Chapter 48

Luke rose from the chair when he saw her.
"Babe oh God!" he murmured. His voice was full of longing for her.
Seeing her here brought a little smile on his lips though she broke her heart when she ran away from him again. But he could forgive and forget. Her presence now was the most important to him. He slowly walked to her.
"Sir, Sir Reed is here to see you,” Beth announced with eyes full of pity for him.
He halted and his brows knitted. He clenched his fists. He thought Beth was Isabelle.
"F*ck!" he cursed. He was seeing things again.
He turned from Beth and raked his fingers through his hair. He took the bottle of brandy on the table and drank some of it. Reed uttered something as he looked at his cousin’s back.
"Beth can you make your Sir Luke a cup of black coffee? Make it a strong one please,” he told her and she nodded.
But before she left she said to Reed in a voice which Luke couldn’t hear, “Sir Luke has been drinking since this morning.”
Reed shook his head but released a small smile at Beth.
"What do you want?!" Luke asked coldly before sitting again on one of the chairs .
"If you don’t want to fix yourself you might as well sell all your hotels and resorts. I can't handle everything. Have you forgotten that I am just your assistant? You’ve been like that for close to seven months,” Reed sighed and sat on the chair next to him.
" I pay you a lot of money to do the job so why are you complaining? I will give you another raise,” he said irritably.
Reed shook his head. After their talk at Luke’s parents’ house, they were back to being like brothers again which was a good thing. Luke offered his old job back and he accepted. He trusted him a lot so he wanted him back. Reed preferred working for him than have a job at his own father’s company. The former was easier to deal with. But the problem started when Isabelle left for the second time. Luke lost interest in his businesses and didn’t want to do anything but to drink and hire people to find Isabelle who just disappeared without any trace. Luke’s dad and mother started helping him to run all the business because he couldn’t do it alone.
"I feel so f*cking useless! She didn’t leave the country but I can’t find her!” he said bitterly while looking at the pool.
"It’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t want to be found. Issa will go back if she wants to. Try not to overdo it. Get your life back while you wait for her. You know your wife loves you…”
"F*cking shit! If she loves me she won’t leave me again!” he furiously said.
Reed chose not to comment. He and Luke’s family tried to talk to him to take a grip of himself but he never listened. They couldn’t blame him since they knew how much he loved his wife.
"I think I am going crazy. Everyday I see her. In the bedroom, in the living room, in the car even here. When I come closer to her I would soon realized it wasn’t her. It was either Tina or Beth!” he released a hollow laugh.
"You are seeing things because you are always drunk. Pull yourself together. You don’t want Issa to see you in this state when she returns, do you?"
He laughed bitterly. “The million dollar question is, will she ever come back? With what she did, I am f*cking sure that she doesn't give a damn about me anyway. I am just so stupid hoping that she will return to me,” he said bitterly before gulping the alcohol in his glass.
Reed rose. He knew that there was no use talking to his cousin as usual since he was drunk again. They might just end up arguing because he was under the spirit of alcohol.
"I will leave this folder here. Mr. Lawson’s proposal is inside. Your father wants you to read it first before we do the next step. Just ask your driver to bring them to the office tomorrow. I’m sure you will not step in the office anyway.” he tapped Luke’s shoulder. "I will see and talk to you again when you have it all together. Go easy on the booze. You don’t want your liver to suffer, " he reminded him before leaving.
Luke just raised the bottle to his cousin as a way of saying goodbye before gulping the remaining content. It had been an hour since Reed left but he was still staring at the pool without really seeing it.
***
"Luke!" called an angry but worried female voice.
He groaned. He opened his eyes but immediately shut them too.
"F*CK!!" he cursed when he had a glimpse of the glare of the sun. He covered his eyes.
“What are you doing to yourself?” his mother angrily asked.
‘Don’t yell,” he requested her. He felt like someone was hammering his head. He fell asleep on the chair because of too much alcohol.
"Are you trying to kill yourself? We don’t complain that we do all your tasks at work but what you are doing to yourself is unacceptable!” his mother said furiously.
She started to clear the bottles and she called Beth.
“Prepare breakfast. I’m sure my son hadn’t eaten dinner last night.”
“Not only dinner Ma’am. He didn’t eat the whole day yesterday!” Beth revealed and Luke’s mother gasped.
When Beth left, she sat next to him. She felt so sorry for her son and her heart was breaking. He looked like he hadn’t taken a shower for a few days. He was now sporting a beard. She would do everything to help him fix himself. She had no clue why Isabelle left him again but she didn’t want to judge her.
" You are slowly killing yourself! Please don't do this. You have to move on. If Isabelle loves you she will go back,” she said and she couldn’t help crying.
" Don't give me false hopes. I have given up. Just me give me more time. I’ll go back to work in a few days. Thank you for everything. I owe you and dad a lot. I know I have to cope with this pain. Just let me be for now. Please go," he requested throatily.
"I won’t go unless you eat and shower! I will give you one week to pull yourself together! If you don’t, I will really get angry with you!” his mother threatened.
(After two weeks)
As usual Luke had a grim face when his secretary came to his office.
"Sir you need to sign these,” she said.
He just nodded curtly. He was busy looking at some papers on his desk.
"Did you knock?!" he asked in a cold voice.
"I did sir. I knocked six times," she informed him courteously.
"Leave them. Go back after half an hour," he ordered chillingly.
After a few moments, Reed came in. He just threw him a glance then went back to the documents.
"Wow look who is working hard! Hello boss cousin!" he joked.
"F*ck off! I'm busy! "
Reed chuckled. Luke didn't say anything more but his forehead was creased as he read some documents.
"Glad to see you at work. It's about time. You can be grumpy but at least you are almost back to your old self," Reed commented with a smile. Still no reaction from Luke so he just shook his head. "Don't work too hard,” he advised.
***
It was almost 7 p.m . but Luke didn’t want to go home yet. He took a can of beer from his personal fridge. He was trying to bring his life back to normal but he still felt broken again like tonight. It was painful but he was getting numb that was why he could go back to work again. He gulped his booze.
Only three cans. Just to help me sleep. He told himself but the three cans became five, six..
"Babe!" a familiar female voice called him.
He was slouched on his swivel chair. "Go away!" he ordered without looking up.
"What? I just got here! I know you are angry. I'm very sorry I was gone for a long time," the voice said again.
He looked up. He saw Isabelle standing in front of his desk. He lowered his eyes again to look at the can of beer in his right hand.
"Stop playing with my mind and imagination!" he hissed before gulping some of the beer.
He was surprised when a hand grabbed the can. He frowned and raised his eyes. His wife's face had a scowl but she was more beautiful.
“You are drinking again!” she accused angrily.
"Babe are you really here?" he slowly raised his hand to touch her left arm.
She rolled her eyes then sat on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his nape.
"Do I feel like just your imagination?" she joked as she wrinkled her nose at him.
"Oh God babe!" he moaned and pulled her towards him then kissed her on the mouth.
They kissed passionately. They separated when they heard a knock. He cursed. He’d been waiting for this moment but someone interrupted them. Isabelle sighed then tried to rise from his lap.
"NO! Don't leave!" he held her tightly.
She smiled then gave him a peck on the lips. "I’m not leaving. I’ll just open the door, I promise,” she assured him.
"NO! I will go with you!” he declared and rose.
He didn't want to let go of her hand. He was afraid he would lose her again. Isabelle felt sorry for him but they would talk later. Anyway they have all the time in the world. She faced him and touched his cheek. Her eyes were full of love for him.
"I love you very much babe and I am sorry for leaving you. I really missed you. I will explain everything later but first let me show you,” she huskily said as they walk hand in hand to the door.
"Who hid you?" he asked frowning.
"Please don't be angry with her. Dianne just wanted to help. I promise that later we will talk."
Then the door opened.
"What the?!" he exclaimed. His body tensed. Isabelle was able to wriggle free of his hand and went to Dianne. His sister smiled at him and said sorry while he stared in shock to what she was carrying.
"Babe I want you meet our daughter," Isabelle announced before getting the baby in a pink newborn wrap from Dianne.
"M-my daughter?" he asked in a shaky voice and she nodded.
"Yes and your sons, " Isabelle added when Dianne pulled a triple stroller inside the room.