Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 15

Michael*

I made my way up to dinner alone. I silently wished Shelby would be joining us. She was one of the only ones in the group that I actually cared to have a conversation with.

However, it might be for the best that she wasn’t coming. I found myself always drawn to her, and if I weren’t more careful, Lauren would catch on to my interest in her friend.

I knew that would not go over well.

I was the last one to arrive, and I took the only seat available next to Lauren’s new fiance, Todd.

“I never got the chance to congratulate you on the engagement last night,” I said as I shook Todd’s hand. “I rushed out because I had an urgent business matter I had to attend to.”

I hoped that would adequately explain my quick departure the night before. I felt a little guilty that I had not stayed to celebrate and instead took off after Shelby to make sure she was okay.

If I was being honest with myself, my evening spent with Shelby, talking in the sauna, was much more enjoyable. I probably wouldn’t be winning any best dad of the year awards, though.

I’d already smoothed things over with Lauren this morning. I showed up to her room with a pair of diamond earrings from Tiffany’s. I’d bought them for her birthday, but they were perfect as a stand-in engagement present.

Once I brought out the diamond, I don’t think she heard another word that I said. I was happy to see that she was wearing them tonight. She truly did look happy, and I prayed she would be in her marriage.

“Thank you so much, sir. I hope you approve of our engagement,” Todd said.

I’d almost forgotten that it was customary for a man to ask for his daughter’s hand to get the father’s approval of the marriage.

“I think you two make a fine couple. I’m looking forward to having you as part of the family, Todd,” I said and then stood up. I tapped my wine glass to get the group’s attention. Everyone at the table quieted quickly and turned to me.

“I want to congratulate Lauren and Todd on their recent engagement. May they replace happiness in each other and enjoy each other’s company for many years to come.” Lauren’s friends all clapped at this statement. Once the quiet returned, I started again.

“As my engagement gift to the couple, I would like to throw you two an engagement party at my home here in the Bahamas.”

This announcement received a very excited response from all of Lauren’s friends. Lauren’s face was beaming at all of the attention she was getting. She smiled and stood up to make an announcement of her own.

I noticed she shook her head gracefully from side to side, causing the earrings to catch the light. She was an expert at showing off wealth; no wonder she was doing so well as an influencer.

“Thank you so much, Daddy! I’m so glad you approve, and an engagement party will be the perfect way to announce to the world that I am about to be married. I am so excited about the upcoming wedding, and I would be honored if all of you were part of our wedding party.”

Lauren was met with murmurs of agreement from the men and squeals of excitement from the women present. She sat down with a huge smile, clearly pleased with the group’s reactions.

“Daddy, can you hire some professional photographers for the engagement party? I need some really good pictures to post.”

“Of course,” I said.

“I wish we could have gotten some great shots of the actual engagement, but Todd didn’t think about that part of it,” Lauren said, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I told you it wasn’t exactly planned. We had such an amazing day, and it just felt like the right time,” Todd said defensively.

“I guess I am marrying a true romantic,” Lauren said, resting her chin on Todd’s shoulder.

“Is there anything else you two need?” I asked, trying my best to be supportive.

“I will need to pick one more bridesmaid so we have even numbers,” Lauren said to Todd.

“Why not ask Shelby?” I asked, confused as to why Lauren wasn’t planning on asking her most likable and attractive friend.

“Oh, I didn’t notice that she wasn’t here for my announcement. That sort of works out for the best, though. I am going to ask someone different. Shelby doesn’t really fit into the vision I have for the wedding,” Lauren said, sounding very much like a snob.

“And what exactly is your vision for the wedding?” I asked, annoyed with my daughter’s uncouth response.

“I want everything to be glamorous,” Lauren said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ll still invite her, but as part of the wedding party, you have to fit the aesthetic.”

“That’s very true; it’s not like Shelby would be comfortable with the level of finery at the wedding anyway. It is very obvious that she is lower class. I think our guests would be able to sense that. If she can’t afford to buy a new dress for her birthday party, it’s not likely that she will be able to afford a bridesmaid’s dress anyway,” Todd said with a smug smile on his face.

Lauren giggled and then turned to talk to the woman next to her about possible venues for the wedding.

“Didn’t you just meet Shelby this week?” I asked Todd in a low voice.

“Yeah, Lauren told me they went to college together or something,” Todd said and took a bite off his plate.

“Then how would you know she couldn’t afford a new dress for her birthday party?” I said with quiet suspicion.

Todd’s eyes went wide in shock, and he nearly choked on the food in his mouth.

He took a few moments to recover and then said, “I think Lauren told me that. She went to Shelby’s birthday, and she had to borrow a dress because she couldn’t afford a new one.”

Although I didn’t doubt that Lauren would gossip about something as petty as not being able to afford a new dress, I found it odd that Todd would remember something like that.

Todd’s reaction told me that he was hiding something, and my suspicion was only increased by his quick shift to join Lauren’s conversation.

Did Shelby and Todd know each other outside of Lauren?

I ate the rest of my meal in silence and made an excuse about having work to do to get out of the rest of the evening’s activities. Instead of heading back to my stateroom, I went to the captain to tell him about the change of plans.

We would be making a quick stop at the original destination, a small island in the Bahamas, but we wouldn’t be staying. Instead, we would be heading to my private home for Lauren’s engagement party.

After my conversation with the captain, I made my way to my office, which was located a floor below the guest rooms. I thought about going and checking on Shelby but decided it was best to let her get some sleep.

My office on the yacht was a carbon copy of my office at home. It had a large wooden desk in the center and a large dark leather armchair.

The only difference was the view was spectacularly better on the yacht. A large windowed balcony sat behind the desk, so I could watch the ocean as I worked.

I sank into my leather chair and opened the laptop on my desk. A notification glowed on the screen, informing me of the one hundred and twenty-seven emails waiting in my inbox.

I pulled out my phone instead and found my event planner’s phone number in my contacts.

“Hello, this is Jessica of Jessica’s events.”

“Jessica, this is Michael Astor.”

“Mr. Astor, it is great to hear from you again. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I’m calling to see if you can organize a party for me. My daughter just got engaged, and I want to throw her an engagement party at my home in the Bahamas.”

“Congratulations, Mr. Astor. I would love to help plan such a happy occasion. When can I pencil in your event?”

“Two days from now,” I say, knowing the absurdity of the request.

“Did I hear you right? You want me to plan an entire event in two days?”

“If anyone can do it, it’s you, Jessica. Plus, I am willing to pay double.”

“You have always known how to close a deal. I will have everything ready for you, Mr. Astor. Does your daughter have a theme in mind?”

I hated that I had to say it out loud, “She said the theme of her wedding is…glamor.”

I heard a small giggle escape from Jessica on the other end of the phone, and she quickly tried to cover it with a cough.

“I know how it sounds,” I said, embarrassed. “That is why I am trusting you with this event. I know you will make it tasteful. After the engagement party, I will have Lauren talk with you about wedding plans.”

“That sounds great, Mr. Astor. I will see you in two days.”

“Thank you very much. Goodbye,” I said and hung up the phone.

This wedding was going to be expensive, and I already expected to foot the bill for everything. Extravagant was one thing, but Lauren’s taste was beyond even that.

I turned my attention back to my laptop screen and the blinking email notification, but I couldn’t get Shelby out of my head. Instead of working, I pulled up my social media pages and searched for Shelby Hatton.

I quickly found Shelby’s social media pages. She was not very active on social media; most of her pictures were candid shots of her and her friends, two women that looked kind and a lot more down-to-earth than my own daughter.

I was slightly disappointed that Shelby did not have more pictures for me to scroll through and very little about her life. I wanted to know more about her, but it seemed like she was very private with her online presence.

I sighed and closed the social media pages, finally returning to the emails I was dreading sorting through. The newest email in my inbox made my heart sink. It was from an unknown sender and contained a single sentence.

“I know who I really am, and the whole world will, too, if you don’t meet my demands.”