THE PLEASURE IN YOUR PAIN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ROCHELLE

“Business school! Impressive!” Patricia—the older blonde with curls—said, clearly wowed.

We were all now seated around the large dining table inside the ship’s main interior. The décor was breathtaking, and the table was enormous—enough to accommodate the sprawling De La Vega family.

I learned from Josephine, Kieran’s cousin, and my newfound favourite that Theodore—Kieran’s father—had four siblings, making five De La Vega siblings total, with Theodore as the eldest.

Patricia and the redhead, Genevieve, were the youngest, with Patricia being the youngest of all. Theodore’s immediate younger brother, Richard, had passed away a year ago. According to his wife Mariam and daughters Abigail and Josephine, he was the kindest and goofiest brother of them all.

The youngest of the three De La Vega brothers, Henry, was stoic and stiff but had kind eyes.

“Is it a prestigious one?” Theodore asked, focusing on his well-done steak with potatoes and vegetables.

“Well... it’s at the local town university, but unlike you all...” I smiled slyly at the table, “...I don’t come from wealth. We can’t all be as rich as his Royal Highness here.”

I lightly patted Kieran’s arm, and the entire table burst into laughter.

“Ooh! She gets the family’s inside joke!” Josephine laughed.

“Oh boy! Trustie is in big trouble from 'Little Miss Fiancée' here,” Eric, Patricia’s son, and the youngest De La Vega child joked.

“Ethan... cut my steak,” a tiny voice piped up, jumping onto Ethan’s lap.

“Sure, princess,” Ethan cooed, taking her plate and a knife.

“Ethan has a kid?” I whispered to Josephine, who was sitting to my left.

“God, no! Children out of wedlock are forbidden!” she gasped, whispering back.

“You all are so many, I can barely keep track,” I groaned.

She laughed. “I feel you, girl! I’m part of this family, and I can barely keep track.”

She smiled and started explaining:

“The original five De La Vegas were Theodore, Richard—my dad—Henry, Aunt Genevieve, and Patricia.”

I nodded; that part I understood.

“Uncle Theo married Aunt Elizabeth—bless her soul. They had Kieran. She died when he was seven. It was an awful year.” Josephine’s voice softened.

“My dad, Richard...” she paused, tearing up. I held her hand for comfort as her brown eyes glistened with tears. She blinked twice and returned to her usual cheerful self.

“He married my mom, Mariam. They had Abigail and me. He died three years after Kieran’s mother—another awful year.”

She sighed sadly.

“Henry married Sarah—they’re absolute lovebirds. They had Michael,” she pointed to a tall, slender, brown-haired young man deep in conversation with Ethan, “...and Alice,” she pointed to a curly-haired young woman lost nose-deep in a book.

“She’s a writer, a reader—an absolute nerd, but sweet, and we love her,” she cooed.

“Aunt Genevieve married Edward Kauffman—best love story of our family and best business decision ever made,” Josephine laughed.

“Kauffman...That name sounds familiar. Isn’t that—”

“Kauffman? That’s Ethan,” she nodded.

“They have three children: Ethan, the oldest, Emily, and our little princess,” she pointed to a familiar red-pigtail girl jumping around the table, eating from everyone’s plate.

“Hannah, darling,” she finished.

“Lastly, Aunt Patricia married Uncle Charles and had Eric. All three of them are the youngest in their respective families—an inside family joke. But Eric’s the golden child.”

“Golden child? How?” I asked, curious.

“Well… Aunt Patricia was sick for months after her wedding. Once she got better, doctors said she couldn’t have children. She obviously didn’t listen.”

“The nine months of pregnancy were awful. She was in and out of hospitals, always on medication. Everyone thought they’d both die. It was an absolute miracle! Eric was born healthy, and she fully recovered,” Josephine explained, tears glistening in her eyes.

I squeezed her hand gently, comforting her, and didn’t realize a tear had slipped down my cheek.

“Oh, darling,” she giggled, wiping it away. “It’s all in the past. We’re richer, happier, and stronger for it. I’m more than happy to make you a beautiful addition to our little family.”

“Little?” I chuckled, glancing around at the huge table and gathering.

We both laughed, and she pulled me into a warm, loving hug.

Wow... this will be good. It will be amazing.

---

“LAND HO!” the sailors screamed as we reached port, dropping the anchor.

“Did you have fun?” Kieran whispered, sliding his hand around my waist.

“Eventually… yes. At first, I thought your father ate human flesh when he stared at me,” I giggled, leaning into his touch.

“That’s a very debatable topic, I assure you,” he laughed, planting a light kiss on my forehead.

“You two are absolutely adorable,” Emily came up to us, hand intertwined with her brother’s, a warm smile aimed especially at me.

“You should definitely stop by the boutique tomorrow,” Abigail said, walking over with Michael behind her, Hannah curled up sleeping in her arms. “Especially you, fiancée. We need to do a dress fitting for your wedding gown.”

She smiled warmly at me. “You’re good for him,” she whispered, placing a hand on my cheek.

“Thank you,” I smiled back. She nodded and turned to leave.

“Be there 10 a.m. sharp!” she called, hopping into a black SUV with Josephine. The car drove off.

“We should get going as well,” Emily laughed, pulling me into a warm hug before disappearing into the crowd, Ethan trailing behind her.

“We should also be going,” Kieran smiled, and I nodded, following him to his car.

---

“So... do I, um, return the dress?” I asked, fiddling with the hem of the dress as we sat in Kieran’s parked car outside my house.

“Goodness, no! It’s yours,” he laughed.

“Good, because I wasn’t planning to return it anyway,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes dramatically and laughing.

“This...” he started, reaching for a bag in the backseat. “...is for you.”

He handed me the bag.

“What’s in it?” I asked, curious.

“An outfit for tomorrow’s meeting,” he shrugged.

“Wow...” My voice cracked, and tears pricked my eyes.

“Rochelle, come on... stop crying,” he sighed, wiping away my tears.

“It’s just… your family’s so sweet, so accepting. You’re so nice to me. No one’s ever been... except Becky,” I choked back the tears threatening to spill.

“Yeah, well... better get used to it,” he smiled, pulling my chin up. His emerald eyes burned into mine with heat.

His gaze drifted to my lips, and I unconsciously licked mine.

“f**k,” he breathed, smashing his lips to mine, kissing me hungrily, deeper and harder.

I laced my hands in his hair, dropping the bag, pulling him closer like oxygen—like the warmth my body desperately craved.

To be honest... Yes, it could only come from him.

“You should go inside before I do something rash,” he growled, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

I nodded, picking up the bag and stepping out of the car.

“Goodnight, Ginger,” he cooed, voice warm, sultry, inviting.

“Goodnight, Trustie,” I chuckled, masking the urge to jump back into the car and devour him.

Yeah... let’s not do that.

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. I laughed, scurrying inside as his Tesla sped away.

I opened the bag. Inside was a sleek outfit—black leather pants, a red sleeveless turtleneck, a black blazer, matching boots, and jewelry.

Oh my days!!