NOVEL NEXT Chapter 645: Unresponsive Wakefulness
Friday came fast in Harbor City. It was half past eight when Katherine and Damien arrived at the penthouse and they were just about to turn in early after a long day at work when Chairman Young's assistant, Frank, called from the hospital. They were told that Grandpa Theo opened his eyes and was undergoing some tests while the call was made.
Katherine had been visiting her grandfather every other day for the past weeks and she was supposed to drop by earlier today too, but there were some matters at Young Corporation that needed her to stay later than usual. Damien even finished work before her, so he brought her dinner when he went to pick her up and they ate before heading home. Barely finishing the phone call from Frank, they rushed to the hospital without delay.
As they reached the hospital, Grandpa Theo was already back in his room. Frank beamed as Katherine and Damien entered the room. "The Chairman woke up."
"How is he?" Katherine strode to the bed, only to be disappointed when she saw Grandpa Theo's eyes were closed. "I don't understand. What happened? I thought he woke up?"
"Oh… Well, he did. He opened his eyes but he didn't seem to hear me. I called the doctor and they did some tests on him. They said the Chairman is in unresponsive wakefulness. The tests showed some activities on his brain, so he could be partially conscious of his surroundings even though he doesn't respond when you talk to him. He's sleeping again now."
A warm hand touched her arm and her shoulders sagged. She was too excited when they came over, hoping to see and talk to her grandfather. It was such a pity that she didn't see him open his eyes, but according to Frank, the doctor reassured him that Grandpa Theo could wake up again. That made Katherine very hopeful.
"I want to stay tonight," she told Damien.
Without hesitation, he agreed and then went to Call Felix and asked him to stay at their penthouse for the evening so Bear wouldn't be alone. Katherine then told Frank to go home tonight. She appreciated that he always cared for her grandfather.
The couple settled on a large comfortable sofa near the tall windows. Damien brought a fleece blanket from the closet and covered their laps. There was also a bedroom if they wanted to sleep. Katherine just wanted to stay near her grandfather where she could glance in his direction from time to time.
Damien placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him as they rested, quietly staring at the city lights outside the window. He kissed the top of her head and she released a small sigh. He knew she was exhausted, but she also wanted to be here; it was a no-brainer for him to stay with her.
"Who confirmed tomorrow?" she asked, referring to their intimate engagement party with their close friends. It was a scheduled gathering with their friends that they didn't want to cancel. And the party would be held at the Young Mansion—apparently, Grandpa Theo had it prepared a month ago according to Frank. With all the issues they were facing, Damien believed that some normalcy was what Katherine needed. Therefore tomorrow's dinner would push through.
"Caleb and Ali are coming and so are Jeffrey and Jasmine. You said Emma confirmed too. Plus Styles, Amelia, and Felix. So that's eight. And William…" Damien grinned. "He asked if he could bring someone."
Katherine snapped her head to him, curiosity written all over her face. William was known to date around, but he had been single lately. He wouldn't bring just anyone to a family gathering. "Is he dating?"
"I don't know. He hasn't said anything yet."
"Well, ask him!"
"We'll ask him tomorrow."
"You think it's serious?"
"Maybe… If he's asking if he could bring a plus one, then it could be. Otherwise, he knows not to bring any outsiders." Damien mused for a moment, making Katherine lean closer as she waited for him to continue. "Although… She isn't really an outsider. Her family is somewhat involved in the…underworld too."
Katherine drew her brows together. "You know this woman?"
"Maybe you do too, actually. She's Angela Su's best friend. Her name's Nina Lopez."
She paused, her eyes moving to the side as she tried to connect the dots. Katherine met Angela a couple of weeks ago at William's cabin. Although she couldn't remember it, Katherine was certain they met each other when they were younger, considering their families belong in the upper-class circle and would be present at some big events.
Angela was with the De Lucas at William's cabin. Katherine, Damien, and the others went there for business. While the men had a meeting, Katherine and Amelia got to know Angela and her tragic story.
There was something about Angela that Katherine couldn't ignore, and she was compelled to be friends with her. She felt it in her gut that Angela was someone she wanted to keep around. The woman was genuine, her eyes clear and untainted despite the kind of men she hung around with. And that was a rare find. It made Katherine want to bundle Angela up in a blanket and keep her safe like that.
So Damien telling her that this Nina Lopez was Angela's best friend made Katherine want to trust that the woman was one of the good ones—hopefully, considering William's track record of women.
"Wait," Katherine slid her stare back to Damien. "I thought you didn't know he was dating someone. How did you know about her?"
"I don't," he shrugged. "Not really. I just happened to bump into them last week while I went to see William and they were coming out of his apartment. I shook hands with her and when she left, I asked William if he was seeing her but he told me it was not a big deal and to drop it. Then yesterday, I caught him texting, her name was on the screen."
She narrowed her eyes at him, a small mischievous smirk ghosting her lips. "That's some scoop Mr. Park. If you sold that to TMZ, you could earn some cash."
Damien chuckled and pressed a kiss on her temple. "By the way, did you read the email I forwarded this afternoon?"
"The Wedding Magazine?"
"Yes. Do you want to do it?"
Katherine paused, her mind going back to the email that he sent her. It was a proposal email from a big wedding magazine in the country that wanted to cover their engagement and wedding planning exclusively. This wasn't the first proposal they received actually. A few ones had jumped in as soon as they had their lavish engagement party weeks ago. They ignored them, mostly because they were busy, and Damien wasn't too keen on those magazines. However, this Wedding Magazine was the leading magazine in their field, and he wondered if that would entice Katherine.
"Can we even afford more eyes on us right now?" she wondered.
"If you want to do it, Kitten, I'll make it happen. We'll have control over what they can and can't capture. My legal team can handle the paperwork to ensure they won't dare overstep."
"Hmm…" She mused. "You know I'm not really fond of being the center of attention. But… This might make the board feel less wary and concerned about me being temporarily in the seat. I can see they trust you, so that might put them at ease. I don't know if I'm making sense—"
"You are making sense. I don't care about others, but if you think it will help you, then it would be a good idea."
"I'll think about it." Katherine nodded and then her eyes widened. "Oh, have I told you? Angela and Gael got engaged last week on Valentine's day."
"That's nice… We should send something."
She beamed with a twinkle in her eye as she said, "They're in New York at the moment. I already arranged to send flowers tomorrow." Katherine and Angela didn't always text each other, but when they did, it was as if they had been long-time friends. Angela was easy to talk to.
"Good." Damien lightly stroked Katherine's cheek. He casually glanced at the bed and he stiffened when he saw Grandpa Theo's eyes open. "Kitten…"
Katherine whipped her head to the bed and without second thoughts, she rushed to her grandfather. "Grandpa…" She clutched Grandpa Theo's hand; they were papery and wrinkled, but warm underneath her palms. "Can you hear me? It's me… K—Pumpkin."
Theodore Young just kept his eyes straight at the ceiling and remained unresponsive. He blinked slowly, but other than that, he didn't do or say anything.
The sight made Katherine tear up. Her grandfather was in a pitiful state and it broke her heart. Damien placed his hands on her shoulder, squeezing them. She relaxed a little, but she didn't let go of her grandfather's hand, pressing the back of it against her cheek. After weeks of not seeing Grandpa Theo's eyes, it was the best news she received so far. It gave her so much hope.