Chapter 6
“That's your car?” I asked.
“Yep, why don't you like it?” Was he joking? It’s the hottest of all guys! They went well together! I could say what it was but… I don’t know but! I know it was black and had no roof and that was hot!
“No, I love it... I just thought that you would have Steve drive you; I didn’t think you’d drive yourself… That's all” I said nervously not really knowing what I was getting at, to be honest I didn’t know he could drive, he always had Steve his chauffeur drive me.
“I can sometimes do things for myself now and then Leah. Like being a normal person and I didn’t think Steve wanted to spend his Saturday night driving me around” he laughed.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude” I quickly apologised.
“Don't be silly Lea, you don't need to explain yourself to me I knew what you meant, I was just joking.” He said as we walked down the starts of my apartment to his car. I was so excited to sit in it!
“Oh, well you know it's sometimes hard to tell with you”. He laughed and opened the door of me, like a true gentleman.
“Thank you”
After driving in silence for a bit I tried to think of something to say.
“How far is the hotel that my parents staying in?”
“On the other side of London... so we'll be there in about twenty maybe thirty minutes”
I just nodded and looked at the window trying to breathe and keep relaxed but being in Christian's car and being so close to him didn't help.
My heart was beating louder than a drum and my breathing were coming out too fast. I looked down at my hands and I couldn't stop them from shaking.
Christian's soft voice made me look back up to him quickly. “Are you ok?”
Breathe “...Yer” breathe “I'm...I'm fine” breathe. I think I'm having a panic attack, I thought to myself.
“You don't look fine Leah, your face has gone white and you're shaking” I could feel his breath on my face all the over from where he sat.
“I'm ... just ... scared... I mean... I'm... I'm just a little nervous… That's all”
He lends over and took by hand in his. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest and I stopped breathing completely.
“It's going to be ok Lea. I know you haven't seen your family in so long...”
“You do? Did Jess tell you that?”
“Jessica did say something about it but it was your grandfather that told me everything”
“Grandfather… everything?”
“I’m working with Rupert on a project as well as your father. He told me the whole story. I know this it hard for you Leah. And I think you’re being very brave and forgiving towards your family”
Oh god he really did know everything. And he believes her side above her families. Why?
I looked at his hand that was still holding on to mine and without thinking I took hold of his hand as well. It must have been the fact that I was hyperventilating that made me take such a bold step but with his hand already holding mine I felt... safe.
I felt a weird feeling that made me not feel so scared about tonight because... I know Chris will be there. I know not for me but he was still here.
“Thank you”
“Leah, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about me and Jessica. To start with believe me I didn't realise that you were sisters or that you were related to your family atoll actually”
“It's ok. I mean whatever you do in your private life isn't not my concern Mr Howard”
“It's not very private when it's to do with your own family, Leah”
There was a long silence before I spoke again.
“Mr Howard... I don't know how much you know about my family or are relationship but trust me when I say that 'my family's' business is their own. The only person in my family who loves me is my Granddad”
With that I took my hand away from his and tried to move as far away from him as possible, which had me pressed up close to the window. He obviously didn't know everything, how stupid to meet before the few believe my side.
“I know that there was a scandal between you and a boy five years ago and that your family disowned you for this. I know that your family left you to defend for yourself and that is how you came to work for me and I 'know' that your grandfather loves you very much and you him”.
So he didn't know who the boy was and he didn't know the whole story about what Alex had told my family or what he actually did to me.
“I do think your being very brave to face your family after all them years and to be so forgiving to them, by just put the pass behind you all and start anew. It's good, Yer?”
“I... I guess”
He just smiles at me and looked back at the road.
This is gonna be one long night.
________________________
It had been another ten minutes after either of us said anything.
I thought to just leave her to think for a bit. I can't imagine what she's going through, I was always so close to my family and I loved the dearly.
But Leah looked terrified!
I know it was a long time, I mean five years. But at the day they are still her family.
I thought back to the day I meant Rupert, for a business meeting and I found out that he was Lea's grandfather.
He was always a nice old guy, in his early eighties.
He came up to me after the meeting and said that he was very generous that I was helping is business.
“With these new business developments, I feel, happy knowing that the business is in good hands. At brings me great joy that the Anderson name will stay intact” Rupert said.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about their Rupert, your families all very successful, isn’t your Grandson Joseph in USA with he’s own company doing great and Jessica's modelling, you should be very proud of your family, Mr Michaels” I said
“Yes, that is true I am I proud grandfather, especially with my youngest granddaughter, Leah. She has made it all on her own, I mean I no she only works for you in London but she has done so without the family's name or money. She is very special to me”
“I'm sorry... you've lost me. Are you saying that Lea... I mean Leah is your granddaughter… my receptionist Leah?”
“Yes, didn't you know boy. I thought you were known to Jessica, I thought she might of said something”
“No, she didn't. I thought James only had one daughter, I never hear him talk about her”
“Well he wouldn't have, Leah left home after my son kicked her out for being herself”
It was from what Rupert had said and what I managed to get out from Jessica that Leah was involved with another boy five years ago and disgraced the family with her scandal. Which is something I found puzzling because it didn't sound like Lea atoll but I guess she would have been young. Seventeen or eighteen, we all did stupid things back then. But to have been disowned because of it is… barbaric.
I was at complete shock when I realise who Leah looked so much like her grandfather.
It was the eyes. They both have bright green eyes.
Her eyes were the first thing I saw when I looked at her. It wasn't her cute pretty face that made me stop and notice her. I mean I'm around beautiful and more glamorous women all the time.
It was them eyes. She was like a witch that spelled a magic spell over me.
They were so big and bright and I just wanted to swim in them. I'm completely under the spell!
When she smiles I can't help but to smile too. Her whole face lights up and it’s in them eyes that you can tell it’s no act and that she's laughing from her soul as her eyes sparkle.
That's one of the things I like best about this girl. I can read her like a book from just looking at that face. She tries to hide her emotions but if you look closely enough you can tell how she's really feeling.
She wears her heart on her sleeve.
Like now. I can tell that she's nervous; she's biting on her bottom lip, her eyes are swilled up like she could break down any moment and she wasn't smiling.
Which wasn't right? Some people you look at and you can see that they don't smile a lot, whether it is because the straight sour look on their faces or that it looks so fake but some people were not made to smile. Kind of like Jessica.
But Lea always smiled. Her smile looked true like it was always there without her even have to try. But now she sat in my car nibbling on her bottom lip and looking so sad.
It had me want to wipe that look away and make her smile.
“What do you call a pig that does karate?”
She looks over at me with narrowed eyes and then a small smile starts to shine on her face.
“I don't know” she smiled at me with those wide green eyes
“A pork chop”
Like music, she started to laugh out loud which made me smile too. I always smiled more around her.
“That was funny” she said to me. I was shocked she found that so funny. I thought everyone had already heard these jokes but I could tell by the fact she was still laughing and the look on her face that it was real.
She was real.
“We’re here” I said turning into the hotel entrance. “Here it goes”
“Yep here it goes” she said