Inside Lucy's office, she sat with her seat backing her desk and the door as she fumed over Tom's words. She had tried to channel her annoyance to the files in front of her but she had given up when Tom's words kept coming back to her.
Why did he have to make her feel bad because she had been honest with him about her emotion? How could he call her a control freak when she never even tried to control him or anyone else around her? What was so wrong about wanting to be in control of things that happened in her life? What was bad in wanting to be in charge of her own life? She wasn't a bad person, but his words made her feel that way.
What did she need therapy for? Yes, in the past she had been unable to think about that experience or talk about it, but that was not the case now. Now she could even mention Jamie's name without hyperventilating or freezing. So why was he trying to make it seem like she was yet to move past it? Why was he making her present about her past?
Seeing how he was yet to call her, that must mean he didn't see anything wrong in what he said, right? Was she being unreasonable by reacting this way?
She swiveled her seat when her phone started ringing and she picked it up and received the call when she saw Tyler's name displayed on the screen, "Hey, Doctor Ty!" She greeted, trying to sound cheerful.
"My name is Doctor Lucas, not Tyler," Lucas said easily, and Lucy's lips pulled up in a smile when she heard his voice.
"Who would have thought I would miss hearing your voice?" She asked dryly, and Lucas chuckled.
"Obviously not you," Lucas said, and Lucy's smile widened as she sighed.
"When did you get there? How are you? And why are you calling with Tyler's phone?" She asked curiously.
"I'm fine. I got here a while ago. You can reach me through Tyler's line. Are you free to talk right now or will you call me back later?" Lucas asked, knowing that she was most likely busy with work in the office.
Lucy glanced at the wall clock, it was just 9 AM. There was still enough time before the meeting which was slated to start by 11 AM.
"We can talk now. Is everything okay?" She asked wondering what he wanted to talk about.
"Yeah. How are you? What is going on over there? Mom told me they are back in Ludus. Is everything alright?" Lucas asked, and Lucy sighed.
"Yeah. Everything is fine. Do you remember that Mom has a twin sister?" Lucy asked, and Lucas tried not to roll his eyes.
"Was I supposed to forget something like that?" Lucas asked dryly.
"What has that got to do with anything? Is she in Ludus?" Lucas asked reasonably.
"Well, not exactly. We found out she got married and gave birth to twins. A boy and a girl. She abandoned them. And you won't believe who the twins are," Lucy said, and Lucas grinned.
"Me and you?" He asked jokingly, and Lucy tittered with laughter.
"Don't be silly!"
"But you said I won't believe it. And of course, I don't believe it's us," Lucas said, and Lucy grinned.
"Well, the girl is Candace. Remember her? Jamal's mom? The lady and her son at Tom's house?" Lucy asked, and Lucas's eyes twitched in surprise.
"Holy shit! You are kidding, right? I mean, if I wasn't in such a bad emotional state then and had met her at a time when I was single I could have hit on her!" Lucas said, and Lucy grinned.
"You sound like you are feeling much better already," She observed.
"There is nothing like a change of environment to make one feel better. I mean I've met and interacted with different people in the past forty-eight hours. I'm not there yet, but I can assure you I feel much better," Lucas assured her.
"So are you going to tell me about your date with Miley and why…."
"Don't digress, Lu. You are yet to finish your story, and I have lots of questions. Do you mean to tell me that beautiful lady is our cousin? How did you find out? And what was she doing at Tom's house anyway? Did mom meet her twin sister? Have they reconciled? Have you met her? Is she cool? What about her son? What is he like? Have you met him?" Lucas asked, and Lucy sighed. There was so much to tell him and she had no idea where to begin.
"So much has happened in the short time you left. I don't even know where to begin," Lucy confessed.
"Well, you can start by answering my questions. That makes it easier," Lucas said as though it was the obvious logical thing to do.
"Alright. Take it one question at a time and I will see what I can do," Lucy said, and she answered Lucas' questions as he asked them one after the other.
By the time she finished answering all his major questions, Lucas was stunned, "WOW! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that our cousin's adoptive parents were related to Rachel," Lucas said, and Lucy nodded.
"Yeah. No matter how much time I talk about this, I get goosebumps each time I think about all the connections."
"It's mind-blowing, isn't it? Do you know how they say it's a small world? You never really believe it until stuff like this happens to you, and then you realize just how small the world really is," Lucas said, and Lucy had to agree with him.
Hadn't she learned that since she met Tom? How somehow they all ended up knowing each other or being related to each other? It really was mind-blowing.
"Well, it's all good. Seeing how you like this Harry guy, I'm sure I'm going to get along with him," Lucas said, and Lucy grinned.
"I think you are both going to get along pretty well."
"I will take my time to heal properly, that way I can be in the best frame of mind when I meet our cousins. I'm already looking into talking to a therapist…."
"A therapist? Why?" She asked in confusion. As far as she was concerned, Lucas was very fine.
"Well, I didn't realize how toxic Rachel was until I ended things. I don't know how the relationship must have affected me psychologically. I wouldn't want to move around with such emotional baggage, so it's best I talk to a professional about it and get it all out of me," Lucas said reasonably.
"I don't think there is anything wrong with you. People leave relationships every day for even worse reasons and they don't go to therapy, yet they are fine. All you need to do is move on," Lucy said, not wanting to hear anything related to therapy since she was still pissed by Tom's words.
"I beg to differ. Most people move on, but they do not heal. Sometimes you never know how much your last relationship messed you up until you meet someone new and you start projecting the hurt, fears, insecurities, and distrust onto them. I don't just want to move on from Rachel, I want to heal from her," Lucas said, and Lucy sighed.
"Alright. If that is what you want. But if you ask me, it's a waste of good money. Those people charge so much only to listen to you talk. People might think you're crazy if they hear you're visiting a shrink," Lucy muttered, and Lucas chuckled.
"Well, it's my money, and I'd rather waste it on a shrink than on alcohol. And stop sounding ignorant. Therapy is good for the soul. You should try it sometime," Lucas advised.
Although on different occasions in the past he had offered to pay for her to get therapy, she had turned down all his offers telling him she was fine.
"Thanks, but I will pass. By the way, do you think I'm a control freak?" She asked, and Lucas's brow shot up as he wondered where that was coming from.
"A control freak?" He asked cautiously.
"Yeah. Would you say I'm a control freak?" She asked again, not wanting to mention that Tom had told her that.
"Well, it depends on…."
"It's a yes or no question," She hissed at him impatiently.
"You are my sister so I'm probably not the best person to ask. You should probably ask Tom who is your partner…."
"Why should I ask Tom and not you?" She asked in annoyance.
"Well, he is your boyfriend. He knows you more intimately…."
"Than my twin brother? We grew up under the same roof. It shouldn't be so hard for you to answer. Do you think I control others or push them around and always try to have things done my way?" she asked, and Lucas sighed.
"Okay. You don't exactly try to control others, although you can be very critical of others. And what I do know is that you love to be in control of your life too much, and that is not unusual for someone with your traumatic experience…."
"So you are saying I'm a control freak?" She cut in.
"The fact that you are obsessing over this should tell you something about yourself. Control freaks hardly know they are one. Stop making a big deal out of it," Lucas advised.
"How can I not make a big deal of it?" Lucy asked with a frown.
"Listen, I don't know who said that to you, but instead of sitting in your office obsessing over it, you should try to understand what the person was trying to say. Ask your team members what they think about you. Ask Tom or Sonia for their opinion. Go on google and check for the signs."
Lucy sighed, "Alright. I will. Thanks."
"You're welcome. So, how is Tom doing? What's up with you both? Seeing the way the families are bonding, you might get married before you know it. Just make sure you wait until I get back," Lucas joked, but Lucy did not laugh.
"Tom is fine. So are you going to tell me about your date with her or not? Was it that terrible?" Lucy asked, wanting to change the subject.
Lucas sighed, "Can you believe they wanted me to marry her and donate my sperm to Amy so she would be a surrogate and carry Miley's child?" He asked, angry as he recalled the conversation with Amy.
"They did that? That's crazy! How could they possibly ask you to do something like that?" Lucy asked incredulously.
"Exactly! I wish them the best of luck with their crazy plans. I want no part in it," Lucas said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry about that. That wouldn't have happened had I not pressured you into meeting with her," Lucy said apologetically.
"It's alright. I should let you get back to work. I called because I was worried that something was wrong after hearing from mom that they were in Ludus. Say hello to Tom, our cousins, and Sony."
"Give my love to, Tyler, and take care of yourself," Lucy said before the call was disconnected.
She sighed as she dropped her phone on the desk and then picked it up almost immediately when she remembered what Lucas had said about checking google for some signs that might tell her whether or not she was a control freak.
She took out her journal and a pen from the drawer before imputing her question on her google engine.
She had no idea how long she spent poring over various articles written on the subject, and by the time she was done, she sighed as she looked at her journal.
Okay, maybe she had SOME of the traits associated with control freaks but that didn't mean she was one. She didn't believe she was one. Compared to her, Sonia was more likely to be called a control freak, yet she knew Sonia wasn't one either.
She sighed when her phone started ringing and she picked it up when she saw it was a video call from Sonia, "Hey!" She greeted with a forced smile.
"You have become a difficult person to see. Do I need to make an appointment to see you now?" Sonia asked jokingly, and this time Lucy's smile was genuine.
"Perhaps you should. What's up?" Lucy asked as she watched Sonia who seemed to be busy with her makeup.
"Bryan and Jade are going over to the company so I thought I should come with them so I can spend some time with you. Please tell me you are not very busy," Sonia pleaded.
"Well, I will be soon. Shouldn't you be busy working on your story?" Lucy asked and Sonia shrugged.
"Yeah. Candace and Jamal left a while ago to be with Aaron, so I'm going to be alone with the old folks and as much as I love them, it won't be fun."
"Alright, you can come over. But you should bring your laptop and writing materials along with you. That way you can stay back in my office and keep busy doing your stuff when I step out," Lucy suggested, and Sonia flashed her a smile.
"That is perfect. And then you can tell me all about the incident at the spa," Sonia said with a wink, and Lucy shook her head in amusement.
"I should have known that was the reason you wanted to see me."
"I want to see you because I miss your company and then I want to hear the story," Sonia said with a wink, and Lucy giggled as her eyes moved to the clock.
The time seemed to have moved very fast during her conversation with Lucas and google search. It was past 10 AM already and she had less than forty-five minutes to get ready for the meeting.
"Alright. Seeing how you haven't left the house yet, there is every likelihood that I might not be in my office when you get here so I will let my team members know you are coming," Lucy said before hanging up.
Lucy sighed when she remembered how she had angrily left Tom that morning, and the fact that she was going to be seeing him at the meeting.
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