The President's Daughter (Original) ✔️

13. Birthday S...

A/N: The juicy part is coming I swear. I've strung you guys long enough.
And I've added the list of the President's staffs and their occupation in the Cast List (first chapter) if anyone gets confused.

Ed Sheeran- Perfect

Niall Horan- This Town

Shawn Mendes- If I Can't Have You

2 days earlier...

Damien's POV

I grit my teeth and close my eyes in frustration. My hair is a mess from running my hands through it all day.

All day. I've called my friends, except Jane, trying to find the perfect gift for Hope. But all of it was stupid, corny, or downright insulting. Hope deserves more than a stupid cake and flowers. Or perfume or all the dumb shit she probably buys on a monthly basis.

People are giving me weird looks as they pass by. I must look weird as hell standing in the middle of Victoria Secret.

"I'm gonna hang up. This is stupid," I tell Juanita, Carlos' current girl. She's been helpful with everything except this.

"Just buy her freaking panties and call it a day. You're so picky." I can literally hear her eyes rolling to the back of her head. "I've been on the phone with you for an hour. Everyone and their moms told you what to get but you're just saying no to everything."

"Whatever." I hang up frowning at the guard who's giving me side glances. I raise an eyebrow and he pretends to be looking at some other customers. I walk out of there, almost running into a girl waving lingerie in front of her mom's face. Who the fuck buys lingerie with their mom?

My phone vibrates and I see a text from Juanita saying show me what you get her dickhead.

I step onto the escalator in a blind search. I've scoured the first and second floors, none of it helpful. My mind wanders to our phone conversation yesterday morning. She told me not to get her anything but she couldn't possibly think I'd obey, right? She hadn't called me at nighttime. Only a text saying her dad had tired her out and she was going to bed early.

I almost give up when I spot Pandora on the fifth floor. Hope loves cheesy stuffy even if she pretends she doesn't. I walk into the store and immediately a middle aged woman in uniform approaches and asks if I'm looking for anything specific. The place is already full and a group of girls turn their gaze towards me.

"Be honest. If someone was to give you something that would make your entire world, what would it be?"

The woman cocks her head, deep in thought. "Something with an engraved message. It's personal that way."

I slowly nod. "What would you recommend?"

"Whatever you think she looks best in. A bracelet, necklace, earrings, a watch?"

"Necklace is fine. How long will it take to engrave something?"

"A week. We're very busy right now." Fuck. That means it'll be ready two days after her birthday.

At least then she wouldn't expect anything. "Okay fine."

"Do you know what you'd like to engrave on it?"

"Can you give me a second to think?" She nods and instructs me to go to the front desk when I'm ready.

What would make her smile every time she looks at my present?

Hope's POV

A day after Hope's birthday

The nondescript black car pulls up a block away from Damien's house. It is evening, sometime around 7 pm. We finally agreed on a simple dinner, which I insisted should be somewhere quiet after he started naming very public and very fancy restaurants. Because we decided to have it simple, I was wearing a burgundy, silky loose dress that rested on my thigh and black platform heels. My dad had told my detail to make sure I leave at 12, which was longer than we usually spent together so I didn't mind.