Chapter Two- Some sick practical joke

Isabella point of view

"Before you get mad, just know that this was your cousin's idea. Something she considered grand"

This has got to be some sort of sick joke. Someone who knew something was obviously trying to make me sweat or perhaps they wanted my money.

"Breathe, just breathe," Cameron's voice was quite distant but it was my anchor while my heart rate skyrocketed and my palms became all sweaty. My breaths became heavier and suddenly I was gasping.

The hand on my back was cool and it eased my panic attack a bit but it wasn't gone.

"No one is here for you, everything is going to be fine, we'll figure out who did this and make sure they get what's coming for them, I just need you to calm down," Cameron kept on talking though I wasn't responding, I could only look at her and choke on my words.

We must have stayed there for hours because it surely felt like that but slowly everything started to ease up, it felt easier to breathe and my heart rate got lower.

Cameron helped me to a seat on the couch before she left to get me a glass of water. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Everything is not as cheery as this letter says, we need you to come back home. Your dad is dead and we believe he was murdered. They're going to kill us one after the other if you don't show up."

"Here you go," Cameron handed the glass of water to me and I drank everything at once. I was still a bit thirsty but I thanked her and kept that to the side.

"Can you talk about it now?" She asked after a while of watching me.

Sometimes Cameron was as open as a book, I could read her without her knowing. She was obviously worried about me but she did not want me to go into such a fit again.

"You need to come back and get married to Mr Zachary Newman or else we lose everything, Isabella. Your cousin had a baby recently and while this is the worst place to put such a turn of events, we do need you."

"Honestly, if I knew someone offering you an engagement ring would scare you this much, I would have discarded the package the moment it came," She added before coming to my side and when her hands wrapped around me once she joined me on the couch, I knew it would be safe to tell her about it.

I cleared my throat, "Cameron," I started, "My family wants me to go back home."

"So? Is it such a bad thing to go back to your family? Did they abuse you or did something so unforgivable that you don't want to go back to them?" She asked, confusion etched all over her face.

"They didn't abuse me per se, they tried their best to be a good family honestly and I miss them so so much," The choke on my own words wasn't something I normally experienced but sometimes it was there, "And my dad, my dad is dead now."

"He was murdered...."

Cameron gasped, her hands rose up and covered her mouth.

"Who would do something like that?..."

"I'm not sure about that but I have an idea," I interrupted, "I need to go home today, let me call my assistant. He need to book me a flight then I get my passport ready and get my clothes arranged......."

Cameron's palm on my shoulder stopped the rest of the rant as she turned me around so I could look at her.

"You're not doing this without me, I'm coming with you and that's final. You don't need to say anything or even agree with it."

No one gets in the way of my best friend when she decided on something. She would go with or without me after successfully tracking me down and then give me a beating when we were alone.

I just hoped nothing goes wrong and everything was just a ploy to get me to come home because my dad can't be dead. He just can't be. Because who the fuck sends messages via letters nowadays.

The ping from the doorbell gave me a scare. And so did what was behind the door. A bouquet of flowers with a note stuck onto it.

"And while you might be receiving letters of doom, I took the liberty to get you this. Your favourite. Signed, Newman."

And clearly, I had a stalker too.

My assistant picked up at the first ring.

"Get me two first class tickets to new Orleans please and tell the models, meeting them would have to be postponed for a few days."

The bouquet ended up in the trash, far away from where Cameron might see them.

***

When I was younger, my dad would pick me up from the ground and place me on his shoulders and then take me on an imaginary airplane ride round the back of our house. Anytime he was back from work was always a time filled with joy and laughter.

Even my mom smiled more in his presence.

It was almost like I could see him now, dressed in his favorite golf shorts and a white t-shirt reading the newspaper in the kitchen while drinking a cup of coffee.

"Finish up Izzy and we can get started," He would tell me whenever he caught me watching him instead of eating the snack my mom had made.

They had no other child after me.

"Are you okay Isabella?" Cameron asked me the moment we sat on our seats on the flight.

I turned to her and plastered the largest smile on my face, "I'm okay, I just need to see them," I placed an hand over hers before turning all of my attention to some fashion magazine in my hands.

I didn't read it. And something told me I was forgetting something important.

"Cam, did I bring the books for the designs?" I asked Cameron because I couldn't remember what I had packed in my suitcase anymore.

Cameron sighed with mocked annoyance, "Did you bring the one book you normally use to escape from the chaos of the world?" She asked, placing a hand on her chest and acting shocked.

If I could shock this girl, I would.

I just gave her a nod instead which made her laugh.

"Everything you need is in the bag, don't worry,"

Okay. That's okay. I wasn't able to fall asleep until we arrived.

I knew something had been forgotten though.

The drive to my family house was filled with silence and honestly, I would have preferred chatter. Maybe that would have kept the inevitable at bay. My dad couldn't be dead, I haven't seen him for five days.

It was just a ploy to get me back. The letter and the flowers. Newman wouldn't do something like that.

"I got you something Bella, close your eyes."

"We're here Bella, I think," Cameron's voice broke through my memory of my dad which made me a bit mad but I knew it wasn't her fault.

We climbed down from the car at the same time and while Cameron stared at our house with awe, I dreaded even looking at it. I took my sweet time bringing out our suitcases from the car before bidding the Uber farewell.

"It's pretty."

The house was like almost every building in this neighborhood but my dad added a touch to everything. He didn't want our house to look like our neighbors.

While everyone had paved driveways, he added flowers to the paved driveway and little hedge stones I used to climb on whenever I was bored.

Cameron held unto my shoulders and turned me around, she moved her hands upwards. To my cheek.

"We're here to find out what happened and what made them send something like that, to find your dad hale and hearty"

The smile on my face was a bit fake but Cameron took it. We walked silently and I showed Cameron and told her everything about every single place.

Until I saw the brown hair I had grown up with standing at the door and watching me come silently. My mother wasn't one to show affections but the rest of the family, they came without being called.

And then it hit me. What I had forgotten.

Cameron's engagement.