly engaged you. That's a slap to your face Catherine, open your eyes" she said
"But mom, he's doing this to save our relationship" Catherine argued.
"Really??, To save your relationship or to acquire more wealth for his father?" Mrs Stuart replied but Catherine was lost for words
"No matter how threatened a man is, nothing comes first but his lover, he has placed you second to the business deal between ASD and Walker Airlines, it's best you get that into your thick skull. Sooner or later his engagement to Sophia will be made public, and that tiny ring on your finger will become totally useless." Mrs Stuart stormed out of Catherine's room leaving her in confusion.
"Ryan can't ditch me, can he?" Catherine asked herself in fear.
"What if he can't figure out a way out of this? Will he really leave me for the sake of his father's company?" She asked herself again. As she cried, she caressed her engagement ring in total confusion on what to do next.
Finally, she picked up her phone and dialed Ryan, but his butler took the call.
"I'm sorry Miss Stuart, but the young master hurried out with Miss Jordan leaving his cellphone behind." Came the butler. Catherine was taken aback.
"Have you any idea where they both went?" She asked
"No ma'am, but I'll let him know you called" the butler replied.
"Alright, you do that." Catherine said before she hung up the call.
"Kyla went off to an unknown place with my Ryan?" She thought aloud
"Why didn't she tell me?" She said
"Perhaps, Greg knows about this, I should give him a call." She said dialing Greg's number
"Hey Cathy" he said as soon as he took the call.
"Hi Greg..." Came Catherine
"Have you spoken to Kyla lately?" She asked
"No, she's been all secretive but I don't know why. I was just about to give you a call when yours came in. What has she been up to Cathy?" He asked. Catherine was dumbstruck.
"What could Ryan and Kyla be up to that involves neither me nor Gregory?" She thought to herself.
"Hello...? Cathy are you there?" Greg's voice jerked her out of her thoughts.
"Y... yes..." She replied
"Is something wrong?" Greg asked noticing her uneasiness
"Can you give Kyla a call right now?" She asked
"I can't" he replied
"Why?"
"I tried so many times before you called, her phone's turned off, and she's not home either, I'm standing right in front of her apartment" he reported, but Catherine spoke nothing in reply
"Cathy? Cathy??" He called out
"Is something wrong?" He asked again, but Catherine replied in a rather calm tone
"Nothing's wrong Greg, I was just curious about her whereabouts, I have to go now, I've got loads to do" she said and hung up the call almost immediately.
"What's this chaotic feeling?" Catherine asked herself.
"I've got to trust Ryan, but why can't I get myself to do that?" She cried
"I guess I've got to talk to him in person, that's the only way to get rid of this weird feeling" she said to herself, but just then, Ryan's
Call came through.
"Hey Baby" he said in an ecstatic tone
"Where are you Ryan? I've been trying to get through to you" Catherine complained
"Yeah I'm sorry, I was asleep all day, I left my phone in the living room downstairs." He replied. Catherine froze in shock.