Chapter 230 - What is this?

Milan, Italy

It was a peaceful and romantic Thursday evening in Alianna's dining room.

On the table were two sets of dinnerware, a fancy bottle of wine and two wine glasses that were filled halfway, steaks and salad, a bouquet of roses, and two hands holding while eating. The scene was perfect and the accompanying romantic Italian music topped the whole shebang.

The low lights and candlelight dinner didn't have anything to do with a post-Halloween celebration at all. Instead, Alianna was celebrating a nice and cozy meal with none other than her fiancé, Caleb.

It had been a couple of days since the pair had decided to tie the knot. Finally. Though it was more like, Caleb bent down on one knee and Alianna said yes in front of Duomo di Milano or also known as Milan Cathedral.

It was totally unexpected, but ever since she and Caleb had gotten together several weeks ago, she could only see the same ending. The two of them went out on casual dates at first but eventually, it kind of just happened and before they knew it, they became lovers again.

When the two realized where their relationship was going, it scared Alianna at first especially since they had already gone through their share of heartaches in the past and she wasn't willing to go through all of that again. 

But after so many years had passed, her heart still beat for the same person… Caleb.

It had always been Caleb. And she was sure that it will always be Caleb.

The realization hit Alianna like a bang. She owed it to him and to herself to follow what she really wanted more than her work.

They stepped back a little as they tried to discuss the things that were holding them back from their relationship. And as they delved deeper, they were stuck at the same reason that had gotten them separated just like before.

A few days ago, Caleb flew to Italy so he could talk to Ali face to face. The two of them spent a day just enjoying each other's company and thought that they could worry about their problems later. It was only until Alianna's mother came to visit her again later that day when things changed.

Actually, 'visit' is too far from what Julianna does whenever she pays her daughter Ali a visit. It was all the same just like before – crying over a breakup of an imperfect boyfriend.

However, this time, Alianna changed all that. She had had enough of being treated like a doormat of her own mother.

Ali didn't know if it was because Caleb was there with her that made her stronger, but whatever it was, she was definitely thankful. Because after so many years of prolonged suffering, she finally felt liberated.

A part of her still thought that maybe one day her mother would still care for her. But this time, she would no longer let her mother deter her happiness. She had sacrificed a lot already… and there was almost none left of her emotionally.

"Hey… are you okay?" Caleb ran his thumb on Alianna's hand when he saw that she was in deep thought.

Alianna instantly snapped out of her train of thought and smiled at Caleb, nodding as she answered, "Yes, I'm okay. I was just thinking about what happened these past few days. Who would have thought that I would be having this meal with you right now as your fiancée?"

"Are you having second thoughts?" Caleb asked, his voice slightly strained.

"Oh, God, no… No, of course not. I'm not changing my mind, Yoo, if that's what you're thinking." Alianna squeezed his hand to give him reassurance. For once, she had made the best decision in her life and she wasn't going to take it back.

"Good to know." Caleb smiled back and his mood lightened up.

"You're leaving early tomorrow, right? Can't you stay longer? I mean… It's the weekend…"

"Unfortunately, yes. There's an important meeting that I can't miss. But I'll definitely be back to help you pack your things next week. I promise."

"Okay." Alianna instantly felt better after hearing his words. The truth was, after spending the past few days romantically with Caleb, she was getting so clingy. 

She held up a piece of steak with a fork and was about to feed it to Caleb when both of their phones buzzed. Their heads snapped towards their phones, wondering what it could be.

Deciding to open their phones, the two of them checked the notification and saw that it was from Markus.

"Oh. My. God." Alianna gasped in surprise when she read the shocking article on her phone.

Caleb's eyes widened as he read the article from Harbor City's online news column about Katherine's identity as the heiress of Young Corporation.

The write up didn't focus on Katherine's story; instead, it highlighted the event that the Young Family would be hosting to celebrate her return.

"Li, I think you need to come back with me tomorrow," Caleb muttered under his breath while he was still reading the rest of the article.

"Yeah. I definitely should," Alianna replied in a toneless voice as she was still trying to understand what was going on.

For the past two months, they hadn't heard anything about Katherine. And this news caught them by surprise. If the two of them were this shocked, what about Damien?

"I need to call Damien," Alianna hurriedly dialed her cousin's number. She anxiously waited for her call to connect but it just kept on ringing.

…

Crown Resort Group, Harbor City 

Damien Park was in his office staring at the clear picture of Katherine's smiling face — she was standing next to Chairman Young. He just finished reading the online article and his heart had been pounding in his chest, his hands slightly shaking as they curled up into fists.

His face was stoic as if devoid of any emotion, but the clenching of his jaw and the darkening of his eyes showed just how much tensed he was. He didn't know what to feel about this information.

It has been more than sixty days since the last time he saw her. He went through what seemed like a few stages of grief – shock and denial, pain and guilt… and recently, he had been experiencing anger.

While he was still processing all of the information, Markus arrived and handed him a red and black envelope.

Damien was hesitant to open the envelope as he already had a feeling of what could be inside — and he couldn't decide whether he should be happy about it or not.

Slowly, his fingers lifted the flap and took out the white card inside. It was just as he expected – it was an invitation to Katherine's "Welcome Home Party".

Markus could feel the sudden drop in temperature in Damien's office. 

A low, dangerous chuckle escaped from Damien's lips as he held the card in his hand. "What is this? What is Ms. Young thinking inviting me to her party?"