: Kiss me! Love me!

Chapter One

Candice's Pov

"Where is Candice and why is she late to dinner again?" Mr. Jones asked his wife and daughter to sit at the dinner table with him.

His wife forced a smile and scratched the back of her head, "I'm sure she has something doing upstairs that might be keeping her away for this long" His wife said

"I don't care, get Candice to come to dinner or we won't have dinner," Mr. Jones told his wife and she nodded and then turned to her daughter.

"Marissa, call Candice," She said

Her daughter immediately frowned at her mother but the words couldn't come out of her mouth because if she said it, she would only get on her father's bad side.

"Yes mummy, I will get her" Marissa smiled before excusing herself from the dinner table. She walked up the stairs to Candice's room with a scowl on her face.

"Why the f**k can't we eat dinner without her, she knows that it's time for dinner but would intentionally stay inside because daddy will get mad as usual and send for her" Marissa ranted to herself

"One of these days when father isn't around, I should put her in the right spot because it seems she must be forgetting." Marissa finally got to the door to Candice's room and then she knocked in anger.

"Who is there?" I asked upon hearing the knock on the door, I closed the novel I was reading earlier before placing it on my table.

"Candice, come down to dinner this instant," Marissa yelled from outside the door.

I should have known that it was going to be one of them, either her or my stepmother. My mum died some years ago and it didn't take long before my father married his secretary. My mum had always been suspicious of the woman, but my father made her understand that she was just a secretary and nothing more.

Months after my mum died, Dad's secretary kept coming to our house daily to see him, it was usually one excuse or the other. I still can't forget the day I walked in on them kissing in Dad's study. He apologized to me and said he was just missing his dead wife.

But a year later, Dad married his secretary and she moved into the house with us to take my mother's place. She wasn't alone since she brought in her daughter Marissa with her who is now my stepsister. Dad asked me to get along with them because he did it for my sake but no matter how hard I try, my stepmother and her daughter just don't like me.

Marissa barged into my bedroom causing me to break out of my thoughts, she stared at me with a look of disgust. "You haven't even gotten out of your work clothes," She said

"I had some things to deal with concerning work but I will change and come down to dinner," I told her

"I don't think we can wait for you to change your clothes since we are already sitting at the table and hungry. Dad wants you to come downstairs now" The look of irritation on her face for me didn't change.

"I will be down soon," I said in a calm voice. I knew better than to raise my voice while talking to Marissa because she would just tell her mother and then I would get in trouble with my father.

"I don't even know why we can't eat if you aren't at the table" Marissa muttered before leaving my bedroom in anger.

I sighed and then picked up the novel I was reading earlier before heading to the dining table. Eating at the table each day with the family came with a lot of drama and my book would help me to keep my sanity.

I had gotten to the edge of the stairs when I heard my stepmother's voice. "You spoil that girl too much honey and that's why she is so disrespectful, even at her age"

I ignored that comment and smiled at them, "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Dad." My father smiled when his eyes met mine. I would have moved out ages ago but he said seeing me every day made him remember Mom, so he wanted me to stay around him for a little while.

If only he knew how I was being treated by the people he called family whenever he wasn't at home. "Come and sit here Candice," Dad asked me to come in as he pointed to the empty seat beside him.

He always made sure that the seat was vacant anytime we wanted to eat, nobody was allowed to sit there except me, that was the same place my mother usually sat when she was alive, and sitting there made me feel close to her even if she was no longer with us.

My stepmother looked at me with so much disgust, "You are still in your work clothes, even though you were back some hours ago" She mentioned

"I told her to take it off Mombut she just didn't listen." Marissa lied, and when I looked at her, I caught the smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Mom; it won't happen again" I apologized

"That's enough then, let's eat," My father said, just as we began to eat, one of the maids rushed into the dinner table with my father's phone.

"Mr. Jones, you have a call."

"I'm sorry, excuse me. Please don't stop eating." My father left the dinner table to take the call and I was left alone in the lion's den. I picked the novel and buried myself inside it.

"Mum, how long do we have to wait for her before we eat, it's not fair." Marissa complained

"I am talking to your father about it so be patient" My stepmother assured her.

"Must you read while we are eating? You are so disrespectful but I don't blame you if only your dead mother taught you morals before she died!" My stepmother said and Marissa laughed

"I..." I started to say but she coughed, "Darling, you are back" I looked up to see that my dad was back again. Marissa was still laughing, "What did I miss?" He asked

"Nothing much, mum cracked a joke," She intentionally said looking at me with a sweet smile.

"Was it funny Candice?" My father asked me

"Yes, Dad," I muttered under my breath, trying to hide the lump that had formed in my throat.