“Rhea, honey,” called her secretary Rosemary standing outside her office door looking like she had many questions but was refraining from being impolite. “There’s someone to see you,” she said in an effective voice but signaling her frantically with her eyes.
“Anita, I’m busy. Is it important?” Rhea looking away from her eccentric secretary not even bothering to understand what she was saying. Dismissing the latter, she continued scrutinizing the dossier in front of her. Damn, this was more complicated that she had thought.
“Well, there is a hunk and he said he came all the way from Orlando only to see you,” Rosemary finally blurted which made Rhea immediately look up from her files and felt her heart skip a beat. All the way from Orlando? Only to see her. It had to be Adam.
And judging by the look of extreme happiness on the face of Rosemary, she had recognized Adam too and that was why she was so agitated. Joy engulfed her at the prospect. He had come for her! After two weeks of absolute silence, he had finally realized that she had not run from him but from her own insecurities.
She had missed them so much and was ready to beg for forgiveness for what she had said. For having behaved like such a bitch. But what mattered most was that Adam had come after her even when she had hurt him beyond repair.
And if that didn’t mean true love, nothing else would. Feeling a warm glow engulf her heart, she could barely contain her erratic heartbeats in the anticipation of seeing his beloved face again. Adam. The guy who had loved her imperfections, her insecurities and her stupidities. She hoped he would forgive her for what she had done.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she tried a hopeless rearrangement of her hectic appearance before taking a deep breath and asked her secretary to let him in. However, her heart felt like a deflated balloon when she finally saw her visitor. At the sight of the person in front of her, Rhea was so stunned that she sat down heavily back on her chair.
It was not Adam. It was Matt Alvarez. Her mind could only register that one sad fact. Frankly, she did not give a damn what Matt was doing in New York. All she cared about was that Adam had not come to meet her like she had assumed and it had the effect of a bombshell on her heart. It was like an awakening.
As she recovered from the shock, she tried to analyze the feeling of acute disappointment and the excruciating pain which followed. She had missed him like hell at first when he had not bothered to call her for three whole weeks. And that too for a regrettable incident; because at that time she had been so hurt that she had babbled a complete lie.
But Adam should know her better than that. He should know that she would never sleep with someone else in order to drive him away or for any other reason whatsoever. But she had taken extreme measures that day out of pure despair. Couldn’t he see that? He could see through her even without her speaking a word. How come he had missed that simple fact? Or had it been the fatal blow?
The final blow to drive him away permanently like she had been wanting all along? She should be happy now that she had finally got what she wanted. But instead she was feeling like a void had settled inside her heart. Like she had lost everything dear to her. And it could only mean one thing.
That she loved him too. In her own crazy stupid weird way. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have been so blind into not recognizing what she felt for Adam?
It hit her in the face right now like a splash of ice cold water waking her up from her selfish obnoxious beliefs. How the hell could she have failed to recognize how much she loved him? All her shenanigans had only been a way to protect her heart. But she had been so stupid not to realize that the best way to protect it was to gift it to someone who would guard it better than herself.
And who better than Adam for the job? To protect her from everything like he had always done all his life. And to think she had hurt him so much. Had led herself to believe that it was all a game to him. Had turned away from everyone who had supported him instead of her. How selfish it was from her?
She had hurt him because she had wanted to push him away. But it had been too late. And now she realized that it had been too late very first time he had confessed his love for her on the phone. And she had refused to forgive him. Not because she had still held a grudge but because she had used it as a pretext to ward him off.
But even then every bit of her had hoped that he was sincere but the barriers she had built around her had prevented her to let go of her past. To let go of the humiliation and hurt that her only parent had made her endure. But Adam had understood. He had understood everything.
Even without a word from her. He had known that she loved him too but would not admit it for fear of getting hurt again. That was why he had not given up on her. Until now.
Rhea shuddered as the last thought crossed her mind still lost in sorting out her feelings and completely ignoring the man in front of her. Was it too late for her to recuperate her love back? She would grovel if need be. She would beg him to take her back. But she knew Adam so well.
If he had not come after her, it meant that he was so disgusted with her that he had finally given up on her. But Rhea was not discouraged. She would go after him like he had gone after her restlessly. Against all odds. And that was the way she felt now. Free to love him back with the same fervor. With the same tenacity.
Because true love was after all unconditional. Already making up her mind to go back, she started when she saw that Matt was still in the doorway waiting for her to summon him in. Damn! She did not have time for this right now.
“Are you alright?” he asked when she finally looked in his direction trying to look for the right words. Which was quite awkward especially after having ignored a person for such a long time. But he must have caught something in her expression because his was looking concerned and worried.
“Yesss,” she breathed looking at him blandly trying not to show her impatience. She could hardly wait to get back to Adam and beg for his forgiveness. “I’m sorry I was quite busy this morning. How can I help you?”
“How convenient of you to forget,” the man sneered and Rhea resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What the hell was he talking about? She wished he would get on with what he had to say since she did not have the time for such nonentities.
Stifling an impatient hiss of breath, she asked him politely what he meant counting to ten to keep her calm. Her mind was still miles away trying to find a way to make Adam forgive her for being so stubborn and insecure. For having said and done so many disgusting things out of sole purpose to defeat him. Except that it had never been a battle of wills; it was instead a battle of hearts.
“Have you forgotten about our little…arrangement?” Matt asked and her attention snapped back to him. For a second, Rhea had no clue what he was talking about and she had to blink to process the sentence in her mind.
Then she stopped as she remembered having promised to help him gather information on someone. Some mystery man that Matt could not even say his name. Rhea groaned inwardly as she had completely forgotten about that deal. And now it was coming back to haunt her.
How harmful would it be anyway to give a few details about a person she was supposed to know? Finding it easier to comply with what she had agreed, she nodded to him in guise of showing him to go ahead and at the same time praying she was not going to land in trouble.
“Alright then, this is highly confidential information. And I don’t want you to repeat this to anyone else. Have I made myself clear?”
Rhea did not care much about his autocratic attitude but she merely nodded eager to be done with him as soon as possible.
“You have known the Coopers for all your life, haven’t you?” he asked the next question and Rhea suddenly felt more alert. The Coopers? He wanted information from her about the Coopers? Her loyalty instantly kicked in. hell, she was a Cooper herself and she would die before letting someone harm her family.
“Yes,” she treaded carefully not willing to give more information than necessary.
“I have some information here which says that Zach and Zoey are unidentical twins,” he said producing a sheet of paper which made Rhea even more suspicious. Why had he gone to such lengths to investigate on the twins?
Despite her unwillingness, she took the paper from him and confirmed his statement. Except that Rhea was confused. It was general knowledge that the Coopers had twins after they had adopted her. She wondered why he had bothered to issue a proof over that statement.
“Yes they are and that is no state secret. Why don’t you come straight to the point?” she asked him in a cold voice showing him that she was not very keen to go on with that conversation but had no choice.
“Well, I might warn you this might come in as a little shock,” he said in a hesitant voice.
By now, Rhea’s patience had reached its limit and she almost sneered at him in an unladylike fashion. “I don’t have much time unfortunately.”
Matt seemed to ignore her cold attitude and went on. “Well, I also have solid grounds to believe that Zach and Zoey are not the children of Mr. and Mrs. Cooper.”
“What????” she screamed. “What are you trying to say?” she asked trying to keep her calm. Maybe she had misheard him.
“Zach and Zoey are not their biological kids. They were adopted. Just like you,” he announced calmly as if he was just saying that he was going to the cinema or something.
Rhea wanted to laugh at his pathetic face. She did not know what he had come out to achieve by spreading those false rumors but he couldn’t be more wrong. She had photos of Aunt Selena being pregnant with the twins and they had their birth certificates. Although she had still been a little kid at that time, there was no questioning the origin of the twins’ birth.
“Okay, frankly I’m a little lost here. Who are you and why the hell are you concerned with our family matters?” she asked furious now that he had dared sort her out for such a petty matter. Of course the real reason was that he would try to blackmail her and extort money from her.
But Matt Alvarez - whoever he was - was in for a surprise.
“I am not supposed to divulge any information about myself,” he delivered in an arrogant voice which made Rhea want to hit him with something hard on the head.
“Right. And I don’t have time to waste with you. If that’s all you have to say, then I guess we’re done here,” she replied back with same arrogance looking pointedly at the door hoping he would take the hint.
“We’re not done yet. You’re supposed to help me, remember?”
A sigh escaped her as she tried hard to contain the anger which was boiling inside her. Crossing her arms in an attempt to ward off any premonition, she tried not to be intimidated by his high-handed attitude. It was not that she was afraid of him but he was certainly eerie and the thing he was trying to point out was not sitting well with her.
“What do you want from me?” The sentence was as dull as possible; a way to show him that she did not care about his questions and would help him in the least way possible.
“I need you to confirm that information for me. So far, I have not been able to come up with any solid proof and I need to show that Zach and Zoey have been adopted. So, I want you to search the Cooper’s residence for any indication of…”
“Wait a second. Are you asking me to spy on my family?” Rhea asked in an incredulous voice glad that she was still able to talk despite the rage roaring inside her now. She was so angered that she was trembling and her throat felt parched. But she would die before giving that sleazy man a chance to take her down.
“Come on, Rhea. They’re not your real family. And it’s not as if I’m asking you to harm them or anything. I just need to know…”
“Yeah? You know what? You can go to hell for all I care. I am not going to fetch that information for you. Even if Zach and Zoey have been adopted – which I sincerely doubt – I am not going to be the one to let that information out. And I will not let you do it either.”
Matt frowned looking frankly puzzled. “But wouldn’t you want them to know? If they were adopted, wouldn’t they want to know about their real parents? Their real legacy?” he queried then looked as if he had said too much.
“No. I think they’re better off not knowing anything about this farce. And I’m warning you to stay away from my family. I will report you to the police if I ever see you near Zoey again,” she threatened in a voice which trembled now.
Rhea was still trembling as she picked up her handbag and cleaned her table while royally ignoring him. “I will let my secretary show you the way out,” she said in a calmer voice as she walked past him without even bothering to look in his direction.
Another second in his company was unbearable. She was going to meet Adam and forget about that foolish meeting. Matt Alvarez could take his theories with him; she would never go against her family. She had just made it to the door when his voice stopped her.
“Zach’s life is in danger,” he said in such a slow voice that Rhea had to squirm to hear him properly. For a moment, she froze just in front of her office door as his words made a full impact on her senses. Zach’s life was in danger? What the hell did he mean by that? Then she understood the metaphor.
“You bastard!” she said in a loud voice unable to hide any emotion now. Anger. Panic. Revolt. The amalgam of emotions incensed her more than she had ever been in her entire life. How dared he? How dared he threaten her like that? It was an indirect menace which stated that if she did not cooperate, he would kill Zach.
But who the hell was he? And why was he after her family? Was it for money? Or something else? Or was it merely a fluke?
Maybe they already had Zach captive somewhere? That was why the latter had not been answering his phone calls lately? Suddenly, a fear gripped her. Her brother was in danger and in that one second, she completely understood the simple fact that she had tried to escape all her life.
The Coopers were her family and she loved them with all her heart. She was like a lioness fierce in protecting her cubs if need be. The last barrier around her heart crumpled as she finally acknowledged her love for her family. Now, Matt would be asking for a ransom for having kidnapped her brother.
“How dare you threaten me like that?” she asked her voice dripping with ruthlessness she had not known she possessed until now.
Matt sighed and raised his hand not in attack but more likely in an attempt to surrender to her. “Stop misunderstanding me, Rhea. I’m not threatening you. There are a few people out there trying to kill Zach. I’m here to protect him but I cannot find him.”
Rhea shook her head. Even she was unaware of Zach’s whereabouts but she would not say that to him. Not even if her life depended on it. She was having a hard time trusting that Matt person especially since he was beating about the bush.
She was done listening to this bullshit. “Either you come out with the whole truth or you keep all your suspense to yourself. I do not believe you. And I don’t want you in my office for one second more. Please get out!”
“Listen, Rhea. Stop behaving irrationally. I don’t have time for this, okay. I need to find Zach out in order to offer him my protection and I cannot do that without your help. You have to help me find him out. I’m asking you a favor here. If you love him as much as you proclaim to, we have to find him out and...”
Rhea put up a hand to stop him. “There’s no we here mister. You’re on your own in this – whatever you call it. I am not going to help you simply because you are not making sense. I really think you should go now before I call the security,” she said in a final tone removing her iPhone as a way of menacing him.
She would throw him out if she had to. Although she was afraid for Zach, she would never show him that she was having her own doubts. She would try to contact Zach later to make sure he was okay. And Uncle Ash would sort everything out if ever it was not. She was not relying on some stranger to protect her brother. She had her own family to rely on.
“Rhea…” he started.
“Go!” she warned in a final tone dialing the security number but he snatched the phone from her hands.
“Adam and Zoey had met with a car accident,” he said in a dead voice and Rhea froze in the act of trying to snatch her phone back. She felt like someone had swept off the world from under her feet. The shock was too great for her and she staggered against Matt as her legs refused to withstand her weight.
“H…how?” she croaked unable to fight off the bout of nausea that the shock was generating in her. Accident? What kind of accident? How serious were they? And how dared Matt arrive in her office and fed her with such nonsensical things before giving her that piece of news?
Her ears were ringing and she had to take a deep breath before preventing herself from staggering in his arms. Finally supporting herself, she straightened up but was still unable to come up with a coherent thought. The only question which was trotting in her mind was what he had delivered just now as casually as if he had announced a simple meeting.
“Matt, I’m warning you. If you’re lying, I swear I’ll…”
Matt sighed. “You’re on the wrong side here. I repeat myself. There’s no need to be wary of me; I am here to protect you all. If I wanted to harm you, I would have done so a long time ago. I was looking out for you and the others. But the people I told you about are after Zach.”
Stricken, her hand went to her throat in attempt to calm the nauseated feeling which was arising there. What was he implying?
“And I don’t think it was an accident,” he continued as if he had been reading her mind. “That is what I have been trying to tell you. The dangerous people I have told you about…they have mistaken Adam for Zach and have staged that accident.”
Rhea could not hear another word. She rushed from her office without bothering to listen to his sordid words any longer. She had to find Adam. And her family. It was all that mattered.