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On Wednesday morning, Chelsea sat at her desk, trying desperately to concentrate on her work. Tired from her restless night, she found herself staring at the same piece of paper for almost an hour, none of the words going in.
“You okay, Chels?” her co-worker Linda asked.
Chelsea raised her head, looking at Linda in a daze, nodded her head, then burst into tears.
“Hey, hey,” Linda said, quickly getting up from her desk and going over to comfort Chelsea. “Come on, let’s go to the lounge where it’s private.”
Sitting down, Chelsea took the tissue that Linda handed her and wiped her eyes. "Sorry, I normally don't get emotional about stuff, but I’ve just had a very difficult decision to make, and I'm wondering if it was the right one."
“Is this about Logan?” Linda asked. Everyone in the office knew about Logan Darlington from the newspaper articles, and Chelsea had told her about their trip to Scotland.
“It’s about Logan and jealous girlfriends who are beyond evil and not knowing what they are capable of doing. It’s about being tired of living in fear,” Chelsea sobbed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t burden you with my problems.”
“Hey, I consider you a friend. If you are hurting and I can help, please let me.”
Chelsea went on to tell her about Vanessa’s threats at the market, and the black sheep left on her doorstep. “My Da spent a lot of time and money building that castle for my mother. It's more than a place to live; it's full of love and sweat and hard work. If it were to burn down because of some jealous girlfriend, I just couldn’t handle it. It’s easier to just walk away from it all and move on with my life.”
“Do you love Logan?” Linda asked.
Chelsea looked at her friend and nodded. “That’s the hard part. I do, but I can’t live in fear. I just can’t, and I won’t.”
“Well, I’m not going to tell you what to do because you seem to have made up your mind, and I know how stubborn you are," Linda said, giving Chelsea a slight smile. “But, I’m here whenever you need my shoulder to cry on.”
Chelsea smiled and hugged her friend. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. I’ll get through this, I know it.”
Walking back to her desk, Chelsea noticed a large vase full of roses and heather that had been delivered to her desk.
“Lucky girl,” Bill said as he walked by her desk.
“Where did these come from?” Chelsea asked.
“Someone dropped them down at the front desk,” Bill said. "You weren't around, so I went to get them for you. Must be love. That’s quite a few roses.”
Chelsea opened the small card that was tucked between the stems and opened it up. My life is incomplete without you in it. Please. Let’s talk. Logan
Chelsea looked at the roses, threw the card in the garbage, and picked up the vase. Bringing it into the lounge, she put it on the table. She knew if she threw them out, people would ask her questions, so instead, she put them where others could enjoy them, and she didn't have to see them. No matter how much he begged, she was done with Logan Darlington.
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Vanessa held out her hand as the young Asian girl began filing her nails. She was going out on a date that night and wanted to look her best.
“So, I put her in her place. No one messes with me,” Vanessa said to the young girl after she had told her all about Logan and Chelsea. The young girl just nodded silently.
“I have a date tonight with Albert Werner. Have you ever heard of him?” she asked the girl who just shrugged and shook her head.
“Well, he’s very, very rich and very influential. He’s been chasing me for quite some time actually, and I’ve always brushed him off, but tonight I figured why not,” Vanessa said as the girl finished up the last of Vanessa’s nails. She started seeing Albert shortly after she broke off with Henrick Porter.
Vanessa held out her hands, looked at her nails, and nodded. “Very nice job. Thank you.”
The young girl nodded and got up, leading her over to where an older gentleman stood at the register.
“I hope you are happy with your nails,” the man said as he rang in the total.
“Very much so, although she doesn't speak much," Vanessa said, handing him her credit card.
“She doesn’t speak English. She understands a bit but not much,” the man chuckled, handing Vanessa her receipt.
Vanessa looked at the girl and smiled, handing her a $10-bill. She walked out of the salon and headed towards the lingerie store. Although this was her first date with Albert, she wanted to make sure she was prepared. If she had her way, Albert would be lying naked in her bed by the end of the evening − and she always got what she wanted. After things didn’t work out with Henrick, she hoped that the evening would go a lot better, and it would become a permanent relationship.
Chapter 17
“Chelsea. It’s Logan. Please call me back. I have an offer on your estate that I need to discuss with you.” Logan left a message on Chelsea’s machine, disappointed he hadn’t caught her and hoping she called back soon. Her home had been on the market for a few weeks, and finally, someone was interested in it. They didn’t want to see the place in person, but they wanted to purchase it, and he knew that would make Chelsea happy.
“Logan? Sorry, I was out in the garden. You said you had a buyer?” Chelsea said when she called Logan back half an hour later.
“Hi, Chelsea. How have you been?” he asked, feeling his heart skip a beat at the sound of her voice.
“Fine. Did they agree to my price?”
“He’s actually offering ten thousand over. He’s from out of town, Switzerland, I believe,” Logan said. “Everything will be handled through a lawyer.”
“So, he doesn't want to come to see the castle beforehand?”
“No. He said his business partner sent him photos and he wants to buy it.”
“Doesn’t that sound strange to you?”
“Well, sometimes people who work overseas need to get a house if they are moving to the area. It does happen. I’m just waiting for the paperwork to come through. When I get it, I’ll bring it over for you to look at.”
Chelsea hesitated for a moment then realized that if she wanted the castle sold and Logan was going to be the one selling it, she would have to see him in person. “Yes, that will be fine,” she said quickly before hanging up. Seeing Logan was going to be hard, she only hooped. She would be able to remain calm.
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Karl Von Guten sat back in his chair and smiled to himself. The pictures that Elias had sent him were perfect. Lots of land, exactly what he wanted. It would be a shame to tear down the castle, especially now he had researched it and found out why it was built, but he wasn’t a man of romance. He was a businessman, and his sole purpose was to make money. His goal was to open a Von Guten Water Park, and the land was perfect. Hopefully, the woman selling would agree to his price. After all, he had discovered that she needed money, so he had softened the deal by adding an extra couple of thousand, and he was sure she would bend.