A Word of Praise
Chapter 18

Kiara was not one to panic, so she didn't. Instead, she appointed Batman as her therapy dog during the flight. She was not completely new to flying, but private jets were way out of her league and it was throwing her off a bit. There was some comfort in knowing you will die with a bunch of other people on a commercial flight if something goes wrong. Flying private didn't give her that.

Chris told her it would be just the two of them because his parents decided to fly earlier. He didn't get into the details, but she understood it had something to do with flying with the dog. Go figure. Either way, the flight was only three hours long and she could handle herself.

Batman had a proper cage for safety reasons, where he could stay during takeoff, landing, and turbulence. But, as Chris mentioned, he preferred to stay at his owner's feet most of the time. Kiara really wanted the calming effect of the giant furball, so she began to 'pss pss' him as soon as Chris closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" His eyes were still closed, but there was an amused smile on his lips.

"Nothing."

"Right. So you are not trying to call my dog?"

"I might, but that's between me and him."

The dog, almost as if realizing he was the topic of the conversation, lifted his head and looked at her.

"Come here, Batman!" She baby-voiced, but only accomplished a cocked head from both dog and owner. It was awfully cute if she were being honest, but she would never tell him that. The dog then looked at Chris, waiting for instructions. Damn, he was an obedient dog. Couldn't he just come to her?

To make her situation worse, Chris tilted his head, motioning in her direction and the well-trained bastard jumped up to go lay by her side. Now she had to decide between petting the fluffy mountain, losing a little bit of dignity along the way, or faking indifference and letting the dog go uncuddled.

She chose the only reasonable course of action and practically laid on the aircraft's floor to get the most out of the black rug that sat by her feet. No amount of dignity could win over Batman's exposed belly.

The three hours went by rather quickly and soon the pilot warned about the landing. Chris ushered Batman back to the cage and got back to his seat. She did not expect that neat-freak domineering man to have a dog like Batman.

She always had the impression that the more money someone had, the smaller their dog is. With his Everest-size pockets, she expected no dog at all. Maybe a German Shepard she could understand, to match his stern personality, but Batman wasn't even a known breed. That man was full of surprises.

Kiara was too curious about their landing spot to remember she should be scared, so she peeked through the small window to catch a glimpse of the island. A private island. That was pretty much all Chris told her about their destination, which annoyed the shit out of her.

It was almost seven, so she could only see the general shape of the island, with an elevated center covered by a large forest. There was a river there too, or maybe it was a lake. Then the jet turned, and she could see the lit landing strip. From that spot, she couldn't see any construction, but there was a large part of the land hidden by the higher terrain and fading sunshine.

"How many people live here?"

"Only the staff, though most of them go back to the continent when we are not around. Except for security. They are always here." "You mean it is just... you? On the whole island?"

"If you need stuff from the city, we can either ask the staff or get the boat"

"Jesus, you are absolutely clueless" She didn't mean to say it out loud and in such a nasty tone, but it came out anyway.

"What?"

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"I didn't ask it because of things, Chris. I asked because it's huge, I just assumed other people would live here too"

She didn't know why she took the time to explain, it's not as if he could understand the concept of sharing beauty. The island was gorgeous, and it was a shame only one family got to enjoy it. Well, family and staff.

He looked away annoyed, visibly failing to understand her point. There was a car waiting for them and soon they were moving through a poorly lit path next to the ocean. Chris was quiet and Kiara could see his apprehensive look. She didn't know him enough to pinpoint the reason, but if she had to guess, it was about her impending encounter with his parents.

She couldn't say she was nervous about it, mostly because he wasn't her real boyfriend, and she didn't really care if they liked her. But she was anxious to get into character, even if the character was a better-behaved version of herself. After a couple of minutes, she saw a beautiful fountain, with warm lights and dancing waters. It was in the middle of a roundabout driveway and the car circled it before parking. The entrance of the house was beautiful, and she wondered how it was not the first thing she spotted.

The front was huge, with at least ten balconies at each side of the imperial door. There was clearly an antique vibe, but it didn't seem old at all. More like vintage chick if she were to name it. Probably a recent construction made by the family's company. Chris told her the family company was in the construction industry. Not the most interesting job and the man didn't seem passionate about it either, but her opinion was irrelevant there. Chris was seated by her side in the passenger seat, and as soon as they parked, he got out. She took it as her cue and left as well, standing in front of the double doors a bit stunned.

She felt his eyes poking holes in her neck and turned to meet his gaze. Much to her surprise, he seemed mad. It was one of her favorite looks on his face, but usually when it was put there on purpose. "What is it?"

"You didn't wait for me to open the door." He hissed through gritted teeth surprisingly low, considering there was no one around to hear. Except for the driver, but he was occupied dealing with Batman on the other side of the vehicle. "So? I've done it before, and you didn't seem to mind."

He got closer and grabbed her arm, whispering in her ear.

"This is different, they are watching."

Kiara plucked his fingers from her arm with a disgusted look on her face and got closer to him, staring straight into his eyes.

"Ok, ground rules. You do not touch me in a threatening manner. Not ever. Do you understand?"

He was definitely surprised by her tone and looked at her arm as if only then realizing how aggressive his gesture was. Good.

"Now, if you want me to behave like a nineteenth-century submissive wife, I will. But I honestly didn't think a man like you would comply with such archaic rules just to please his parents."