Chapter 26

Which is loveliest in a rose? Its coy beauty when it's budding, or its splendor when it blows? - George Barlow Ryan noticed the difference in his wife the moment she stepped out of her car, but for some reason, she refused to talk about it. She had a convincing reason though and as such, the matter was soon forgotten because of the long evening that was still ahead of them. Of course, Ryan did not let it slide just like that. He did look to Arnold for help, but even as the man shrugged his shoulders, he knew that he could get nothing there. This driver cum bodyguard was too royal to his wife, therefore, if he truly needed to get to the bottom of things, he would have to take up the matter with Katrina herself. It would have to wait though, he noted as he noticed the time by his watch. She was right, there was no time left. That is if there was an art show that they had to attend. However, in this case, there was none. All his paintings had sold out by the third day and unknown to Katrina, the previous day had been the last day for displaying. Of course, he would have wanted Katrina to be present, but with the preparations for the baby shower that was still underway, that would have been an impossible feat to accomplish considering that they still keeping the whole thing a secret. Had she been present, how could she have missed the deliveries that were always arriving or her magnified likeness that was meant to take the center stage and that had been stowed away up until the very last show? It was all for the sake of the surprise. However, he was still apprehensive and he could only hope that Katrina would not get mad at him when she realized that he had kept her from attending the last day of the art show. As he got off the phone with the gallery to check on some last-minute arrangements, Katrina walked out of the mansion looking lovely in the white flowing evening dress that he had laid out for her. She had put on some make-up too, not too much though, and was carrying a beige-colored coat on one arm that matched quite nicely with her gold strappy low heeled wedges. "Let me," he said as he approached her to help her with her coat. She smiled sweetly and his heart almost melted at how adorable she was looking. He had known her for how long? How had he not noticed such a beauty? Maybe it was because she had been his friend and they had known each other through the awkward phases. Or maybe it was because he had been afraid... "What's on your mind? " it was she who questioned him and he shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. "I can't begin to express how lovely you are looking." "I look like a whale wearing a curtain. " she complained and he laughed out loudly. "True..." "You are supposed to reassure me." She cut in, pouting and complaining before he could say anything more after the first word. "Let me finish." he laughed at her. "As I was saying, it's true that Dawn is getting bigger by the day, but I assure you, your soft figure is nowhere near that of a whale and that gown can never be mistaken for a curtain. " "You are only saying that to assuage my feelings. " "And what would I gain from that?" At that, she gave him a look and he threw up his hands in surrender. "Fine, I would gain alot. But I am telling you the truth as I see it. Mrs. Thorpe, you are positively glowing." Arnold watched the exchange with a small smile tugging at his lips. His old mistress had been right. Nature should be allowed to take its course. Certain processes if interfered with would not manifest this beautifully and as he watched this girl that he had seen grow up get doled upon by her once estranged husband, he could only remark that miracles did exist. He had seen how they had treated him. Any man would have probably reacted the same way. To be forced into such a situation, how could you manage to love the one that was responsible? Still, his little mistress had been innocent. She was unaware of the deals behind the scenes and had suffered greatly for her father's mistakes. At least now she could smile, and think that a former friend had even dropped by. There was hope that even happier days were still ahead of her. She had wept for too long and deserved the reprieve that life was now offering her. "Shall we? " he nodded as he opened the door to her car and she and her husband got in. It did not take them long to arrive at the gallery and as he watched the couple walk out hand in hand and into the confines of the building, he could only smile at the picture and remark in his mind that it was a miracle indeed. *** The first thing that Katrina noticed was her own eyes staring down at her. They were a magnified version of the real thing but there was no way that she could miss the set greens that always stared back at her every time she looked at a mirror. It was a painting though. One that she had not seen on the very first of viewing and it made her wonder if something had changed in the art's arrangement. "Did you..." She turned to question Ryan but the words died on her lips as she viewed something else that she had last seen all those six months ago. "Hoe did you... " she turned back to her husband this time with fresh tears dripping down from her eyes. "I had a little help." her husband smiled as the whole room exploded in light before her. All around her they were people. Lots and lots of people, and memories of her childhood filling up every single wall space in the gallery before her. At the center of it all, as if to witness the memories of her childhood, the likeness of her mother was magnified and smiling down at her as if from heaven itself. All over the gallery was full of roses. White roses and pink roses. A hint of gold their brought out by the picture flames and balloons and banner that screamed out 'Baby shower! It's a girl! ' "A little help?" a voice said from the sidelines and Katrina's eyes widened in a more wonderful surprise. "Sorry, " Ryan who was still at her side grinned back sheepishly as he turned back to address her. "I meant alot of help. From Mrs B here and grandma Maracheli too who helped quite a lot." "Not so much on my part, but Nancy did a great job." The said woman appeared and Katrina squealed in delighted surprise. "Mrs B! Grandma! I am so happy to see you! " she screamed as she jumped up to enfolded the both of them in a tight hug. "I see..." a voice said from behind them and Katrina turned around to face its source. "Dad? " In a span of just a few minutes she had received one wonderful surprise after another, but the chief of these was to imagine that her father had found the time off work to be here with them as well. "What do you see? " her stepmother nudged him and Katrina smiled at the move. It seemed that the drama was still unfolding between the two of them. "Turns out it's a family thing." "What is? " his wife glared back at him, pushing him to further elaborate. "Crushing people with your pregnant bellies. I thought pregnant women are supposed to be..." "Dominic! " "What?" he asked cluelessly. "One more word from you and I am going to crush your feet. " At that Katrina giggled, it seemed that her parents were as lively as ever, and from the way her father was looking at her mother, it also seemed that their argument was not going to end any time soon. So she turned back from them and to her husband. " I don't get it. Wasn't it supposed to be an Art show? " "I  am sorry love. The art show ended yesterday. It is not like I wanted to deceive you though, it was the only way we could keep it a surprise." "You should have told me." her eyes became shiny with tears. "It is my role as your wife to support you and yet, I missed the ending of your art show." "I know and I am sorry about it. It wasn't my intention to rob you of the experience, but to show case your own pieces as part of the surprise, it was the only way I could go about it." At that Katrina nodded. It seemed like she finally understood him and where he was coming from and as such, she had no choice but to forgive him. "Come Katrina. " her grandmother said as took her by the hand. "You as well Ryan. There are some people we would like you to meet. " she said as she began to pull them into the crowd. *** The baby shower ended on a high note and Katrina smiled all the way home holding her grandmother's present in her hands. The rest of the packages were stowed away in the trunk while Ryan's painting of her was to be sent on the morrow after being carefully wrapped up in protective cardboard. It had been a long journey. She reminisced even as she remembered the day that it had all started. With an email. She had been so annoyed that it had shocked her out of her depression and when she had gone to her father for help, he had asked her for a proposal. She smiled as she thought about it. She would pay him back double for having tortured her so. Now that she had received the reigns to the company, he would not know what had hit him. "What are you smiling about? " her husband asked her, noticing the slight smile that was now curving up her lips. "This. " she said as she patted the folder on her lap before handing it over to him for his perusal. "I know that it is alot to ask, but I will need your help. " "I do not understand." her husband's brows knitted and she understood what he must have been thinking. "Not with the house. With this. With the baby and the other business, I will need...a little helper of some sort." she grinned. "If I am to teach him a lesson that is. Grandmother wants me to drive him away little by little." "Really? " he lifted an eyebrow in surprise and seeing this, his wife suddenly protested. "Not in that way. She wants him to spend more time at home, hence the reason why she is passing on the chairmanship to me." "I see. Well,  I will try my best. What is your plan though?" "Proposals." She suddenly grinned. "He will have to submit a lot of those. " The puzzled look on Ryan's face would crack up Katrina for days but he soon understood what she meant when the folders started flooding in from Maracheli Industries. In itself it was an ingenious plan for in a way, they would get to learn about the company as well. One person was not pleased though. Used to doing everything himself and without consulting it became a hindrance to him and the way he operated the company and thus the great, Dominic Maracheli found himself begging his daughter for just a little respite.