Lock You In My Heart

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The butler arrived with two other servants in tow. Each was carrying a big box, which it turned out was for the two of them. Westley, however, was surprised to see two boxes of his stuff.

"Something is wrong here. We didn't ask for so many things," said Westley, his eyebrows knitted.

"Mr. Morris, one of the boxes contains your stuff. The other one has things you will need to dispel the outdoor cold. Mr. Schmidt has asked us to prepare them for the two of you. And all your friends received theirs, too," the butler said summarily.

"It's a gift from Cowan?" Westley asked, feeling uncomfortable about Cowan giving them things. "When did he arrive here?" They hadn't seen Cowan. He must have come back. Yet, he was not with the Schmidt family earlier that day.

It was odd for him to be giving them gifts, especially when he had just come back. It was an atypical gesture. He had no particular reason to do that.

"Mr. Schmidt didn't tell me his reasons," the butler answered honestly. "He had just arrived. He will have dinner with everyone. Maybe he will tell you why he gave you these gifts, Mr. Morris. I'm sorry that I don't know much about it."

As a housekeeper, he was not privy to the inner thoughts of his master..

"That's okay. And thank you for bringing these boxes." Westley didn't ask any more questions. It was useless to pursue the topic. He understood that the butler only knew so much and he had already told him that.

"Mr. Morris, Mrs. Morris, after you've changed your clothes, kindly go to the dining room to join the Schmidts for dinner," the butler reminded them..

"We will," Gabrielle told the butler, smiling at him. "Thank you for reminding us."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Morris. We'll see you all later." The butler then left their room.

The butler had not left long when Alexis came to see them.

"Westley, did you get Cowan's gift?" he asked without a preamble.

"Those gears that dispel outdoor cold?" -

Westley glanced at the carton the butler had placed on one side of the room. "Over there," he answered Alexis..

The box contained all kinds of cold-weather gears-sweaters, jackets, ear muffs, balaclavas, scarves, safety glasses, wool socks, heat-trapping footwear. Some of them were wom indoors; others, for outdoor.

"Cowan is engaged in the business of warming cold-weather clothing. Maybe they are just souvenirs for us. Don't think too much about it," said Jonas. He had a general idea of the business of the four young masters in the Schmidt family.

The Schmidt Group was a huge business managed by Cowan Schmidt, Sheldon Schmidt, Vernon Schmidt, and Travis Schmidt. Cowan was the eldest. He was in charge of all kinds of things related to dispelling cold-from cold-weather clothing to large heating equipment.

"Do you know of anyone who would give all these things for souvenirs?" Alexis said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I think this Cowan is up to something malicious. I don't know but these gifts are kind of suspicious to me." Alexis had his reasons to think otherwise of Cowan. He read a dossier about this man. As the eldest son of the Schmidt family, he had always been unpredictable and ruthless in his dealings. He would take over the Schmidt Group and he would be even more powerful than Clifton and Chaz. "You're overthinking, Alexis," Jonas said in a near-exasperated tone. "This is the Schmidt family. We are guests of the Schmidts. If Cowan has some untoward plans, well, he will have to deal with the old man Schmidt. Besides, Cowan has no reason to be hostile to us. We haven't made an enemy of him, after all."

Alexis let out a heavy sigh. "Whether I'm putting much on his actions or not, we'll know about it after dinner." Alexis firmly believed that Cowan was flexing his strength. He wanted to impress them that as the eldest son of the Schmidt family, he was someone to reckon with. That in itself would be enough to discipline them while they were in the Schmidt mansion.

"Well, then, let's go to the dining room and meet this big gift-giver Cowan." Westley took Gabrielle's hand and they walked out of their room.

They walked through the long corridor that led to the living room of the main house. Wilton was seated in a big chintz armchair. He was chatting with Clifton and Chaz. The four young masters and Miss Schmidt were not there. They might be still in their own

rooms.

"Good evening, Mr. Schmidt!" said Westley, more like announcing their presence.

"Good evening to all of you," Wilton replied in a welcoming tone. "Shall we have dinner now?" Wilton liked Westley a great deal. He stood up and then led his guests to the dining room.

"Mr. Schmidt, I heard that Cowan has arrived. He sent us a big gift," Westley 'said in a casual tone that could easily be taken as small talk. "I would like to thank him personally."

Westley thought that since Cowan had given them a generous gift as soon as he was back at the mansion, the gesture would be hard to miss by any of the family.

“Cowan has arrived. He is in his room to take a shower and change his clothes. He should be here now. Did he really give you a gift?" Wilton looked bewildered.

So, Wilton didn't know anything about it.

Naturally, Westley became more curious about the reason behind Cowan's action.

Did he just want them to try out his products? Or did he want them to leave?

The answer would come from Cowan himself.

"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting," Cowan said as he walked downstairs. Looking down at the people in the living room, he had this disingenuous look on his face.

"I have some personal affairs to deal with first. My apologies, again." .

Westley and his group could see through Cowan's self-importance attitude.

"Mr. Schmidt, do attend to your personal affairs first. We are not distinguished guests after all," Alexis said in a somewhat

apathetically tone.

Alexis was not grateful for the gifts from Cowan. He was not even impressed. He knew that Cowan had an ulterior motive.

"Now, you've made me feel like our family was neglecting all of you. Is that why you looked angry? What is it that we did wrong?" Cowan goaded Alexis into answering his question.

“Come on. I just want to know why you gave us a box of cold-weather gears. Are they simply gifts? Or you'd like us to try your

new products," Alexis said flatly.

Cowan had already reached the dining table. Before he sat down, he greeted Wilton and the other members of his family. He then looked at Westley and his party. He greeted them, smiling. And yet his smile did not reach his eyes.