"Unwanted Visits"

It was five thirty in the afternoon by Friday when Noland decided to drop the report files from the police that involved their new client. The case was all over the news; Crown Towers' owner, Howard Crown, got caught in a fight with the manager of his stellar restaurant right in front of their building for anyone to see. It involved several broken windows on many guest's cars and also a crying wife caught cheating. Crown didn't take well to see his ever charming woman being too friendly with the manager he hired himself to lead their renowned restaurant. And by being too friendly, it meant kissing each other without reservations on the back seat of a car. No one dared to break them apart until the police arrived. By then there were so many damages it was hard to just let them both slip away uncharged.

Noland and his team managed to gather enough information on the wife's infidelity, which would ensure their client's success on getting their pre-nup agreement Invalidated. There were now charges against him too for the physical damages he made on Gerard Pelletier, the French manager Chef who stole the Crown's wife. And also many other damages that exceeded anyone's imagination as to the expenses of the men's grand fight. This was not an easy case, they had to make their client look good and his claim to fame was exactly the opposite; something both witnessed in person when they met him. He was happy Gregory took in hand the part of dealing with the press, and the PR department of the Firm joined them to help minimize the damage on their client's public image.

He put the police file into his briefcase with the idea of giving it another look later while he made dinner. Everyone at the office left at four thirty, the closing time during Friday's, so he wasn't surprised when he walked out of his new office and saw most of the floor was quiet and in the shadows. He made sure his door was locked, as per new company policy, and headed towards the elevator.

While he was waiting, the idea of calling his friend for a drink went through his mind, but a loud crash of something made of glass being broken drew his attention. He saw light at the end of the left side of the floor, where the meeting room was, and carefully headed that way. Another crash of breaking glass made him rush to the doors that were already slightly open. He only stopped an inch before opening it completely.

"You owe me a chance, Cat... you need to give me the opportunity to redeem myself..."

He knew that was Byron, he had known him for over a decade.

"I will say this one last time, Byron. Leave this building, and don't ever contact me again. You have almost ruined my father's reputation by abusing your power and this firm's resources. You made enough mistakes to write a book. You don't deserve any chance at all. You ruined everything my father and I worked hard to achieve!"

And that was Catherine Galloway, he only heard her talk once, but her voice was engraved in his mind. Another broken glass made him peek. "Stay away from me Byron, don't you dare touch me." Catherine's voice made him frown.

He found himself clenching his hands into fists as he saw Byron slowly approaching her around the desk, she had already thrown every sharp and heavy object at her reach, and now she only had a small sand clock left in her hands, aiming at the man.

"Cat... baby..." The sweet tone in which Byron said those words made Noland cringe. He didn't know why but it upset him. It also made him think that perhaps he should turn around and leave, as there should be some kind of relationship going between them for him to use those words.

As he began to step away from them, he heard another loud crash and stopped. "Don't come any closer Byron... There are only so many ways I can say this to you... stop!"

In a matter of seconds, he pushed the door open wide and caught sight of Byron holding Catherine's both wrists and a large nail trail on his face. Rage surged through him, as he never felt before. "Get the hell away from her McLane!"

Both were froze under the presence of Noland; Byron looked down at what he was doing and released Catherine immediately, leaving her stumbling back a few steps and rubbing her wrists. "This has nothing to do with you, Hillhouse, leave us alone."

"And that is exactly why I called security and they should be here any second. You have less than that to leave." Noland said with a firm voice, leaving no room for questions.

Byron's eyes were filled with rage as he stormed out of the office, kicking Noland's suitcase that was on the floor on his way out. He didn't care, he walked to the door and saw the angry man leave rushing through the stairway doors, in an attempt to avoid the security. He turned around and walked slowly towards her, taking care of not scaring her.

She was sitting on her chair, lips trembling and body curling slightly, her hair loose and falling from both shoulders. He kneeled in front of her and gently took her hands in his. "Let me see if there is any serious damage."

Carefully, he examined her wrists and saw a small coloration; he frowned, Byron's grip would leave her bruises. "Do you need me to call someone?" He asked.

Her eyes widened and she looked directly at his eyes before she shook her head. "No, please. I am ok."

He frowned, why would she hide such violence from an ex-employee? Perhaps the way he talked to her was a hint, they probably were close at some point, if not recently. "Give me a reason why not to..."

She sighed and closed her eyes, there was evident pain behind them. He instantly regretted saying that and was about to apologize when she opened her eyes and spoke. "I have to go see my father at the hospital... I only have another hour and a half for visiting."

He nodded and stood up. "I will walk you to your car."

She didn't refuse, picking up her things while he walked to the door; his suitcase was open to the side and had his files and papers badly spread at a close distance. He sighed, Byron had kicked it hard, and so he went on his knees and began to collect the mess.

Not long after, she stood next to the door frame and watched him silently. She bent over to grab one of the pictures scattered and handed it to him. "Is this from the Crown's case? How is it going? Does the damages exceed his insurance?"

He chuckled as he took the picture of one of several broken windows on a car, part of the evidence of the damages. He picked the last ones from the floor and stuck them on his suitcase as well. Standing up, he looked at her with warm eyes. "Felix was right, you are stubbornly dedicated to work."

She blushed, taken by surprise. Her head low as he gestured her towards the elevator. They went down in silence, and as the doors opened, he walked out first to make sure Byron was nowhere near. He then followed her close the few steps to the VIP garage and as he heard her gasp, he looked at her car. Someone hit it on several places and left it with two flat tires.

He knew who it was, and wasn't going to let that pass. "I will take you to the hospital to see your father, but you are going to call Felix on the way and tell him about this. It is the only way I am staying quiet."

She took a deep breath and looked at him, a long silence before she nodded. "Ok, I will."

He guided her to the opposite side of the parking lot and opened the passenger door of his old but loyal Fiero, she slid in quietly and buckled up as he walked around to his side.

After they pulled out of the parking lot, she took out her cell phone and stared at it for some time, her screen flashing as a call kept insisting and she kept refusing to take it.

Noland sighed and pulled out his phone, giving it to her. "It might be better you turn off yours, and call him from mine. His number is on my agenda."

She took a deep breath and slid her phone back into her purse, then she dialed Felix's number and put the device on her ear. "Fel... Yes, it's Cat. I... I am heading to see dad. Hillhouse is taking me..." She sighed, he could understand that whatever happened wasn't easy to share, and he started to feel guilty for pushing her to do it. "Byron was at the building... no, he didn't hurt me, Hillhouse stopped him on time, but he wrecked my car and... Yes... Yes..." Her voice fading slowly. "Ok..." She handed him the phone and he took it. "He wants to speak to you."

He put the phone to his ear, not happy about having to do this while driving, but he knew the situation required it. "Yes?"

"Noland, God bless you... I know you must have millions of questions right now."

He nodded, even though he knew Felix couldn't see him. "A few..."

"I will meet you at the hospital and explain everything. I will be there in half an hour."

"Ok..." Was all he could answer before he heard the line being cut.

The silence was strange; he felt uncomfortable but it was more due to the situation rather than her presence. He was a man of solitude, and he prefered it that way. His long and painful ten years of marriage left him an emotional scar. He prefered the company of books and music, his recorded tv shows and a movie at the theaters from time to time. He usually felt unease when around women at a coffee break or any other situation, but this was different, her presence only brought him confusion.

He saw she was rubbing her wrists and at the sight of her darkening marks he bent over and opened his front stash, taking out a pair of globes, and holding them out for her. She looked at him and took the globes, slowly putting them on. It took her a while to finally say something. "Thank you..." She said in a soft whisper.

When they reached the hospital, he went straight to the parking lot and once there, both walked out of the car. She didn't wait for him to open the door for her, she was feeling guilty enough to drag him with her.

They both headed to the private rooms at the 8th floor and when the receptionist spot them, she welcomed them with a bright smile. "Welcome back Miss Galloway, your father has been asking for you." The blonde nurse had a bright and wide smile on her lips, Noland thought to himself they must pay her double to attend with such warmth. He followed Catherine through the hall and as he admired the elegant decoration and comfortable waiting rooms, he noticed a small red line on her legs. She stopped in front of a door and was ready to open it when he stopped her.

"Give me a second." He said as he took a handkerchief from his back pocket, he looked to both sides of the hall, and once he made sure no one was around, he kneeled and pressed the fabric on her lower leg. She gasped and blushed, she hadn't even notice she had a cut on her knee, her skirt covered just above it. He cleaned enough of the almost dried blood and stood up again. "There."

She was about to break into tears, for a moment he feared she would, but she blinked those tears away and opened the door. He followed a few steps and stood at the door while he watched her approach her father. "Dad... how are you feeling?"

Edmund Galloway was an old but strong man; he endured the most difficult trials in his early years working for the government until he retired and began his second career by opening his own firm. It wasn't easy but he had saved money and cultivated friends, who helped him build from a very small office to an average house and then to several floors of a building, expanding into different areas, and attending to renowned celebrities and politicians. To see the man he had grown to admire laying in a bed with machines near him controlling his breathing, made him question the seriousness of his state.

Edmund's eyes glowed with emotion at the sight of his daughter; she dropped her purse and coat on the couch next to him as she bent to hug him. "I was starting to think you forgot about me..."

She shook her head and smiled. "Never in a million years, perhaps after." She said teasingly and he chuckled.

Only then Edmund noticed his presence, he exchanged a look with her and she bit her lower lip then sighed. "Dad, do you know Mister Hillhouse?"

Edmund chuckled and held a laugh. "Know him? He has been working for me longer than I can remember. Hello Hillhouse, it is nice to see you."

She stared at her gloved hands and nodded. "I had some flat tires and it was getting colder, he was coming out late from office, so he offered me a lift."

"It is good to see you are getting better, Mister Galloway." He said with a small smile.

Edmund chuckled and sighed. "I wish the doctors didn't exaggerated this, I am bored here and wish I could get back to work already. Thank you for bringing my daughter safely here, was she working late as well?" He perked a brow at her daughter and she took a deep breath.

He smiled a bit broader and shook his head. "No, she left earlier, she probably got delayed because of her flat tires." He said trying to hide his amusement. If they were lying, why not lie a bit more to make her look good?

"Well, I very much appreciate it, thank you." The deep voice of Edmund sounded sincere.

"If you excuse me, I will let myself out, I am sure you both have things to catch up. I hope you follow the doctor's instruction Mister Galloway, we don't want to lose you." He said as he bowed his head slightly.

"Ah I will, thanks Hillhouse." Edmund waved with a hand and a smile.

"Yes, thank you." Catherine added, this time looking directly into his eyes.

Once he was out of the door, he took a deep breath and sat in a chair at the small waiting room across the hall. He still had to wait for Felix to arrive and he found himself going through magazines without really looking.

"Noland, you are still here, thank you..." Felix's voice drew his attention up while he walked in his direction. He put the 3rd magazine he was going through on the small table and stood up. "Where is she?"

"Hi Felix, she is inside, we told him she had some flat tires and I gave her a lift."

"Thank you..." He took deep breaths and picked up his cell phone as soon as it rang once. "Yes, I am on the 8th floor, just tell the receptionist I am expecting you, she will lead you in." He then cut the call and frowned. "This is a really nasty mess and I will probably have to cancel my flight."

Noland perked a brow but remained quiet, he still knew nothing behind the reasons of Byron's assault and the dangers surrounding them. Felix seemed to realize this and gestured him to sit. Setting down together, they began to discuss the situation.

"Byron met Catherine in one of his business trips to England. She was under my wing while I prepared her for coming here. He tried to woo her and charm her but she politely refused him. She only agreed to go out on a lunch due to his constant invitations, then I saw them arrive together, and as much as I care for her and respect her decisions, I did my own research and began to find all the nasty trash which was building up around him." Felix sighed and slid his fingers through his grey hair before he continued. "At first only his bad reputation jumping from bed to bed, which I didn't care too much about, but then there were his many adventures while still being married, and that led to more dirt than we expected. At the end of that week I had so much nasty information on him, I had to show it to her and Edmund. She felt bad for having let him take her for lunch, but she was happy she never gave any indications of more interest to him and he had slowed his approaches. After he ended his trip over there and got back here, Edmund had his stroke, and things took an unexpected turn. His health was priority so we didn't fired Byron right away. Do you understand?"

Noland was very surprised with all the information he was getting, and a shadow of anger towards his old boss hid on the back of his mind as he tried to focus on the present. He nodded. "Yes, of course." He managed to reply.

"When Edmund was stabilized and they were preparing him for his surgery, he called us both to his room and said he wanted Byron out, and asked us to supervise any additional changes if they were needed. He asked me to watch over Catherine while she took the reins until he was better. We held a meeting on Monday and showed the board what we had and it was unanimous, we all fired him on the spot. When we presented him with the evidence, he had nothing to say on his behalf." Felix sighed and looked at the door of Galloway's room. "I really appreciate you stepping in to defend her; she is fierce and will probably have kicked him a few times, but he is a man and much stronger than her. Did he hurt her?"

Noland was serious as he nodded. "His actions are going to leave some bruises on her wrists, I gave her my gloves to cover them for now. She also has a cut on her knee, I don't know how she got it, but it was most probably during their struggle. She did scratched his face though, I saw the big mark and a small trace of blood dripping from it."

Felix smiled. "I called an officer, old friend of mine, and he is coming with another officer as civilians to take a look at her. We are going to hold all evidence and if she still has some of his DNA on her nails, it will be perfect."

Noland sighed. "Something tells me she won't like your idea."

He nodded. "I know, she will try to avoid scandal and her father knowing any of it, but we are going to hold on to the evidence in case he does something else this stupid. Lets hope he doesn't, but we know by experience what is best."

There were footsteps on the hall and Felix stood up as he saw a man and a woman approach them. "They are here. You can leave now Noland, you already did more than I could have asked, and I really appreciate what you did. I hope you understand why I am asking you to keep it quiet."

He nodded and shook his hand. "It was the right thing to do. And I thank you for your honesty and taking the time to explain this."

Felix smiled. "You are a great man Noland, I already respected you, but now you earned my trust as well. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate. I mean it." He ended with a firm shake on his hand. "If you don't mind, I will give you a call if we need your statement, all to hold just in case."

He nodded, as Felix greeted the two officers. He then left in silence, pondering everything he heard from him. It was definitively more than he could have expected to find this morning when he woke up.