49 The Canterbury Isles Part 1

The bus finally reached up to the Marina Maria Hotel and Resort. Olivia's breath was instantly taken away. The building resembled a massive, white hall the stretched outwards and could easily contain 200 rooms. To get to the hotel, one had to cross a bridge that arched over a canal that joined to small pools. Each pool had it own rock water fall with beautiful landscaping, highlighting the isles native blue gardenia flowers and two palm trees reaching upwards towards the sky.

Once inside Olivia slowly walked up to the front desk trying to take in the view. There were white pillars stretching up to the ceiling with pearl colored leaves and vines circulating around them. The floor was done in white marble but right in the center they had done a mosaic tile art of multiple pink hibiscuses, white Night-blooming cereus and and blue gardenias intertwining with one another.

She looked around again checking to see if she seen anyone she knew, again no one was around. She was tempted to give her father a call but decided to have the front desk help her out instead. "Excuse me." she asked politely "Can you please let me know what room the Steel family is staying in? My name is Olivia Steel, I'm staying with them."

A sharp nose clerk looked Olivia over carefully "ID please." she courtly responded. "Oh yes of course!" Olivia said as she grabbed her passport from her bag "Here you go." The clerk looked over the passport then to Olivia and handed it back. "Give me a moment to search for your family." she flatly said as she started typing keys into the computer.

After a moment the sharp nosed clerk narrowed her eyes on Olivia "The Steel family has been accounted for. There is no Olivia Steel." she said coldly. Olivia was surprised that Agni had been gutsy enough to not have her included in the registration but she took her challenge.

"I thought I would surprise me family, you see I needed to stay behind because my boyfriend had something serious ti discuss with me, I think my family was in on it and let me stay back. Was I ever shocked to find out his talk was actually him proposing! I didn't want to wait for them to come back so I came here to share the good news!" she said innocently.

The clerk's eyes sparkled with excitement at Olivia's words "Congratulations! Yes, yes, yes your family would be so happy to hear the news! I will have someone call your father right down so he can take you to your family!" the clerk quickly picked up the phone and dialed "Please have Mr. Steel to the front desk... just tell him a package came in." and she hung up the phone with a huge smile on her face.

The clerk looked at Olivia, positively beaming with delight "Honey your father will come shortly but in the mean time tell me how he proposed, oh and show me the ring!" she shouted happily.

A very confused Avery came walking up to the front desk and noticed a crowd of female employees standing around giggling and squealing. "Excuse me!" he shouted but the women kept fawning over something. "EXCUSE ME! AVERY STEEL TO PICK UP A PACKAGE?!" he shouted over the crowd of women.

Suddenly it became silent. The female employees made a path and revealed Olivia standing in the center. "Daddy!" she yelled as she ran towards him and jumped onto his chest. "Daddy! I can't believe you hide it from me! Eli told me everything, how he came to you to ask permission to date with marriage in mind, how you gave him mom's ring, how you have been trying to stay away so you won't get hurt. Daddy you idiot! I will always be your little girl! even after Eli and I are married!" she shouted with such volume.

Olivia stared at her father's face as tears were spilling out of her eyes, she clung to the front of his shirt like he was her life line. Avery face became a mixture of pain and sorrow, he didn't know what to do, he struggled to wrap his arms around Olivia but he couldn't do. "DADDY I LOVE YOU!" Olivia wailed and Avery felt the strings hold him back start to snip away as he wrapped his arms around his baby girl. "I love you too... congratulations sweetie." he said gently as he placed a single kiss on the top of her head.

Suddenly the crowd of people watching the touching scene burst out into cheers and applauds.

"I need to call my dad and tell him I love him!"

"I wish my daughter loved me that much"

"What a sweet daddy's girl!"

"What a lovely family."

"What a lucky father!"

Avery pulled Olivia in closer and whispered to himself "I'm blessed..."

....

With the help of Laila and Loreley, Olivia was unpacking her bags when Agni walked into the room from the connecting door. "Oh your all together that's fantastic! I don't need to go searching for you individually." she said loudly. Olivia turned to look at Agni and noticed that she purposely left the connecting door ajar. "Mother you are looking lovey today. The food here must be great as you look softer then before." she said happily.

A vein started to appear on Agni's forehead as she continued to smile "Why yes it is! I just came to see if you want to join your father and me for a late lunch down in the courtyard. It's so lovey out that we can't stay in doors."

"That sounds wonderful mother! Since my dear sisters helped me unpack we can all go down together now." she said happily. A viscous flash went through Agni's eyes as she made eye contact with Olivia, her smile never leaving her face "Wonderful I will let your father know we are going together..."

Olivia watched as Agni left the room and closed the connecting door. She grabbed a pad of paper and scribbled on it quickly 'Room and clothes are probably bugged. Not safe to talk, when we go swimming we can be alone." Laila shivered as she read the last bit of the not while Loreley grabbed her hand. They all nodded to one another and followed Olivia out the room and into the corridor.

....

The courtyard was equally amazing as the the rest of the hotel. It was located at the back of the hotel. There were two massive, walk in pool that connected to each other with a lazy river. There were tables and chairs, with massive tye-dye umbrellas for people to sit and place an order, lounging chairs by the pool, a swim up bar in the center of the biggest pool and colorful flower beds everywhere.

As the Steel family sat down at the table Olivia admired the table top that was decorated with the same mosaic tile art she had seen in the lobby. "Agni this place is so beautiful! I can't believe the whole family is staying here for two weeks." she said happily, then her eyes went wide and she brought her left hand to her mouth "Oh I'm so sorry I was too excited I mean... mother. Please forgive me, I did not mean to offend." she said as she dropped her eyes to the table.

Agni brought her own left hand up, placed it elegantly on her own chest and started to laugh. "It's alright Livy bear! Being here makes you forget yourself doesn't it?"

Both women laughed merrily but underneath a storm was brewing. A waiter came up and took their order. After the waiter left people and staff recognized Olivia and Avery. They all came to say hello and give their congratulations to the family. Unknown to them Agni was wringing the napkin under the table, trying to control her temper.

When the staff brought out their food they all started to dig in, after some bites of food Laila became extremely pale. "Oh honey you don't look so good. Darling do you mind going back to the room, on the bathroom counter there is white bottle with the orange cap on it. Please bring it here quickly. I think Laila is having a hard time digesting her food since we are having such a late lunch."

Avery nodded and rushed back into the hotel. Agni watched Avery run back and once he was out of sight she turned her cold gaze to Olivia. "Livy bear, you should keep eating since your eating for two now." she said rather loudly. People that were close enough to hear what was said started to whisper around them.

Olivia kept her smiling face intact "Your so funny 'step' mother! I took every love lesson you gave me to heart and kept my virginity well protected. So Eli and I are marrying each other for love and nothing else." she said even louder.

"Little Livy bear, I'm so happy for you even though you went through such a traumatic experience of near rape and you still managed to keep your man close to you, it is quite admirable!"

"Yes 'step' mother I know what you mean but please remember that if it wasn't for Eli saving me from the near rape I would have had an even more traumatic experience or worse I would have died... he taught me not to be afraid of people and stayed a true gentleman so I could fully trust again he is truly wonder."

"I would also like you to know, 'step' mother what I love the most about Eli is that he got father's permission and even used the same ring my 'birth' mother was given when father proposed to her. I don't know any man who could be sweeter and more romantic than he is." Olivia said as she glowed with admiration.

Agni bite back her lip as the crowd who moved their chairs a little closer started to whisper in delight, that this young girl found such an amazing man and was quite remarkable herself to over come such trying times in her life.