Panic

Céline took out her phone and quickly scrolled to the news. A soft gasp escaped her lips.
“What is it babe?” Damien asked.
When Céline kept quiet. Damien snatched the phone from her and his frown deepened.
“What is the meaning of this?” He barked. “When did this happen?”
“The moment you walked with her into the hall, they went to dig in all the information they could about her and spread it all over the internet.”
“They will presently be lurking around her house, hoping you will go straight home.” Charles continued saying but Céline was no longer paying attention.
Panic was slowly seeping into her. If those reporters were awaiting her return, what if some of them got impatient and went to disturb her aunt!
“What- I have to go home, I need to check on my aunt.” Céline finally regained herself and her heart ached for her poor aunt who would be sleeping by now and might get ambushed by crazy reporters.
“Céline dear, I am afraid we can’t let you go home.” Mirilyn said.
“But you don’t understand. My aunt is old and her heart can’t take all those stress! I need to go home!” She snapped at Charles and Mirilyn.
Damien just held her hand, thinking of a better solution.
“I can assure you the reporters will not engage unless your aunt stepped out of the house or you went there. Don’t you see it? Taking you two somewhere else different from your own homes is the best bet.”
“I don’t see anything! I refuse to see anything! I need to go home right now and check on my hand!”
Céline was close to tears as she spoke to Charles. He didn’t understand that her aunt was the only family member she had left. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to her aunt because of her.
“Call your aunt.” Damien suddenly said, breaking the tension that was slowly building in the limousine.
Céline nodded, silently scolding herself for not thinking about it. She took out her phone and dialed her aunt’s number.
“Pick up, pick up…” Céline sang, pressing the phone to her ears.
Damien squeezed her knee slightly, to try to calm her down. “Let me try.” He told her when her aunt still didn’t pick up her call.
“Okay.” Céline agreed.
Damien took her phone from her trembling hands and copied aunt Elizabeth’s number to his own phone. He dialed it and she picked up at the first ring. Damien passed his phone to Céline.
“Aunt!” Céline called on the phone. Her heart raced and she feared the worst had happened to her dear aunt.
“Hello?” Elizabeth tired voice came to the phone.
Céline released a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.
“Aunt! Are you alright? Are people there? Are they disturbing you? Are you safe?” Céline rushed out the questions like rain on a thunder storm.
“Céline?” Elizabeth asked in a shaky voice.
“Yes, aunt it is me! Are you okay? Did they break into the house? Are you hurt?” She didn’t even realize that she had started crying. She sniffed as she spoke hoping and praying her aunt was safe.
Damien saw that Céline was not in the right state of mind to talk to her aunt, so he gently took the phone from her. “Let me talk to her,” he whispered. Céline nodded and clasped her hands together in fear.
“Hello, this is Damien, are you okay?”
The line went silent for a while and then her voice came up again.
“Oh Damien, I am doing just fine. What is wrong, why does my Céline sound like that? Did something happen?”
“Nothing really happened just that the paparazzi might try to disturb us if we came back right now…”
Shuffling of her feet was heard in the background. “Hmmm, I see a lot of cars parked across the street. What do they want from me?” Elizabeth questioned. Unlike Céline, her aunt was a very calmed person. She knew exactly how to handle tough situations.
“Actually it’s Céline they want… Her proposed to her…” Damien breathed.
Suddenly Céline got panicky again. What if her aunt told Damien something she shouldn’t?
“You did?” Céline could almost see the way her aunt’s brows would rise as she asked the question.
“Give the phone to my niece, please.”
Céline’s heart started beating like a child caught stealing sugar coated candies when they were told not to lay a finger on them.
“H-ello aunt?” Céline stammered.
“Does he really want to marry you?” Elizabeth asked the moment she heard Céline’s shaky voice.
“Yes, he really does.” Céline whispered as she stared up at Damien and he smiled encouraging her to go on.
“Does he love you?” Elizabeth’s voice was firm and filled with authority. The kind of authority a mother had over her child.
“Yes, he does.”
Elizabeth went silent again and Céline’s heart raced faster. Fear took over her at the suspense her aunt was putting her in.
Was she happy about it? Was she not?
What if she refused their union? What if she insisted she didn’t want her niece to be with Damien, what would Céline do?
The line scratched and her voice came up, clearing all the doubt in Céline’s mind. “Okay.” Elizabeth breathed through the phone.
“Thank you aunt! Thank you so much!” Céline was relieved. Her sea blue eyes twinkled with excitement. Since her aunt had approved nothing was stopping her to be with Damien now.
“I have not approved yet.” Her firm voice cut through Céline’s excitement.
“I will have to speak with him before I do that.”
Her aunt never really approved of her plan of seducing Damien into marrying her but when she saw how her niece reacted whenever his name was mentioned, she knew Céline was already in love with him. Since Céline also thought Damien loved her too, she could only be happy for them and pray they have a very happy life together. But, she needed to be sure Damien was going to be there for her niece.
“Are you going to come home?” Elizabeth asked after a while.
Céline thought about her answer carefully before spitting it out. If she went home, the paparazzi would be all over her and she might make a fool of herself and she might even stress her aunt a lot. If she didn’t go home, she was sure her aunt would be able to take care of herself.
She held Damien’s right hand with her free hand and then she took a very deep breath. “No, aunt. I will just come in tomorrow.” Céline said.
“Are you sure? Céline I hope you know we’ve talked about this. The fact that the young man proposed marriage doesn’t mean you both can go for an honeymoon without an actual marriage!”
Céline’s face went red with embarrassment. She regretted having to use Damien’s phone. The speaker was so loud, it didn’t matter if it was activated or not. Everyone in the limousine heard everything her aunt said.
Charles tried to keep a straight face but Mirilyn was a snickering mess when Céline turned her eyes to her.
“I’ll call you again soon aunt. Remember to stay inside until they are gone. I love you, bye!” Céline rushed and ended the call not waiting for her aunt to say more embarrassing lectures.
She bent her head and tried to hide her blush away from the group. Damien squeezed their connected hands together so as to comfort her.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed at all. My mother insisted to tag along on our honeymoon!” Mirilyn put in, finally bringing out her laughter.
“Have you met Damien’s mum? She’ll practically give you a lecture on how to fuck her son so she could get grand kids fast enough.” Charles put in, wheezing with laughter.
Mirilyn sent him a cold glare and he tried to wipe away the laugh from his face. The action was so funny, Céline couldn’t help but smile too. Damien’s friends were really nice people. She had feared they were going to judge her background and later her intentions but so far, they were very accommodating and helpful.
“So, where do we go now?” Damien asked.
“How about your hotel the grandees?” Mirilyn asked.
The two men stared at themselves and screamed at the same time, “No!”
Many people didn’t even know that it was his. Céline wouldn’t have know herself. She only knew the Grandees Hotel belonged to Damien because she had worked on a document from there. It would be a perfect place for them to go hole up until Lucas was able to sort them out. Mirilyn was confused and wanted to open her mouth to ask why Damien’s own hotel was a no go area, but Charles beat her to it.
“Baby that hotel has so much history. Damien can’t take Céline there… I think they can stay in our penthouse. How about that?”
“Yes, I think the penthouse will be fine…” Mirilyn agreed.
A line of worry coated her face and Céline thought the woman looked unsatisfied with something but decided to let it go. Céline was sure it had to do with Charles and Damien’s refusal to take her to the Grandees Hotel, she made a mental note to ask Damien later.
“Are you sure it won’t be trouble. I can always call the police on these people!” Damien spat. He obviously didn’t want to inconvenient his friend.
“Damien, you are family. It’s ni trouble at all.” Mirilyn said with a genuine smile on her face. She tapped a button above her head and turned her neck slightly upward, “take us to the Gomez place.” She instructed.
The four of them relaxed in the car as the chauffeur smoothly rode them to their destination.
Céline settled into Damien’s chest listening to the beat of his heart. Above everything, this day was going to always be remembered as the best day in her life.