Warning / Trigger alert. This book contains strong mature content, read at your own risk.

Elizabeth.

"You have no right to look so beautiful, Penelope," I couldn't withhold my excitement, "Dad will faint if he sees you like this on your wedding night!"

Currently, Penelope, my dad's fiancée, was going over the shopping we had done since the morning, it was already late when we returned to our home.

"Elizabeth, you have a gift for words," Penelope laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She dug through shopping bags, her fingers brushing the fabric of the black lingerie she had pulled out, "But seriously, what do you think of this?" she asked, showing it to me.

"Wow! You're sure to look like a delicious temptation!" My eyes wide open and I couldn't help but whistle.

"You and your father have a similar way of giving compliments, no wonder why he cherishes you so much, you're just like him," Penelope burst into laughter, her contagious 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. Understand that?"

Penelope's cheeks turned a deep red, and she let out a sigh, clearly caught off guard by my comment. "Elizabeth..."

Noticing her furious blushing, I burst into a full laugh. Penelope and I had formed a close bond right from the start. After my parents' divorce, I hadn't seen my dad so happy with anyone until Penelope came into our lives. She was genuinely kind-hearted and a better person than my mom, who left my dad at his most vulnerable when he needed her the most, a business loss which led her to abandon him and me.

In mid-laugh, I hugged Penelope tightly. "I love you, sweetie."

"I love you too, Eliza," A smile softened her lips as she hugged me back, "Thank you so much for accepting me in your life and dad's, it really means a lot to me." She sobbed.

Knowing Penelope for several years, I was aware of her tendency to get emotional even over the smallest things. And at that moment, she was having one of those touching moments again.

"So, you're going to unlock the waterfalls again, eh?" I teased, with a playful smile on my face.

A giggle escaped her lips, and she nodded. "No, I am not," She grinned between tears and looked at me before wiping away the moisture that had accumulated in her eyes.

"Today there're no sermons, my future mother," I interrupted with a rebellious tone in my voice.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to thank me for anything? Penelope, you're the epitome of perfection for dad. One thousand times better than my selfish mother, of course."

"Don't talk like that, Eliza," she pleaded. "Remember, she's still your mother."

"As if I cared," I huffed, throwing myself onto the bed, not caring about the pile of laundry underneath me.

"But, Eliza...," I interrupted her.

"No sermons for today, future mom. Better make sure there's plenty of good guys to sleep with. This virginity is a damn annoyance."

"Yes, yes, so that your dad can divorce me before we even get married," she rolled her eyes, making me burst into laughter. She was right, dad was super protective of me, he had frightened off several of my dates in the past.

"Can we just pack dad in a suitcase and ship him off for a few days so I can have some freedom and fun?" I asked suggestively.

"I highly doubt your dad would fit in a suitcase," she shrugged.

Suddenly, without any warning, dad walked into the room, surprising both Penelope and me.

"Ah, so what's the master plan here, ladies?" Dad asked, his impeccable timing never ceased to amaze us."Dad and his uncanny ability to appear at the perfect moment!

I messed up, well, Penelope too.

"Nothing, Dad, we were just going over some wedding details," I stammered, trying to disguise the evidence of our previous conversation with a forced laugh. However, his expression gave away what he perceived through my weak attempt.

"I happened to overhear the plans you two were discussing," he said, crossing his arms defiantly. I could see Penelope struggling to contain her laughter behind his hand.

My gaze in her direction seemed to have kicked her brain into action, and she quickly intervened, "Samuel, it's not okay to listen to our conversation. It’s just... um..." She searched for the right word, "embarrassing, to say the least."

"Sure, sure," my dad rolled his eyes and took a seat on the sofa in the corner of my room. "And I must say, it's incredibly considerate of you two to discuss the logistics of stuffing me into a suitcase. Bravo!"

Penelope's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She was at lost for a proper response.

"Then maybe you should stop scaring my dates!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my frustration any longer.

"And maybe you should start looking for decent fellows instead of young rogues," Dad replied without skipping a beat.

"They weren't young!"

"So you agree they were rogues?" Penelope laughed and my cheeks turned red with embarrassment as I realized, well... I really haven't brought any nice guy till now, but that didn't mean I was going to accept defeat in this argument.

"I mean, they weren't rogues!" I glared at dad.

"Of course they were," Dad said confidently, "Every one of those boys was, none of them had good intentions."

You should know, I didn't want any good intentions...

"Why are you always meddling with 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 pick the worst among them, I reserve the right to intervene."

Damn it, Dad and his logic!

I stood speechless in my place and found myself exhaling a defeated sigh.

"Well, I suppose that concludes our little dispute for today," Dad declared, rising from his seat. "Now, my dear daughter and my betrothed, how about we drop the idea of stuffing me in a suitcase and focus on actually packing our clothes for the trip? We need to leave early for the flight."

Penelope broke in, "By the way, when is our flight?"

"We have to be at the airport before 9 pm," he looked at his wristwatch. "So we better start getting ready."

"Can't the flight be delayed? We just returned from shopping," she groaned, lazily stretching her arms above her head.

He shook his head. "No. We need to prepare the mansion for the arrival of the guests. They will 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're so cruel!" I groaned burying my face in my hands.

"Thanks," With that, he tossed me a grin and exited the room.

"Don't worry, once we reach the mansion, I'll find a solution," Penelope assured 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 laughed in response.

"I love you too, now go and get ready before you awaken your dad's demonic side," she joked.

"You're absolutely right," I laughed, before quickly heading into the closet to start getting ready for the journey we have ahead.