“Waoh! That was lovely and also entertaining.. haha” William gave a round of applause, putting an end to the serenity the couples were relishing. “I’m almost in tears”
He turned to the other two and said, “Doctor Charles, your acting skills shouldn’t be hidden but shown on a TV for all to see and as you my darling, Rachael, you are a good matchmaker, I mean your idea was fabulous” his voice was full of amusement.
Charles just released a wry laughter while Rachael on the other hand gave William a deathly glare with tears of joy trickling from her eyes.
“I thought I warned you not to announce our presence now. You’ve interrupted the happy moment” she stated, her voice laced with accusation. “So dumb of you”
“I was just happy to help the poor Liam reunite with his angel back. How is that dumb?” William pouted his lips to show how hurt he was.
Liam who was eyeing them suspiciously decided to ask the question on his mind.
“We came up with the suicide part?” He asked with a threatening tone that sent shivers down the spines of the trio.
“It’s him” The other two pointed at William in unison, like it was planned.
“I only gave permission to use my rooftop and also just acted according to the script” Charles defended himself.
“Well, I was only in charge of the decorations and makeover, nothing else” Rachael added in defense.
William was rendered speechless by this act of betrayal that he gritted his teeth.
“You traitors” he exclaimed and turned to Liam whose piercing gaze lingered on him. “Don’t believe them over your best friend. I know I was the one who came up with the idea but they indulged me… You know I’m happy for you right?”
“Well, he’s admitted his mistake, just let him be” Isabelle snorted.
“Huh… Not you too, Isabelle” William exclaimed, dejected which made everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Oh! I’m so happy for you, Isabelle.. we should celebrate this, what do you think?” Rachael walked up to Isabelle and held her hands. “Why don’t we have dinner at the penthouse? I’m sure it will be fun”
Isabelle’s face reddened at every opportunity. “Erm.. it’s not a bad idea but we don’t have a chef at home” she said shyly.
“Come on, Isabelle. Have you tasted my cooking?” Rachael exclaimed with a boastful smile on her lips. “You’re missing a lot and this is the perfect opportunity to show you how good my culinary skill is”
“Was it that good?” William seemed lost in thoughts with a funny face. “Well, since she is so confident about it, then it’s fine” he stated which got Rachael enraged.
“Are you trying to mock me?” She yelled with anger in her voice. “You little…”
“It’s alright, Rachael… Don’t take him seriously, he’s just pulling your legs” Isabelle said with an amused expression on her face which made Rachael frown. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s a bit funny”
“Rachael, I think we should let the couple have some alone together. We should ruin their happy moment just like you said earlier” William uttered, pulling her gently by the arm. “We can have dinner some other time”
“You know, Will. I haven’t seen you act mature like this in a long time and I commend you for that. Keep up the good work” Liam said, his words dripping with sarcasm and his gaze full of mockery. “Take your partner and leave me and my fiancee alone”
“William took a minute to understand his words. His face was red with anger as he made to retort but Rachael beat him to it.
“How can you call her your fiancee?.. I can’t find any ring on her finger”Rachael asked, her voice accusing and hinting at something else. “You should do the needful before claiming her”
“Rachael” Isabelle cautioned her friend but subconsciously looked up to see Liam who was lost in thoughts, hoping he would get the hint from Rachael’s words.
“Erm.. I have to go. I have a lot of patients to attend to” Charles who had remained silent finally spoke. “Congratulations to you both”
“Thank you, doctor” they all chorused with sincerity in their voices.
After enjoying the blissful moment for a while, the atmosphere suddenly changed as they all recalled the critical point they had reached. It was time to put things in order.
“William, I want you at the company tomorrow morning. We have to launch the project as soon as possible. I already informed my secretary and Adrian to prepare for it” Liam disclosed, his voice stern and serious as he gazed blankly at the moon with no bit of emotion in his eyes.
“I’ll also go to the company tomorrow and see how Damien is progressing with his plans to help us, work against him” Rachael chipped in with a solemn expression on her face.
“Yes, I appreciate your help” Liam expressed his gratitude. “I want you to find out the names of all investors he has bribed and the ones under his company. We are going to present a more attractive offer to them… Let’s show him exactly what karma is”
“It won’t be that easy. Those men are a bunch of loyal lackeys” Rachael revealed with fear in her voice. “I worked with him for many years, I know how tied he is to those people”
“That’s why you’re here, Mr. Rachael,” Liam remarked. “Your presence on our side gives us the confidence we need.”
“He’s right. You’re the one we solely rely on now to give us what needs to be at an advantage” William chipped in with a warm smile on his face that made her heart beat faster.
She suddenly felt a disturbing feeling in her heart.
“Erm.. Mr. Callahan, Isabelle” A weak voice called out to them as they turned to the source.
“Penelope” Isabelle exclaimed and ran to hug her. “I missed you so much..” tears filled her eyes.
“Thank you for taking good care of me and my family, I would be forever indebted to you,” Penelope said in between tears and sobs. “I know I betrayed you and even at that, you refused to pay me back in my coin… I owe you my life”
“It’s fine, Penelope. We hold no grudge against you” Isabelle consoled her. “It wasn’t your fault. People tend to make wrong choices in desperate situations”
“Erm.. Isabelle, Mr. Callahan. There’s something you need to know about” Rachael butted in.