Chapter 44 A Dress to Impress
Xena was nothing if not dedicated to flaunting her success, her intentions could not have been more transparent.
Louis let Xena embrace him for a while before gently pushing her aside.
Xena, eager to show off, twirled around in her dress and asked Louis, "Louis, what do you think of my wedding dress?"
Louis nodded, "Yeah, it's beautiful."
Following his nod, Louis's gaze drifted to Paige.
Xena immediately latched onto Louis's arm, "Louis, I had my sister come to help me choose a dress. She's got a good eye and immediately loved the one I'm wearing."
Before Xena could continue, her assistant rushed over with a phone in hand.
After taking a call, the smile on Xena's face all but disappeared.
She turned to Louis and said, "Something's come up at the company, I can't do the dress fitting this afternoon. Louis, I'm sorry."
Paige had come at her request, and with Xena's own company crisis taking her away, there was no blaming Paige.
Paige simply gestured, "I've got to get to work, I'm out of here."
Right now, Xena was too preoccupied with corporate crises to indulge in any bragging contests with Paige. But she knew one thing for certain: under no circumstances could she leave Louis and Paige alone together.
So, Xena grasped Louis' arm, "Hey Louis, wait up. I'll go with you."
Louis had been considering asking Paige for her phone number, but he realized that Xena had enough pull to summon Paige to such an exclusive venue. Pressing for her contact details in front of Xena might backfire, potentially putting Paige in an awkward spot with Xena.
He stood by, waiting for Xena to finish changing out of her wedding dress.
He casually asked, "Is something wrong?"
Linking her arm through Louis', Xena spoke up, "Just a little issue with the new project. I need to head back to the office to handle it. Louis, how about we grab dinner together tonight?"
Louis gently disengaged his arm from her grasp, "I've got a lot on my plate, with the wedding and everything. Company matters to attend to. You wouldn't want to join the Carnegie family only to find my uncle usurping all my authority, right?"
Xena certainly didn't want to face that kind of fallout.
"In the future, you could come look at the wedding dresses yourself. You understand that I'm no expert at picking these things. If you need a second opinion, I'll hire a professional to give you better advice soon."
To the casual listener, Louis' words would seem harmless, but for two people on the cusp of marriage, his tone was all business, devoid of any emotion.
Xena, clearly unhappy, managed to hold back her feelings, taking her grandmother's advice to heart; no matter what happened between her and Louis leading up to the wedding, she had to endure. Once she formally became Mrs. Carnegie, everything would be easier to manage.
Though she hadn't thoroughly tried on all the wedding gowns, Xena felt she had achieved her goal for now.
"Alright, I'll check the dresses out on my own next time. Louis, I've got to head back and deal with the issue."
Compromising was merely a temporary strategy.
After they parted ways, Louis immediately called one of his subordinates, "Where is she?"
"Waiting for a ride," came the response.
Louis pressed, "Keep a close eye on her, I'm on my way."
With that, he hurriedly dashed to his car and drove toward Paige's location.
Fortunately, he got there quickly, and Paige was still waiting.
He pulled the car up swiftly in front of her.
Peering out the window, he offered, "Need a lift?"
Paige hadn't expected Xena to let Louis go without clinging to his side. But there he was, coming on his own. She would have called the four to pick her up earlier if it weren't for their flashy cars drawing too much attention on the streets, and there wouldn’t be a chance for Louis to have caught up with her.
Better to get into the car than to tussle with Louis who was driving his luxury ride in broad daylight. Paige yanked open the passenger door and slid into the seat.
Louis asked, "Where to?"
Buckling up, Paige replied, "Look, I may not be rich, but I can afford cab fare, so next time, there's no need for Mr. Carnegie to play chauffeur."
Louis hadn't anticipated such a blunt rejection, "Paige, I just wanted to make amends for you. Xena made a mistake, and somehow your signature ended up on the paperwork handed to me. Is it because of your mom? Are they still using her to force you into doing dirty work for the Sacklers? Or maybe, to take the fall for them?"
Paige glanced at Louis, a cold smile flickering across her face, "This isn't the first time. What's there to be surprised about?"
Seeing her indifferent demeanor, Louis was so agitated that he slammed on the brakes just after starting the car, "Paige, do you really want to go to prison again?"
"It was just five years," Paige shot back, "Louis, surely you haven't forgotten that you played a part in me ending up there."
Facing Paige, bitter frustration in his voice, Louis said, "I had no choice five years ago. Circumstances overruled everything. You were only safe inside. You understand? If you were out here, I couldn't protect you. The Sackler’s matriarch wanted your mother and you out of the picture."
Eyes laced with sarcasm, Paige retorted, "So, you're saying you framed me for my own good?"
Louis knew she would never forgive him. He could offer compensation, but he was tied down, with a forced engagement to Xena Sackler.
Louis's fist hit the steering wheel and Paige simply said, "I should take a cab."
After unfastening her seatbelt, Paige made a move to open the door, but Louis quickly locked it, "Paige, where are you living now? What's your number? How are you getting by?"
Trapped inside, Paige turned toward Louis, her glare sharp with a hint of danger, and Louis was momentarily shaken by the intensity of her stare.
"I have to help you," Louis said, "Consider it a debt I owe, my penance. Okay?"
"Easy, Mr. Hodge, we're hardly buddies. Open the door, or I'm smashing my way out!" Paige announced boldly, her elbow poised mid-air.
Louis wasn't afraid she'd actually damage his car windows; they were custom-reinforced, after all. However, he was worried about her delicate arm potentially taking the hit and coming off worse for wear in a collision with the glass.
"Alright, I'll open the door," he conceded quickly, "Just give me one way to contact you, okay?"
Paige let out a chilly laugh, "Louis, my contact details would be nothing but trouble for you."
It was clear that Paige was not interested in Louis being able to reach her. Impatience was evident in her eyes.
Defeated, Louis unlocked the door. Paige yanked it open and immediately flagged down a cab.
Once seated in the passenger seat, she commanded, "Mister, get rid of the car behind us."
The driver pushed his cap up and responded with a crisp "Got it!"
Paige froze; that voice was uncannily familiar.
