Chapter 9

"What the fuck, Andy?" Violet shouted over their three-way online video chat with Lindsey.

She had to push the phone away, preventing her eardrums from cracking, while covering her ears with a pillow.

"Please stop screaming in my face." She annoyingly responded while blinking her eyes several times.

She was still drowsy since she hardly had a shuteye all night. How could she sleep when she could not stop thinking about her unexpected meeting with Lucas?

"But girl, how did this happen?" It was Lindsey's turn to become hysterical.

She could not explain it herself. She was as confused and dazed as her friends were.

"If the two of you don't stop cracking my skull, I will hang up on you." She might have a slight hangover as well, feeling like her head was splitting in two.

She did not intend to drink too much, but last night's events required it, or she might not have made it through the entire evening.

But it seemed it was still not enough to knock her out of her wits as she felt the fatigue in her eyes. Even her entire body was protesting as she stretched a muscle.

"But we just could not believe it." Violet incredulously said, still mildly giggling with excitement.

She did not know if she should be as exhilarated as her friends were about the news. Still, she did not expect their reactions to be so positive.

"Who does?" She mumbled as she closed her eyes and replayed the entire event in her head repeatedly.

"Andriana, are you awake?" A knock on her bedroom door alerted her of an early visitor.

But from the eager voice coming from the hallway, she might already know the purpose of his visit.

"Girls, sorry, but I have to go. I'll call you later." She quickly hung up the phone before jumping out of bed to open her door. It was a struggle to stand up, but she had no choice.

She could not pretend to be asleep or ignore him. He would only keep coming back until she faced him. She could not avoid the inevitable forever.

She also had to get ready for work. She still needed to report to her job until she had formally submitted her resignation.

"Daddy Frankie, what brought you into my room this fine morning." She automatically tiptoed to kiss him on his cheek, finding his long beard ticklish as it brushed her lips.

It was a great day as she noticed the sunshine streaming into her window, brightening her entire room. But it was much better to see the beautiful smile on the older man's face.

She might not be blood-related to this man, but he had been there for her when her father died, treating her like she belonged to his family.

"I could not wait to see for myself about the good news." He reached out and lifted her hand as if looking for something.

But his brows knotted into a frown when he found her fingers empty. Of course, she already knew what he was expecting to see.

"Where is your ring?" he asked, looking confused. "Lucas said that he finally proposed to you last night," he explained, expressing his disappointment at not seeing the ring on her finger.

Yeah! She finally agreed to accept his marriage proposal.

Crazy, right?

Despite her strong objection to the whole arrangement, she did not understand why she said yes last night. Perhaps it was the alcohol, her heartbreak, or every little disaster that she considered her life.

Or maybe it was because of this adorable man before her. After all, Lucas was right. She owed this man whatever she had today.

"It is on my nightstand." At least, she remembered putting it there last night. "It was heavy. I'm still getting used to wearing it on my finger."

She hated seeing the disappointment firmly etched on his face, remembering how he would do anything to make her smile. She guessed it was her turn to return the favor.

"Well, you only deserve the best." He commented as he wrapped her in his warm embrace, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"Finally, I can fulfill my promise to your father. You will officially become my daughter." He added, giving her a solemn look.

She knew Daddy Frankie and her father, Austin, had been childhood friends. But she was unaware of their agreement.

"Anyway, I will leave you to go on with your day. I only wish to congratulate you, my little Princess." He held her fingers firmly before finally letting her go.

A few minutes later, she was alone again, staring at the ring on the wooden surface, glittering in its sparkling beauty against the bright sun that filtered into her room.

"If only this had been real, I would be the happiest and luckiest person in the world." She muttered to herself, expelling a loud sound of air rushing out of her lips.

But she did not want to dwell on things she had no control over. In the meantime, she had to prepare for work before she became late on her second day.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

She wondered if Daddy Frankie had forgotten something as she rushed to open the door. But to her surprise, someone else unexpectedly showed up in her room.

"Aunt Liza, do you need anything?" Honestly, she could not guess what she wanted from her.

She did not have what she would call a good relationship with her. Unlike Daddy Frankie, she did not want her to call her Mommy.

"I don't know how you have charmed my husband to believe your innocent act. But you are not fooling my son. Soon enough, he would see through your façade." Aunt Liza threateningly told her.

It was clear to her that she disapproved of this engagement, especially the marriage. But what else could she expect from her when the matriarch of the Preston family had never wanted her in their lives in the first place?

"I don't know what you are talking about." She did not want to be disrespectful. "But I am not here to fool anyone."

Even though the older woman had expressed her dislike of her, she still had no reason to hate her. She still owed this woman for letting her stay under their roof.

"You are just like your mother." Aunt Liza muttered in almost like a whisper, but she heard it loud and clear. Then, she turned and walked away.

Frankly, she could not help but think of what she said. What did her fiancée's mother mean by that?

Like her Mom?