Chapter 13 The Party Part 2

Sierra could hardly believe what was happening. This morning, she had experienced so many baffling events. It started with her conversation with Axton, going to the hospital with Callie, their argument, and her meeting with Damian. And now, Sierra found herself at a birthday party for Damian’s niece, held at his family’s home.

Not only did she meet Damian’s older sister, but she also met his entire extended family. Ridiculously, Damian introduced her to everyone, and she had to go around and meet them all.

"I didn’t know Damian had a girlfriend. You’re so beautiful, I almost couldn’t take my eyes off of you," said an 80-year-old woman with white hair and wrinkles on her face, holding Sierra’s hand tightly while gazing at her in admiration.

Sierra knew the woman was Damian’s grandmother, but she didn’t expect her to mistake her for Damian’s girlfriend.

"Grandma, I already told you she’s my friend. Don’t make her uncomfortable," Damian said, wrapping his arm around his grandmother’s waist and whining like a 5-year-old.

Damn, Sierra wanted to laugh. She had known Damian since she worked as Axton’s secretary, but she had never known anything about him besides the fact that he was Axton’s close friend. Yet, in just two hours, she had already seen so many silly sides of Damian.

"Who’s making her uncomfortable? Are you uncomfortable with me, dear?"

"Of course not, Ma’am. I know you’re just joking."

"Oh, don’t call me that. Call me Magie. Didn’t I tell you my name is Magie?"

Sierra smiled briefly, "How can I call you that? I feel it’s very impolite."

"Or you could call me the way Damian does."

It seemed she gave the wrong answer.

"So, how old are you, and how do you know Damian, dear?"

"Oh my god, is Grandma conducting an interview here? Seriously?" Damian said.

"Is there something wrong with that? This is the first time you’ve brought a woman to a family event after everyone thought you were gay. Of course, everyone’s curious. They want to know if it’s just camouflage or if you actually have a girlfriend."

Sierra widened her eyes when she heard what Damian’s grandmother said. Honestly, it was a bit blunt, almost sassy. But what could they do when it was an 80-year-old grandmother saying it? Of course, no one would scold her, right?

"Grandma, stop making Damian’s guest uncomfortable. We should be having fun here and welcoming her warmly," said Diana, Damian’s older sister, who was the mother of the 4-year-old whose birthday it was.

"I was just asking, is there something wrong with that?"

Sierra moved closer to the woman and quickly smiled, "I know him because I’m Axton Scott’s secretary, who happens to be Damian’s close friend. We happened to meet at the hospital this morning, and Damian kindly offered to give me a ride home after I left my wallet in my friend’s car and my phone’s battery died." She gave an explanation to stop the endless questions.

"Oh, you’re Axton Scott’s secretary? How did you end up at the hospital? Were you sick?"

Apparently, she was wrong. Her answer didn’t stop anything but only led to more questions.

"Damian, maybe you should take Sierra on a tour of the house or grab some food. I’ll handle Grandma here!" Diana said, pushing Sierra away with Damian.

Damian laughed at what his sister was doing while their grandmother grumbled angrily.

Sierra blinked, confused by the chaos. She was an only child and didn’t have any grandparents or a big family. She had spent her life with her parents, and unfortunately, she had a bad father, so she never had any truly happy memories with her family. There had never been any family parties at her house, and she had only attended a few family gatherings from Callie’s side in other cities. But she had to say that Damian’s family party was a surprising and… fun experience.

"Come on, Sierra. Let’s get some food and head to the backyard. I’m starting to get bored with this party. I feel like popping all the balloons, but I know that’ll make my niece cry." Damian grabbed her hand and led her toward the food table.

Sierra was a little surprised by this. However, she reassured herself that maybe Damian just had a habit of being physically affectionate even with people he didn’t know well.

"Miss Kayleigh? I’m so surprised to see you here."

Sierra turned her head, and honestly, she wanted to curse under her breath when she realized how many people she had met today. Of course, none of them were on the list of people she wanted to meet.

"Mr. Smith? Oh, what a surprise." Sierra smiled, holding a plate in both hands.

Mr Smith was one of Axton’s business colleagues, quite important to their latest project. There was a partnership in building a hotel, and Axton seemed most excited about the collaboration, given Mr. Smith’s excellent reputation in hotel management.

Meeting him at such an unexpected event was a blessing, especially since he was very difficult to meet due to his busy schedule. Even though she wasn’t working right now, her instincts as a secretary urged her to make an effort to get a meeting with him as soon as possible.

"Do you know Sierra, uncle?" Damian joined them, his hands full of food and two glasses of drinks. He handed one of the glasses to her, and she had no choice but to accept it, though she was honestly a bit surprised that Damian had gotten her a drink.

"She’s Axton Scott’s secretary, right? Of course, I know her. We’re collaborating on the hotel project. Don’t we have a project visit scheduled in a few days, Miss?"

"Oh, right. I’ve offered a few visit schedules and just need to wait for your secretary’s response. It seems like you’re so busy. It’s hard to meet you," she gave a smile.

"Really?" Mr. Smith furrowed his brow, "I didn’t know my secretary was making it difficult for you."

"Of course not!" Sierra shook her head, laughing briefly, "I’m just joking, Mr. Smith. I’ve cleared Mr. Scott’s schedule for the dates I suggested to your secretary. I hope we can meet soon."

"Seems like your secretary is causing Sierra some trouble, uncle. You’d better free up some time to meet with her because she’s a busy woman," Damian said.

“Damian!” Sierra turned her head and laughed. “Don’t listen to him, Mr. Smith. I’ll be happy when your secretary can find the right time for our meeting.”

“I think I have some free time in two days. But I’ll confirm that with my secretary. Where can I reach you?” Mr. Smith took out his phone, and Sierra was slightly taken aback by what she saw.

“No need!” Damian stepped forward and quickly stood between her and Mr. Smith. “You can contact me if you find a suitable time. I’ll pass the message to Sierra.”

“What?” she could hardly believe what was happening here.

“Wait a minute, is she your girlfriend or something? You’re making our business more difficult, actually,” Mr. Smith shook his head. “But even if she is your girlfriend, that’s better. I’m tired of hearing my mom worry about having a gay grandson,” he said, laughing.

Sierra was truly stunned.

She hadn’t intended to meddle in Damian’s personal life. If he was gay, that was his choice, and everyone should support it. But was this man really gay?

***

“Sorry for making you get stuck with my family, Sierra. I know they can be a bit crazy,” Damian said as he began driving his car out of Diana’s mansion parking lot.

Sierra was sure that Emberly’s birthday party, Damian’s niece, was meant for close family only, but she could see dozens of luxury cars parked in the mansion’s yard as if the owner was hosting a massive event.

She didn’t know why, but in recent years, she had gotten involved with and met so many surprising rich people.

“Well, they were very kind to me, so it’s no big deal.”

“Yeah, but they misunderstood you and made you explain everything. I know you must be annoyed, right?” Damian rolled down the car window and waved at the gatekeeper. From the way they interacted, she could tell that Damian was quite familiar with everyone who worked around him. It seemed he wasn’t the type of rich guy who was arrogant or snobby. She should have realized this earlier, especially since Damian never hesitated to greet her first whenever they met at the office, even though she was just an employee. “If you’re mad, you can vent to me.”

“Not really,” she answered casually. “Actually, it’s kind of surprising because I just found out that Mr. Smith is your uncle. I’ve had a hard time scheduling a meeting with him because his secretary is so difficult to reach. But it seems I got a good opportunity today.”

“No one knows we’re still family. He’s the uncle I’m closest to because he used to live in my mom’s house before he became the businessman he is now.”

“Doesn’t Axton know?”

Damian turned his head. “No,” was his answer.

Well, that answer made sense. If Axton knew, he probably would have asked Damian to help schedule a meeting with Mr Smith, considering he had mentioned that he had difficulty handling their joint project.

“Actually, he’s a nice guy. But after his son passed away, he became a bit difficult to deal with. I don’t think it’s his secretary who has a hard time getting his time. I think he’s intentionally making it difficult for others.”

“Oh my god, I feel guilty now for blaming his secretary,” Sierra grimaced and bit her bottom lip. “I think I messed something up.”

“Not at all. It seems like he’s quite comfortable talking to you, and that’s a plus for you. I hope your business goes smoothly. Just let me know anytime you need help. I’ll also let you know when he finds a suitable schedule for you.”

“I don’t want to trouble you, but if you could, please help me. Lately, we’ve just been having difficulties with the project with Mr. Smith, and I was quite surprised when he greeted me first today.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I don’t mind helping at all. In fact, I should apologize for getting you involved with my crazy family.”

“That’s not true,” Sierra shook her head, disagreeing. “They’re very fun.”

“You look uncomfortable, and I’m assuming you’re annoyed. If that’s the case, I really apologize for what happened. As a replacement, I’ll give you a gift voucher.”

“What?” Sierra turned her head in confusion. She laughed softly in response to what Damian had just said.

“I’m serious. You can use this voucher to ask anything of me, except for my company, of course. Don’t ask for that, or you’ll make me poor,” he said.

Sierra shook her head in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“I told you I’m serious. Now, tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you as an apology. Remember, you can only use this voucher once, so don’t ask for something bad. Think it through carefully.”

Sierra blinked, and she really couldn’t hold back her laughter. “How about giving me a ride home?”

“No way.” Damian quickly turned his head. “I’ll still give you a ride home, as I promised earlier. You don’t need to use your voucher for that. Besides, I already told you to think it through carefully. You could ask for something more valuable, like a house, a car, an expensive bag, or jewelry. I’ll give you anything except my company.”

Sierra clicked her tongue in admiration. “You really are super rich, and I’m impressed!” she said, laughing.

Damian laughed along but then suddenly shot her a teasing look. “So, what’s it gonna be? Are you planning to work at my company? I can double your salary if you’re willing. I just so happen to need a competent secretary like you.”

Sierra rolled her eyes, unable to believe the joke Damian had just made.

Axton and Damian were close friends, and she knew that Damian was much friendlier and more talkative than Axton. But she never expected him to be so playful with his jokes.

“I already have a house, so I don’t need another one. It would be excessive to ask for a car just because I had to come to a birthday party. Besides, the party was fun, and I got to eat delicious food, so I have nothing to complain about. I don’t need an expensive bag because I’ve been using the same one for work for the past year. As for jewelry?” Sierra shook her head. “I don’t need that because I’m not a socialite who needs to flaunt new jewelry every month. So, in conclusion, I don’t have any requests.”

“Cheater!” Damian snapped his fingers. “You avoided my question and rejected all the options I gave you.”

“Oh my gosh! I didn’t know dealing with you would be this troublesome.”

“Exactly, that’s why you should ask for something in return.”

“I should be the one paying you for giving me a ride home and treating me to delicious food at your cousin’s party.”

“Giving you a ride home is no trouble, and I’ll make sure to treat you to more delicious food if you’re willing.”

Sierra laughed again, and she lost count of how many times she had laughed today, all thanks to Damian’s jokes. For a moment, she forgot about her problems, and she had to admit that chatting with Damian was pretty fun.

“Alright. How about I keep your voucher for now? I’ll use it once I figure out what I want from you. Do you agree?”

“Except for my company,” Damian said, raising his index finger. “I’ll give you anything except my company.”

“Deal!”

After that, they continued chatting about various things. Damian had a thousand topics to talk about and amusing jokes to share, and before they knew it, his car had already entered the complex where Sierra lived. Only a few more meters to go, and they’d reach her home—the home she hadn’t visited in months after moving in with Callie. The place had felt a bit unsafe since it was used as collateral for a loan, and debt collectors would frequently show up, causing a ruckus while she had to deal with it on her own.

Months had passed, and she had to admit that she missed her home.

“Sierra?” Damian furrowed his brow, and Sierra immediately knew the reason. “Why is he here?”

Honestly, she had no idea why someone had parked their car in front of her gate. And she was even more stunned when she saw that the person was... Axton.

How did she know? Well, it was clear as day when Axton stepped out of the car and stood there, facing Damian’s vehicle with an expression that looked... angry?

Wait a minute. Why did he look angry?