Chapter 5 The Morning After

As Carlton stirred awake, he rolled over reaching out instinctively, but his hand met only cold sheets. Groggily, he opened his eyes, blinking against the sunlight filtering into the room.

When he saw the other side of the bed was empty, he sat up, remnants of sleep still clinging to him, and scanned the quiet room.

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it was ten in the morning.

He frowned, running a hand through his tousled hair.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, planting his feet on the plush carpet.

He stood, stretching, and took a slow lap around the suite. Her clothes were gone. The only trace of her was the subtle fragrance that still hung in the air.

Her scent lingered in the room, a faint tantalizing reminder of her presence.

He remembered the night vividly, the intensity, the passion, the way her presence had ignited something in him. But now, she was gone.

Frustration gnawed at him. He had just returned to the country the previous day, and the jet lag had hit him hard. He had slept more soundly than he had in weeks, and in his deep sleep, he hadn't heard her leave.

Carlton grabbed his phone from the nightstand and dialed his driver. It rang twice before he answered. "Good morning, Mr Banks."

"The lady from yesterday- is her car still parked outside?" Carlton asked, ignoring the pleasantries.

"No, sir," the driver replied. "I didn't see the car when I got here four hours ago."

He cursed under his breath, thanking the driver before hanging up. He paced the room, his mind racing.

He had no way of finding her, no clue about who she was or where she had gone. The realization only added to his frustration.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. There was nothing he could do now but hope that somehow she would show up again.

For the time being, he needed to go check the state of his father's company. Pushing aside his irritation, he headed to the bathroom to shower and shave.

The hot water did little to ease the tension in his muscles. His thoughts kept drifting back to her-her moan, her touch, the way she had made him feel alive. But now she was gone, leaving behind only a memory.

Carlton stepped out of the shower and toweled off, his mind gradually shifting to the day's events.

He dressed up, choosing a black shirt and a tailored suit. As he was fastening his cufflinks, his phone rang. His mother.

"Hi, Mom," he greeted, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder as he finished dressing.

"Carlton, dear, are you alright? I just heard about the accident."

"I'm fine. I wasn't hurt," he assured her quickly.

Alright. You need to come home," she said, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Home? What for?" he echoed, confused.

"The wedding didn't take place yesterday. We all left there in disappointment," she said.

Carlton paused, his cufflink dropped. "What happened?"

"I have no idea," his mother sighed. Just come home. Hopefully, Geoffrey will explain everything to us all.

"Anyway, I'll be there soon," he said, ending the call.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror, his mind reeling. The bride had jilted his cousin? This day was turning out to be far more complicated than he had anticipated.

He finished dressing quickly, grabbed his keys, and walked, slipping them into his pockets. With one last glance around the room, he left the suite, the scent of her perfume still faintly lingering in the air, a ghost of the night before.

He stared out the window as the driver drove him to his father's house, his thoughts a tangled mess of frustration and curiosity.

Who was she? And what on earth happened with his cousin's wedding?

When he arrived, his mother met him at the door, her face drawn with worry.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. Pulling him into a brief hug.

"What's going on?" Carlton asked curiously.

His mother sighed. "Let's go into the house. Your father is waiting, she said, and led him inside.

"What's this about Geoffrey being jilted?" Carlton asked as soon as the door closed behind them.

His mother shook her head, looking both angry and resigned. "According to his mother, she disappeared a few hours before the wedding yesterday and was out all night with her lover. She showed up early this morning, announced she was no longer getting married, and refused to explain herself.

Then she packed her bag and left."

Carlton frowned. "Just like that?" he asked as he settled into the seat opposite his father.

"Just like that," she confirmed.

"I never believed in fairytale weddings, they always turned out badly. The main reason I didn't attend." Carlton murmured.

"Thank goodness you didn't attend, you would have been so embarrassed," his mother said.

"Poor Geoffrey. He must have been devastated," Carlton said, and his mother nodded.

"This is such a mess. Can you imagine how much embarrassment and humiliation this family has to suffer? I can't believe he wanted to get married to someone so irresponsible," his mother added and Carlton sighed.

"Well I suppose a broken wedding is better than a broken marriage," Carlton pointed out.

"You could say that. Now that you're back, let's talk about the company. I'm stepping down for you to take over at the next shareholder's meeting," his father announced.

"When you say takeover, do you mean you would be stepping down completely or as your puppet?" He asked with a raised brow and his father chuckled.

"I'm going to let you do your thing, I'm getting older and tired. All I want is to retire and spend all my time playing with my wife and playing golf," his father said and this time Carlton chuckled.

"You are not old at all, you're only in your late sixties. And I have no problems taking over as long as you don't expect me to stand in front of cameras reciting words I don't mean or pretending to be who I'm not," he said easily and his father nodded in agreement.

"I understand that you don't want to be under public scrutiny, and I will respect it, as I've always done," he said, and Carlton nodded.

"Then I believe I'm ready to step into leadership and carry the reins forward."