Knight

Chapter 3 Start of Married Life

The sun light streaming to their room through the gap between the curtains woke Callista up. She grunted as she snuggled in deeper to the warmth beside her. The scent was calming and she murmured contentedly. Then it moved, enveloping her more in warmth and scent. Her eyes opened immediately, and she almost screamed looking at Darrell who peered at her curiously. They were naked, she realised, and then she remembered and blushed red to the roots of her hair, burrowing under the blanket to hid her face in his chest. 

Darrell chuckled in amusement. He was enjoying that time between sleep and wakefulness when he felt her waking up. Unlike him who liked to wake up early, she seemed to cling to her last vestiges of sleep. He tilted her chin and kissed her gently. "Good morning. " Her face turned redder and she squeaked her good morning. He laughed and stood up. "Come on, let's take a bath, then we have some errands to do." She peeked out from under the blanket. "Errands? " Darrell handed her a bathrobe. "Yes, we need to get you a phone at the very least, and opened some accounts for you. I asked Steve and Ava to vet some bodyguards for you today, I expected to have the shortlist in the afternoon, then you can interview them. The bodyguard will be doubling as your assistant so make sure you choose the one you're most comfortable with. Also, your trousseau, do you want to shop with me or Isla? I can't suggest Raina because she's too pregnant to do it."

"What's trousseau?" She asked in confusion. "Clothes, bed sheets, whatever you wanted to bring into our home after marriage. Speaking of that, is here okay for you, or do you want to live in a landed house? I have one in Darmo Hill that I lived in occasionally when I needed an off time." "Uh, here is okay, I think. Your office is here right? " Her husband nodded. "Yeah, but I moved around, mostly. Prescott is our basecamp, but we all have suites in all our buildings. We can look at the house if you wanted to before deciding." Callista shook her head. "Here is okay, I'm more comfortable if you're in reach." Darrell stared at her then smiled and nodded. "You know that my house have guards too, right? But if you wanted to live here, it's okay too. After this, go take a look around the apartment if there's anything you wanted to add on."

Callista nodded and blushed as she took Darrell's offered hand. He pulled her to her feet and frowned when she winced a little as her feet touched the ground. "Did I hurt you last night? " She shook her head. " Not really, I'm just… uh… it's just a bit sore… " She blushed redder. Darrell sweep her off her feet and carried her to the bathroom. Callista sighed in contentment as she laid her head in his shoulder. She was so lucky to get a considerate gentleman as a husband. But then again, it seems that all three of RDJ's directors are complete gentlemen. 

The bell rung as they sat down to have breakfast. Isla came in with her little sister and brother. "Good morning. I just want to ask about your plans today. I have class at one and an appointment at four today, but I can skip both if I need to." She said cheerfully as the two children hugged their older sister. "I'm taking Callista to sort out phone and banking account and do some shopping this morning." Darrell said as he lifted Sierra to his lap. The little girl giggled and hugged her new father. "Oh, that's right. David will meet us at two with the adoption paper. He's registering our marriage this morning, do you have your ID card?" Callista nodded and opened her purse to hand it to him. "He'll take this in ten minutes. The new ID will be done this evening and we can do passports tomorrow. " David Hilman is RDJ's corporate attorney, but he occasionally helped them with anything law related. 

"Won't you need your ID card for the bank and phone? " Callista asked. Darrell was taking a picture of their ID card. "The picture or copy will do we just have to explain that it was taken because of our change of status." He rubbed his nose on Sierra's cheek as he gave her some cut fruits. "The children can come with us while we're shopping. So that will free you until the evening. Then you can join us at the mall to help Callista with her trousseau." "Sure! " Isla chirped. "I helped Raina with hers too. She had a check up this evening, unfortunately, so she won't be joining us. Ryan likes to take her on dates after check ups."

Callista nodded with a smile, once again grateful that her husband's family welcomed her with open arms. Or at least the ones that she'd met. She frowned as she recalled that her husband's parents didn't attend their wedding even though the president of their country did. 

Darrell noticed it as he opened the car door for her. "Why the long face? " He asked. "Uh, will Sierra be okay without a car seat? I can borrow one from one of the staff if she needed it." Callista shook her head. "No, she'll be fine. She's old enough to sit without one as long as she wore the seatbelt." Darrell nodded. "And you? " Callista looked at him in question. "You were frowning all the way from the penthouse to the basement. " "Oh, I was just wondering" Her sentence trailed "about? " "Are your parents still around? I didn't recall seeing them in our wedding." Darrell smiled stiffly. 

"They're still around, yes. But you don't need to worry about them. To put it simply, I vowed that when I become a parent, like now, I would do the complete opposite of what they did. Anyways, if you happen to meet them, they won't care enough other than to throw money around. They show their love by giving money. Isla and I, we're just the necessary heir and a spare." Callista gaped "that's harsh. " Darrell nodded. "It's fine. We're used to it. One of the reason why I am the way I am is actually because I observed my parents." He grinned at her. "So you're reaping the benefit." 

"Benefit? " Callista frowned, she didn't understand. "Compassion, protectiveness, consideration, gentleman behavior, I know you think the world of me, but really, it's because I watched my father and do the opposite. He's the perfect example of what not to do. Not that my mother is any better, though. When I was twelve, I told my father that a Lotus car seemed better than the newest Ferrari he wanted to buy. He transferred the money to buy the car the next day. But I was twelve, what use did I have for the car? I was just at that age where we were all fascinated by sports cars. It was disconcerting. It would be different if he bought the car and give it to me as a present. This was like saying I've got no time to listen, just buy what you like. " He smirked. "I bought a third share of Prescott with the money accumulated since I was young until I was seventeen."

"Oh but you're a rare person, aren't you? Lot's if teenager would use it to buy the car. " Callista commented. "Ah, see, that's because the hotel was important to James, and that came before I was seventeen. After I tried working with Ryan and James, I was addicted. Prescott was something we build with our hands through the bare bones. It might be James' parents legacy, but the three of us stripped it down to the basic and restarted from the beginning. You can say that we're learning by doing. I still remember sitting in the reception table reading hotel management books on my holiday, supervising the reception staffs. Man the reception table in holiday rushes when the staffs got overwhelmed. Nothing beat that"

"Well, I'm proud of you, Darrell. You're my knight in shining armour." She grinned "and I'm glad you're my damsel in distress" He patted her head with a smile as he parked the car at the valet's station. "After we purchased a stroller, we can park on our own. For now, the walk is too far for us. Besides, we're going shopping today." Callista nodded. Felix is growing fast, and he was big enough to tire her in his sling. "So, banking first." Darrell led them to the banking area of the shopping mall.