Game On, Stepbrother

“This is getting irritating, Isla. Come out! We will miss the flight!” shouted Desmond angrily. He was frantically looking for his sixteen-year-old daughter everywhere in the house. He had looked under the beds, inside the closets, inside the bathrooms, but she was nowhere to be found.

“We cannot find her, Sir!” said one of the bodyguards. Desmond was one of the richest men in the small town of Valmoria. After his daughter ran away once, he appointed bodyguards for her. But she was again nowhere to be found. And after looking at the CCTV footage, it was clear that Isla had not left the house.

“I don’t care how you do that. FIND HER!!! We have a flight to catch!” snapped Desmond Harrington.

Everybody ran around the house again and started looking in every corner possible. Desmond was sweating from every orifice. He had to find his daughter. He once lost her; he was not going to lose her again.

“Isla Rose Harrington! Come out this instant!” shouted Desmond, but again there was no answer. “Look at security footage again. Find her!” ordered Desmond. He was running all over the house when his phone rang loudly. Angrily, he took out his phone, but he sighed the moment he saw the caller ID. ‘Charlotte’ appeared on the screen. He took a deep breath and picked up the call.

“Hello, darling!” smiled Desmond.

“Why do you sound like that?” asked Charlotte, worried.

“Sound like what?” laughed Desmond.

“You are slightly angry, slightly worried. Is everything alright? Don’t tell me you are getting cold feet now?” joked Charlotte.

“No, no, dear! Never! I love you so much and will do anything to get married to you. But you know about my delinquent. I cannot find her!” said Desmond. He inserted his fingers in his hair and slightly pulled on it in frustration.

“What? Where is she? Is she alright? Did she again…?” Charlotte could not complete her sentence.

“No, no, relax! She is somewhere inside the house, hiding. You know she had been acting crazy after I told her that we were shifting to Amberwood Shores. New school, new friends, new house, she is against everything. For the first few days, she was angry, then she turned to crying and now she has turned into someone who gets pleasure by annoying everyone around her. what am I going to do with her?” sighed Desmond.

“Des! Don’t worry. She will come around. Teenagers don’t like changes. Hopefully, when she arrives here, she might like the house,” smiled Charlotte.

“House? Please don’t call your mansion, house,” teased Desmond. “Well, what about your son? What did you tell him?”

“My son loves me very much. He was so supportive. He said that one should not run away from love. I had no idea my son was so romantic at heart. You will love him, Des,” said Charlotte.

“So nice! What am I going to do with Isla?” asked Desmond, dejected.

“Once you tell her everything, she will understand. I am sure! You do everything for her. just tell her how much you love her,” comforted Charlotte.

“You know I can’t tell her. If hating me keeps her happy, let her be happy. I am okay with that,” said Desmond, smiling yet sad.

“Don’t worry, everything will be alright soon! Just come here soon. I am waiting for you, my love! Just find your delinquent and come to me. I am missing you,” said Charlotte with all the love she could muster.

“I am missing you too, and I want to come to you as soon as possible, but I cannot find my stubborn daughter,” sighed Desmond.

“Hmm… think like her. Think, where would you go if you were Isla? Is there a place that is dear to her heart?” suggested Charlotte.

“Oh my god! You are a genius. Why didn’t I think of this before?” shouted Desmond and facepalmed.

“You know where she is hiding, right?” laughed Charlotte.

“Yes, I do, thanks to you. I will get her and come to you. Wait for me, dear. I love you!” said Desmond.

“I love you too. go, find her!” laughed Charlotte and the call disconnected. Desmond pocketed his phone and immediately ran towards the attic. He opened the small door and bent slightly to get in. He looked at the farthest corner, where a large trunk was sitting quietly.

He sighed again and walked to the trunk. First, he knocked on the wood and called for Isla, “Sweetie! Are you done hiding?”

But there was no answer.

“Please, Isla. Stop being a baby. We have to go! We will miss our flight,” said Desmond. Again, no answer. “I can hear you breathing, Isla,” snapped Desmond.

He waited for a few seconds and then yanked the trunk open. Isla was curled into a ball and had her eyes closed tightly. Desmond scoffed at her action. “So, now you are trying to become an ostrich. Closing your eyes does not mean I cannot see you, you stupid girl!”

Finally, the sweet, beautiful girl who was currently extremely angry at her father snapped at him, “I am not going anywhere. You cannot make me. I am an adult now. I want to live here. I am not leaving my school, my friends, my neighbours. And what about mom? How will I meet with her if you take me to the end of the world?”

“Amberwood Shores is not at the end of the world, you irritating child! Yes, you are a child, and you are coming with me,” snapped Desmond. “Your mother left you, divorced me, yet you cling to her. In a year, she comes to meet you, what, twice? I don’t understand what magic she did to you. Snap out of your dreamland of living with your mom, because that is not happening anytime soon. Your mother is never coming to get you. have you not learned your lesson yet?”

“You think you get married to some woman and I will accept her as my mother, never! Claire Harrington was my mother, is my mother and will always be my mother!” chided Isla.