Chapter 236: The Overlooked One
"ANOTHER ROUND!"
Samantha’s voice exploded through the phone amid a storm of noise.
Catherine froze.
Laughter erupted in the background. Glasses clinked. Someone cheered loudly, while somewhere nearby, a woman appeared to be singing very badly and very enthusiastically.
"What?"
"ANOTHER ROUND!" Samantha shouted again. "IT’S ON ME! I GOT A JOB!"
There was a brief pause.
Then Samantha gasped.
"AUNT CATHY!"
Catherine closed her eyes.
Relief flooded through her so suddenly that her knees nearly gave out. Moments ago, she had been imagining kidnappings, corporate espionage, and Fitzgerald Rathbourne personally hunting her niece. Instead, Samantha was apparently drunk in the middle of the day.
"Are you in a bar?"
"Technically..." Samantha began.
The pause that followed told Catherine everything she needed to know.
What trouble was she getting into now?
"SAY HELLO TO MY AUNT!" Samantha shouted to whoever was around her. "SHE’S YOUNGER THAN ME BUT ALREADY GETTING MARRIED! BUT HEY! AT LEAST I HAVE A JOB!"
"Oh, God."
Catherine sighed.
She knew Samantha had been a little saddened by the engagement announcement, but she had never revealed it so openly before. Perhaps the alcohol was loosening feelings she normally kept hidden.
"Aunt Cathy!" Samantha yelled. "I am at the bar!"
Maximilian had been watching Catherine’s face carefully. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly. It wasn’t danger, then. At least not immediate danger. But something in Catherine’s expression had changed.
He leaned closer.
Without a word, Catherine placed the call on speaker.
Maximilian immediately leaned back.
The noise alone was enough to make him regret the decision.
Catherine pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Sammy, why are you drunk in the middle of the day?"
"I’ll tell you. I thought capitalism rejected me."
Catherine blinked.
"What?"
"The data entry people didn’t hire me."
The injustice in Samantha’s voice suggested she had personally suffered a betrayal of historic proportions.
"They said I wasn’t suitable."
A dramatic pause followed.
"I was too magnificent."
Across from Catherine, Maximilian slowly covered his face with one hand.
Catherine could already feel a headache forming.
"Sammy..."
"No, listen. I know what happened."
"I don’t think you do."
"The HR lady was jealous."
Catherine looked up at the ceiling.
Of course.
"Jealous."
"Obviously."
Samantha sounded completely confident in this conclusion.
"Anyway, I solved the problem."
Catherine immediately sat up straighter.
"What problem?"
"The emotional problem."
"Sammy."
"I ordered expensive alcohol. And my problem did get solved. I got hired! As a secretary!"
A man shouted something unintelligible in the background.
Samantha cheered in response.
Catherine’s heart immediately began pounding.
Why was Fitzgerald hiring Samantha as his secretary?
To keep her close?
To use her as leverage?
To keep a hostage?
"Did you accept the job?" Catherine asked.
Samantha wasn’t listening. She was already talking to somebody else.
"Where are you?"
"At a bar."
"I know that."
"A very nice bar."
"Sammy."
There was another pause.
Then Samantha lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"I might have committed a tiny crime."
Catherine’s heart stopped. Maximilian noticed immediately.
"What happened?" he mouthed.
Catherine raised a finger for silence. On the phone, Samantha continued.
"A very tiny crime."
"Sammy."
"Like... really tiny."
"Sammy."
"I kicked a Bentley."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Catherine slowly lowered the phone from her ear.
Then raised it again.
"I beg your pardon?"
"The car was being judgmental."
Maximilian’s eyes widened.
Catherine stared into space.
Somewhere deep inside her soul, she suddenly understood exactly how Samantha had ended up in Fitzgerald Rathbourne’s orbit.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"Do you know whose car it was?"
Without even letting her finish, Samantha answered with complete sincerity.
"How would I know? Bentleys don’t carry name tags. But it was the boss’s Bentley..."
Catherine dropped her head into her hand. The situation was somehow worse than either she or Maximilian had imagined.
Fitzgerald hadn’t targeted Samantha for no reason. Samantha had apparently declared war first.
"Wait... wait..." Samantha said. "You called me. Let me..."
A series of muffled sounds followed. The music faded. The shouting disappeared. A door opened and closed.
Then silence.
"I’m in the washroom," Samantha announced proudly. "Why did you call me, Aunt?"
"Sammy," Catherine said softly. "Can you come home?"
There was a brief pause.
"This job offer is from Rathbourne and... you’re in danger, Sammy."
A loud thud echoed through the phone. Catherine immediately sat upright. "Are you okay?"
Silence answered her.
Then came a laugh. Slow and slurred at first. But it quickly grew louder.
"Danger?" Samantha asked. "Just lecture me how my life is in danger because of a secretary job, Auntie."
The mocking tone in her voice made Catherine’s heart tighten painfully, but she pushed the feeling aside and continued.
"It’s better not to get involved with Rathbourne, Sammy. I’ve mentioned the problems I’m currently facing—"
"The problems you are facing..." Samantha interrupted.
The amusement vanished from her voice.
"For once, something good happened to me. But, of course. You and your problems are always the most important. We all have to pause our lives for you."
Catherine went still.
"The Golden Crown Princess of Laurel Creek," Samantha continued bitterly. "Damned be our wishes. Damned be our ambitions. Let us all bow at the feet of the Princess and make sure she’s happy."
"You’re drunk, Sammy. I’ll talk to you later. Do not accept the job offer."
Catherine’s hands were trembling. Her heart was pounding. She had never heard this much resentment from Samantha before. Not directed at her so openly.
But before she could end the call, Samantha spoke again.
"Do you realize the problems you’re causing our entire family?" she demanded. "Just for your ambition, everyone is suffering."
The words hit harder than Catherine expected.
Then Samantha’s voice rose.
"Well, listen to me, AUNT! I’m not going to give up my life for you."
The call ended.
The silence that followed felt far louder than the crowded bar ever had.
Maximilian immediately reached for her hand.
"Catherine..."
His fingers wrapped around hers, warm and steady despite the slight tremor running through her.
Catherine looked at him.
Yes, she was hurt.
The words Samantha had thrown at her had landed exactly where they were meant to. They had struck old fears she rarely voiced aloud.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Without wasting another second, she picked up her phone and called Bobby.
The moment he answered, she told him everything. Samantha’s new job. The bar. Fitzgerald Rathbourne. The resentment that had spilled out during the call.
Bobby listened quietly.
When she finally finished, he sighed.
"I know how to bring her back."
The tension that had been squeezing Catherine’s chest loosened slightly.
A wave of relief washed through her.
"Okay."
That was all she managed to say.
After ending the call, she placed the phone on the table and sat there silently.
The room suddenly felt much quieter than before.
"Are you okay, Catherine?" Maximilian asked softly.
And somehow, that was what broke her.
Not Samantha’s words.
Not the fear.
Not even the worry.
It was being asked if she was okay.
The tears immediately spilled over.
"I don’t know, Love." Her voice shook. "Maybe Sammy is right. Maybe I am putting everyone in danger for my..."
Before she could finish, Maximilian pulled her into his arms.
The embrace was immediate.
Certain.
Protective.
"Don’t say that."
His arms tightened around her.
"Your brothers understand. They know."
Catherine closed her eyes.
"But the next generation..." Her voice grew smaller. "If Sammy says this, I can’t imagine what Caleb would say. Or what the others are thinking."
"Shh..."
Maximilian gently patted her head.
"You’re overthinking, Catherine."
A humorless laugh escaped her.
"Damn right, I am."
Her fingers curled into his shirt.
"I know being part of a big family comes with its caveats. I know people won’t always agree with everyone. I know everyone has different opinions and frustrations and expectations."
Her voice cracked.
"But it hurts."
That was the truth of it.
No matter how rational she tried to be.
No matter how much she understood where the frustration came from.
It still hurt.
"I don’t want them to hate me. They are my family."
The tears kept falling.
By now, Maximilian’s shirt was thoroughly soaked, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
All he could think about was how much he hated seeing her cry.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked quietly.
Catherine let out a shaky breath.
"Just listen to me ramble."
Maximilian frowned.
"Just that?"
The answer felt inadequate.
He wanted to fix it.
To solve it.
To make whatever was hurting her disappear.
But Catherine shook her head and leaned more heavily against him.
"Just that."
For a moment, Maximilian said nothing.
Then his arms tightened around her once more.
"Okay."
His lips brushed the top of her head.
"I can do that."
And so he did.
He sat there holding her while she cried, listening to every fear, every frustration, and every doubt she carried inside her heart.
For once, he didn’t try to solve the problem.
He simply stayed.
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