Chapter 2
After the news broke out, Lucy couldn't handle her stress as she paces in her living room despite being assured by her friends. Mira has comforted her first, which worked for a few minutes before questions started popping in her head. And with the continuous flooding of questions in her head, she couldn't help but be anxious again. And this went on all through the night.
Since that night should be a 'girls' night out', all the girls remained in the blonde's home but went home quickly as soon as they all had their breakfast together.
"I better go Lucy" Lissana says as she stands up and hugs the blonde who stood up as well, "Don't worry about it anymore, sure enough people will forget about that news." Lissana smiles warmly before hugging her friend once more before picking up her bag and heads towards the front door. "Mira-nee, I'll be heading first, Bickslow must be waiting in the restaurant"
"Alright, I'll follow you later…" Mira then waves good-bye to her sister. As soon as the short silver haired girl disappear, Lucy sits down back to her seat, bringing her legs up then begins to sip her hot chocolate.
"It must be nice to start up your own business huh?" Lucy asks as she sets down her drink. Mira glances at the blonde before smiling towards her, "Yeah it is, but its not gonna be easy, lots of competition here in Magnolia." Mira began to trace the rim of her mug as she continues herself, "But Laxus is very positive about this plan, he knows we'll pull it off well."
"Aww, so sweet. So, is it official? the two of you?" Lucy teasingly smiles at her friend who suddenly blushes at her comment, "W-well…he never really asks me out. But he's a good friend"
"Just a friend?" Lucy insists more teasing and still receives the same reaction from her friend, "Lucy! Stop it!" Mira, full blown blushing, hides her face with her hands as she was laughed at by her blonde friend.
"Alright, I'll stop…" Lucy says as she dies down her laughter before sipping from her drink again. When silence lingered, the two just sighed contently at their present situation until Mira started asking.
"So, what are you going to do about the news?" Mira traces the rim of her mug once again when she gained her composure. "I don't know…I guess just let it die?" Lucy answers but then she sounded more like asking back at her friend. Being clueless to what she would do next, she looks down at her mug as if it would give her answers that will be helpful to her.
"Well, it will take long before that happens. Your parent's anniversary party doesn't happen in two months, and until then I'm sure media will be hiding in the bushes to watch you." Mira says as she watches the blonde scrunches her face.
"Uh, I hate it when media starts following. I have never made any noise for the media because that stuff is for mama and papa. I don't get it why all of a sudden they are giving me some interest!" Lucy raises her arms in emphasize as she leans her back to her chair but then she slumps herself forward to the table and lays her head staring at the smiling silver haired beauty.
"Well, you are their daughter. And any child of a powerful couple is a media's point of interest." Mira then rubs Lucy's backhand as if to comfort her. After a few minutes of silence, Lucy sits up and looks at Mira, "So what do I do?"
"You can start by explaining things to media" Mira advises to the blonde who gave a raised brow, "I don't have to explain anything to the media. I owe them nothing. They just caused me trouble."
"Well, you technically gave them wrong information." Mira slantingly moves her head as she made a point, "So if you want to clear things up, you should have an interview. That would stop it I guess…"
"Uh, so its still not sure…" Lucy slouches again back to the table but this time she hides her face by the arms she lays in the table as a pillow to her head.
"Well, we'll never know if it would work if we don't try…" Mira says back, trying to comfort the blonde. And it seems like its beginning to work for Lucy glances at her friend, "So, an interview huh?"
"It wouldn't hurt to try…" Mira then smiles warmly at her friend who finally sits up and returns the smile. "Alright…I'll try doing that."
"Good!" Mira exclaims as she claps her hand in excitement, "Now, I should head on to my resto because Lissana could be impatient at times…" Lucy and Mira then laugh as they recalled a moment where Lissana became comparable to a beast after waiting for 15 minutes.
"Alright, don't want to hear Lis-chan become a beast again." With that Lucy stands along with her friend and gives her a hug. When the two pulled away, Lucy accompanies the long silver haired woman to the front door. "Alright Lucy, don't be a stranger, call me if you need anything"
"Of course! Take care!" Lucy then waves good-bye at Mira who continues to leave her lot. As soon as Mira was far from her lawn, she closes the door and heads back to the dining table.
Cleaning the table of all the mugs and plates used for their breakfast, Lucy energetically places it all to her dishwashing sink. Soon enough, she starts to wash it as she hums a sweet melody until her door bell rings. Turning her head to glance at the hallway towards her front door, she washes her hands quickly to attend at the person waiting outside. Slightly running towards her door, she starts to wonder who might the person be, after all its too early for a visitor on a Saturday morning.
"Could this be Mira? Did she leave anything behind?" She thought out loud as she glances at each room she passes by, trying to notice if there are any foreign object in her house. When nothing caught her attention, she giddily opens the door.
"Ohayo!" Lucy greets as she opens the door but quickly taken a back when a beautiful blonde woman stands before her door. "Ohayo Dear" The woman greeted back sweetly making the younger blonde gape at the person.
When Lucy finally snaps out of her daze, she obviously calls out to the person. "Mama?"
"Hello dear…can I come in?" Lucy's mother, Layla, asks as she smiles warmly at her daughter who was still in a state of shock, "huh? What?"
"In…you know, walk inside your home?" Layla explains as she points something inside the home of the younger blonde making her finally understand what she meant, "Oh! Of course! Come in!" Lucy then steps aside as she swings the door wider as a sign to enter her home.
As Layla walks inside, Lucy takes the coat of her mother and hangs its to the coat racks before heading straight to the living room. Lucy, following her mother cautiously, she starts to rack her brains why her mother paid a surprise visit. "So, mama, what made you come to Magnolia?" Lucy asks as she attentively watches her mother scan her home before facing her with a smile.
"Well, I think I deserve to see my daughter who haven't showed up for quite some time…" Layla slowly smirks at her daughter who starts to blush feeling guilty after hiding from her parents, "how are you Lucy-dear?" Layla then takes a seat at the comfortable couch, opposite to Lucy.
"M-me? Oh, uh, I'm good. You know with the job I took here, is paying well, so I'm good" Lucy finally relaxes in front of her mother as she sits to a tub chair that is opposite to her mother. Realizing that there is nothing to worry about her mother visiting her, she audibly exhales and gives a smile.
"Very well then. I've read all articles you've made in that famous Fairy Tail Magazine and it's amusing to read them." Layla compliments her daughter who blushes once more after being praised, "Thanks mama…I never thought you'd find time to read those kinds of magazines."
"Well of course, it's your work. So me and your father pay attention to you very well. Since, you settled here in Magnolia, it's our only way to keep up with you. After all, your articles are all your experiences, right?"
"Yeah, all mine…" Lucy habitually crumpling anything she holds, which is her apron as of the moment, as she felt nervousness after knowing how her parents have kept up to her articles/ life. "Well, besides from visiting me, do you have any business meeting here in Magnolia?"
"I actually do. I voluntarily ask your father if I could take the meeting here in Magnolia, since he has a business trip in another country. I don't want him to over work himself by doing all the meetings. So here I am…" Lucy smiles at her mother who is smiling back at her.
Hearing her mother say those things have proven to her more than once why they are a powerful couple. Both of them worked as a pair and not as a shadow to the other. As a married couple, Lucy has seen how her mother and father worked as a tag team and there is no doubt that they succeed in every agenda they have for their business. There is nothing more that could make her feel proud to be a powerful couple's daughter, because despite being successful in business, they have brought her up in good manners and etiquette.
"I'm happy you're here…Guess you'll be staying for days?" Lucy then stands, heading towards the kitchen to grab anything to drink
"It depends…" Layla monotonously answers making Lucy widen her eyes as she shivers in her spine. That tone is very well known to the young blonde, it's the kind of tone her mother uses when she is in a serious mode, and serious mode is not good.
"W-what do you mean it depends? You have a meeting…that's what you mean, right?" Lucy asks as she freezes in her spot before turning her heel to look at the back of her mother who still sat at the couch.
"I have other things to do as well…starting with you." Layla then stands and looks at her daughter who is now fully shocked. "Me? What about me?"
Layla walks closer to the young blonde who quickly stands straight and watches her every move. Finally standing before her daughter, Layla drops the serious façade and smiles warmly at her child. "I heard news about you…"
"N-news? A-a-bout me? W-what news?" Lucy asks as she tries to act cool but her stuttering gave her away
"Your engaged?"
With that simple question thrown to her, Lucy's world suddenly crumbles down. The least thing she worries about the rumor is for her parents to discover it. But alas, Layla comes down to Magnolia to visit her daughter because they hear that she is engaged to an unidentified man.
"I-is that why you're here? B-because of that news?" Lucy trying her best to show that she is in composure but the longer she is having the conversation the more she felt weak in her knees. "Well, I really do have a meeting. But if I wasn't able to watch that news about you last night I wouldn't be volunteering to your father to lead the meeting here."
Hearing her mother's reason for coming had made her laugh. The kind of laugh where in you feel like Shit, I'm dead. Staring at her mother who was just smiling at her had made her weak, so soon enough her knees gave up on her making her grip the wall to gain some balance.
"Lucy are you okay?" Layla tries to catch the younger beauty as she notices her feeling weak, "Are you sick?"
"…No." Lucy finally responses as she tries to stand straight again but knowing that she won't stand long, she heads to the couch again and sits down. Layla following behind sits next to her daughter. "So, can I see the ring?"
"Huh? What?" Lucy dazzlingly looks at her mother who shows an expression of excitement, "The ring!"
"What ring?" Lucy asks again still confused, "Your engagement ring, honey"
Lucy's brain began to stall once more the moment her mother asks about evidences of her engagement. Trying her best to come up with an excuse, she began to shift left and right trying to understand what she'll do. When she suddenly remembers a red ring box, she quickly looks at her mother who was taken aback by the sudden stare, "Its in my room!"
"Oh…why aren't you wearing it?" Layla inquires
"Uhh…am I suppose too?" Lucy carelessly asks an obvious question making the older blonde look at her daughter in question, "Lucy, its an engagement ring. Of course you have to."
"Right it's an engagement ring." Lucy slaps her forehead with her palm as she finally realizes her stupid question. "Well, I can't show you right now 'cause I have to find the box. Didn't want to expose it to all…"
"Okay…but I want to meet him." Looking at her mother again with confusion in her eyes, she asks her, "Who? Who him?"
"Your fiancé dear, of course…are you sure your okay?" Layla giving up to her worry, she touches Lucy's forehead, grabs her head, and tilt it from side to side. Lucy just going with the flow of her mother's check up, she tries to rack her brain what her mother meant until it hit her real hard. She leans back from her mothers grasp and slightly shouts her realization, "Fiancé?!"
"Y-yes? I want to meet him…Your father wants to meet him too but then since he have a meeting I told him I'll just have lunch with you two and tell him what I discover about the man."
"Wait." Lucy raises a hand to stop her mother and breathes audibly, "So, you want to meet my fiancé?"
"Yes"
"Have lunch with me and him?"
"Yes, on Monday."
"This Monday?! Not like next year Monday?" Lucy feeling the panic rushing in too quickly as she can no longer control the tone of her voice
"Next year Monday? What are you talking about honey? You should be wedded by that time already"
"Ha! Wh-wa-what?"
"Lucy?"
"Sorry…let me just get it straight…" Lucy then stands and walks away from the couch as if she wants to run away from her mother but knowing that there in no point of running she stands still and looks at her mother. "You want to meet my Fiancé this Monday? Correct?"
"Yes."
"He can't…he's not here on Monday. Busy. Can't happen." Lucy says nodding to each excuse she gives but her mother just doesn't give up easily, "Then on Tuesday."
"Still, busy, unable to be contacted…"
"Then, within this week. And I won't take no for an answer." Layla then stands before picking up her black hand bag, "I must meet your Fiancé"
"Okay, within this week. I'll contact you." Lucy dejectedly nods as her mother approaches her. "But after meeting him, would that be your last business in Magnolia?" Lucy asks after her mother hugs her, "We'll see. But for now, I better go, I still have to visit the office."
"Okay…" Lucy hands the coat of her mother who accepted it smiling. Soon enough Layla opens the door and steps one down before turning to look at Lucy again, "I'll be waiting for your text for when we'll be able to have lunch, okay?"
"Okay"
"Bye" Layla then turns and begins to head down to reach her waiting vehicle. When Layla disappears inside the car, the black vehicle leaves immediately. The sight of her mother's car disappearing has made Lucy exhale loudly as if she is relieved already. Closing her door, she weakly seats down to the foot of the door and stares blankly to her empty home, "I am so dead…"
To be continued…
