Chapter 2

Twenty-five calls had gone into her voice mail. She was obviously refusing to answer, and Albert could only hope she was just heading to her Chicago apartment.

He had made up his mind. Everything could go to hell. Nothing else mattered to him. He was just going to jump into his car and go find her. He stood up and decidedly walked towards the door, but before he could open it, someone did it from the other side, and he found himself face to face with the beautiful woman he was about to abandon.

"Annelisse..."

"William, I was about to leave a note for you..."

"A note?" Suddenly a feeling of deja vu ran through his body.

"I am leaving."

"Come in; we need to talk."

"William, there is no point in wasting our time."

"Annelisse, you know, don't you?"

She laughed. "William, the only ones who don't know are the two of you." She observed his expression and realized there was something different. "You were coming to find me..."

"Yes, I love her, and she loves me too. I'm sorry I've made you waste your time. And I'm willing to take responsibility in the matter...Your father..."

"My father thinks he can handle everybody like a puppeteer. Would your business be too implicated if you canceled the wedding?"

"Your father has a pretty solid contract against us."

"Put the blame on me. Tell him I've left."

"Annelisse, that would ruin your reputation."

"That would drive my father crazy; and believe me, driving my father crazy is one of the pleasures of this life."

"Annelisse, I can't accept that..."

"No, let me finish. I love Mark since we were fifteen, but my parents wouldn't have allowed it. However, now that I'm twenty-nine, I don't care. I have a career, a good job, and I'm clever enough not to expect to be anyone's puppet. So, I'm leaving. I won't continue to be a pawn on his chess board, and a little humility wouldn't hurt him."

"You love Mark?"

"Yes, I'm leaving with him. Do what you like, but if you see my father

getting very difficult, just tell him that his only heiress has run away

with the son of his right-hand man. I swear that will silence him."

"Thank you; I hope I won't have to do that."

"Do it, and take a picture of their faces when you tell them and send it

to me. Take care and be happy with her."

She didn't say anything more and walked towards the man who was waiting for her at the door. Albert watched them through the window as they were descending the steps and getting into her luxurious sports car. A smile appeared on his lips. He didn't have to send everything to the devil after all; she had done it for him. Now he had to go after Candy.

Not caring for anything, he ran upstairs and knocked loudly on the door of his nephew Archie. Without waiting for an answer, he opened the door and entered, startling the lovers who were in bed.

"Albert!" cried Archie shocked.

"I'm sorry; you should have locked the door..." Annie was blushing, but that didn't matter to him. "Well, both of you are here and I need your help, so..."

"Don't you realize that..."

"That I've interrupted you? That's obvious; and if it was Aunt Elroy she would be screaming right now, telling you how indecent and immoral you are and arranging an appointment with Annie's parents so that you would be married. But it's not Aunt Elroy; it's me. And I have more important things on my mind. I only hope you are careful, because that would be a little embarrassing, although in our time it might not be important anymore..."

"You are drunk!"

"Only with happiness...and worry."

Archie looked for his robe and gave it to Annie as he got up and picked up his pajama pants from the floor. Albert's euphoric state worried him a little.

"What's going on?"

"Annelisse and I have decided not to get married, and now I have to go after her, but she doesn't answer me; how can one have thirty missed calls on their cell phone and ignore them?"

"What do you mean you won't get married? Where is Annelisse?" asked Annie with a hint of hope in her voice.

"She's leaving with Mark."

"Then why do you want to see her?"

"Because I love her..."

"For God's sake, Albert, you just said she's leaving with another man."

Albert looked at Archie confused.

"No, she left alone. She came into my office, confessed to me she loved me, kissed me, and left. I heard her Mercedes starting and I've been calling her to make her come back..."

"Annelisse has a sports car..."

"Who cares about Annelisse?"

"Apparently you do."

Albert laughed. "No, Candy is the one who has left after she kissed me and who doesn't answer my calls...Surely you two know where she is."

Archie and Annie turned to look at him incredulous.

"Why did you let her go?"

"Because I was trying to find a solution so that I could be with her. Besides, I was stunned with that kiss...Probably she has just gone to her apartment in Chicago."

"Albert...She won't be in her apartment in Chicago, not in Yale either. She has done the necessary paperwork to suspend the year. She said she would go in search of her mental health," said Annie gently.

Albert felt his strength abandoning him.

"What are you saying? Where will she go? She can't suspend her year without my permission..."

"She's twenty-one, remember?" Archie told him.

"Annie, please, tell me."

"I don't know; she didn't want to tell me. She left me an envelope with instructions to open it tomorrow."

"Where is that envelope?"

"She made sure that it wouldn't reach my hands until tomorrow; she sent it by UPS."

"This is a joke, right?"

"No..."

"William, Annie, Archie..." Aunt Elroy's shocked voice startled all three of them. "What are you doing here, all of you, and why do you look like that?"

"Aunt, this is the twenty-first century...And there's nothing wrong in talking in our pajamas," said Archie, before Albert could answer. Probably Albert wouldn't be tactful enough if he talked and he would snitch on them.

"I would have expected this from Candy, but not from you, Annie. Go and get dressed before the others wake up. There is still much to do..."

"Aunt, the only thing we have to do is wake up Edward McGregor and inform him that there is going to be no wedding."

"What did you say?"

"Just what you heard; so cancel everything. I'm leaving for Chicago."

"I'll go and tell Candy to prepare her things. I suppose you'll ask her to go with you."

"She...she was gone before Annelisse."

"But, William, why did you let her go? Where did she go?"

"Aunt...she..."

"She confessed to you that she loved you and you let her go."

"How..."

"How do I know that? I'm old, not blind. What are you still doing here? Why haven't you gone after her?"

"Because I don't know where she went."

"Talk to George, wake up Alistair and Anthony, and find out where she is...By the way, Archie, we will ask for Annie's hand so that you will get married after you have graduated next year."

"Aunt!"

"I'll say it once again; I'm old, not blind," said the old lady, leaving the two young Ardlays speechless, and proceeding to command her army of servants and assistants in order to suppress the scandal that awaited them.

Three hours later, in the Lakewood library, Albert was walking to and fro, annoyed. Edward McGregor with his right hand man, James Mac Avoy, Elroy Ardlay and George were also there.

"I hold you responsible!"

"Responsible for what, may I ask?" answered Albert dryly.

"You let her go."

"And what did you expect me to do?"

"She is your fiancée!"

"No, she's not; in her letter she broke off the engagement and gave me back the ring," said Albert impatiently. What he wanted most was to get out of there, but of course he couldn't throw everything away. He had sent the boys to Chicago to look for Candy because his aunt had told him that McGregor was furious and threatened to make a scandal.

"Ardlay, don't mock me. My daughter wouldn't have left by herself; she perfectly knows what her obligations to her family are."

Until that moment Albert had left out the part of the story that concerned Mark. Bringing that to light seemed something very low to him but he wasn't going to let that man corner him and make him waste his time either.

"Edward, I think you and James had better start looking for them instead of wasting my time," said Albert, losing his patience.

"What do you mean?" McGregor asked him, suddenly getting pale.

"As I intended to respect her honor, I have omitted the fact that she didn't leave alone, but if you insist on blaming me, then I'm afraid I should be very clear with you. Annelisse and Mark have fled together. They love each other."

Edward McGregor collapsed on his chair. He knew what Albert had said was the truth.

"Edward, we don't want to make a scandal or cause you any harm..." said Elroy tactfully.

"She has disgraced me."

"Young people are reckless, sir," said George quietly.

"I offer you my apologies, and of course I'll take the responsibility for this," Mr. McGregor said in a humbled manner.

"Edward, that is not necessary, and I don't want your daughter's dowry either. You can make an announcement and we can continue to be partners."

"Would you do that?"

"I have no problem doing it. I don't hold a grudge against her, and if her happiness is by Mark's side, who am I to force her to become my wife? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some important matters to attend to, but George and my aunt will talk with you about the strategy that should be followed."

Albert went out, without even looking back, got into the car that was waiting for him, a silver Audi, and left quickly the mansion. His life really depended on finding her.