Chapter 10. Kailani.
With his mission accomplished, Silas was waiting on the couch for his daughters to come back. The TV played some sitcom but he wasn’t paying attention. It was the only light in the room.
Elizabeth was upstairs in the shower. She liked to take long, luxurious baths on weekends, filling the bathtub with bubbles and scented oils; sometimes he'd join her and introduce a new scent.
The sound of keyss jiggling and the door being opened, pulled his thoughts away from what his wife might be doing in the shower. Footsteps, and the twins entered the living room.
Kathy went straight to the kitchen without acknowledging him, while Vic came and plopped herself on the couch in front of him. Her lips had a faint trace of lipgloss.
He looked at her, noticing the slight smirk on her face. She had something on her mind.
“How was your little outing?” he asked casually.
She hummed, leaning back on the cushions. “It was good. We met a new classmate today,” she said, looking at him with an innocent smile.
“Really? What was their name?” He grabbed a piece of chocolate from the coffee table and took a bite.
Victoria pressed a finger to her lips, looking thoughtful. “Kailani. She’s a transfer student from Europe, very nice girl. We went shopping and she bought a cute dress.”
Silas nodded. “Kailani huh? What did you think of her Kathy?” He called to his other daughter who was raiding the fridge.
Kathy popped her head out from the kitchen with a can of soda in hand. “She’s uh...yeah she’s cool,” she mumbled before retreating back into the kitchen.
He glanced at Vic who was watching him carefully.
“Kailani, isn’t it? A very unique name for a European girl,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “What part of Europe is she from exactly?”
Victoria tilted her head to the side, looking at him through her lashes. Her eyes twinkled.
“From Spain I think...yes, her family owns a big house there. It was all very interesting Papa. You should meet her someday.”
He had to give his daughter some credit. She commited.
“I’d love to. Invite her for dinner one of these days,” he said with a smile.
A bang echoed from the kitchen and Kathy came out rubbing her head. “Ouch... stupid cabinet.” She sat besides Victoria and grabbed a pillow, avoiding his gaze.
His attention went back to Victoria who seemed unfazed by Kathy’s clumsiness.
“Sure thing. But she's going back today, to Spain” she said, emphasizing the last word.
“Why don’t we visit her? Spain sounds like a nice vacation spot, and it’s a quick teleport anyways."
Kathy coughed loudly and nearly choked on her soda. She stood up and hurried up the stairs. “I forgot I have to... do homework or something. Bye,” she said before disappearing.
Victoria watched her sister go with a small shake of her head before turning to him.
“She doesn’t like traveling much. So maybe it’s just me and you?”
He raised an eyebrow. “And Kailani right?”
“Right!” Her eyes widened slightly. “And Kailani, of course.”
The game was fun, he admitted. Vic was good at it, too good. She was covering for Lucas but how long could this last?
“So...Kailani, what’s her last name? I want to look her family up and make sure they’re good people.” He took out his phone and opened up a web browser.
Standing up from across him, walking close to him before plopping down next to him, scooching closer, Victoria rested her head on his shoulder and peeked at the screen.
“I think it’s Garcia. Kailani Garcia.”
He typed in the name and the search results came up showing a few Spanish women with that name. None of them matched a wealthy European family.
“Which one?” He scrolled down and looked at the different profiles.
She grabbed his hand, her cold fingers intertwined with his. She dragged their hands to the third photo on the screen. A very average-looking girl who was an aspiring model.
Silas stared at the picture for a moment before bursting out in laughter.
“She’s a model? My daughter’s new friend is a model? Now this I have to see in person.”
Victoria giggled and snuggled closer to him. She was warm and smelled of vanilla, surprisingly just like Liz.
“Don’t tease her too much Papa, she’s a very delicate girl, very shy," she parted her lips slightly.
He ruffled her hair affectionately. His little angel was growing up into a devious mastermind.
“Shy of what? Of her face being on magazines?” he teased, making Victoria blush.
“No, of her dad. He’s very protective of her you know,” she countered, her tone still light but her eyes were sharp, watching his reaction.
“Does she hate her dad for it?”
She thought for a second. “No, she loves her dad very much. She would do anything for him.” She batted her eyelashes, her head still resting on his shoulder.
Something lit up in his chest. Oh, this was too good to pass up.
“Just like you right?”
Her smile broke. Her cheeks turned bright red like a tomato and her mouth opened and closed.
“U-uh. No-Yes.”
She turned away and he chuckled.
The bathroom door upstairs opened and Liz stepped out in a fluffy white robe, her silver hair wet and clinging to her neck.
Silas couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Girls! How was your outing?”
She sat next to her husband, putting her feet on his lap and giving Victoria a small nudge with her toe.
"Mom..." Victoria muttered still bright red before she shook her head and clicked her tongue.
“It was fine mom, we met a new classmate. She is from Spain.”
Elizabeth looked at her daughter with interest. “Spain huh? We should go visit someday, all four of us. A family trip!” she clapped her hands excitedly.
Kathy could be heard groaning from her room.
Victoria nodded, smiling at her mom, “I think Kailani would like that.” Then she got up, giving both of her parents a kiss on the cheek. “I’m tired so I’m going to bed. Goodnight mom, goodnight papa,” she said before heading upstairs.
Silas watched her leave, his mind still reeling from this little game. He glanced at his wife who was giving him an amused look and knew that she could sense the tension in the air.
“What’s going on?” Liz asked, running her fingers through his hair. “You seem a bit flushed honey.”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. “It’s nothing dear, just having a hard time believing our little Victoria is turning into a scheming mastermind like me,” he joked.
Elizabeth chuckled and pulled him in for a deeper kiss. Her lips were soft and warm.
“She takes after her father,” she whispered against his mouth.
As they made out on the couch, Silas felt all the stress from the day melt away, replaced by pure bliss. But his mind kept drifting back to Vic. He needed to keep an eye on her even if she was cunning and smart, she could still get into trouble.