Chapter 11 : Ambushed

**Luke POV Standing on the edge of the crowd, I waited for Cat to come back. The blush on her cheeks, that innocent look in her eyes… I wanted to see it again. "Luke!" I cringed as soon as my name reached me, the voice sending a shiver down my spine. "Mom," I muttered, clenching my jaw. My mom appeared through the crowd and ran right up to me. She was all smiles as she patted my cheek. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "We heard about your success with this development and thought we'd come celebrate with you," she said, beaming another smile at me. I crossed my arms and leaned casually against the wall. "We?" "There he is! There's my genius son!" My father's voice boomed through the venue. Groaning, I rolled my eyes. It wasn't that I didn't love my parents. I did. They were great and supportive. They were also really proud of me. So proud they had to advertise it everywhere. "Hi, Dad," I grumbled. My father clapped me on the shoulder and gave me an affectionate shake. "Thanks for coming." "What are you doing hiding in the corner over here?" my mother asked. She waved over the rest of the crowd. "I was actually waiting for my new architect to come back from a bathroom break," I explained. "Oh, that young woman who just graduated?" my mom asked. She glanced around, as if she could find Cat in the crowd. "Catherine Walker," I said with a nod. "She's very promising." "Is she going to help on this project?" my father asked. "Of course. This is her big debut. She should be back soon. Would you like to meet her?" I asked. "Yes, please. What are you doing tomorrow, dear?" my mom asked. She grabbed my hand. "I'm not sure, yet. I don't have any plans," I said, shrugging. "It is going to be a nice day. We're not in town long. We'd love to spend the day with you and Victoria," my mom said. "You can show us all the progress you've made on that local development," my father suggested. "Right. Well…" I sighed. I hadn't told my parents yet that Victoria and I weren't together anymore. She was the reason I'd been more enraptured than usual the night I spent with Cat. In hindsight, I was almost grateful for Victoria's outburst. Cat and I both knew we couldn't do that again. Least of all because I was her boss. Still, it had been a night to remember. "Actually, Victoria and I…" "We what?" Victoria's voice sang close by. A hand gripped my shoulder with a delicate, feminine grip. I glanced sideways and saw Victoria standing there. Arching an eyebrow at her, I pursed my lips. "Victoria?" I asked. What was going on? Why did everyone decide to show up at the same time? Was this some kind of conspiracy? "Come on, love. Your parents don't visit a lot. We should spend the day with them," she said, likcing her glossy lips. Now wasn't the time to cause a big scene, but a bit of rage boiled up inside of me as I thought she must be conspiring to get me back. I would make sure our current state was clear as soon as I got a chance–out of the view of the publis. "Wonderful! I'll plan breakfast and lunch. We will see the new development. It will be a great day," my mom said. "I can't wait, Mrs. Carter," Victoria said, sweetly. I cringed inwardly. I knew that voice. It sounded sweet, but I knew that it was really malicious. Victoria didn't care about my parents or their approval. "Oh, you're so good for my son. I'm so glad the two of you are together," my mother said. She patted Victoria's cheek. "I'll make sure we all have fun tomorrow." "I'm sure you will," I said, smiling at her. "We should go mingle." I put my arm around Victoria's waist and pulled her away from my parents, half dragging her in the opposite direction of some potential investors. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I'm being a good girlfriend and making a public appearance at your big event," she said, smiling and waving to a couple she knew. "Lying to my parents about us being together? That's the 'good girlfriend' thing to do?" I growled, shaking my head. "Oh, Luke, you do have a flair for the dramatic. We didn't really break up," she said. "We didn't?" I asked. I stopped walking and raised an eyebrow at her. Victoria smiled sweetly at me and batted her thick eyelashes. "Well, not officially. We're just on a break, remember?" she asked, biting her lower lip seductively. "That's not how I remember it," I muttered, crossing my arms. "Please, Luke. We don't have to say anything. Not here, not with your parents. It wouldn't look good." Victoria cupped my elbow with her hand, giving off the impression that we were having an amicable conversation to anyone watching us. I sighed and flicked my eyes sideways. She was worried about how it would look to publicly announce we were broken up. Sure, Victoria and I had had fun. She was from a prominent family like mine. We just weren't right for each other. Victoria's eyelids drooped, and she pressed her hand to my chest. "You know, there are other reasons not to make a big public statement," she said, laughing lightly. "Really?" I asked, creasing my brow. "Well, this project for one." Victoria held her arms out to the room. "You're still looking for investors. My dad isn't going to sell you the land for the development until you have your investors." "The deal is already made," I said, clenching my jaw and forcing words through gritted teeth. "Yes, but it isn't legally binding. You think my dad would sell to you if he found out we broke up? You'd have nowhere for your Caribbean project without his land," she reminded me with a smug grin. Stiffly, I stretched my lips into as pleasant a smile as I could muster. Her statement was so close to being a threat, so close to being blackmail. Unfortunately, she was right. Her father had yet to fully sign his property in the Caribbean over to me. Until I had the signed deed in hand, I couldn't risk jeopardizing the deal. Victoria didn't have to outright say she'd find a way to sabotage me. I knew her father well enough to know that on principle, he wouldn't do business with me if we broke up. Looping my arm around her waist again, we walked through the crowd. "Fine. We will play this game until the deal is finalized," I muttered in her ear. "That's a good boy. You want to stay in my father's good graces." Victoria released a condescending laugh. "Don't get too comfortable. The moment the deal is signed, I'll announce our breakup," I assured her. Victoria shrugged and put her arm around my back, playing the affectionate girlfriend. I swallowed the growl that rose in my throat and approached a group of prospective investors. "Mr. Carter, we were just discussing the details of this project," one of the investors said, an Italian man that ran a chain of international hotels. "And what are your thoughts, Mr. Giovani?" I asked. "I'd like to know more about this piece of property," he said. "Victoria will have those answers. It is family land." I nodded to Victoria. "You'd love it, Mr. Giovani," she gushed, clutching her hands over her heart. "It is on a small, quaint island that hardly has any tourists. It is the perfect place to get a large development foothold." I began to tune out Victoria's description. I'd seen the island. There was no need to listen to her describe the white sandy beaches, clear blue oceans, and all the palm trees. Despite our current situation, Victoria had fantastic marketing skills. I had to hand it to her, she could sell almost anything. My parents thought we were an excellent power couple that could conquer the world. They whole-heartedly approved of us getting married. Maybe at one time, I'd considered it. She was beautiful, and she knew the business. That hadn't been enough to make our relationship work, though. I wasn't even sure if I wanted it too. It was a good match, but I thought I wanted more than just a "good match." I would have much rather had a girlfriend or wife that I found interesting, that challenged me, kept me on my toes. Someone I could have fun with and feel passionate about. Victoria didn't stir those feelings in me. If anything, she just aggravated me. She was still talking the Italian investor's ear off. I started scanning the venue. My parents were by one of the appetizer tables, looking over a fine charcuterie board. Absently, I wandered away from Victoria and went to the podium at the front of the venue. Everyone who came had signed in. It was a good way to check for how many people were interested in investing. If they left call back numbers, that was a good sign. I flipped through the guest log and smirked as I saw how many call back numbers had been left. This was looking really good. Victoria sauntered over and peered around my shoulder. "Wow, you've got a lot of interest," she commented. "My dad will be very happy." "I know," I said. "Luke, dear, we've got to get checked into our hotel. Will you come with us and show us your office?" my mom asked as she and my dad joined me too. "Yeah…" With a gust of wind, Cat ran by, her hair a mess and her face red. I only caught a glimpse of her as she disappeared out the front door, but I could tell she was upset. "Honey?" my mom asked. "Hang on. I've got to go check on something." I set the sign in book down and followed Cat out of the venue. The parking lot was full of town cars and limos. The drivers were wandering around, chatting with each other. I searched for Cat. On the far end of the parking lot, I saw her sliding into the car, Leon shutting the door. Before I took two steps, he was in the driver's seat pulling out of the lot. "D*amn," I muttered. "Paul," I called to my driver, waving him down. "Yes, Mr. Carter?" he asked, hurrying across the lot to meet me halfway. "Do you know where Leon was taking that young woman?" "Our cars are linked with GPS tracking, per your request," Paul said. "Can I get that GPS tracking in the Lamborghini?" I asked. "Of course," Paul nodded. I grinned. "Bring me the keys, please." Paul smirked and nodded. "It would be my pleasure, sir."