Chapter 90: Why Do You Have Caleb Lowell’s Phone?
After everyone had left, Caleb Lowell felt the alcohol starting to get to him. He swayed on his feet.
Luna Morgan hesitated, then asked softly from a distance, "Mr. Lowell, are you alright?"
Caleb Lowell braced a hand against the wall. The drunkenness was going to his head, and he felt sleepy. "You can go."
With that, he staggered, trying to return to the room he was in before to wait for Clayton Lowell.
Luna Morgan bit her lower lip, remaining rooted to the spot.
A sudden crash of shattering porcelain came from the room. Luna Morgan couldn’t hold back any longer and rushed inside. "Mr. Lowell!"
She saw Caleb Lowell slumped on the floor. Forgetting all about keeping her distance, she rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and struggled to help him onto the sofa.
"Water... I want some water..." Caleb Lowell mumbled.
Luna Morgan glanced at the shattered glass on the floor and realized he was thirsty.
"Here’s some water." She quickly poured a glass, even testing the temperature to make sure it was okay to drink.
Caleb Lowell drank the entire glass while she held it for him. In his drunken haze, he thought he saw Jane Lancaster.
"Jay?"
A pang of bitterness shot through Luna Morgan’s heart. She lowered her head. "I’m not Miss Lancaster."
She started to get up and leave, but Caleb grew frantic and pulled her into an embrace. "Jay, don’t go!"
Luna Morgan froze completely. She scrambled to break free, and in her haste, she pulled so hard that the seam of her lace sleeve ripped open.
They both froze.
A moment of clarity returned to Caleb Lowell’s eyes. He struggled to stay lucid. "I’m sorry."
Luna Morgan shook her head, desperate to get out of there. But just as she reached for the door, she heard footsteps approaching from the other side, just inches away.
"Jane, you haven’t left yet?" a confused voice asked.
"I’m looking for Caleb. Have any of you seen him?" It was Jane Lancaster’s voice.
Luna Morgan stiffened. ’If I open the door and walk out now, I’ll never be able to explain this.’
"Maybe he’s drunk and resting somewhere? I saw Uncle Shane was pretty wasted himself; his assistant just helped him leave," someone guessed.
Jane Lancaster said, "Is that right? I’ll go look for him then."
The footsteps outside drew closer, and Luna Morgan’s heart began to pound violently.
She stared rigidly at the doorknob, holding her breath in terror.
A hand suddenly reached past her from behind and softly turned the lock on the door.
The man’s familiar scent, laced with alcohol, washed over her. Luna Morgan didn’t dare turn around, but she could finally breathe again.
Outside, Jane Lancaster stared at the doorknob and gave it a twist.
"What is it?" The people with her hadn’t left yet.
"It’s locked. I guess no one’s in there." Jane Lancaster let go of the knob and turned back to the others. "Never mind. I’ll head down with you."
Inside the room, Luna Morgan’s heart didn’t truly settle until she heard the footsteps fade completely into the distance.
She tried to turn but bumped right into a solid wall of a chest.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to..."
Caleb Lowell’s gaze landed on her, and upon seeing her ripped sleeve, he pressed his temples, his head aching.
"Don’t read too much into this. There were too many people out there, and I was worried it would cause a misunderstanding. That’s why I locked the door."
’With Luna Morgan standing right by the door like that, and his own mind just starting to clear, it was no wonder he’d panicked. The alcohol had clouded his judgment, leading him to make the wrong choice in the heat of the moment.’
’If Jane had just called out his name, he would have opened the door without a second thought and explained everything.’
Luna Morgan lowered her gaze. "...I know. You didn’t want Miss Lancaster to get the wrong idea."
Caleb Lowell watched her for a moment before his voice softened slightly. "Have you been settling in okay these past couple of days?"
Luna Morgan: "Yes, I have. The house is huge and very nice. Thank you, Mr. Lowell. I’ll move out as soon as I can."
Caleb Lowell: "If you’ve settled in, just stay for now. There’s no rush to move out."
Luna Morgan murmured a quiet "Mm."
’Honestly, living in Caleb Lowell’s house these past few days had been a rare chance for her to relax. She didn’t have to worry about bothering anyone, or about sudden pranks and harassment.’
’The building’s management was excellent. You needed an invitation to even get in, and security patrolled 24/7. None of those awful people could reach her here.’
"Don’t worry, I’ve been cleaning carefully every day. I won’t make a mess of your house," Luna Morgan added.
Caleb Lowell didn’t reply. His eyes were still clouded over, and he just felt dizzy, head throbbing, and overwhelmingly sleepy.
It wasn’t until the sound of a key turning in the lock from the outside that they both snapped back to reality.
Caleb Lowell pulled Luna Morgan behind him, his eyes fixed warily on the door.
After a soft CLICK, footsteps were heard hurrying away.
Caleb Lowell realized what was happening. He tried the lock, only to find that it wouldn’t open.
They were locked in.
—
Almost everyone was gone, but Caleb Lowell still hadn’t shown up.
Julian Lancaster grew worried and sent a car specifically to take Jane Lancaster home.
Jane Lancaster was pensive. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with that room.
"Miss Lancaster, would you like me to go back up with you and check again?" the villa manager offered.
Jane Lancaster: "No, that’s alright. I’ll just give him a call."
She dialed his number. After a moment, the call connected. "Hello? Who’s this?"
Jane Lancaster: "...Uncle? Why do you have Caleb’s phone?"
Clayton Lowell’s voice was thick with drink. "Oh, Jane. Caleb left his phone here. Are you still at the villa? We’re already back."
He slurred the last part of his sentence.
Most people would have let it go, but Jane’s instincts told her something was off.
"’We?’ You mean Caleb left with you? Is he at your house right now?" she pressed, her tone sharp.
Clayton Lowell’s tone was dismissive. "That’s right, he left with me. Want me to wake him up so he can call you back?"
Jane Lancaster: "No, don’t. I won’t disturb you then."
On the other end, Clayton Lowell hung up, his expression turning grim.
The butler brought him some soup to sober him up. Clayton Lowell waved it away with a look of disdain. "I don’t need that. It’ll take more than a little wine to get me drunk."
The butler hesitated. "Sir, is this wise? Locking the young master in there... What if something happens?"
Clayton Lowell shot him a warning glance, and the butler immediately fell silent.
"What could happen? It would be for the best if something did." Clayton Lowell yanked off his tie and slouched on the sofa. "That nephew of mine... he’s just too damn self-disciplined. Anyone else his age would have been with countless women by now. But him? He’s been standing guard over a vegetable he can’t even touch for three years. Wasting the prime of his life, not daring to enjoy himself. I feel frustrated just watching him."
The butler said, "But the young master is deeply in love with Miss Lancaster. They’re about to be engaged..."
’The Lancasters weren’t some family of low standing. If a scandal broke out before the engagement, how could they possibly answer to them?’
Clayton Lowell ran a hand through his hair and laughed. "So what? Even if Caleb takes another woman, would Jane Lancaster dare to cause a scene? She’s a vegetable, a cripple. If she leaves Caleb, what kind of decent man is she going to find?"
"Enough. You’ll pretend you know nothing about this. I’ll send someone to let them out first thing in the morning."
Clayton Lowell stood up, his tone turning serious. "Remember, as far as anyone knows, I came home tonight and passed out drunk. Even if I answered the phone, whatever I said was just drunken rambling. Got it?"
The butler shivered and whispered, "Yes, sir."