530 Outlas

Without Damien realizing, a smile flitted across his handsome face, reading the words that his mother wrote on the card over and over. He was feeling bitter earlier when he saw Amelia and Chris together, somewhat wishing that he could be that close to her. 

However, it wasn't as easy as it looked. For thirty years, he hadn't known Amelia, so now that she's a part of his life, he couldn't help but want to tread safely despite wanting to break his walls already. It was inexplicable, and he couldn't understand himself. But the recent days had gotten much better, and he would want to keep it that way. 

I love you with all my heart. The words kept playing in his head, imagining Amelia's voice with it.

"You should call her," said Katherine, her hand brushing against his arm. It was apparent how happy Damien was—she could see it in his eyes. And just seeing him happy made her happy as well. "I'll go pack my stuff." She pressed a kiss on his cheek before heading towards her bedroom to give him some privacy.

He glanced at her back as she was walking away, and his gaze drifted back to the black suit on the rack. Unzipping the garment bag all the way, he brushed his hands on the velvety fabric of the blazer. The texture felt nice under his touch—the style and the color were to his liking, and he thought his mother considered his preferences when she picked this out. It was definitely something he would wear.

Damien took out his smartphone from his inner suit jacket and scrolled through his contacts, his thumb hovered over his mother's phone number with the name "Amelia" on it.

Walking towards the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, he cleared his throat and practiced a couple of "Ahs" as if he was getting ready to make a speech. He felt silly, but that's also because he was actually nervous.

Finally, Damien tapped the call button and waited for his mother to pick up his call. On the third ring, Amelia's familiar voice sounded from the other line.

"Damien?! Is everything okay?" she asked in a hurried tone, evidently worried about him.

"Oh, um… Yeah, everything's okay. We just got home," he responded. He realized that he hadn't called her in the past and that he stuck to sending her text messages—which was probably why Amelia sounded anxious over the phone—and maybe she thought something happened.

"Thank God." Amelia exhaled a sigh of relief. "That's good. That's good."

"Mm."

The line was quiet for a few beats as he was unsure of what he should actually say. While he was trying to formulate his words, Amelia probed, "Do you need something?"

'You're an idiot, Damien. Just spit it out,' he told himself in his head.

Clearing his throat again, he finally said, "The suit was delivered. It was already here when we arrived… And I—I just called to say thank you… You shouldn't have troubled yourself…"

"I love it. You have excellent taste." Damien smiled. 

The two spoke for a minute more before they bid each other goodbye—his mood greatly improved after the call.

…

Young Mansion

It was already thirty minutes past eight in the evening when Damien and Katherine arrived at the mansion. He brought his men with them, and he ordered them to survey the perimeter and take their posts, taking extra precautions.

They looked for Grandpa Theo as soon as they stepped inside the huge house. The servants took their luggage and brought them to their room on the second floor while the butler ushered them towards the living room where Katherine's grandfather was waiting and drinking some tea.

"Grandpa, we're here," Katherine announced. She and Damien approached the elderly on the sofa with smiles on their faces.

"Good evening, Grandfather," said Damien.

"Ah… You have finally arrived!" Grandpa Theo coughed as he placed the cup of tea with clear greenish liquid in it on the traditional marble coffee table in front of him. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief as he got up, and then he greeted the two with a warm embrace. 

His old, slim body felt fragile when she embraced him back. A slight prick pained her heart, thinking that her grandfather was getting older by the day. "I'm sorry we came at such short notice, Grandpa. The pipes need more time fixing. I hope it's okay that we stay here for a few days."

"Nonsense! Of course it's okay, Pumpkin! You two are welcome to stay for as long as you like. This is your home. If only it were up to me, I would love it if you come here every day." The crow's feet around Grandpa Theo's eyes were visible as he grinned. It was apparent how elated he was to see the two and that they would stay in the mansion.

The three of them sat down while Katherine asked her grandfather how he was doing—she noticed that he coughed every now and then which worried her.

"Are you okay, Grandpa? You've been coughing…" Her brows furrowed, her face full of worry.

"Winter is near, so it's getting a lot colder than usual. Don't worry about me. I'm okay. I am eating healthily and taking medicines. Debbie's also brewing my teas to help with the cough, and I'm already feeling better." Grandpa Theo squeezed his granddaughter's hand to reassure her that everything is okay with him. 

Before she could even respond, he had already added, "It's you I should be worried about. It seems you have gotten thinner. Do you eat?" Then he turned to Damien who was quietly sitting next to Katherine and questioned, "Damien, are you not feeding her properly?"

"Uh…" Damien exchanged looks with Katherine, surprised at the sudden accusation that he instantly felt guilty as though it was really his fault. "Forgive me, Grandfather—"

"Grandpa!" Katherine clicked her tongue and patted the back of Grandpa Theo's hand. "Why are you blaming Damien right away? I'm a grown-up—he doesn't have to feed me. Besides, he and I have been working out together, so I've lost a few pounds, but I also gained muscles. I can assure you that I'm healthy."

"Hm… Is that so?" Grandpa Theo pursed his lips, his eyes shifting between the two as he contemplated. "Well, as long as he's not starving you…"

Subtly shaking her head, Katherine reassured, "Don't worry about me. Just concentrate on getting back on track for your health."

He nodded and flexed his upper arm to show that he was strong. "I can still run a marathon. I won't go down with just a cough so easily. I will live to see my great-grandchildren until they graduate in college!"

Katherine and Damien chuckled at his cheerfulness. She hooked her arm with his and raised her chin in confidence as she agreed, "Right! You'll live a longer and healthier life! You'll outlive us all, Grandpa!"