473 Taking Over

As usual, lunch at the Young Mansion was superb. Katherine was delighted with every bite she took. Apart from Central Harbor Restaurant's grilled lamb, she thought that the roasted lamb that the Young's chef cooked was also one of her favorites. She could still remember that she used to ask for this whenever there was a special occasion in the mansion. She felt nostalgic eating the dish as it reminded her of her childhood so much.

She wondered if Damien could cook something like this. She decided to ask for the chef's recipe for the slow-roast lamb shoulder dish and request Damien to teach her how to cook so she could eat it whenever she wanted—that is, if she could survive cooking it in the kitchen before she burns it down.

"Katherine dear… How is your lamb?" Deborah asked, swirling a glass of Ribera del Duero in her hand—it's a Spanish red wine that went perfectly with the lamb roast.

Katherine curved her mouth into a smile as she picked up her own glass of wine and took a sip. "It's delectable… Very flavorful. Thank you, Aunt Deb."

"Oh," Deborah softly chuckled. "It's the chef who prepared it. I learned that lamb was your favorite so I had them prepare it early this morning. It finished right on time after five hours of roasting!"

Yikes. Katherine gulped after hearing that she had to wait that long just to eat this beautifully cooked meat. She glanced at her plate and wondered if she had the guts to cook it by herself. She would surely need Damien's magic hands for that. "Thank you for thinking of me. I love the food," she said.

With a wide smile on his face, Grandpa Theo patted Katherine's arm. "So, when are you two going to have your wedding? Let me know so I can start inviting all of our friends. It must be the wedding of the century!"

Katherine and Damien looked at each other. They had just gotten engaged yesterday and hadn't really had the chance to talk about what their plans were. Months ago, they had almost everything planned… until things happened. But now that they were engaged again, they had yet to sit and talk about it. Surely, she wanted to marry him, but was it a good time to have a wedding when they're in the middle of all the chaos?

Seeing her expression, he could guess what she was thinking and he also thought the same. They already had a similar conversation before and he could tell that she still wanted the same things. Holding her hand under the table, he gave it a gentle squeeze and answered Grandpa Theo for her. "We just got engaged yesterday, so we haven't had the chance to talk about it yet. However, we already know what we both want… A few months ago, we did plan some things already. We'll have to organize everything again and it will take time…"

"Grandpa… I actually want just a small guest size. You know… family only?" Katherine carefully said.

Grandpa Theo tilted his head, curious as to what she was saying. "How small are we talking about?"

"Um… I don't know… fifty maybe?"

He gasped and tapped the hardwood table. "Nonsense, Katherine! You're a Young! How could you have such a small guest size? Besides, your husband is from the Park family and is also a public figure. I doubt you can fit everyone with such a small number." He shook his head. "No, this can't be. We are having a grand wedding, and that's final!"

Damien and Katherine exchanged looks again, unsure of how to respond to Grandpa Theo's insistence. His words sounded so 'final' that the two of them couldn't find the guts to disagree with him.

The rest of the meal was smooth and they enjoyed it as they talked about meeting Damien's family soon to finalize the details about their upcoming wedding. The couple had so much respect for their elders that they could only nod and agree to what they planned for them.

…

After lunch, they went out to the garden to enjoy the nice weather. Damien and Grandpa Theo were busy talking about investment that Katherine couldn't relate so much, but she appreciated that Damien was patient in teaching her grandfather about online trading and stuff. Later, the two started talking about the Crown Residences project that they were going to work together on. Meanwhile, Deborah had excused herself earlier and told them that she had to take care of some business in the study.

"I'm just going to the toilet. I'll be back soon," she told the two men—although she didn't know if they heard her. She just shook her head and chuckled to herself as she went inside the mansion.

She quickly finished her business in the toilet and was about to head back out to the garden when she heard a voice coming from the tea room. She couldn't make out what the conversation was about, but she knew that it was her aunt. The door to the tea room was closed and she tried her best to stand closer towards it, so she could hear, carefully not to look suspicious in case someone would suddenly appear. However, the voice was muffled from where she stood and the only words that she could make out were: "engage and wedding". 

Was she talking about her and Damien, then? Who could she be talking to?

"Ms. Katherine," a young servant greeted as she turned the corner. Katherine smiled briefly and decided to go inside the tea room. She hadn't planned to, but she had to avoid getting suspected of eavesdropping.

"Aunt Deb," she greeted when she entered. "I was looking for you."

Deborah abruptly ended the call—which didn't go unnoticed by Katherine, of course—and turned to face her. "Katherine..."

"Oh—sorry, I didn't realize you were on the phone."

"It's okay. I was just ending it before you came. Can I help you?"

"Actually… I just wanted to clarify. Mr. Price told me yesterday that you were going on a business trip?"

Deborah nodded and casually smiled as she got up from the armchair. "Yes, dear. I'll be leaving tonight. We have a project in New York that needs my presence. Is there anything you need?"

"Oh, nothing really… I just wanted to confirm. I thought you were going to be there tomorrow for the celebration that Director Bai prepared."

"Unfortunately, the problem in New York needs to be addressed. I was only informed yesterday. I'll have my assistant arrange another celebration with the executives and your team. You did really well in this project, Katherine, and it's your first one too. I'm sure you will be great once you take over Price's place in the future."

"I'm just doing the best I can, Aunt Deb." Hearing the comment, Katherine couldn't help but let out a forced laugh. She didn't know why but she found that her aunt's remarks lately would easily get to her. So she spoke without much thought, "Damien told me the same thing, except he said that I learned so fast and made great progress. At this rate, I could take over our company in the future…" She softly chuckled.

He didn't say that. 'Sorry, Damien,' she thought. She just wanted to see what Deborah's reaction would be after saying that. 

"He did?" Deborah's expression changed. There was a hint of surprise, which was quickly replaced with a small laugh—one that didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm sure he was kidding…" Katherine recovered and plastered a sweet smile on her face as she hooked her arm with the other. "Grandfather was looking for you. Should we head out in the garden?"