Chapter 14: Cat-tastrophic Disaster

༺RAYNE༻

Liam and I proceed to the living room, our footsteps echoing off the walls as we walk. My mouth parts wide open and my eyes dance all over the place. The room alone is as big as a football stadium. And the interior? My God! It's dark and classical, with high ceilings, ornate pillars and regal furniture.

It's breathtaking!

Everything adorning the living room is the kind I've only seen in castles or palaces in those epic movies. My eyes can't stop boggling at how jaw-dropping everything is. My anxiousness wears off momentarily, replaced by awe.

“This place is…” I turn to Liam, completely at a loss for words. “Wow!”

I peel my arm from him and step towards a large painting, admiring the artwork. “Is that The Mona Lisa?” I ask, my eyes wide with astonishment. “Are we looking at the actual Mona Lisa?“

But I heard the French government had declared the painting priceless. If this is the real Mona Lisa, then Mr Lucas Everhart must've brought down the heavens to purchase it.

“Don't touch anything!” Liam snaps, startling me. He grabs my hand abruptly before I can even lift it towards the painting. And then he yanks me away from the painting.

“Ouch! That hurts!” I wriggle my hand from his grip. “You didn't have to pull me that hard!”

Liam lets go of my hand, his lips twisting in anger. “Keep your hands to yourself, Rayne. I mean it.”

“But I wasn't going to touch it. I was only admiring it! What, can't I look at it?” I scoff, softly caressing my wrist which he held too tightly.

He snarls, “I didn't bring you here to look at paintings. I would've taken you to a goddamn museum if that were the case. I brought you here to impress my grandfather. You better behave and use your brains. If you mess this up for me, you'll regret it.”

I gulp, my insides squirming at his threat. I want to cower under his fierce, brutal stare but I don't. He's right. I shouldn't get carried away while I'm here. I have to focus on winning Lucas' heart as difficult as that seems, with the long list of do's and don't's.

“I'm sorry.” My reply comes out as a mere squeak and I stare down at the floor.

Liam just looks at me and draws in a breath.

The butler walks in immediately, hands clasped together. “I've informed Mr Everhart of your arrival. He'll be joining you shortly. In the meantime, what would you like me to offer you?“

Liam refuses to have anything since dinner would be served in about an hour or so. Apparently, the both of us arrived earlier. Liam thinks it's best to seek his grandfather's blessings first before his cousins get here for dinner.

“I won't have anything as well,” I say to the butler and he leaves.

Liam's phone rings in his pocket. He brings it out, peers into the screen for a while and mutters something underneath his breath. He doesn't look too happy.

“I have to take this,” he tells me. “Stay put and don't—”

“—touch anything,” I finish his statement for him.

He stalks off.

I sigh and glance around, taking in the surroundings—paintings and furnitures in short. I spot a big, comfy couch and decide to plop myself down. Three minute, four minutes, five minutes pass and I'm starting to get bored. My anxiousness creeps in again.

What's taking Liam so long? What if his grandfather shows up while he's still outside? Does he really expect me to face the man alone?

While I'm sitting here waiting, I notice a big white cat stalking towards me. It looks fluffy and friendly, so I smile and hold out my hand.

“Hey there, kitty...”

I expect the cat to meow or purr or totally ignore me. But no! Instead, it jumps on top of me and starts clawing at my hair, scratching my face.

“Ouch!” I jerk up from the couch at once. “Oww! Oww! Oww! Get off me, you little beast!" I shout, flailing my arms wildly.

The cat, however, digs in its claws deeper, hanging on like a furry spider monkey. I'm yelling and turning around in the living room, trying to shake the demonic creature off.

I should never have gotten close to it. What was I thinking? This creature belongs to an Everhart!

Still struggling to get the cat off me, I accidentally knock over a huge antique vase with my elbow. It crashes to the ground with a loud 'SMASH!' and shatters into a million pieces.

Oh no! I'm dead! I'm so dead!

“What the—?” Liam exclaims, rushing over to my side.

I don't know how he does it but he quickly yanks the cat off me and flings it to the couch. The beast hisses and slinks away with its tail held high.

“Rayne, what the hell have you done?” Liam barks, his eyes darting between me and the broken vase.

“I'm sorry! It was an accident. The cat attacked me and I lost my balance. I didn't mean to break anything. I'm sorry.“

I sound like a broken record but what else can I say?

Liam lets out a frustrated groan and throws his hands in the air. “I thought I made myself clear when I told you not to touch anything!”

“But I didn't! It was the cat, Liam! The cat!” My voice quakes and a lump forms in my throat.

“I swear, if my grandfather sees this and—” He stops when he sees tears pooling my eyes.

I sniffle and run a hand down my hair. My hair is a mess, tangled and smattered with cat fur. Liam sighs and to my surprise, he starts picking the fur off my hair, shaking his head.

“What am I supposed to do with you?” His tone is softer now but still slightly frigid. “You can't even go ten minutes without causing a disaster.”

I sniffle again and this time, a tear flows down my cheek. I feel like a failure. Meeting Liam's grandfather is so important for him, for us yet here I am, screwing things up. I don't understand why disaster follows me around like a shadow.

Why can't this just go as smoothly as the red carpet?

“I'm sorry,” I choke out.

Liam straightens my hair and wipes the tear off my face with his thumb. “Stop it. Don't cry.”

There's this sudden gentleness in his voice and a flicker of something in his eyes that makes me lean into him. His palms are cupping my cheek and he's peering into my eyes.

“What's all the commotion about?” A voice booms from the doorway.

Liam and I instantly pull apart as if we've been caught doing something wrong. I take one step backwards, almost hiding behind Liam as my eyes meet the man we've been waiting for.

Lucas Everhart.

He walks in slowly, holding a cane that looks like it's made out of solid gold and glares at the mess on the floor. I gaze at him quietly. Lucas Everhart is a tall, broad-shouldered man with a bit of a potbelly, brown hair and full beards flecked with grey.

He strides over to us with the swagger of a king surveying his domain. And he doesn't look pleased at all. His eyes are sharp and his gaze is fierce. His face is wrinkled with anger and he clutches his cane tighter.

Mr Lucas pauses, leaning on his cane and glances between Liam and me. “Well? What's going on here?” His voice is deep and gravelly.

“Good evening, grandfather,” Liam says and gestures at me to greet as well.

“Er... Good evening, Mr Lucas.” I curtsey, fear knotting in my belly.

“Who's this uncouth creature you've brought along with you to make a mess of my house, Liam?” Mr Lucas sneers, marching closer to me.

My heart sinks. My mind begins to race with worst-case scenarios. But I never could've imagined what would happen next.

Lucas reaches where I'm standing and when his eyes capture mine, his cane slips from his grasp and drops to the floor. His face goes pale, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

He gasps. “You...”