Rose of Sharon |Courting Trouble BK 2|

Chapter 26 ( Part 2)

"I had a little help." her husband smiled as the whole room exploded in light before her. All around her they were people. Lots and lots of people , and memories of her childhood filling up every single wall space in the gallery before her. At the centre of it all, as if to witness the memories of her childhood, the likeness of her mother was magnified and smiling down at her as if from heaven itself.

All over the gallery was full of roses. White roses and pink roses. A hint of gold their brought out by the picture flames and balloons and banner that screamed out 'Baby shower! It's a girl! '

"A little help?" a voice said from the sidelines and Katrina's eyes widened in more wonderful surprise.

"Sorry, " Ryan who was still at her side grinned back sheepishly as he turned back to address her. "I meant alot of help. From Mrs B here and grandma Maracheli too who helped quite a lot."

"Not so much on my part, but Nancy did a great job." The said woman appeared and Katrina squealed in delighted surprise.

"Mrs B! Grandma! I am so happy to see you! " she screamed as she jumped up to enfolded the both of them in a tight hug.

"I see..." a voice said from behind them and Katrina turned around to face it's source.

"Dad? " In a span of just a few minutes she had received one wonderful surprise after another, but chief of these was to imagine that her own father had found the time off work to be here with them as well.

"What do you see? " her stepmother nudged him and Katrina smiled at the move. It seemed that the drama was still unfolding between the two of them.

"Turns out it's a family thing."

"What is? " his wife glared back at him, pushing him to further elaborate.

"Crushing people with your pregnant bellies. I thought pregnant women are supposed to be..."

"Dominic! "

"What?" he asked cluelessly.

"One more word from you and I am going to crush your feet. "

At that Katrina giggled, it seemed that her parents were as lively as ever and from the way her father was looking at her mother, it also seemed that their argument was not going to end any time soon. So she turned back from them and to her husband.

" I don't get it. Wasn't it supposed to be an Art show? "

"I  am sorry love. The art show ended yesterday. It is not like I wanted to deceive you though, it was the only way we could keep it a surprise."

"You should have told me." her eyes became shiny with tears. "It is my role as your wife to support you and yet, I missed the ending of your art show."

"I know and I am sorry about it. It wasn't my intention to rob you of the experience, but to show case your own pieces as part of the surprise, it was the only way I could go about it."

At that Katrina nodded. It seemed like she finally understood  him and where he was coming from and as such, she had no choice but to forgive him.

"Come Katrina. " her grandmother said as took her by the hand. "You as well Ryan. There are some people we would like you to meet. " she said as she began to pull them into the crowd.

***

The baby shower ended on a high note and Katrina smiled all the way home holding her grandmother's present in her hands. The rest of the packages were stowed away in the trunk while Ryan's painting of her was to be sent on the morrow after being carefully wrapped up in protective cardboard.

It had been a long journey. She reminisced even as she remembered the day that it had all started.

With an email.

She had been so annoyed that it had shocked her out of her depression and when she had gone to her father for help, he had asked her for a proposal. She smiled as she thought about it.

She would pay him double for having tortured her so. Now that she had received the reigns to the company, he would not know what had hit him.

"What are you smiling about? " her husband asked her, noticing the slight smile that was now curving up her lips.

"This. " she said as she patted the folder on her lap before handing it over to him for his perusal. "I know that it is alot to ask, but I will need your help. "

"I do not understand." her husband's brows knitted and she understood what he must have been thinking.

"Not with the house. With this. With the baby and the other business, I will need...a little helper of some sort." she grinned. "If I am to teach him a lesson that is. Grandmother wants me to drive him away little by little."

"Really? " he lifted up an eyebrow in surprise and seeing this, his wife suddenly protested.

"Not in that way. She wants him to spend more time at home, hence the reason why she is passing on the chairmanship to me."

"I see. Well,  I will try my best. What is your plan though?"

"Proposals." She suddenly grinned. "He will have to submit a lot of those. "

The puzzled look on Ryan's face would crack up Katrina for days but he soon understood what she meant when the folders started flooding in from Maracheli Industries. In itself it was an ingenious plan for in a way, they would get to learn about the company as well. One person was not pleased though. Used to doing everything himself and without consulting it became a hindrance to him and the way he operated the company and thus the great, Dominic Maracheli found himself begging his daughter for just a little respite.