Chapter 1 The Meeting

Hailey

"Do we seriously have to meet them today, Mom?" I groaned, tugging on my boots while lounging on Mom's bed. It wasn't the boots bugging me, but these out-of-the-blue meetups she springs on me.

"Yep, that's the plan," she said, brushing on some blush, forever classy. "Before you jump into the 'why didn't you tell me sooner' spiel, I knew you'd run off to spend the night and day with Isla. That's why I dropped it on you now."

She had a point. If given the choice, I'd rather chill at Isla's than go to this sudden family gathering. Like, seriously, what's the big deal?

Coby and I already knew each other. This whole shebang seemed set up for that little demon-yeah, I'd nicknamed him that. Coby's kid, Damien or whatever, is around eleven or twelve, I guess. I was too busy on my phone when Mom mentioned him.

But here's the problem -the new brother.

Man, if he is annoying, as I suspected, I'd probably snap and grab his ear. I had no clue how small it was, but it should do the trick.

"You know I'm not a fan of kids, right?" I rolled my eyes. Mom's second marriage was cool; Coby mostly made her happy, the only person after my dad-thankfully dead-who put a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I know you hate kids," she chuckled, "But trust me, you won't hate him."

"Of course, I will. Siblings are so annoying," I cringed, "Especially the younger ones. I've seen how Isla suffers. The last thing I want is my own little demon. Couldn't you have found someone else? Someone with no children at all?"

"Hailey, calm down," Mom chuckled, adjusting her hair as she rose, looking stunning-she had that about her-always stunning and perfect, "He won't be much trouble. Damien is quite sensible."

"Sensible? That's an eleven-year-old kid, Mom!" I eyed her incredulously.

Seriously, was she kidding me?

Once again, her laughter filled the room, this time while spritzing some perfume.

"Enough talk, put this on." She handed me a delicate bracelet. She always helped me get ready because I was a disaster. Whenever I attempted it, the closet turned into chaos-messy and careless, that was me. Frankly, I couldn't care less about it. Today, with a slight chill outside, I wore a simple beige sweater and black leggings, along with a hat and chunky boots. I thanked every deity that my mother didn't force me into some elegant attire because I was terrible at that.

"You're the one getting married. Why do I have to dress up so nicely?"

"Because you're my daughter."

"That's hardly a valid reason."

"It's perfectly valid. If it doesn't suit you, find your own reason," she retorted. Spotting that I hadn't put on the bracelet yet, she seized my hand and slipped it around my wrist before dousing me with her perfume.

Ugh, I fucking hated that smell.

"Mom, no!" I hastily pulled away, scrunching my nose. "I hate that scent!"

"I hate the one you use. It's too sweet," she retorted, cringing, attempting another spray, but I pulled away.

"I prefer sweet scents. Yours are too fiery," I groaned, reaching for my usual perfume on her vanity and dousing myself in it to mask hers.

"Fine, do as you wish," she relented, donning her white overcoat and grabbing the car keys. "Come on, we can't afford to be late."

I breathed a sigh of relief when she set her perfume down, but as she headed out of the room, a thought struck me.

"Wait, shouldn't we get some chocolates for Damien?" I caught up with her. "He's just a kid! It might help him warm up to us if we bring something like that."

***

We arrived at the restaurant, which turned out to be Coby's establishment, one among the many he owned across the country. Besides being a good person, my mom made it abundantly clear that Coby was wealthy. I didn't quite get how that fact mattered, but I'd learned to keep it in mind. I suspected she emphasized this because we hadn't been in a good financial spot for most of our lives.

Maybe she wanted me to realize that now I could have everything I desired? Perhaps, yeah.

Stepping into the restaurant, Coby stood in the lobby.

I watched my mom's face light up with a broad smile upon spotting him, and his expression mirrored that joy when his eyes met hers.

"Hey, lovelies," Coby strolled over to us, always impeccably dressed in a suit. Every time we met, when he was in this city, he'd just rushed from his business meetings or other official engagements. He was a busy man, and I admired how he always made time for my mom, understanding how much attention she needed to function.

He enveloped my mother in a hug. "God, I missed you."

"I missed you too, honey."

Gosh! They literally went out yesterday.

Placing a quick kiss on her cheek, Coby turned to hug me. "Hey, Hailey."

"Hey."

"I swear, every time I see her, it looks like she's aged a year less," he chuckled, stealing my hat and ruffling my hair.

"That was offensive, Coby."

"You're adorable, Hailey. I can't help it," he chuckled before leading us inside. Mom, being herself, grabbed a comb from her purse and handed it to me.

"Fix it."

"It doesn't matter. Your fiancé will mess it up again," I quipped loudly enough for Coby to hear, prompting another laugh from him. Of course, that was his habit whenever I was around. He treated me like a child, which I totally wasn't.

"You never listen to me, little brat," Mom sighed, putting the comb back in her bag as I brushed my hair back with my fingers.

"Here, take a seat," Coby pulled out chairs for Mom and then for me.

"So, where's Damien, Honey?" Mom asked as we settled into our seats.

"He had to attend to something important, love. He'll be here any moment. You know how serious he is about timing."

Wait a minute, what could a child have to attend?

Before I could even question it, I noticed Coby's eyes shifting towards the entrance. "Looks like he's here already."

I turned to the doorway expecting the brat I was waiting for, but instead, a sun-kissed Adonis strode in, dressed in a sleek black suit. His eyes were a captivating gray, his cheekbones sharp, his nose straight and defined. His tanned complexion glowed beneath the warm lights, emphasizing his chiseled features and sharp jawline, while his lips were perfectly plump and pink.

Wow!

Was he even a human?

Wait, why was I getting distracted? I was yet to meet that brat-I mean, Damien. This man who had walked in couldn't possibly be the boy I was expecting. But Coby's reaction... Could this man be Damien's caretaker? Perhaps Coby needed someone to look after his child given his constant busyness.

Yeah. He had to be the caretaker.

But then again, who keeps such a good-looking, hot, sexy, tempting man to take care of a child? Moreover, who dresses them this way? At this point... I was kind of envious of Damien, even though I hadn't met that little demon yet.

Surprisingly, the man walked over to us, and I saw Mom and Coby stand up.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Mom hugged him, to which he hesitantly returned. His stormy eyes briefly met mine, and I instantly froze in my seat.

"Hey, Madison," his tone lacked warmth, unlike his inviting face, as he took a seat opposite us, beside Coby.

"What took you so long?" Coby asked.

"The meeting went a bit longer, and there were some papers to finish. I had to wrap them up in an hour," his hands slowly moved to remove his coat, and for a moment, I found it hard to breathe.

Who was he? I know that sounds dumb, but my mom made it very clear that Damien was Coby's eleven-year-old son, whom I was supposed to treat well, like an elder sister.

It became harder to take my eyes off this man now as he put his coat away, revealing a white shirt underneath and the solid muscles beneath it as he unbuttoned the first few buttons.

Holy.

Something was wrong with me. My heart... it felt like it would fucking explode.

"Um... where's Damien?" I finally blurted out to maintain my composure.

A small chuckle slipped past Coby's lips, followed by Mom's, while the stranger's small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, his eyes now fixed on me, shining with amusement.

"Did I say something funny?"

"Where do you think Damien is?" Mom asked, holding back her laughter.

"At school, maybe?"

"You tell her," Coby suddenly patted the stranger's back, chuckling. "Tell her where Damien is."

The smirk on the stranger's face widened, and my heart raced unknowingly, my palms grew sweaty, and my senses heightened everywhere.

"Well," he began, his voice smooth as silk, "I don't know which Damien you're looking for, Bunny, but I can assure you that the Damien your mother might have mentioned is me."

Holy shit!