Chapter 56 Raymond Carnegie is My Uncle
Disbelief shadowed Paige's face as she confronted Louis, "Your what?"
"My home," Louis clarified. "I had no idea you worked here, Paige. Had I known, I would've arranged something more comfortable for you."
Mid-conversation, Sean, who had been descending the staircase, caught a glimpse of the scene, shuddered, and almost stumbled back in shock. Thank goodness for quick reflexes, he was able to grab the railing in time to avoid falling.
Steadying himself, Sean quickly turned and raced upstairs to find Bradley.
Bradley patted his thigh, visibly annoyed, "Why did Louis come back now? Has he already talked to Paige?"
Sean nodded, "Yeah, I was worried about my presence blowing our cover, so I ducked out."
Bradley frowned deeply, "Show me the surveillance screen, let's see what's going on. And make sure to tell the others to stay away; don't screw things up."
Meanwhile, Paige was oblivious to Louis's remarks that followed. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Job’s estate was Louis’ home.
Lost in her thoughts, Paige didn't notice Louis watching her. He was wondering if she was regretting her hasty marriage. After all, in Northwind, few could match his status.
Louis, due to the unexpected circumstance had completely forgotten what he was supposed to do there that morning. As he was still trying to remember, a delicate voice sliced through the air, "Grandpa, I've come to visit you."
That voice snapped Louis back to reality. Turning around, he caught sight of Xena Sackler stepping into the room.
Indeed, Xena had called Louis’ mother, Francesca, wanting to pay Bradly a visit and hoping that Louis would come along. Louis had made it in time, though he hadn't expected to bump into Paige at the villa.
Although they had just met at the bridal shop, the encounter at the villa was a real surprise for Louis, and for Xena.
The moment she entered the villa and saw Louis's back to her, a bewildered Xena made a beeline for Paige, completely abandoning any pretense of poise.
Xena lunged at Paige, hand raised, but Louis was quick to grab Xena's wrist, pulling her back with a firm grip.
Undeterred, Xena lashed out bitterly at Paige, "Paige, you just can't leave us in peace, can you? Didn’t you just get married? And yet you have the nerve to follow Louis here; you're shameless! After Grandma gave you a chance by providing for your mother and letting you work for our family... How could you stoop so low? Your engagement to Louis was a sham, and now as a wedded woman you still entangle him, showing up at his door; what are you really after?"
Xena Sackler was practically quivering with agitation, treading the floors of the Carnegie family estate, a place she'd scarcely visited before. How on earth had Paige found her way here? Was she really determined to steal her man?
Xena was acutely aware that with Louis's status, he could wield considerable power within Northwind. If Paige managed to marry him, it would turn her life around completely. Her past incarcerations or scandalous reputation would be irrelevant; she'd be reborn.
But Louis was the man Xena had her eyes on, and their wedding was just around the corner.
While Xena was unleashing a tirade, Paige had a singular question in her mind: the Jobs family, the Carnegies. What exactly was the connection?
How deeply were Carnegies and Hawke Corporation involved in those secret funds?
It was all wrong, terribly wrong. Nothing her mentor had taught her included a mention of the Carnegies. Though they reigned at the pinnacle of Northwind's elite, the Carnegies still fell short of the world's top-tier families.
With furrowed brows and eyes devoid of the thunderous storm brewing within Xena, Paige was detached.
Louis, however, firmly held Xena at bay, not letting her advance on Paige, asserting, "You've got it all wrong. Paige isn't like that."
Paige didn't hear her own name being uttered, but to Xena, it was as if a knife had been plunged viciously into her heart.
Her voice pitched higher, Xena retorted, "Paige? How affectionately you say her name, dear Louis."
Louis frowned, realizing that he and Paige had hardly had a decent conversation when Xena barged in.
To Paige, Xena was unbearably noisy, disrupting her ability to think.
She cut to the chase, "I'm not interested in your man. I didn't follow him; I work here."
Of course, Xena wouldn't buy it, "Are trying to fool me?"
Paige pointed to a vase behind her, clarifying, "I'm a maid in this villa, and I only found out just now that it belongs to Louis. Since it's your place..."
Before Paige could finish, Xena scoffed, "A maid? Right, you don't have the education or job experience. No wonder you can't land a decent job out there. The life of a maid, such menial labor that only requires a pair of working hands, does indeed seem to fit the bill for you."
Enthralled by the sudden reversal in her position to that of a maid, Xena Sackler's anger dissipated as quickly as it had flared.
Shaking off Louis's grip, she circled Paige with a raised brow, "But, when Grandma and I came by last time, how come you weren't around?"
Paige countered with a question of her own, "How many people are in your family?"
The Carnegies had barely registered on Paige's radar; she'd always kept her plans separate from them. The only Carnegie she knew was Louis, and though she had an invite to the Hawke Corporation's anniversary bash, she'd never given their family affairs much thought.
But now, with Louis's casual claim that this Jobs’ mansion was his family's, Paige's interest in the Carnegies was piqued.
Ignoring Xena's inquiry completely, Paige's gaze fastened onto Louis.
"My grandpa, my mom, my uncle, and me," Louis listed, pointedly omitting Xena, his bride-to-be.
Xena, clearly miffed, cut in, "Since you're the maid here, shouldn't you be busy elsewhere?"
Paige spared Xena a fleeting glance before continuing her interrogation of Louis, "Would you mind sharing your family members' names?"
It struck Paige as strange that in all her time working here, she'd never once encountered the homeowners.
If not for her run-in with Louis today, she wouldn't have linked the villa with the Carnegies.
Impatient for answers, Paige asked bluntly, she had no intention of waiting for Pearl to dig up information on the Carnegie family members.
Louis was puzzled by her question. Since he and his mother didn't live there, it was reasonable for Paige to be unaware of them.
But how could she not know Grandpa and Raymond’s name?
"Does a maid have to know the names of her employers?" Paige retorted.
Feeling slightly foolish for his earlier musings, Louis realized how wrong he must have assumed, because how could she not even know Raymond's name.
"My Grandpa’s name is Bradley," Louis responded with a casual air, "My uncle’s name is Raymond Carnegie, and my mother's Francesca. You know her name, right?"
Raymond Carnegie.
Paige took two steps forward, her gaze fixed on Louis's eyes. "What did you say? What's your uncle’s name?"
Louis thought Paige didn't catch it the first time, so he repeated, "Raymond Carnegie."
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