117 Surprise

The next day, Will was sitting in his office and reminiscing about Liz in some of the free time he had in the day.

Luke's surgery was today, so Liz was taking a leave from work today.

To him, it felt as if the office itself had lost color due to her absence.

Once again, he remembered what she had said the night before and how it had made him feel.

Indeed, she really was the strongest woman he had ever met, and this fascinated him.

Getting an idea, he was just about to pick up his phone and call her when a knock sounded on his door, interrupting him.

Hmm? Wasn't he supposed to be free now?

Even before he could say "Come in," the door opened to reveal two women.

One of them was Keren, who was wearing an orange dress with a white collar.

The other woman was older, but she actually didn't look much older than Keren.

It seemed as if age had greeted her gracefully like a friend, not showing its effects too much while still giving her a mature look.

"Mom, what brings you here?" asked Will in a slightly startled voice, while noticing that Keren had an irritated expression on her face.

Indeed, it was his mother.

She was wearing a dark blue full sleeves blouse over a black skirt. She was wearing only a single ornament that stood out; the rest were minimal, thus giving her a refined look.

This particular ornament was a bracelet on her wrist which was completely covered with diamonds. If anyone got to know its value, they would be shocked.

Just like Keren, she also shared some similarities in features with Will, like his straight nose and the color of his eyes.

Without answering, she took a seat in front of him while Keren just stood there, biting her lip.

"Keren, give me the file."

Saying this in a stern voice, she held out her hand, making Keren hand over the what she was holding.

Pushing it towards Will, she said, "Inside are the details of Sofia Verdengard. Of the esteemed Verdengard family, she is someone who shares our family values. Read them, memorize them. You are meeting her tomorrow."

Raising an eyebrow, Will took the file, and shoved it into the shredder beside him in a smooth motion.

His face once again had the same cold expression as when he had first met Liz, and he sneered before saying, "No thanks. I'm seeing someone. But you must already know that, as that seems to be why you came here."

In response, his mother scoffed and said, "Oh, please. A fling with a P.A. can hardly be called as you 'seeing someone'. I don't know why you gave that statement, and I don't want to know. The news will die down in a few days."

BANG

Standing up so forcefully that his seat was kicked back with a loud sound, Will said in a frigid voice, "Get out. She is not just a fling, but I won't waste my breath explaining that to you. I WILL not meet anyone, so stop setting up meetings where you will only let the other party down. You've done enough of that in your life."

"William Bradshaw! YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO YOUR MOTHER IN THAT WAY!"

Ignoring her completely, Will looked at Keren and said, "Keren, get her out before I say something I regret. Now!"

Startled into motion, Keren walked forward and touched her mother's shoulder but flinched when it was thrown off by the woman, who got up in anger, just like Will.

"You'll come around. When you do, that file will be waiting for you. Keren, keep an eye on your brother. Make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid. Remember, if your father intervenes…I don't need to continue. It was 'nice' seeing you, son."

Saying so, she stormed out of the door, leaving Keren staring at Will with an awkward expression on her face.

After fuming for a little while with a very serious expression on his face while looking at the door, Will pulled his chair and sat down.

"You could have given me a heads up," he said, looking at Keren who took the seat that her mother had just vacated.

"I tried, but she kept watching me like a hawk. How's Liz? Is she doing Ok? Dealing with the press is something she shouldn't have to do without preparation, Will."

Hearing her mention that name, Will relaxed further and said, "She's fine. She's…strong. Stronger than I ever imagined. She's on leave today, as her friend got into an altercation with a few reporters who called her names. He has surgery today."

"Such good friends exist in this age? Wow! Well, I'm free today. I was going to surprise you here in New York, but this ended up happening. Well, I can still surprise someone else. I'll catch you later."

Seeing the happy look on his sister's face, Will felt thankful that he at least had someone on his side in his family.

Nodding, he watched as Keren skipped out of the room, before putting on a thoughtful expression and thinking about the future.

…..

Having been very tired due to a very hectic day, Liz had slept like a log and woken up quite late.

Looking at the clock groggily, she saw that it was actually 10 a.m. and finally got out of bed.

Reluctantly brushing her teeth with one hand and scratching her hair with the other, she walked out of her room with the intention of asking Mary to confirm when Luke's surgery was.

However, when she walked out and saw someone climbing the steps, she wondered if she was dreaming.

Rubbing her eyes, she tried to focus, and stepped back in shock when she realized that she wasn't.

"Surprise!"

Hearing this from Keren, Liz dropped the toothbrush and ran back into her room before banging the door closed.

What was Will's sister doing here?!