Maya's POV

"You had your daughter under house arrest?!" I asked dumbfounded.

Like seriously? who in the world locks his daughter up on a day he should be showing her off to the world?

"I know Isabella can be quite a disturbance sometimes but locking her up, isn't that a little bit extreme? " I asked Niklaus who had his leg crossed over the other and a side of his head resting on his knuckles .

"Thank God you called her a disturbance " He pointed out causing me to open my mouth , trying to defend myself but apparently he wasn't done yet

"You've perfectly described her Maya. So what makes you think I'll have such a disturbance near a party graced by important personalities from all walks of life? "

I swallowed but not because I was scared but because I've just realized there was some sense in what Niklaus was saying but still...

"Can't you have a little faith in your daughter?" I pleaded with him but inwardly had a feeling that request fell on deaf ears.

Niklaus's hardened gaze focused on mine and he said to me "I'm not taking any chances here Maya, If Isabella wants to show she has changed? she's got to prove it " Niklaus replied dismissively and I knew better than to push forward .

So I just let him be , Niklaus was someone who wouldn't be easily convinced once he has made-up his mind on something ; his stubbornness was quite an admirable yet irritating trait sometimes.

Since the atmosphere was already awkward and quiet after this not - so - heated argument, I decided to let things cool off naturally and rummaged through my purse for my smartphone only to discover it was not there.

I grabbed my silver clutch purse and poured out the contents on my laps, searching thoroughly but still couldn't find anything.

"What is it? What's wrong? " Niklaus who noticed the grimace on my face asked.

"I can't find my cellphone" I replied, my face taunt with distress while still going through my stuffs.

"You sure you left the house with it? " he questioned with concern.

I bite the inside of my mouth " I can't really tell but I know I'm not such a careless human being "

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Niklaus move " Here " he took out his smartphone from the inside of his suit and handed it to me saying " You can use my phone to call yours "

I flashed him a grateful smile and took the phone from him, flipping through the address book in his phone " What's my - "

" My Tigress " he answered before the words could leave my mouth. I looked up and though I didn't say a word but my heart was giddy with excitement .

Yes I knew my number by heart but I was just curious, wanted to know how he named me in his contact , even though it was not all romantic and mushy, I still loved it - the 'My' made it sound so possessive.

I dialed the number and waited while the phone rang but after a while no one answered. I dialed the number again and again but still got the same result.

" No one's answering " I replied and handed his phone back to him when I saw his questioning gaze.

"You must have left it somewhere at home probably but don't worry, I'll have them find it as soon as we're back " He assured me and circled his arms around my shoulder, snuggling me against his chest.

Satisfied, I closed my eyes and relaxed against him, enjoying the warmth that would be interrupted once we arrive at the gala. But unknown to us both, Isabella was already orchestrating plans of her own....

Back at the mansion :

Isabella opened her door a bit and peeked through the little space and for sure, the two guards were still standing firm, stationed outside her door. She sighed and closed the door, leaning against it but a crooked grin curled her lips as her face fell on the cellphone in her hand.

Tsk Tsk, her future mom might be smart but she was nothing when compared to her own prowess - thankfully she wasn't that witch Tina.

Izzy disliked that woman so much, Tina was incredibly smart and wasn't easy to manipulate like the sometimes dense Maya, neither was she fun to be with.

Moreover, Izzy knew perfectly what Tina wanted from that man called Niklaus and she wasn't going to stand still and let that happen ; Maya was a better choice for her.

For once, Izzy planned to be a doll at the party tonight but since that man had moved the first chess piece and played against her, she wasn't going to let him off at the gala - she would attend that party at all cost.

Though she was literally cringing and her inside clenched, but Izzy knew she had no other choice and so she called Annabelle.

"Hello aunty Maya " Annabelle picked up the phone at the first ring excitedly until a frosty voice came from the other end.

"I need your help "

Annabelle stiffened but took a deep breath "Y-you need my help? " She asked still trying to confirm she heard right.

"Yes dumb head, else I wouldn't be calling you , moreover with Maya's cellphone? "Izzy spat and of course that woke Annabelle from her slumber.

"Dumb head?" She scoffed "You don't even sound like you need help " Annabelle goaded and Izzy gritted her teeth together.

Her father's advice suddenly came to mind and Annabelle's mouth lifted in a mischievous smile, now was the time to take what she wanted.

"I need your help, your royal highness " Izzy said, her firm words dripping with sarcasm as she gripped the phone tight.

"Fine " Annabelle said satisfied and then asked " What code is it? "

"Code purple " Izzy breathed.

Though parents from the Spencer clan were a lot generous with their kids but their punishments were quite harsher and worth something to write home about. So thanks to that, the kids came up with diverse codes to describe their situations in time of dire needs.

" That's quite huge " Annabelle murmured into the cellphone " Fine then, what do I get out of this "

A crooked grin raised the corners of Isabelle's mouth and her eyes sparkled " A private tour on my islands with your friends for as long as you want " she offered what she thought was tempting enough.

Annabelle snorted derisively " I might not be as smart as you are but I wasn't born this morning and that request is so yesterday --try harder "

Izzy closed her eyes and swallowed, she was pretty sure she was about to lose something dear to her " Fine then, what do you want? "

A cheeky smile graced Annabelle's features as she said "Since you're under house arrest on a special day like this, I'm pretty sure they don't want you attending the party "

Isabella repeated firmly " What do you want?"

"It's obvious I'm going to get into trouble for helping you and for that, I need something worth my efforts. Yes, give me Pedro " She demanded.

Izzy's eyes snapped open as she spat " You can consider this deal off "

"Fine, You can give him to me for two weeks " Annabelle compromised.

"A day " Izzy insisted.

"A week " Annabelle bargained.

"Two days and don't push your luck further " Izzy told her straightforwardly but of course She didn't listen but ordered instead,

" Fine, five school days then "

There was a momentarily silence before Isabella spoke up " Deal, now come and get my ass out of here "

" Of Course, a deal is a deal "