Scars To Your Beautiful : A Modern Beauty and the Beast retelling ✔

26. If Only

Callie's squeal came out louder than she expected. "Oh my God, Aunt Gee."

Aunt Georgia cupped her hand over her lips, holding back her excited smile. "It just happened unexpectedly."

Heavy footsteps marched down the hallway and Ava emerged into the room. She looked slightly alarmed and pressed her hand over her chest breathlessly. "I heard screaming. Did something happen?"

Callie tilted her laptop screen towards Ava's direction and Aunt Georgia dangled her hands to her face. "I'm getting married, sweetie."

It was Ava's squeal that turned out to be the loudest as she danced around, looking both awkward and adorable at the same time. Her cintrine brown eyes glistened. "There's gonna be a wedding."

Callie's eyebrows creased together and the concern in her eyes amplified. "I was too excited that I forgot to ask. Who are you getting married to?  Elias?"

"Duh, who else?" Aunt Georgia's stunning facial features twisted into a grin. "Oh, you should have seen it. It was so magical. He's been visiting frequently, throughout the twenty days that I've been on tour. And then he surprised me by proposing this morning when I was in Utah. I swear my heart almost dropped."

Callie didn't want to feel like the bearer of disappointment, but she just needed to let it all out. "You two have only been on two dates and barely started dating. Your relationship with him only took off six weeks ago. It just feels too soon for a wedding."

Aunt Georgia swung a serious look her way. "You can't use logic to figure out love and I've never been sure about anything like this in my life. I love him. It's the scariest thing I have to say, but I do love him. Besides, it's not like I'm getting married to him tomorrow. We have plans for a really long engagement, but as of right now, I'm sure I want to marry him."

Ava wiped the corners of her eyes and blinked back tears. "That's so romantic. I totally approve. I like Elias. Plus, he's good looking."

Callie rolled her eyes at her teary-eyed little sister. "His looks aren't why she should marry him. You're ten, so you have no idea what love is all about."

Ava huffed. Her sharp words cut through her like a knife. "What do you know about love?"

"Enough to know when to make the right choice." She told Ava, whose gaze flickered to the floor immediately.

Aunt Georgia's voice broke out. "Stop it, you two. Callie's right. It's not wise to rush into things, but it's also not changing the fact about how deeply I feel for Elias. I'm getting engaged and I want you to be happy for me, Lissie."

Callie felt a twinge of guilt. Her intention wasn't to ruin Aunt Georgia's happy moment. A quick smile looped on her lips. "I am happy for you."

Ava added. "Let me go call dad over. He'd be thrilled to hear this."

Aunt Georgia snorted out a laugh and Callie felt a small smile glowing within her. Peter Doherty was going to be a part of her family. What a funny irony of things.

★★★
Once Larkin was done with lunch, he found Leona standing not too far from where he sat, wearing a grim look that would chase anyone out of their seats.

Trying hard to seem unhinged by her, he inquired. "Is there a problem?"

Leona's face remained still. The dark color of her mahogany skin enhanced the thick masses of her long black hair that was slightly covered by a small navy blue beret at its edge. "I've been debating how I'd confront you over something I'm uncomfortable with."

"Confront me?" Wide eyed, he gaped. Larkin wasn't sure he heard her well, but Leona wasn't one to joke. That's one of the reasons he had been struggling with how to try and befriend her.

Frigid set of eyes focused on him. "This past year, you have been respectful and we've stayed out of each other's way. But lately, you've been hovering over me. Watching me, while I worked and I don't like it."

Larkin almost wasn't sure about what she was talking about, until he realized what she meant. He almost scoffed. This was all Callista's fault. Her damn plan of making him befriend Leona, made her think he was trying to violate some kind of employee-to-employer balance Leona had set up in her mind. "I wasn't hovering over you."

"So what were you doing?" Her words were almost languid.

He wasn't fond of people misunderstanding his words and Leona could easily twist it into whatever she wanted. Larkin quickly reassured her. "I was trying to make friends with you, but I didn't know how to talk to you."

Concern fell beneath her long lashes and she hastily answered. "Are you off your meds? Is this one of the side effects? Honestly, this is unlike you."

"I meant what I said." Larkin sighed. "I'm trying to be a better person."

Leona snorted. "Well that's not the way to go about the whole friendship th—"

The chiming rings of the doorbell halted their discussion, saving Larkin from any more embarrassment. Relief washed over him immediately. He wasn't sure if he still wanted to make friends with her. Leona wasn't the type to let her guard down.

Leona made a gesture to the door. "I'll go check it out." Before disappearing out of the dining room and heading through the doorway.

She returned almost immediately with Edgar Callum behind her, wearing a glassy expression. "Mr. Callum's here."

Larkin nodded. "Yes, thank you. You may excuse us." Leona responded with a nod and whisked herself out.

Edgar Callum didn't wait for a response and settled himself on one of the dining chairs. His thick rimmed glasses was wedged in his hand and his ash-grey suit adorned his stocky build. "Sorry I'm a little late. We had an impromptu assignment I needed to wrap up."

"It's fine." Larkin went straight to the point. "I secured a meeting with Aunt Zoe, so we could finally put her little games to rest. I've been evading it for a while, but I called her on the phone this morning to visit me here next week."

Edgar Callum's sigh of relief came as a surprise for him. "That's good, cause Zoe has been having a lot of hushed meetings and I don't think it's to talk about our designs. I think she's starting a coup."

Larkin blinked. "She wouldn't do that."

The pained look on Callum's face made Larkin feel like a naive child. "While it's just my speculations, I still think you need to be aware of everything around. For Christ sake, she wants you to sign over the company to her. That's enough to make anyone wonder what her endgame is."

"She wants revenge and she's not afraid to show it." Larkin pondered for a while. While he wasn't good with diplomacy, he still needed the board on his side. Unfortunately, they don't trust him and Larkin knew he had to let them see things his way. "I'm going to host a party with the board in exactly a month."

Edgar Callum's emotions were usually the same pattern. Anger. Expressionless. Cold. Pity. It was always either any of that. So him wearing a surprised look right now, was something Larkin didn't see often. "You want to host a party?"

Larkin shrugged. "Why not?  We'll have it here. This is my way of proving to them that I'm not hiding anymore. I can't sit still and let things I care about, get taken away from me."

Edgar Callum searched through his face with his steely blue eyes, before giving a firm nod. "I like that. I'm onboard with your plan. Any thing else?"

Larkin's eyes darkened. "One more thing. I need you to discreetly reinvestigate the issue with Abe Blanco. It's important that no one knows about it. I just have a feeling there's more to the stolen Red Rosewood antique chest and I want to figure it out."