Chapter 9 9.

- POV LAYLA

After returning home, I go up to my room and I'm startled when Dad sneaks in.

"Hi daughter, I'm sorry to startle you, is everything all right here?" he asks and looks a little anxious, which makes me arch my eyebrows in a suspicious expression.

"Hi, Dad, it's okay, I was just thinking away," I say and he sits down next to me on the bed.

"Were you thinking about Marta?" he asks and I feel a tightness in my chest. I know that my father does everything he can to make up for Mom's absence and has never tried to replace her, but sometimes I wonder what our lives would be like if she were still here.

"Yes, there are moments that we girls go through, and having Mom around is so good, not that I'm not a good father or a good listener, it's not like that, you're wonderful, but it's something inevitable, Dad, I miss you so much," I confess, letting a solitary tear escape from my eyes and he hugs me.

"I know it's not easy, I miss her too, Marta was and always will be my first love, no one will ever replace her." He made a point of making this clear, as much as he loves Antonela, she will never be what my mother was to him.

"Not at all! Mom was one of a kind." I said, wiping away my tears and trying to put on my best smile.

I didn't want to go on about it, it still hurts too much and it seems that my father gets the message, so he quickly changes the subject.

"Daughter, I came to find out if you were here, but I also came to invite you to dinner at my boss's house, is that all right? If you don't want to, no problem, I'll understand." I took a deep breath, it wasn't very nice, but I wasn't going to ruin Dad's evening, this dinner was impossible for him.

"Yes, Dad, I'll come," I say and a huge smile appears on his lips.

"Great, dinner will start at seven and I love you, my little one," he says and I smile.

"I love you too Dad," I say and he kisses my cheek before leaving the room I close my eyes, I need a quick nap.

...

Holy shit! It's already six-fifty, it was just a nap, but even I didn't realize I was that tired.

Okay, I have ten minutes to get ready.

I run to the bathroom, take a shower, dry off, go into my closet, and pick out the perfect dress for the occasion.

A white dress that was tight from the waist up and loose from the waist down, it had a generous slit on the side and a neckline at the bust. The bodice of the dress gave my breasts more support and even though they were small, it gave me the impression that they were a little bigger.

I let my hair down and put on a little more makeup and a little blood-red lipstick.

I go downstairs and everyone is already waiting for me. I notice my sister, she was looking hot in a pink dress that was tight to her body with a sexy slit on the side.

"You look stunning!" Dad compliments proudly.

"Thanks, Dad!" we replied together.

"Let's go, darling," Antonella calls, tugging on his arm. Luiza and I follow, get into the car, and head for Dad's boss's house.

We approached the Caccini house, my father must work for Katherine's father.

We went inside and Dad rang the doorbell, and who opened the door was none other than the old cowboy.

"Collins, you're very welcome in my house," he said smiling, but his smile disappeared as soon as he saw me.

What do you mean he didn't know I was his father's accountant's daughter?

"Mr. Caccini, I'd like to thank you for inviting me, and this is Antonella, my girlfriend, and my daughters, Layla and Maria Luiza."

The look on his face made me want to laugh, I don't think he knew.

"oh yes... I already know them, they're my sister's friends, Please come in," he says, and I notice that he's making a brief analysis of my body and I give him the middle finger.

He leads us into the living room and everything is ready. I look around and see Thom talking to Kat, who flashes a huge smile as soon as she sees us.

I also see Maya.

Great, it couldn't get any better.

We spread out on the table, Dad sat at the head of the table, Antonela next to Kat, Luíza stuck to Thom's side, and I sat next to the grumpy man and his conceited girlfriend.

Now and then, I had the impression that he was looking at me, and although I didn't enjoy his company, dinner went very well and ended with no one being stabbed.

Aiden suggested we have wine, and when he said that my father worked for him, I swallowed, thinking he was the owner's son and not the fucking owner.

Luiza wasn't drinking wine, but I was, so we went out onto the balcony.

Because what the eye can't see, the heart can't feel, and Dad wasn't going to see me drinking that much.

"A toast!" my sister says and I'm intrigued.

"What girl?"

"To both of us, because we're both fucking hot," he says, raising his glass.

I smile and we toast, Dad calls us and I hide the bottle behind a bush.

"Daughters, we're leaving, but Miss Caccini has asked you to stay for the night."

It was a plan, and I realized it as soon as my sister and the redhead looked at each other and tried to hide their laughter.

"I don't want to, I'll go with you," I say.

Katherine glares at me and I smile weakly.

"Okay, I'll stay," I say Dad wouldn't leave Luiza alone, either I stay or Luiza comes back with us.

They jump up and down in celebration, Dad kisses us on the forehead, says goodbye to the Caccini, and leaves with Antonela.

I wait for the two of them to disappear from view so that I can face the two girls behind me.

"Now can you explain to me what all this fuss is about?" I say as soon as I turn to look at them.

"I wanted to sleep here, but Dad wouldn't let me stay alone, he thinks you're responsible," Luiza says and I narrow my eyes.

"You pay me, and you owe me with interest."

"Come and have a drink and stop arguing." The youngest Caccini calls out and I roll my eyes, but what the hell... everything is solved with wine or another type of drink.

I follow the two girls along with the other Caccinis, and we enter a different room, with a television, games, a sofa, and too many drinks.

"This is our special room," Kat says and I smile.

I look around the room, and it's very nice, the carpets are dark colors, the red leather sofa is an antique model, it's sophisticated.

The two brothers go to the bar and each takes a bottle of beer and then sits down on the sofa.

Kat took three bottles, kept one, and gave us the others. My beautiful sister went round and round until she joined Thomas, and the two of them went to the other sofa.

Kat and I sat down next to Mister Sympathy and started talking, he was just drinking his beer and looking at his cell phone, so far so good, but Kat had a brilliant idea.

But no!

"Shall we play truth or dare?" she suggested and I nearly choked on my beer.

"I'm in." my sister replied immediately.

"Me too!" Thom is the next to agree.

"Whatever," Aiden says disinterestedly, Kat looks at me like a pouty puppy.

"All right, I'll take it," I say half-heartedly and the redhead hugs me, feeling that the evening is going to go from bad to worse.