Chapter 167 - Tiny Glimmer of Hope

Inside a white Mercedes-Benz CLS, Chairman Young and his daughter, Deborah Young, sat on the backseat in silence on their way home. The re-opening of the library went smoothly and Deborah couldn't be happier having another accomplishment.

Recalling the ceremony only made her think about Katherine. Her gaze shifted to the right and she saw her father seemingly lost in thoughts as though he was thinking very hard about something.

"Is everything alright, Father?"

Theodore Young turned to her and in a gentle tone, he asked, "Debbie, that woman we met earlier… Katherine… doesn't she look like Natalie? Her name too..."

Her hands balled into a fist and she started to worry. For about fifteen years now, they had never really talked about the tragedy that befell her brother's family. It was like a taboo in the Young Family – a silent agreement in which everybody should keep silent. And now all of a sudden, her father out of the blue spoke about her late sister-in-law after meeting Katherine a couple of hours ago. 

"I… suppose they do have similarities," she answered, wringing her hands together and waiting for what else her father will say.

"Do you think it's possible that… she may be our Katherine?" his voice was low and unsure but there was a hint of hope that Deborah definitely noticed. 

"That's… I don't think that's possible, Father… We buried them, remember?" She carefully answered, wishing that her father will just let this matter go. It was not an enjoyable topic to talk about after a successful event.

Theodore also thought that it was absurd. They all mourned for his son, his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter. They buried them and he had been heartbroken since that tragedy. 

Seeing the expression on her father's face, Deborah reached out and patted his arm. "Don't think about it too much, Father. It's not good for your health. Aren't we supposed to celebrate because of our achievement? The whole city is talking about the new library… and now I feel that we are going to get that Crown Resort Group project. We should celebrate! Why don't I take you out for a late afternoon tea?" 

He nodded and kept his thoughts to himself. The nagging feeling in his heart won't go away but knowing that what plagued his thoughts was quite impossible, he decided it was best to brush his thoughts away.

…

Later that evening…

Theodore Young was in his study enjoying a book in his hand. Out of nowhere, his mind wandered off and the image of Katherine Miller flashed in his mind. He placed his book down and opened a drawer on his right where he retrieved a family portrait of his son Mason, his son's wife Natalie and their daughter Katherine who was just about ten years old when the photo was taken.

The more he looked at the picture of Natalie and little Katherine, he couldn't help but compare the appearance of the woman he met back at the library. 'Could she be a relative of Natalie?' he thought. 

His fingers brushed on his son's photo and a pool of water formed in his eyes as he recalled a certain memory from many years ago.

***

In the living room of the Young Mansion, a ten-year-old Katherine and a thirteen-year-old Matthew were doing homework together. He was helping her with her Math homework while she rested her face on her hand looking bored the entire time.

"Hurry up, Kat! Answer it… it's just a simple question," he said, his finger pointing to the equation in her notebook.

"It's Kath! Come on, Matty… it's Friday. Why are we doing homework?" She pouted as she scribbled random swirls on the paper.

"Because you need to. If you want to go to Chelsea's party tomorrow, you have to finish your homework." 

"Why can't I do this on Sunday? I'm so tired… and… bored."

"You just don't like Math, numbers even." Matthew rolled his eyes, fixing his eyeglasses as he exhaled a frustrated sigh. "It's best if you finish this early so you don't have to worry about it later. Don't you want to go to the park on Sunday?"

Katherine's eyes lit up with excitement, sitting up straight when she exclaimed, "You're really going to teach me how to ride a bike on Sunday?"

"Are you going to do your homework or not~" Matthew's voice cracked and made an accidental sharp note. He cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment — he just started going through puberty. He saw Katherine stifle a laugh at the change of his voice, making him knit his brows and bit out, "Shut up."

She squealed and pounced on Matthew, throwing her arms around him and in a sing-songy voice, she said, "You are so nice, Matty! I knew you couldn't say no to me." 

Matthew blushed, scoffing as he gently pushed her back to her seat. "Now finish that equation," he ordered.

"Okay!" Katherine happily started answering her homework, not noticing the small smile that escaped on his face when she became obedient.

"Wow! I gotta hand it to you, kid… You're the only one I can trust to make my princess do her homework on a Friday night." Mason Young appeared with his father Theodore.

"Hello, Uncle Mason… Grandpa Theo."

"Daddy! Gramps!" Katherine skipped towards them and gave each a hug. "Matty's going to teach me how to ride a bike if I do my homework tonight." 

"I see… so that's why! Tell you what, ace your exam next week and I will bring you with me to work," Mason bent so that he was on eye level with his daughter. 

Katherine's eyes brightened upon hearing what her father just said. She was not allowed to go with him as construction sites were always dangerous. "Really?! Are you really going to bring me there?"

She had been pleading to go with her father for a long time, wanting to see how everything was done. She found it so fascinating how the workers were able to build something from scratch. After hearing her father's confirmation, she had a serious expression on her face when she said, "I will study very hard, Daddy... so that when I grow up, I can work with you in the company."

"Really? You want to help me run the company?" her father raised a brow, amused by his little girl's resolution.

"Of course! When I grow up, you can stop working and I will run the company and build many buildings!"

Matthew snorted and shook his head as he continued to answer his own homework while Katherine's father and grandfather exchanged an amused look before laughing so hard.

"Looks like someone is going to replace your seat as the CEO in the future. You should be nervous, son," Theodore Young clamped his hand on Mason's shoulder.

"Ha!" Mason pinched Katherine's nose and rubbed her hair. "You, little girl… You have to work hard and prove yourself to be worthy of the position, no matter what position it is. I have faith in you."

***

Theodore Young placed the picture frame back inside the drawer, wiping a stray tear with his handkerchief. Who would have known that a couple of years later, the little girl's dream died with them?

He sat in his armchair and stared straight ahead for a very long time before he called someone on his phone. After a minute, a knock on the door was heard and in came his assistant.

"Yes, Chairman?"

"Hire a private investigator. I need you to look into President Park's secretary, her name is Katherine Miller." He got up from his seat and walked over to the window. "I want you to be thorough and keep it discreet. No one else can know about this. Do you understand?"

"Of course. Is there anything else, Chairman?"

"Get me her phone number." Theodore Young breathed in deeply. He wanted to meet her but he couldn't be too impulsive. "That's all."

When his assistant left, he stayed in the study for another hour — his thoughts were filled with nothing but his son's family and the woman that he met that day. His heart beat faster as though he was anticipating for something impossible to be possible. Can he cling on to that tiny glimmer of hope?