“I wanted to meet you for long because it’s rare that my mate appreciates anyone.” She reached near Caroline, talking and grinned widely without even introducing herself because of her excitement, but Caroline recognized her as Aiden’s mate.
“You’re so beautiful. No doubt, Alpha Heir Artemis marked you in a flash.” She added with a big smile on her face.
Caroline chuckled at her cute nature. As much as she had observed Aiden, he rarely talked to anyone while his mate looked like a chatterbox.
“Thank you..umm?”
“Oh! I’m so sorry. I didn’t introduce myself, did I?” Everyone laughed at her cute question. “Ma’am, she is Tina, my mate and the mother of my pup.” Aiden introduced, shaking his head.
“Thank you, Tina. And you look pretty too. It seems like you are interested in talking with me, but I need to meet my in-laws. I will be back to you soon or will ask Aiden to bring you to our penthouse, okay?”
“Oh!! Okay! Okay!” Tina agreed, understanding very well that the party was for Caroline, so she just couldn’t spend all her time with her.
Once Artemis and Caroline left from there, he said, “There is my mom, dad, Grandpa, and Grandma.” Artemis pointed out toward the group of four people who were discussing something. “Don’t be nervous; they will love you, just like the way I do.”
“You didn’t tell me that your grandparents are also joining the party.”
“Well, I myself didn’t know about that until now,” Artemis admitted, and that was the truth. Caroline recognized his parents from his birthday party incident and had personally met his mother in the Orphanage as well, so she was less tense about that.
Yes! She knew the lady that visited the Orphanage for a few days was his mother. At first, she couldn’t recognize her and found her face similar to someone whom she couldn’t remember, but soon she did as she assumed that she was just keeping an eye on her to check whether Caroline was the right woman for his son or not. That was why Caroline played along with her and acted not to know her when they finally had a conversation with each other.
“What is the new hot topic because of which you all are not even giving my mate a look?” Artemis asked playfully and saw her parents turning around.
“Well, what can we say? Santino, too announced about his chosen mate.” Lorenzo, Artemis’ father, announced and then looked at Caroline with a smile. He couldn’t help but recall his first meeting with her. He couldn’t help but wonder whether she remembered him.
“Oh!!” Artemis mouthed and didn’t know what to comment on that part. “Well, first thing, first, Mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma, she is Caroline, my mate, and Caroline, meet my parents, Lorenzo and Sila Gosling. And my grandparents, Umberto and Carla Gosling.”
“Hello” Caroline smiled at everyone, and not once she gave a surprising look to Sila, showing her that she was surprised to see her here. To silently show that she already knew about her when she met her in the Orphanage.
"I will suggest my grandson not to play hide & seek with you." Carla Gosling said, hugging Caroline.
"Why Grandma Carla?" Caroline couldn't help but ask.
Breaking the hug, she caressed the side of her cheek and responded, "Because someone like you is impossible to find."
“True, Mom. I looked for her around nineteen years.” Lorenzo admitted.
“Nineteen years?” Artemis asked him in confusion. “You were searching for some…” realization hit him like a train when he realized that his mate, Caroline was that ‘Caro’ whom his father had been searching for this long.
"Caro, do you remember me, dear?” Lorenzo asked, looking at her. “I won’t mind if you say NO. But remember that we met at the time of Rebecca and Oliver’s Weasley’s Marriage when you were running and bumped….”
“I remembered that incident,” Caroline admitted. “And I’m so sorry for the question that I asked to that night?” She added, feeling embarrassed.
“Will anyone tell me what is happening here?” Artemis asked in confusion again.
*
After five minutes,
“Both the parties know about it except me?” Artemis complained, making a face while everyone laughed at his expression. “And you?” he looked at Caroline. “Why do you ask my dad for marriage?” he asked possessively.
“Well… The wedding of Aunt Becca and Uncle Oli was the first marriage of my wife, and at that time, I loved the idea of marriage back then. I mean, you’re the star of that day, and I love her white wedding gown that was so long. Then dance, a big wedding cake… you know. I was just a child.” Caroline replied with a silly smile on her lips.
‘We will throw a big wedding party and fulfill her childhood dream.’ Bolt told Artemis, on which he agreed.
“And I’m sorry for asking you for the marriage, Fa... Father.” Caroline apologized, looking at Artemis’s father. “I don’t know what I was thinking back then. Maybe the fact that you’re caring and sweet.”
Artemis bit his tongue at the thought that his mate proposed to his father for marriage first. He couldn’t imagine competing with his father, not when he was the Principal of the school in which he learned to charm his mate.
“I’m glad that you liked my little version.”
“That’s a different thing that he is not little anymore.” Caroline joked, and everyone started laughing again.
‘I will deal with you in the room later.’ Artemis said through mind link on which Caroline stopped breathing at his threat, but at the same time, she couldn’t lie about the fact that she was getting excited at his threat instead of feeling scared.
Without their realization, someone was fuming in anger.
.
#TBC