Till Death Do Us Part

The Second Encounter

Chapter 15- The Second Encounter

Paul couldn't wait for the door to close behind him. There was no doubt in his mind about what had caused the attack. He couldn't afford to get excited about anything anymore. It was really becoming a terrible nuisance. He looked at his watch as he dialled the number Nico had given him and listened to the phone ring three or four times. He didn't know why he was so certain, but he was. Had been from the moment Nico started to describe Sophia Johnson. He would try to see the girl; maybe then he'd know for sure. Or maybe not. Maybe the changes would be too great. He wondered if he'd really know. And then, as he wondered, the girl answered the phone. Paul took a breath, closed his eyes, and spoke smoothly into the receiver. No one would have known he'd had an attack half an hour before.

"Miss Johnson? This is Paul Blofis of Jackson Group of Companies."

The conversation was brief, cold, and awkward, and Paul knew nothing more when she hung up than he had when he dialled but he would know. In exactly three days. The girl had been so calm and her voice soft and smooth and very modulated. There was no sign of panic. Maybe he was wrong. They had an appointment at four o'clock on a Thursday afternoon in three days. Paul marked it on his calendar, and then sat back and closed his eyes. The meeting might tell him nothing, and yet… there were some things he had to say. He only hoped he lived for another three days.

The clock seemed to tick interminably as he sat in the living room of his suite at the Jackson Hotel. It offered an impressive view of the bay and beyond, but Paul Blofis was not interested in the view. He was thinking about the girl. What had become of her? What did she look like? Had Luke Castellan really wrought the wonders he had promised two years before? Nico had seen a stranger when he met Sophia Johnson. But what about Percy— would he still recognize her? And was she in love with someone else now, or, like Percy, had she become bitter and withdrawn? It made Paul think of his step son again as he waited for this stranger who might indeed turn out to be the girl Percy had once loved. But what if she wasn't? She could be just anyone, a local artist who had caught Nico's eye. Maybe his theory was all wrong. Maybe…

He closed his eyes. He was exhausted. He should have given himself a day to rest before seeing the girl. But he was too anxious to put the meeting off for another day. He had to know. He looked up at the mantel clock again. It was four fifteen. He thought of Percy and how unhappy he had been. He sighed. Had he done the wrong thing? Had he been totally mad two years before? Had he asked too much of the girl? No. Probably not. She had been the wrong girl for Percy. And in time, perhaps, he'd find someone. There was no reason why he shouldn't. He certainly had everything it took: looks, money, position. He was going to be chairman of one of the leading companies in the world. He was a man with power and talent, gentleness and charm.

His face softened again as he thought of Percy. How good and strong he was … and how lonely. He even maintained a certain distance from him. It was as though some part of him had never bounced back. At least the drinking and brooding had stopped, but only to be replaced by a bleak, jagged determination that showed in his eyes. Like a man who has struggled through the desert for too long, determined to make it, but no longer quite sure why. And yet he had so much to be happy about; such a good life to enjoy. But he never took time to enjoy anything. He wasn't even entirely sure he enjoyed his work.

He was still thinking when the buzzer at the door of the suite suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He started, as though for a moment he had forgotten where he was. It was four twenty-five. The girl was twenty-five minutes late. But secretly, he was glad for the time alone.

He set his face in a dignified mask and walked sedately to the door. And as he opened the door, an elegant young woman entered with an artist's portfolio in her hand.