Night had fallen at the port and there were other guests arriving. There was a girl who walked out of the cabin, and she looked about twenty-five years old. She was charming, quite enchanting, very pretty, and she behaved graciously too.
There was a man in his fifties awaiting her arrival as she smiled and greeted him, “Dad.”
“You’re finally back. Come on over and let me take a good look at you.” The man scrutinized her from top to bottom with a smile on his face. “You’ve become much prettier than before.”
“Time flies. I haven’t met Elliot at all for the past twelve years, and I can’t believe that our first encounter after so long would be at his wedding.” The girl spoke up, slightly dejectedly.
“You should go and greet the future young mistress of the Presgrave Family.”
The old man spoke calmly.
“What sort of girl is she?”
“As of now, we’re not too familiar with her. The only thing known is that she’s the only candidate for the position of young mistress of the family with the seal of approval from the old madam. It was her mom who created this opportunity for her.” The old man spoke with a deep look in his eyes.
“So if it wasn’t for her mother sacrificing her life to save Old Madam Presgrave, she wouldn’t have had the chance to become the young mistress of the family, huh?”
“She bore Elliot a son five years ago. From the look of things, she’s not a girl to be taken lightly.”
“She’s twenty-five years old, so she’s about the same age as me. Perhaps we can become best friends.”
The old man glanced sideways at his daughter. Meanwhile, she had her eyes on him too, and they seemed to be communicating silently about something that had to be kept a secret.
“Don’t let me down in the future.” He patted her on the shoulders.
“I definitely won’t let you down.” She spoke confidently and nodded firmly. Subsequently, she revealed a pained smile. “It has been so many years. I wonder if Elliot remembers me.”
“Spare some time tomorrow to meet him
and say hi.” The night skies were pitch black by then,
and the entire island descended into
silence.
The next morning, the rays of sunlight hit the white bedsheets, and Anastasia snuggled into her husband’s arms and wanted to have a sleep-in.
However, Harriet had organized a tea party at ten o’clock, so Anastasia had to attend it. Anastasia had to dress up and put on makeup for the event, so that would require some time too.
However, Elliot had not behaved himself the night before, and so she didn’t get much sleep.
Elliot kissed her on the forehead sympathetically. “Get some more sleep. I’ll explain to Grandma about the tea party.”
“How are you going to explain things?!” Anastasia supported her chin with her hand and asked with a smile.
“As long as I tell her that I was the one who caused you to wake up late, she would naturally be understanding of the situation. She wouldn’t blame you.” Elliot had a wicked smile on his face as he spoke.
Anastasia reached out and covered his lips with her hand. “Stop that nonsense! I would be so embarrassed in public if you actually said that.”
He held her hand and kissed the back of it. “Okay. You’ve got some more time left, so get some sleep.”
By then, Anastasia no longer had the urge to sleep, so she decided to take a nap later in the afternoon.
He had his arms around her and his dark eyes were tender and loving. He seemed
to be admiring a perfect art piece under the early morning rays. Her tousled hair was very seductive to him, and he couldn’t help being enchanted by her.
She was also checking him out with a tilt of her head, and she reached out to stroke his cheek before lovingly planting a kiss on his forehead. “Time to wake up, honey.”
However, Elliot pulled her back into his arms. “Let me continue hugging you for a bit longer.”
At that moment, Anastasia had no choice but to put her head on his chest silently as she listened to his heartbeat. They basked in the morning sun and enjoyed this moment of peace together.
The tea party was ready at about ten o’clock in the morning. The female members of the extended Presgrave Family arrived before the scheduled time. They were all dressed to the nines, and they chatted amongst themselves amicably.
Anastasia’s makeup was delicate and proper. She was dressed in an elegant earth-toned maxi dress with her hair coiffed up, and she carried a dainty little bag. Adriana kept her company as they walked out of the villa together.
Elliot also left to find Jared. He planned to take Jared out to sea today because he had promised Jared to go deep-sea fishing with him. Elliot had also invited Nigel and Arthur along. Several other younger males of the Presgrave extended family were invited too. He was ready to relax and enjoy himself.
Elliot made his way toward the villa Jared was staying at as he listened to the human relations manager report on the situation with their guests. Suddenly, there was a soft female voice that rang out, “Elliot.”
