Dear Santa, Please Me

Episode Two

Chapter Two - Where is the Groom!!?

First Person’s Perspective

Sophia

I woke up to sunlight spilling through the curtains. For a second, I thought I was dreaming. Dante was standing by the fireplace, towel in hand, shirtless and hair messy. He was humming softly to himself while making coffee.

My brain stopped working.

“Morning, sunshine,” he said, not even looking at me.

“Do you always wake up looking like a magazine cover?” I muttered, hiding under the blanket.

He laughed. “You say that like it’s bad.”

I peeked out. “Put on a shirt before Grandma walks in and get ideas.”

“Relax,” he said, finally pulling on a t-shirt. “You drool in your sleep by the way.”

I shot up “What? I do not!”

He smirked. “Sure. That pillow puddle says otherwise.”

I grabbed the pillow and threw it at him. He caught it easily, laughing. “Still dramatic, I see.”

“And you’re still annoying,” I said, smiling despite myself.

He stepped closer, eyes soft now. “Missed this,” he said quietly.

“Missed what?” I asked.

“This… arguing with you like idiots.”

I didn’t answer. My chest felt tight. I turned to the window. “You should go downstairs. Everyone’s waiting for you, Santa.”

“You always run when things get real, Soph,” he said, half-smile on his face.

Before I could answer, he was already out the door, leaving behind that stupid scent of honey and cedar that refused to leave my head.

***

I stepped down the stairs, still rubbing sleep from my eyes, only to immediately feel like I was being crushed. Caroline was in the middle of the main hall, hands on her hips, eyes wild, barking orders like a general at war.

“Move faster! The flowers are all wrong!” she yelled at a frazzled florist. “And you! Stop standing there like a statue!” she pointed at a waiter who was frozen, carrying a tray of champagne.

I tried to step around her, but Caroline spotted me immediately. “Sophia! You’re just standing there again, aren’t you?”

“I… I was just…” I started, but she cut me off.

“Just what? Go help with the centerpieces. Oh, and fix that ribbon!” Her finger jabbed at a half-decorated table. I sighed and went over, bending down to straighten a small garland.

“Finally,” she muttered under her breath. I was just finishing when she spun around. “No, no, no! That ribbon is all wrong. I told you to do it like this!” She grabbed it from me and started retying it herself.

I opened my mouth to explain that I had followed the instructions, but she had already turned back to the next person. I felt my chest tighten. She wasn’t angry at me. Not really. Caroline just… wanted everyone under her thumb, and somehow I was always in her way.

The second incident came when I went to help the bartender who was struggling with ice buckets. “Here, let me help you with that,” I said.

Caroline’s voice cut across the hall like a whip. “Sophia! Stop wasting your time! That’s not your job. Go sort the guest list or something useful!”

I froze. The bartender looked embarrassed. I muttered a soft, “Okay,” and walked away. Every move I made seemed to either annoy her or make her think I wasn’t trying hard enough.

By the third incident, I had had enough. She had sent me to rearrange the napkins for the third time in ten minutes. I bent down, fixing a stack of pale pink napkins, when she shouted, “No! That’s all wrong! Why can’t you do anything right?”

I stood up straight, hands on my hips, and for once, I didn’t argue or apologize. I just looked at her. She opened her mouth to yell more, but I shook my head. “I need air,” I said and walked past her, ignoring her glare, and stepped out into the crisp mountain cold.

The snow had stopped, leaving a soft white layer across the garden. I took a deep breath, letting the cold bite at my cheeks, trying to calm my pounding heart. For a moment, I felt free from her voice

And that’s when I noticed a man leaning against the railing, his jacket half-open, eyes unfocused and a stupid smirk on his face.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” he slurred, wobbling slightly as he stepped closer.

“Back off,” I said, my voice firm, trying to keep calm. “I don’t want any trouble.”

He chuckled, a low, annoying sound that made my skin crawl. “Oh, come on. Don’t be so serious. Just say hi.”

“I said back off!” I repeated, stepping back. He moved forward again, almost blocking the exit.

“Relax, missy,” he said, leaning closer. “No need to be so cold. You’re pretty. I just wanted to talk.”

I tried to sidestep him, but he caught my arm with a sloppy grab. My blood ran hot. “Let go of me!” I snapped, jerking my arm free, but he caught me again “I said stop! Now!” I yelled, my patience gone.

Without thinking, I slapped him hard across the face. The sound echoed across the quiet garden. He staggered back, more shocked than hurt, pointing at me.

“You hit me?!” he shouted, voice rising. “I was just talking!”

“I don’t care! You have no right to grab me like that!” I snapped.

By now, a few guests had wandered outside, curious at the shouting. He waved his arms, trying to make it look like I was overreacting. “Look at her! Hitting a gentleman! Can you believe this?”

I stood tall, heart pounding, glaring at him. “I am not afraid to defend myself!”

Then I heard Caroline’s voice, shrill and angry. “Sophia! What are you doing?! This is my wedding! You can’t just start a fight out here!”

“I didn’t…” I began, but she cut me off. “You just can’t control yourself for even one moment, can you? Always causing problems!”

Whispers started among the guests. Eyes darted between me, the drunk man, and Caroline. I tried to explain, but no one wanted to hear it. Caroline’s anger drowned out everything.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Dante appear, calm but commanding. He stepped between me and the man, eyes dark and sharp. “Touch her again, and I swear I’ll make you regret it” he said quietly, but every word carried weight.

The man froze, mumbling curses and stumbling backward. Dante’s gaze flicked to me “You okay” he asked and I nodded

I turned to Caroline, trying one last time. “Caroline, I didn’t do anything wrong. He grabbed me.”

Her eyes were hard. “I don’t care. You’ve caused enough problems.” She stormed off

The crowd slowly dispersed with her

…One Hour Later

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Caroline had finally paused her yelling for a moment, probably just to take a sip of champagne or throw another glass at a poor waiter, and then she pointed sharply at me.

“You!” she said. “Go find Ethan. We need to go over the rehearsal again, and you’ve been standing around doing nothing!”

I blinked at her. “Me?”

“Yes, you! Move! Don’t make me ask again!”

I groaned under my breath but stepped forward anyway. Maybe if I did this quickly, I could get back on Caroline’s good side, or at least survive the day without her screaming in my ear.

I hurried down the hallway toward the guest rooms. Ethan’s room was just down the hall. I knocked softly, opened the door, and… nothing. It was empty. His clothes were there, but no sign of him.

I frowned. Maybe he went outside for some air. I rushed down the stairs and pushed open the garden door. Snow still blanketed the yard, sparkling under the lights, but no Ethan.

I checked the garden benches, and even near the parked cars. Nothing.

“Where are you, Ethan?” I whispered, hoping he’d magically appear. But the garden stayed silent.

Frustrated, I went back inside. Caroline was waiting at the entrance, tapping her foot, looking like a ticking time bomb.

“I didn’t see him,” I said carefully.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN’T SEE HIM?!” Caroline shouted, her voice piercing through the quiet of the hall. “WHERE IS ETHAN? WHERE IS MY FIANCÉ?!”

I tried to explain, my voice tight. “I checked the room, the garden… he’s not anywhere. I think he went out for fresh air.”

“FRESH AIR?!” she yelled, pacing in circles. “Why would he go out for fresh air now? We need everything to be perfect”

“People just…” she ignored me and walked to the other end of the hall, trying to call his phone

The first few calls went straight to voicemail. I bit my lip, panic creeping in.

Then Caroline’s assistant found a small folded note near the hallway. Caroline snatched it up and read aloud:

“‘I went out for some fresh air. The chaos was too much. I’ll be back in a few minutes.’”

Caroline’s face turned red, but her voice shook with anger and worry. “A few minutes? A few minutes? That was hours ago!”

We waited. And waited. Every ten minutes, we called again. His phone still went straight to voicemail. The snow had melted into ice patches outside, but Ethan still hadn’t returned.

Caroline had lost her mind by now, she was crying profusely, she was running around like a deranged dog in her engagement dress. She destroyed the lights, took out her frustrations on the Big Christmas tree that the staffs had spent hours decorating to her perfect taste

By 10 PM, fear had completely replaced frustration. Caroline’s calls had turned frantic. “ETHAN! ANSWER ME! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

Then, a knock on the door came from a uniformed officer. Caroline rushed to answer it.

“Ma’am, we found Mr Ethan Carter’s car,” the officer said. “It was parked by the roadside, Empty and his phone was inside.”

Caroline screamed, covering her mouth with her hands. Then she whirled on me, pointing an accusing finger.

“Do you see what you’ve done, Sophia?” Caroline’s voice sliced through the music, and every head in the room turned. Her engagement dress was torn, and her makeup streaked

“This is all your fault” she screamed again while i shook my head in disagreement

“You ruined my wedding before it even started” she continued.

I couldn’t bring myself to believe that she would get mad at me for defending myself, How is this even my fault?

Her accusations and curses kept rolling out of her mouth to the extent that it got people agreeing with her and painting me the bad guy

I had enough of it and snapped back

“How dare you blame me for this? I never wanted to be here in the first place, YOU forced me” gasped erupted through the already gathered crowd

Her voice didn’t soften. “You were supposed to be helpful! You were supposed to keep things under control! And now look! My fiancé is gone! My wedding, everything, is ruined!”

I wanted to scream, to tell her she was being unfair, but the truth was, everything around me felt heavy, and I couldn’t even think straight. The whispers of guests had started again, all eyes were on us and somehow I started to feel guilty

Dante stood silently in the corner, jaw tight, watching the chaos unfold. His eyes flicked to mine once, he had an unreadable expression before turning back to Caroline.

I swallowed hard. Somehow, I had to fix this. Somehow.

Father walked in, but didn’t deem it fit to say hi to me

He simply held his precious daughter, Caroline by the arm, said some words of comfort to her and then led her away

***

Later that night, I couldn’t sleep. I heard voices downstairs, low and hushy. Curiosity got the better of me and I crept to the staircase, peeking around the railing.

It was my father, Mr. Richard Hermsworth, and Dante’s father, Mr. Thorne Carter

“You expect me to let your son take my daughter’s wedding? After what happened years ago?” my father’s voice was sharp.

“You have no choice, Richard. The press is already circling. If the ceremony doesn’t go on, your reputation,and your company,are finished,” Mr. Thorne said calmly but coldly.

“I’d rather lose investors than tie my daughter to that joke you call a son,” my father snapped.

“You don’t mean that,” Thorne said. “You’ve always cared more about face than family. And right now, face is all you have left.”

I pressed closer to the door, my heart racing.

Thorne continued, “If Ethan doesn’t return by morning, Dante will marry Caroline. It’s the only way.”

My father shouted, “Over my dead body!”

“Then bury your pride next to it,” Thorne replied.

I froze. Dante… marry Caroline? My mind struggled to catch up. Where did that idea even come from? Why did Thorne have a strong say in this matter?

The questions whirled in my head until I realized something.

“Ethan Carter”

“Dante Carter”

Of course, “Carter” they are brothers… how did I never realise this?

Everything clicked,the resemblance I saw but never questioned, the tension between both of them, the way Dante moved and watched. My chest tightened. I felt guilt, confusion, and heartbreak all at once.

I stepped back from the railing, hugging my coat tight, snow drifting softly through the open window. Behind me, I felt the world tilt in a way I didn’t understand.

I couldn’t let that happen, I couldn’t let Dante Marry Caroline

‘Why?’ My subconscious voice asked

‘Because I… because I don’t think Dante will like it’

Yes,

That’s right, I don’t think he would like this, so I have to find Ethan as fast as possible