472 Double Celebration

Katherine and Damien were on their way to the Young Mansion. This time, he had one of his men from the Delta Team drive the car for them. She sat quietly with him in the backseat of his Range Rover as he made some calls on the way. He had been busier than ever and was working even on Sundays. She had asked him about this and he told her that he was working on something important and that he'll only be busy in the initial phase before he could delegate more tasks to his people. 

Since she had worked for him in the past, she knew how hectic his schedule was, but she hadn't seen him this busy yet. Sometimes, she thought of offering to be his secretary again—at least for the days when he had a lot going on.

A sudden thought came to her as soon as he finished his last call, so she faced him and started, "You haven't told me what you found out about the titles that Amelia found in your uncle's drawer."

He was checking on some files on his tablet when she spoke. Then, he shut it off and put it aside, at the same time that he removed his eyeglasses. "I had them checked. Some of it was my father's when he was still alive. Most of his properties were transferred to my name and some were donated, but others—especially those that he hadn't included in his will—what with him passing away so suddenly… I'm not sure. I was a teen when he passed and I didn't know a lot about that stuff then. Uncle Fred took care of everything else after the will reading."

"I see… So your uncle transferred those properties to his name?"

He nodded. "He did... On the day of the burial."

"That… That seems very shady…" Katherine muttered. She leaned closer, held his hand, and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Whatever it is, Damien… I'll be with you every step of the way. We all are."

"Mm." He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her hand in his. "Me too," he said, knowing that they were about to meet her family, and that her suspicion about her aunt was growing.

…

Young Mansion

The Range Rover entered the Young Estate and pulled to a stop in front of the mansion's entrance. Damien stepped out first and assisted Katherine as she alighted the vehicle.

Grandfather Theo, Deborah, and Caroline Young stood by the stairs with some servants behind them, waiting for the couple's arrival. The two had been there a lot lately and though Deborah told her that it was a family occasion only—just like what she said the last time, the mansion and the preparation looked more grand every time. 

"Grandpa…" Katherine embraced her grandfather, in which he reciprocated with his own, "Pumpkin, welcome home."

"You look very happy today, Grandpa," she commented. "The smile suits you very well."

"Is that so? Well, it's because you're here." Grandpa Theo's smile grew wider.

As soon as they sat, Deborah excused herself, "I'm going to check on the lamb roast with the chef in the kitchen." Then she turned to Damien and Katherine, "And I'll get the servants to make some drinks while we wait. What would you two like?"

"Just water for me is fine," said Damien.

Katherine straightened in her seat. "Me too. Let me help you, aunt—"

"Oh, no dear. It's okay, you are our guest today. Caroline is going to give me a hand." Deborah called on her daughter who protested at first, and then reluctantly got up.

Katherine didn't show it, but she felt bitter as she watched the two leave the room. 'What did she mean by 'guest'? Am I not a family member?' she thought. Hearing her aunt say that made her think that she didn't feel so 'at home' in the Young Mansion.

Damien must have sensed the change in her mood because she felt his hand brush the small of her back. She briefly smiled at him as though she reassured that she was okay.

When she collected herself, she got up and stared at the family portrait on the wall that was taken decades ago—in it were her grandparents, her parents, and Deborah with small Caroline. She cleared her throat and as naturally as she could, she began her probing, "Grandpa… I haven't really noticed it before, but… dad and aunt deb doesn't really look alike… I'm not sure if she took after you or Grandma."

Grandpa Theo joined Katherine in looking at the portrait and a small smile painted his face as he replied, "Hmmm… I guess you didn't know it yet. The truth is, we adopted your aunt when she was still an infant." 

She showed a surprise expression and played her part as if it was the first time that she was hearing it. Grandpa Theo brushed his fingers on his wife's face and continued, "Your grandma and I wanted a second child, so we tried for a few years, but we weren't lucky. Your father was already a miracle, so having a second baby was probably a stretch for us." He chuckled. "Eventually, we decided to adopt a baby, and that's when Debbie joined our family."

"Oh, my… Does she know?"

He nodded. "She found out when she was twenty-two years old—after she graduated."

"How did she take it?" Her brows knitted in anticipation.

Grandpa Theo shrugged. "Well, she was mad at first. We somehow expected that already… But I still thought that she would be okay with it because we have always loved both of them, you know? She ran away from home for a while…"

Before Katherine could ask further questions, Deborah suddenly entered the room again and asked, "What are we talking about over there?" She had a smile on her face as she instructed the maids to place drinks and appetizers on the table.

Katherine quickly masked her face, looking so innocent as she strode back to where Damien was sitting. "Nothing much. Actually… I was just about to tell Grandpa that…" She cleared her throat and held his hand as she added, "Damien and I are engaged."

The atmosphere in the sitting room instantly brightened with the news. "Thank heavens! That's fantastic!" Grandpa Theo looked so elated upon hearing it that he immediately gathered Katherine in his arms for a big hug. Damien got up and received his hug as well. 

"Congratulations!" Deborah went to greet the couple too. 

But while she looked so happy about the great news, she was already thinking about how beneficial it was to have Damien as part of their family now. This new change would surely benefit her, wouldn't it? Imagine all the possibilities of having this billionaire so close by. Her day just got better and better. With a huge smile on her face, Deborah exclaimed, "This really calls for a celebration! I guess we're having a double celebration today?"