Chap_1. Crazy Girl

Irritated out of his mind, Damien entered the cabin of Clarke and uttered, "Dad?"

Clarke was sitting at his desk, reading something on the laptop. He turned to Damien when he heard him.

As Damien walked to the couch beside the window and slammed on one of the couches there, Clarke got up from his chair and walked near. Settling on the other couch, he faced Damien, "What happened? How did it go?"

"How did it go!" Damien gave him an incredulous look, "I am definitely not marrying that crazy girl. She says I am not good for her. Can you believe it?"

Clarke gave Damien an amused expression as he uttered, "Expected."

"What? You sound like you knew it was going to happen."

"Yeah. When I asked Eden, she refused outright there at first. So I was expecting something like this. So, how did you feel meeting a girl who didn't fall for your charms like some other girls?" Clarke read Damien's face like the answer was written there.

Damien knew where his father was going with this but surprising him, he stopped there. Damien spoke up then, "She is crazy, Dad. Where did you find this rare species anyways?"

Clarke replied shortly, "She is my secretary."

"Secretary? Wait a moment. What happened to Caldwell?"

"I fired him." Clarke shrugged.

"Dad, what did he do?" Damien wondered for a moment but then a sudden but very likable thought crossed his mind, "Oh, of course. Eden must have manipulated you to get him fired to bag the job herself."

"Damien!" Remembering the incident as well as Damien's baseless thoughts, Clarke fisted his hand, "He tried to assault Eden and I don't need any scumbag near me or my office."

Damien was immediately enraged. Just firing for such an act of a lowlife wasn't enough. He should have been beaten to death or imprisoned at the very least. "You should have.. wait a moment, did you just say he tried to assault Eden? You mean Eden McBride?"

"Yes."

Damien's thoughts immediately took another turn and he tried for his thoughts to be proven right anyhow and inquired, "She told you all this?"

"No. I saw it." Clarke shot Damien an angry glare as if he read his thoughts, "You shouldn't judge anyone to fit them as per your thoughts, Damien. I taught you better than that."

Clarke's voice gave Damien no room to argue or doubt his words anymore.

Clarke was about to leave for his desk but stopped at his track and again turned to him.

"If you are forgetting, I have never forced you into anything and I am definitely not forcing you to marry Eden. Choose your girl yourself as I am definitely not going to discuss your messy relationships with girls. I am more than tired of your life full of debauchery and I can't just sit and watch you got to catch up with all this someday." Sighing, Clarke walked to his desk and settling on his chair, he turned to Damien again.

"I just want to see it on the track. Until then I am not leaving my inheritance to you like I always said. And if you take more than two weeks for choosing your girl, I am giving it away to anyone, I see it fit." Giving his words in a lower but calculative tone, Clarke snapped open his laptop to tackle the emails first, giving Damien the time to process his words.

He had always said that but Damien didn't take him seriously. And now he could see it all. His father was damn serious this time. But how come marrying someone would get his life on the track! He wondered for a moment and then walked out of the cabin.

Etheridge Logistic, the company was his birthright, this wasn't something he was spoilt with from the beginning. He had worked hard to earn that and proved his capability.

But now seeing his hard work of five years going down the drain and just marrying a girl would be all not to lose it, was not easy for him to digest.

Marriage wasn't his cup of tea neither he was willing to give it a try. He was happy with his life and wasn't ready to change his ways.

All of his friends' parents were divorced. His parents was an exception and for that he was thankful but he didn't want to take it as an inspiration anyway.

After half an hour of drive, he made it to his parents' place. Just going back to his penthouse didn't seem to be a good idea for now but trying to convince his mother to talk to his father was.

As soon as he was at the entrance, the old aged Butler appeared in front of him. "Sir Junior Etheridge, welcome home." The old man smiled warmly at Damien.

"Good to see you, Jace." Damien smiled back and then asked while looking around, "Where is Mom?"

"She is in the living room." Jace gestured towards there and then asked Damien, "Would you like to have anything, Sir?"

"No, thank you." Damien replied as he made his way to his mother and uttered standing at a little distance, "Mom, I am home."

Hearing the cheerful voice, Caroline Etheridge smiled heartily as she turned to behind. As soon as she saw Damien standing there, she stood up.

Damien walked to her smilingly and hugged Caroline. She hugged him back, "My baby."

A sweet smell hit his nostrils hard, letting Damien feel the warmth and comfort like always. It was one of the smells he remembered from his early days. His father also loved him a lot, he knew it and as he was busy with his business, his mother was the one who was with him all the time.

~~

"Mom?" Eden called out for her mother as she entered her house.

"I am in the kitchen, honey." Evangeline's voice came into her hearing. When she stood in front of the kitchen island, she spoke up again, "You are back early. How did the meeting go?"

"Which meeting?" Eden was startled. She never told her parents about her meeting with Damien. But then she remembered about saying about a meeting.

Eden smiled a little, "Yeah. It went well." Eden told her half of the things. Sure, Clarke gave her a half-day off today but that was just because he wanted her to meet his son, Damien.

As Clarke assured her that it wasn't any obligation and she could do as per her wish, she didn't tell all this to her parents. She was determined to say no and besides, she was sure she wouldn't meet Damien's preference already knowing Damien's nature of being three months prince from the office staff and as well as tabloids.

"Honey, you okay? You look pale."

"Yeah, Mom. I am fine." Eden flashed a bright smile on her face driving away her mother's worries.

Eden placed her sling on the side of the kitchen counter and spoke up, "Well, let me will help you."

"No. I am almost done. You go freshen up, honey." Her mother declined her offer and gestured at her room.

Before leaving, Eden asked, "What about Dad?"

Her mother stirred the veg on the nonstick, "He is sleeping. You freshen up and come. I am pretty sure, you haven't taken your lunch."

Eden nodded smilingly, "Okay. Coming."

The Next Day

When Eden served Clarke his coffee and enlightened him about his schedule, she expected him to ask her about the meeting with his son but strangely, he didn't. He was behaving normally just like some other day.

Eden couldn't be more relieved. Damien must have handled the matter. Eden thought. It didn't matter what he said to his father to put an end to this thought. It would have turned really ridiculous. They didn't suit each other anyway. With this thought, Eden let out a breath in relief thanking karma or fate or kismat or whatever it was that made it happen....