Surprise visit gone wrong

| Elena's POV |

"I'm finally home," I sigh in relief after finally getting through the stressful gate procedure of my father's mansion and getting to the front of the building that I tracked my father to the last time he came over to Silver City to visit me during my 19th birthday.

Thank goodness I was smart enough to place the tracker that my hacker friend, Jayda recommended in my father's wallet and have it disconnected immediately after pinpointing his location so he wouldn’t trace it to me.

If I didn't do what I did, I guess I would still be locked away in Silver city wondering how beautiful it will be if I had the freedom that every other young adult is taking for granted.

"Also, thank goodness I was smart enough to get my hacker friend to handle the security procedures so well that my big surprise for my dad was not ruined," I sigh in relief as I start to drag my box into the grand estate with towering columns, intricate architectural details, and lush gardens.

The mansion exudes elegance and opulence, with marble floors, sparkling chandeliers, and ornate furnishings just like I remember it, and on stepping into the lounge, a work of art, adorned with exquisite paintings, luxurious fabrics, and antique furniture welcomes me.

"Daddy…. your baby girl is home," I scream at the top of my voice as my eyes lands on my dad relaxing, reading a newspaper, after I finished drooling on how nicely the house I grew up in has been refurbished but my overly excited scream makes everyone stop, and they are all staring at me like I am a psycho.

"What are you doing here?" my father questions, springing to his feet after recovering from his state of momentary shock.

"What do you mean by what am I doing here?" I answer his question with another question, despite the fact that I knew it was rude because his reaction did not follow the script that I pictured in my head.

"Where is Olivia and her daughter, Amelia?" he questions sternly.

"I left them in Silver city, then I climbed the mountains and crossed the oceans to surprise you so that we can be together as a happy family," I respond to him.

"No! No! No!" he mutters, pacing around in a disoriented manner.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask him, trying to digest his reaction.

“I don’t want to believe that you sneaked out of the house, got on a six hour long flight without any help,” my father expresses and I smile proudly.

“I am proud to say that I did it all by myself,” I lie to him even though I was only able to achieve this as a result of Jayda’s help, but I am prohibited from having a social media account and more so, I am sure that my father's blood pressure will skyrocket if he realizes that someone else, apart from the people that he allowed to have the slightest knowabout my existence knows about my existence.

“So tell me……do you like the surprise that I gave you?" I change the topic because the reaction I am getting from him at the moment is not what I was hoping to get.

"What do you mean by surprise?" He queries.

"This is a complete disaster!" he yells.

"In short, you can't stay here," he dumps the information on me.

"I will have to send you back to Silver City on the next flight," he declares, picking up his phone from his chair.

"Wait…. Wait… hold up," I express in a bit to catch my breath.

"Are you sending me back on the next flight to the silver city after I put in so much to be here?" I challenge him because I want to be clear on the type of situation that we are dealing with.

"Exactly," he answers without feeling any hint of remorse.

"Why?" I question him.

"Because you just can't be here," he answers with half his attention on his phone, where he is busy typing away.

"Why can't I be here?" I try to probe him for answers.

"Stop questioning me and wait for me to book you a flight so that you can return to where you belong," he says, walking away from me and I blink back in shock to process and reprocess everything that just happened because, for some reason, I thought that if my father was so busy being the prime minister of Orion, I could as well leave Silver City to be with him since I am done with both my college and masters. Still, it seems I am wrong because the order in which things are happening today is not following the script I had in mind.

If anybody had told me that instead of being welcomed properly by my dad after going through a six hours flight and instead I would be asked to wait around like an unwanted guest, I would have fought the person but unfortunately, that is the situation I find myself in at a time like this.

Tears well up in my eyes as I ponder on everything I have gone through to be where I am today that I didn't dare sit down; I am just waiting for him to change his mind; otherwise, all my effort will be a waste.

"Hi, ma'am," A man in his mid-fifties who looks quite familiar walks up to me after I waited for a long time, and I struggle to remember who he is.

"Elena…. it's me, Austin," he introduces.

"Your father's right-hand man," he helps my memory, and I suddenly remember him.

"Oh my goodness, Austin!" I gasp and break into a smile on seeing him because since my father had me locked away, I have not set my eyes on him in years.

"You have grown into such a fine young lady….." He says, twirling me around like a little girl, making me giggle uncontrollably.

"Finally, there is a smile on that pretty face of yours," he says, reminding me about my current life struggles, and I sigh.

"Don't wear such a long face, princess….. I spoke to your dad on your behalf, and you won't have to return to Silver City," he informs, and my eyes light up in delight.

"….However, that came with brutal conditions that you may not like," he adds, wiping the smile off my face.

"Firstly, your dad has made preparations for your nanny and her daughter to be flown in from Silver City later today so that they can help prepare you to serve the crown prince," he informs, and my brows furrow in confusion.

"Prepare me to serve the crown prince?" I question him.

"I don't understand," I express my confusion even though I can understand the English he just spoke, but I really don't want to believe that he meant what he said.

"Secondly, you are grounded," he informs me, dumping yet another piece of information on me.

"Grounded?" I yell in shock.

"Why?" I query him.

"I think instead of focusing on the fact that you won't be able to leave this house under any circumstances, you need to freshen up and grab something to eat first; then, I will figure out a way to talk your father out of grounding you, okay?" He proposes, walking towards me and picking up my box.

Instead of further arguing with him, I quietly follow him to my room because, at this point, the worst that can happen to me has happened already, so what is the worst that can happen again?

"Even though you have been away for fifteen years, your dad made sure that your room was taken care of daily, and everything was kept the same way you left with," Austin says, as I look around the pink-themed room that used to be my favorite place in this house years ago.

Oh, how my taste has dramatically changed over the years, and everything feels so foreign, and I feel out of place.

"Can I ask you some questions?" I inquired because there were still many missing pieces in what he told me.

"Let's have it," he answers me.

"The last time I checked, my father is one of the most influential ministers in Orion, and not just that, late mom's dad was the previous minister of defense, and being a minister may mean that my parents are loyal subjects to the royal family, but that doesn't make me a slave, so why on earth did you say that I will be groomed to serve the crown prince?" I inquire of him.

"You have been away for 15 years, and there are many things you don't know because your father didn't want you to be involved in this mess under any circumstance." He answers

"What do you mean by that?" I ask him impatiently.

"I am lost, and I virtually know nothing, which is why I am asking you, but you are not saying anything to me…….. what is so hard to answer the question that I asked you?" I lash out angrily at him.

"I think you must be exhausted from your journey, so I will give you time to rest while I check on the kitchen and ask them to prepare something nice for you to eat," he says instead of answering my question.

"I don't need to rest, neither do I need to eat…. What I need is answers," I scream at the top of my lungs. Still, he ignores me and steps out of the room, leaving me twice as frustrated and clueless as I already am because it is quite glaring that they are hiding something from me. Still, I have no idea what they are hiding and how badly it affects me.

"I can't rest easy until I get the answers that I need; I just need to find those answers myself if they don't tell me," I decide.

"The question now is how I am going to get answers from a man who had his daughter hidden away from the whole world," I mutter as I start to pace around the room.