The Unexpected Bride-Book One in Taming of the Shrew

Chapter Two

"Is she your daughter?"

Placing a hand on his chest, Doccharles closed then opened his eyes. The young man had given him another scare with his abrupt speaking. Did he not realize this?

Clearing his throat to decrease the discomfort, Doccharles hurriedly replied and lifted the tablet to show him the picture of smiling Sherlene.

"Ah, yes. Sherlene Doccharles is her name. A sweet girl. She is my adopted daughter. She turned twenty-three a few days ago."

"I see."

With that said, the young man discontinued the conversation, and they were back to silence. Doccharles wanted to elaborate a bit further about his daughter, but the dismissal was apparent. He put the tablet away.

'I do not think he is aware of this flaw.'

Thinking this, he averted his eyes out the window.
Soon, their destination came into view. Not waiting for the driver to open his door, the young man stepped out into the warm atmosphere. Doccharles quickly mimicked his action while sending an apologetic smile in his frowning driver's direction.

Those who did not know of the young man's behavior always judged him as a cold, arrogant, and unapproachable individual. Even Doccharles had once thought so until he saw him smile three years ago.

They both walked towards and through the opened doors of the restaurant.

Walking over to the front desk, Doccharles spoke in an undertone to the receptionist about the reservation. Soon, they were both escorted towards a VIP section of the restaurant on the third floor.

On arrival, Doccharles was greeted by his smiling wife and daughter, who were standing on either side of the closed-door awaiting further guests. Upon sighting her father, Sherlene flew into his arms.

"Papa, you have finally made it. Everyone is waiting for you."

A smile that never left his face since morning, Doccharles hugged his daughter before sending a sheepish wink in his wife's direction. She held his stare with a sweet smile until her undivided attention fell on his guest. He was standing a few spaces behind him.

"You must be Nicholas Ross, the man my husband was always talking about!"

Excitedly, she rushed over towards him.

With a full smile on his face, Nicholas offered a hand for the beautiful but aging woman to shake.

"It is a pleasure of finally meeting you, Mrs. Doccharles."

A firm handshake, before dropping his hand, Mrs. Doccharles was astonished. Recalling the words of Doccharles, Nicholas glanced at the earrings and necklace adorned on Mrs. Doccharles' neck and ears.

"My piece of jewelry fits you well."

Gasping, as her hands flew to the necklace at her neck, Mrs. Doccharles smile broadened until it reached her eyes.

"Oh, my. Are you the creator of Forever Shining?"

"I am."

"I have been wanting to meet and thank you for so long! Your piece of jewelry has inspired me a great lot."

Smiling, Nicholas was exceedingly polite, the way his mother raised him to be. Speaking of his mother, he felt the phone vibrating in the pocket of his pants. When Doccharles had told him the location of the party, Nicholas sent a message to her. Retrieving it from its dark caravan, he frowned when he saw the caller ID flashing on the screen.

Glancing up at giddily smiling Mrs. Doccharles, he apologetically smiled.

"Can you please excuse me?"

"Of course."

He turned around and walked a few paces away from the hearing range of the Doccharles.

The moment he answered the phone, he had to pull it away from his ears, for his mother's squeaky voice was irritating.

"NICHOLAS ROSS, WHY AM I GETTING A LAST MINUTE INVITATION TO A DINNER PARTY OF MAYOR DOCCHARLES' GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT, AND BY TEXT, THE MOST HORRID WAY TO TELL SOMEONE SOMETHING?!"

Sighing heavily, Nicholas had his back facing the curiously watching Doccharles. He did not want them to see how embarrassed he was when speaking to his no-nonsense mother.

"As the message I sent said, mama, it was last minute, and I am sorry."

A brief silence, the raging dragon, resumed.

"YOU ARE SORRY?! IS THAT THE ONLY THING YOU CAN SAY RIGHT NOW?!"

Passing a hand down his face, Nicholas was only speaking for two minutes with his mother, but she was already stressing him out. Suddenly, the phone moved, and his calm, understanding, and soft-spoken father's voice entered the phone speaker. They balanced each other: Victor and Evelyn Ross. His loving but quirky rich parents.

He breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He always depended on his father to save the day.

"Do not worry about your mother, son. She is frustrated that the invitation was sudden for her to find a dress to suit the occasion. You know how OCD she is about events."

Rolling his eyes, for he knew his mother was an apparent drama queen, Nicholas sighed once again.

"Thanks for informing me, dad. How far along is she in this dress search?"

A few shuffling sounds and his father's sigh filled the phone.

"With the looks of things, I would say the dinner and your 7:00 p.m. meeting would finish, as well as the sun rising the next day before she finds that dress."

"In other words, both of you will not be able to make it, and I will go alone?"

"That is about it."

His statement received a loud shriek from his mother.

"Your mother will have my ear if I do not help her find that dress."

Evelyn Ross was most likely fighting through her large walk-in closet for the picture-perfect dress to fit the occasion.

"Well, good luck, Dad, and do not drown in her heap of clothes."

"I do need luck. And don't worry, I took swimming lessons."

Hearing the humor in his voice, Nicholas chuckled.

"Enjoy the dinner, Nick."

"I will. Bye, Dad."

"See you later, son."

Removing the phone from his ears after the call was cut-off, Nicholas pushed it back into his pocket.

"There goes my companions."

Muttering, he swiftly turned and walked back to the lowly whispering Doccharles family.

"I am sorry, but my parents would not be able to make it because of an emergency."

"Oh dear, I was looking forward to meeting your mother."

Disappointment clouded Mrs. Doccharles' tone of voice, but she quickly recovered when there was commotion beyond the closed door.

"It looks like it is starting. Shall we?"

Curtly nodding, Nicholas followed behind the family while completely ignoring Sherlene's studying eyes.