Chap_6. Surprise

Eden really didn't think Damien would make her do this. But then talking to Clarke Etheridge wasn't a problem here but talking to her parents was. Eden thought. She could see it would be the next ridiculous thing she had to do.

Out of nowhere, she couldn't just start saying to her parents that she wanted to marry the billionaire heir, the son of her boss. They knew really well about Eden's choice not to mention the person from her college time.

Eden never hid anything from her parents but this time..

If not this, then what? Eden thought for a moment. There was no way she was going to say she fell in love with him and would like to marry him. She mentally groaned at this thought.

When she remained quiet in her place at night, her parents could feel something was wrong with Eden but no matter how much they tried to talk to Eden, she just said about work pressure and all.

Even if they weren't convinced but they didn't push her to speak up right now because they knew sooner or later, Eden was going to share with them whatever it was.

~~

Eden was pleasantly surprised when she found Clarke making an appearance at the office instead of Damien the next day. But just when she mustered up some courage to say all this to Clarke, a text on her phone put a brake on it.

Test my waters only if you are well aware of how to swim.

The number wasn't stored in her phone but then it didn't take a genius to know who was the sender. It was from Damien for sure. Eden let out a sigh as she got prepared to do the necessary.

Before leaving for home, Eden finally said to Clarke that she was ready to marry Damien.

Clarke was shocked for a moment but then spoke up trying to control his excitement, "Do you really mean it?"

Eden only managed to nod with a little bit of a smile.

For the last two days, Clarke took leave from the office intentionally. The out of town meeting didn't demand his presence but he appeared there and spent some time with his wife as well. All he wanted was Damien to see how efficient Eden was at her work and maybe it would make him paint her with a good brush.

Because he knew Eden already made it clear to Damien that she didn't care about looks, and status but counted on her dignity and hard labor.

But he didn't expect it to happen this early. Then his ultimatum given to Damien rang in his mind.

As much as Clarke was happy, he couldn't help confirming knowing Damien's nature, "Eden, you are agreeing willingly, not under some pressure or something, right?"

"Yes. I am doing it willingly." Eden spoke up trying to sound sincere and somewhat blushing. Though Clarke was taking her blushing thing out of shyness for Eden it was coming from embarrassment and guilt. She could feel Clarke was more than just happy with her decision where she was doing nothing but toying with his emotions.

But then, if his own son wasn't taking it into consideration what option she was left with here?

"Dear, you don't know how happy and relieved you made me today. I know only you can bring my son to the right way. And you will always have me and my wife, Caroline for your backup." Clarke spoke up smilingly being unable to hold it within pulling Eden out of her thoughts.

In response, Eden just managed a nod and a little bit of smile.

On her way back without going back directly to her place, she ended up at the entrance of the apartment of Brenda. She needed some space or maybe some consultation about what to do actually.

She stood there after pressing the calling bell for few times, waiting for Brenda or Cassandra to answer the door but there was no sign of anyone.

Getting impatient, she called Brenda but much to her irritation, her number was busy. She tried for few times but got the same response.

After a few minutes when Eden called her again, she didn't even answer the call. She groaned mentally. After some time she made her way back to her place.

Taking her by surprise, an SUV was parked just at the entrance of her place for the first time ever. Only if she had taken a good look, she would have recognized it but it wasn't something, she expected to find here. So not wasting any time guessing, she walked ahead only to get paused when she caught the sight of the people sitting in the living room.

Clarke, Damien, and a middle-aged woman. She must be Caroline Etheridge. Eden guessed.

On the other hand, Brenda was sitting there with her parents. The small coffee table between the small couches was filled with some snacks. Eden immediately knew what was going on there.

She wasn't ready to start the facade already, not when she didn't have the chance to talk to her parents about it and so the matter was with Brenda and Cassandra, the few important people in her life, and all she just wanted was to vanish in the thin air. But still, it wasn't going to solve the thing. So, she needed to face it.

~~

Damien was taken by surprise when late in the afternoon his parents showed up at his penthouse. It wasn't late in the evening time and he wasn't with a girl unlike last time and he was thankful for that.

The all excited face of his parents made him guess what was the matter with them. He didn't need to guess much though as Clarke spoke up about the reason behind their making appearance here.

As much as Damien was happy to see his plan going accordingly, he wasn't very fond of the idea of visiting Eden's parents.

It wasn't a matter of her parents actually but the place. She was supposed to be living in a shabby, dinky place somewhere away from his knowledge.

But when Clarke gave his final words that they were visiting them, Damien knew refusing to go along was only going to get him even more agitated, not to mention suspicious. He wanted for that to happen to the least.

He was well aware that Eden agreeing to marry him and his saying otherwise wasn't something Clarke was going to buy for sure.

Like he expected her place turned out to be in Forest Creek almost out of the Rock Castle area, away from his penthouse and his parents' place as well which was in Willow Hills.

They made it to reach there late in the evening and Damien had to look a couple of times at the one-story bungalow to make sure they were at the right place.

While coming here, he had imagined her place but nothing prepared him for this match-sized cottage in front of him. How do people even fit in there? He wondered for a moment.

Clarke got ordering, breaking his thoughts, "What are you waiting for? Get down."

Damien got down from the car reluctantly but stood near their car, not daring to cross the boundary line in case something jumped at him from the unkempt rose bushes near the yellow mailbox.

But when Clarke so comfortably pushed the wooden door open and walked ahead followed by Caroline, Damien had nothing to do but to follow them, praying nothing sprung out at him from the overgrown lawn.

When his father stood at the doorway and pressed the doorbell, he had expected it to fall off or something but it worked, taking him by surprise.

Dressed in all black, a tall blond with closely cropped locks framing her face answered the door, "Edie, you.." but seeing them stopped mid-sentence and changed her words, "Can I help you?"

Clarke was quick to answer, "We would like to meet Eden's parents."

The girl was about to step aside but didn't at last and inquired again, "Who are you people?"

"Who is at the door, Brenda?" A voice beat Clarke from giving an answer.

Evangeline reached there in moments and spoke up politely, "Yes?" as Brenda moved aside, only then her eyes caught the sight of Damien standing behind his parents. Her eyes widened in a matter of seconds.

Damien just smiled a little. It was clear to him either she had recognized him or gotten into his looks already or both. The pink shade on her cheeks confirmed his guesses anyway.

He was irritated though when he remembered Eden's unaffected expression. How come his charm wasn't working on her? Damien wondered for a moment or two and by then his parents were done with the introduction part and were already walking ahead to the living room.

His thought was cut short when he was invited in by the middle-aged woman, maybe Eden's mother he guessed because there was pretty much similarity with their faces.

The blond was still blushing as he made his way in. He stood for a moment as he took the surroundings in. There were two doors, maybe those led to bedrooms, a small living room attached with a kitchen.

The living room of his penthouse or his parents' was larger than the entire place. Shrugging off, he sat on the couch which was pretty uncomfortable for him.

Whatever conversation was going on didn't get his attention until she appeared. The surprised face of Eden showed she didn't expect to see them here and her parents' faces did tell him that they were unaware of the whole thing as well.

Damien didn't expect otherwise though.

As Eden got near them, her parents asked together, "Eden, is it true?"

All this while when they were asking Eden about getting married, she always avoided the whole thing and they didn't want to pressurize her. Her choice was well known to them and Damien Etheridge, the billionaire heir didn't fit there.

But if Eden had chosen him, they had no problem. The only thing in all this bothered them was Eden keeping it from them. It was so unlikely of her.

Eden wasn't needed to mention what she was asked. She could literally read their expression and they were somewhat hurt. Eden knew the reason as well.

But a glance at Damien and she knew she had to go on with it no matter what. Hating herself for hurting them, she just nodded, "Yes."

The Etheridge couple smiled heartily and as Eden got settled there replacing Brenda, the planning for the upcoming wedding unfolded.

Eden barely grasped the happenings when Caroline spoke up all excitedly, "It's fixed then. The next weekend. I know it's in a short notice but we can pull something.."

"No." Eden said aloud being unable to handle it anymore, cutting short the dreamy plan details of Caroline and startling everyone with her announcement. A pair of bluish eyes got colder within moments as they got rooted on Eden.....