CHAPTER 10: Haven (Part 2)
At about seven o´clock, when Chloe was stretched out on the sofa with her brand-new state-of-the-art laptop and Lex was sprawled in an armchair opposite her, nursing a snifter of vintage brandy, Lisbeth knocked gently on the door of the library and stepped inside.
¨Sorry to disturb you, darlings. There´s a young man to see you, Alexander, ¨she announced. ¨He hasn´t told me his name. He said you´d know who he is. ¨
¨A young man? ¨frowned Chloe, shooting a questioning glance at Lex.
¨What does he look like, Lisbeth? ¨asked Lex.
¨Well-off, good-looking, brooding... ¨
¨It isn´t Clark, then. But... who else knows you might be here? ¨asked the blonde reporter with a hint of nervousness that didn´t pass unnoticed by Lex.
¨Don´t worry, Chloe. I do know who he is. Tell him I´ll see him in the study, Lisbeth. He´s a friend, Chloe. I trust him implicitly, ¨he responded, giving her hand a squeeze.
¨I´ve already shown him to the study, Alexander. I´ll tell Suzy to prepare something light, in case he hasn´t had dinner yet. ¨
¨That´d be nice, Lisbeth, ¨he thanked his grandmother with a sincere smile before she left the room.
¨Lex, is everything all right? ¨ asked Chloe, sensing the tension which had suddenly seized the billionaire.
¨I´ve got everything under control. He promised to do something for me and must be here to keep me up to speed, ¨answered the young tycoon.
¨What exactly have you asked him to do? ¨she queried, setting her feet on the floor and leaving the laptop on the coffee table.
¨He´s doing some digging for me. I´d rather do it myself, but I don´t want my name connected with it. ¨
¨If I had an internet connection... ¨started Chloe.
¨I don´t want you to meddle in this business, Chloe, ¨he cut her off. ¨I won´t risk losing you again. ¨
¨I know, but... ¨
¨Chloe, ¨he warned her. ¨You´re here to recover and be safe. Let´s not jeopardise that, ¨he added gravely.
¨It´s just that I feel so useless, Lex. Your grandmother´s wonderful and she´s made me feel at home, but I´m itching to come back to work. ¨
¨Why do you think I´ve brought you the laptop, Chloe? ¨
¨Don´t get me wrong, Lex. I love the present and I´ve started working on something, but what´s the use if it´ll never see the light. ¨
¨Maybe you should work on something more ambitious. ¨
¨More ambitious? ¨
¨Yes. Instead of writing articles that won´t be printed in the short-term, why not write something that might be published in the long run? ¨
¨Such as? ¨
¨How about a book based on your experience as a high school reporter? You know, growing up in Smallville. I bet you´ve got hundreds of stories to recount. It´d be sort of a wall-of-the-weird on paper. ¨
¨Do you think there´d be someone interested in printing it, least of all reading it?¨
¨There´s an audience for everything, Chloe, and people love a good mystery. ¨
¨I guess it´d help me while away the hours. However, I wouldn´t be doing much to help you. ¨
¨You´re doing a lot more than you think, Chloe, ¨he responded, cupping her face in his hands.
¨I don´t see how... ¨she started before he silenced her with a lingering kiss on her mouth.
¨You don´t have to stay up waiting for me. I don´t know how long this´ll take, ¨he added when he broke the kiss.
¨Lex? ¨Chloe called him when he opened the mahogany doors. ¨Will I meet him? ¨
¨I don´t know if he´s staying the night. ¨
¨Well-off, good-looking, brooding... he seems like my kind of guy, ¨she smiled.
¨Should I be jealous? ¨he cocked an eyebrow.
¨Is he richer than you are? You know I´m a high-maintenance kind of girl. ¨
¨Oh, yes. Poor me. Internet flat fees are too expensive nowadays and... come to think of it... you spend a fortune on vintage clothes. ¨
¨Are you criticising my wardrobe, Luthor?¨she feigned being offended.
¨You´re an original, Chloe. You know I love the way you dress, ¨he smirked.
¨OK, go. And tell your friend I´m looking forward to meeting him, ¨she finished, plopping down on the sofa and retrieving her laptop. ¨I´ll play some solitaires and then, I´ll go up to my room with a volume from Lisbeth´s well-stocked library. ¨
¨Sleep tight, ¨he answered, locking her eyes briefly with the blonde´s, letting her see a fleeting look of yearning which tug at her heart strings. She had come to feel the pull constantly when he was around her and missed his nearness when he was away. She knew the inevitable was approaching, and she treasured his effort to let her be the one to decide when to take the following step- a difficult concession for a man used to taking what he wanted whenever he pleased.
¨You, too, Lex, ¨she whispered, as he stepped into the corridor.
