Chapter 1 Destination

Evelyn "You have no right to look this beautiful, Clara," I couldn't help my excitement, "Dad will faint if he sees you in this on the wedding night!" Currently, Clara, my dad's fiance, was looking through the shopping we'd done since the morning, it was nearly evening when we'd returned to our house. "Evelyn, you have a way with words," Clara chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. She sifted through the shopping bags, her fingers grazing the fabric of the black lacy nightwear she had pulled out, "Seriously though, how about this one?" she asked, holding it up for me to see. "Well damn! You're surely going to look like a whole damn meal," My eyes widened, and I couldn't help but let out a whistle. "You and your dad have a similar way of giving compliments, no wonder why he is so fond of you-- you are just like him," Clara burst into laughter, her infectious joy filling the room. She playfully slapped my shoulder, and I couldn't help but smile. "Whatever you say, after a few years of marriage, I want a sibling. Do you get that?" Clara's cheeks turned a deep shade of red, and she let out a gasp, clearly caught off guard by my comment. "Evelyn..." Noticing her furious blush I burst into a fit of laughter. Clara and I had developed a close bond from the beginning. After my parent's divorce, I hadn't seen my dad as happy with anyone until Clara came into our lives. She was genuinely kind-hearted and a better person than my mom, who had left my dad in his most vulnerable moment when he needed her the most—a business loss that led her to abandon him and me. Amidst my laughter, I pulled Clara into a tight hug. "I love you, cutie pie." "I love you too, Evie, " A smile softened on her lips as she hugged me back, "Thank you so much for accepting me in your and dad's life, it really means the whole world to me." She sniffled. Knowing Clara for years, I was aware of her tendency to become emotional even at the smallest things. And at that moment, she was having one of those heartfelt moments again. "So, you're unlocking the waterfalls again, huh?" I teased, a playful grin on my face. A chuckle escaped her lips, and she nodded. "No, I am not," She smiled through her tears and looked at me before wiping away the moisture that had gathered in her eyes. "No sermons today, my soon-to-be mother," I interjected, a rebellious edge to my voice, "How many times do I need to tell you that you don't need to thank me for anything? Clara, you're the epitome of perfection for Dad. A thousand times better than my selfish mother, of course." "Don't speak that way, Evie," she pleaded. "Remember, she's still your mother." "As if I care," I scoffed, throwing myself onto the bed, heedless of the mound of clothes struggling beneath my weight. "But, Evie..." "No lecture for today my soon-to-be mother," I cut her off, "You better arrange that there'd be a whole lot of hot guys for me to fuck with. This virginity is tiring as fuck." "Yeah yeah, so that your dad divorces me before we can even get married," She rolled her eyes causing me to burst into a fit of laughter. She was right, Dad was super protective about me, he had scared away multiple dates of mine in the past. "Can we just pack Dad up in a suitcase and ship him off for a few days so that I have some freedom and fun?" I asked suggestively. "I highly doubt your dad would fit into any suitcase," she shrugged. Suddenly, without warning, Dad strolled into the room, catching both Clara and me off guard. "Ah, so what exactly is the master plan here, ladies?" Dad inquired, his impeccable timing never failing to surprise us. Dad and his uncanny knack for showing up at just the right moment! Fuck my luck, oh well Clara's too. "Nothing, Dad, we were just going over some wedding details," I stammered, trying to mask the obviousness of our prior conversation with a forced laugh. Yet, his expression betrayed what he saw through my feeble attempt. "I happened to overhear the plans you two were discussing," he said, crossing his arms defiantly. Behind her hand, I could see Clara struggling to suppress her laughter. My glare in her direction seemed to jolt her brain into action, and she quickly chimed in, "Samuel, it's not appropriate to eavesdrop on our conversation. It's downright...um..." She searched for the right word, "disgraceful, to say the least." "Yeah, yeah," Dad rolled his eyes and took a seat on the sofa nestled in the corner of my room. "And I must say, it's incredibly considerate of you two to discuss the logistics of packing me into a suitcase. Bravo!" Clara's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She was at a loss for a suitable response. "Then maybe you should stop scaring away my dates!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my frustration any longer. "And maybe you should start finding decent guys instead of little rascals," Dad shot back without missing a beat. "They weren't little!" "Do you agree with the fact that they were rascals?" Clara laughed out and my cheeks burnt red in embarrassment at the realisation, well…I didn't actually bring any nice guy till now but that doesn't mean I was going to accept defeat in this argument. "I mean, they were not rascals!" I glared at Dad. "Of course, they were, "Dad spoke confidently, "Each of those boys was, none of them had good intentions." There's the thing, I didn't want the good intentions.... "Why do you always meddle in my relationships, huh? I'm twenty, and I have the right to choose who I want to date." "Of course you do, but if you consistently choose the worst among them, I reserve the right to intervene Damn, Dad and his logic! I was left tongue-tied at my place and I found myself heaving out a defeated sigh. "Well then, I suppose that concludes our little disagreement for today," Dad declared, rising from his seat. "Now, my dear daughter and my fiancée, how about we put aside the idea of packing me in a suitcase and focus on actually packing our clothes for the trip? We need to leave early for the flight." Clara interjected, "By the way, when is our flight?" "We have to be at the airport before 9 pm," he checked his wristwatch. "So, we'd better start getting ready." "Can't the flight be delayed? We just came back from shopping," I groaned, stretching my arms lazily above my head. He shook his head. "Nope. We need to prepare the mansion for the arriving guests. They'll be here starting tomorrow." "No rest for the weary, I guess?!" "Probably not," Dad clicked his tongue, "And the destination wedding was your plan so you can't blame me." "Ugh! You are so cruel!" I groaned burying my face into my hands "Thank you," With that grin being flashed at me, he walked out of the room. "Don't worry, once we get to the mansion, I'll figure something out," Clara reassured me, her words filling me with a glimmer of hope. "You won't have to lift a finger." "I love you, I love you, I love you!" I exclaimed, throwing myself into her arms. She chuckled in response. "I love you too, now go and get ready before the demon side of your dad wakes up," she teased. "You're absolutely right," I laughed, before darting into the closet to start preparing for the journey ahead.