Chapter 166 - Nagging Feeling

Almost 14 hours later, Alianna and Matthew finally landed in Milan. Surprisingly, the two found a lot of things to talk about because of their careers that made the leg-numbing flight bearable and quite pleasant. Ali flew by herself while Matthew was with his manager. 

As they collected their luggage from the conveyor belt, she figured that she should treat Matt, and herself to breakfast so she walked up to Matt and said, "Hey… I've been thinking... that text I sent you before wasn't really enough of a thank you. So, would you mind if I treat you and your manager to breakfast?"

"Oh, you don't have to… it's okay, really… that was nothing." Matthew formed a gentle smile on his face and shook his hands in front.

She turned to Matthew's manager with a bright smile on her face. "Mr. Yi, what's the earliest time that you can check-in at the hotel?"

"I called before the flight to request if we can move it up but the earliest that they could allow us to check-in is 10 a.m."

"So there's still time. Can I buy you a cup of coffee then?" Alianna hooked her arm to Matt's manager. "Matt can join if he wants but I won't force him."

Mr. Yi laughed at her strategy. He glanced at Matt who was now shaking his head and raising his hands up in resignation. "Fine, you can buy me coffee. Matt can tag along if he wants."

"Awesome!" Ali and Mr. Yi started heading out, leaving Matthew behind.

"Hey, come on now… are you really going to make me the third wheel?" Matt trudged forward, following the two behind while dragging his luggage with him. "Ali, you're also treating me to breakfast, right?"

Turning her head to the side with a mischievous smile playing on her lips, she answered, "That depends… are you going to say please?"

"What?" Matthew caught up with them as the other two laughed in unison. They had just gotten to know each other but the three became friends fast.

…

A couple of hours later after their breakfast, they bid farewell and Alianna went home to her apartment. She used to love going back there but now the place felt so empty. 

Leaving her luggage by the living room, she strolled towards her bedroom, had a quick shower and changed into her sleepwear. She was just about to crash on her bed when she noticed that Craig left several of his items in the room. Her brows furrowed instantly and despite her exhaustion, she forced herself to clean up a bit.

She found an empty box and gathered all of Craig's things quickly and placed it by the main door so she could see it easily. She hadn't figured out what to do with it yet – she was either going to ship it to his place or throw it in the trash.

When she was satisfied, she dove into her bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was almost noontime for Alianna while it was still 5:30 in the morning where Caleb was. She didn't want to disturb him early but after checking his last message, she decided to let him know.

She sent a brief message to Katherine, Damien, and Caleb but she did not wait for their response. Tossing her phone to the side, she closed her eyes.

After the long flight, all she wanted to do at that moment was to forget everything else for the meantime and sleep.

…

Crown Resort Group at 8 am.

"Good morning." Caleb Yoo arrived at the top floor bringing a cup of hot chocolate and a bag of pastries for Katherine. He strolled towards her desk and placed them in front of her. "Damien made me, so you have to eat them."

She softly chuckled as she picked up the hot chocolate and smelled it. "Your friend is over the top. He just left an hour ago."

"Yeah… You have to tell him I did my job and I did good, okay?" He grabbed one pastry from the bag and slumped on the chair in front of her desk. 

"You don't have a lot of things to do today, right?" he wondered.

She glanced at her monitor and shook her head, taking a sip of the hot cocoa before answering. "Not much, I've finished most of them yesterday. The others aren't urgent too. Why?"

"I just thought you might want to come with me on a field trip."

"Field trip? What are we… grade-schoolers?"

Caleb chuckled. He finished his pastry and drank his coffee as he answered, "Yesterday's meeting… about the contractor bidding. You aren't very familiar with the possible bidders yet, I think it would be nice to check out their latest projects. They might give you some insights."

"Hmmm… That would be nice. I've been in the company for three months now and although I have learned a lot, there are still some areas that I'm not quite familiar with, such as this. When are we leaving?" she asked as she started to tidy up her desk.

Katherine and Caleb first visited two establishments and the latter explained a few things to consider about the contractors who were in charge of those projects. Next, they went to check out a library renovation project by Young Corporation.

The project was finished a couple of days ago and there was going to be a re-opening ceremony that day. The two of them walked towards the entrance where a lot of people gathered, anticipating the ceremony.

While Caleb stood in the corner and scanned the place, Katherine went back to his car because she left her cellphone behind. Just then, Madam Deborah Young caught sight of him from a distance. The rumor about Crown Resort Group's future plans of contractor bidding had already spread like wildfire. If Young Corporation would win the bidding, such will definitely boost the company's reputation.

"Father, that's Vice President Yoo of CRG. He must be here to check on our latest work, we should go and say 'Hi'," Madam Young said to her father Theodore Young, the current chairman of Young Corporation.

Using his walking cane, Chairman Young walked with his daughter towards Caleb. The three of them exchanged pleasantries — Madam Young made sure that she impressed Caleb with their current project and even invited him out for dinner that day.

Just then, Katherine came back and stood a few feet away from Caleb quietly in order not to interrupt their conversation. She casually looked around until he noticed her presence and called her over. 

The moment Chairman Young laid eyes on the woman who was now standing next to Caleb, he felt an inexplicable ache in his heart that he had to tightly grip his cane. The change in his expression did not go unnoticed by Madam Young, her attention shifting towards Katherine.

"Who?" Chairman Young asked.

Caleb turned slightly and introduced her, "Ah, Chairman, Madam... this is Ms. Katherine Miller, President Park's secretary."

"D-did you say... Katherine?" Chairman Theodore Young muttered, his words almost trembling from mentioning the name.

With a bright smile, Katherine extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chairman."

They shook hands briefly while the old man was still in a daze as he looked at Katherine who looked a lot like his late daughter-in-law. If his granddaughter was still alive, he was almost positive that she would look like the woman who was standing in front of him. He didn't know what to say… he was speechless. Was it possible to have another person who would look so much alike? Also, her name was the same as his granddaughter's… how utterly coincidental it was!

Katherine also greeted Madam Young who was also stunned at that moment. It had been almost two months since the last time that she saw her from the Park's charity gala. She had already forgotten about Katherine and moved on but the sudden rendezvous also made her tongue-tied. 

"Excuse me, Chairman… Madam?" A middle-aged man approached them. "The ceremony is about to start. May I request for the two of you to be with us on the stage?"

"Of course," Madam Young snapped out of her trance. She quickly said her goodbyes to Caleb and Katherine before ushering her father back to the library's entrance.

The ceremony had officially started yet Chairman Young's attention was still on Katherine's. There was a nagging feeling in his heart and a strange pull in his gut — he had to find a way to know more about this woman.