As soon as the Count handed her the card, he excused himself, telling her he would have liked to stay longer, but he had other prior commitments. Still, he would be expecting her call.
Then, he moved toward the exit, saying goodbye to Mr. Ramon and the other organizers. But she noticed that he turned to her again, looking at her one last time before he was out the door.
Luisa wondered what the man saw as he took a sudden interest in her. "What an odd, old man?" She mumbled, contemplating if she should even be thinking about him.
He could be some random rich guy who had too much money and had nothing better to do with his time but to go around and play the charitable Samaritan.
Then, he found her and was intrigued by a street mouse like her. Well, yeah. She did not see anything that would fascinate a man like him toward her except pity.
But honestly, that man came swirling like a tornado, sweeping everybody off their feet with his charms. Then he swiftly flew away, promising something beautiful in his wake, carrying their hearts with him as he left.
Well, she could not help it. As much as she did not want to like their unexpected visitor, he was, without a doubt, a charismatic man.
"What do you think?" Luisa asked her friend, who suddenly appeared behind her.
"He seems to be a wonderful man. Look at what he did today and what he promised to do for the Shelter." Noreen replied with awe. "If only he could be my long-lost grandfather?" She said dreamily.
Both knew that her grandfather was a drunk who did not contribute anything productive to society. Maybe she would not have had to work more than two jobs to support herself in school if her grandfather had been a better man.
Then, her hands touched the card as she cleaned the table, almost forgetting that he had handed it to her earlier. But before she could look at the details, she also saw the cane that the man had left behind.
"I think he left this." Luisa quickly grabbed it and sprinted to the door, hoping she could still catch them outside.
The cane did look expensive, seeing the big stones around its handle. Could it be real? Probably. So, she had to return it to him because it might be valuable.
But as she shouted his name to stop him, she did not expect who she saw standing close to the good Samaritan. Who else but her boss? If she was shocked, he appeared surprised to see her too.
"Oh, thank you, my sweet child, for returning this to me." Julius turned to her, seeing the cane in her hand. "This is very valuable to me since this belonged to my great-grandfather."
She was surprised to hear that. It would mean that it was already a family heirloom, a piece of priceless treasure almost lost in this place.
It gave her the chill just thinking about its value, not monetarily but to the people who appreciated its true worth. Not everything needed a price tag, but even a rag could have sentimental value to its owner.
"Oh, it is nothing, Sir." She said, suddenly realizing who this man might be if the Prince called him grandfather. "I meant, Your Highness."
Now, her interest also increased in seeing the two in her neighborhood. Could it be more than just a coincidence or a stroke of fate? But what had destiny got to do with this?
Suddenly, she remembered her conversation with the Prince at the parking lot. Was this the man he referred to, who wished to see her and discuss something about her identity?
But what did these royalties have to do with her?
Now, she was more confused than ever because this was too much for her. It was insane to consider that they knew anything about her.
"Sir, I did not know that he was your grandfather." Luisa finally turned to her boss, acknowledging his presence.
Her eyes shifted from one face to the other, finally seeing the resemblance. She was correct in her earlier assumption. They did have identical eye colors and shapes.
"Well, he is." Liam casually answered, not taking his eyes away from his grandfather, who was now looking at him. "This is my grandfather, Count Julius Ashthorne." Introducing the man to her.
"I did not know that the two of you know each other, Liam." The Count answered with curiosity in his expression.
"Luisa is working as my assistant." She heard his boss respond to his grandfather.
"That is wonderful." The Count spoke excitedly as if that was the best news he had ever heard. "That means I will see more of you every day." He turned to her and smiled widely.
She could only smile in return, quite confused at the interaction between the grandfather and the grandson. It was like they were having hidden conversations that she could not understand.
How they stared at each other carried more meaning than the actual words they said. Luisa felt like she was suddenly in between a crossfire, a silent battle that she had no idea how it started.
"I guess so, Sir, if you will be in the office." Luisa reluctantly answered but felt she had to say something.
"I think we need to leave now, Sir." Suddenly, a man in a suit with earplugs on his ear came to Liam's side.
Her eyes turned around, realizing they had attracted a few people on the sidewalk. They must have seen the two men who did not seem to belong in this place, making them curious about their presence.
"Grandpapa, shall we go?" Her boss guided him to the open door. Once inside, he turned to her. "Do you know how to drive?"
Of course, she did, but how would he know? It was not as if she had placed on her resume that she was a drag racer.
"Yes." She finally answered, unsure why he would ask her that. Then, she suddenly saw a set of keys flying in her direction. Automatically, her hands moved to catch it, landing just in between her fingers.
"My car is over there. Drive it to the office tomorrow morning. Don't let anything scratch its paint." Liam instructed, pointing to an expensive sports car on the other side of the street.
What was he doing to her? Give her a heart attack. A car like that would be carnapped in this place with a snap of her finger. She could not park that in their street tonight.
But before she could protest, he had already closed the door, and the car started moving away. She looked at the key in her hand and the car on the other side of the street.
"That is some sick ride. Can you take me on a spin in that?" Noreen once again appeared behind her.
Her timing had always been impeccable, arriving when the coast was clear.
She could, slightly feeling excited to have her hands on such a machine. It was not every day that she had an opportunity like this. But what to do with the car afterward?