CHAPTER 1: MEETING MR. AND MRS. MCBRIDE.

I wake up with a start after having a horrible nightmare and look around. I realize I'm in my room and relax a bit, grabbing my cell phone to check the time.

"Little Allison!" I hear my nanny's voice calling me from the other side of the door.

I glance back at my phone and now pay attention to the time: it's nine-thirty, and I should be getting dressed to meet my future in-laws.

"Ali!" I hear my nanny again, and this time I rush to open the door.

"Nana, I..." I don't finish the sentence as I see my nanny almost covered in dresses, and behind her, two more women with shoes and other accessories.

"It would be nice if we could come in," my nanny says while looking at me, and I notice her forehead is covered in sweat.

"Yes, sorry, you can leave the things on the bed, I'll go take a shower." I fully open the door and then walk towards the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, I come out and find only my nanny there.

"You need to choose a dress; they are the ones your mother asked the designer for, that one with the weird name." I smile at hearing that and walk towards the bed.

"They all look very... they're Miranda's style, I'd prefer some jeans." I look at my nanny and smile.

"You know your mother would kill you, right?" I nod in response to that question.

I start trying on the dresses, and none of them interest me until I try on a coral-colored dress with white flowers. It has long sleeves but bare shoulders and shows a bit of my legs.

"That's the dress," my nanny says, looking at me with pride.

I just smile and nod. After finding the right dress, they help me with the hairstyle and makeup since I'm very bad at that.

I look at my phone again and realize that I'm running very late, so I rush out of there.

I'm in the car, and I receive a message from my best friend...

Ana: Good luck, my friend. I'm sending you my best vibes, little Alien.

I smile at seeing her motivating message. After that, I realize that the car isn't moving and looked out the window.

"We've arrived, Miss Brown," I hear the driver say. I turn to see his eyes through the rearview mirror and smile at him.

"Thank you, Luck. Come back for me in an hour, please."

"Yes, Miss," he says before getting out of the car and opening the door for me to exit.

I see the restaurant in front of me, and nerves begin to run through my body. My phone starts ringing, and I suspect it's my mother, so I quicken my pace and ignore the call.

Upon entering, I immediately notice my mother's deathly glare at me.

"Good morning, sorry for the delay, but there was a lot of traffic." Everyone smiles at me, and my father stands up to kiss me on the forehead and pulls out the chair for me to sit.

"You look beautiful, daughter," Mr. McBride says with a paternal tone. "Sorry, I didn't ask if I can call you that."

"Yes, don't worry, practically we are already family." I smile at him, and I immediately notice Mrs. McBride's gaze, which makes me somewhat uncomfortable. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. McBride." I smile and extend my hand to greet her.

"Dear Allison, I finally have the pleasure of meeting you." She smiles and takes my hand. "You can call me Amanda. By the way, I thought you had more... how should I put it? More sophisticated tastes."

I look at her, not understanding her comment and her challenging gaze. I look towards my mother, and she gives me the same look. I'm about to have a nervous breakdown, but a waiter arrives as if from heaven and breaks the tension.

After an hour, we finished the long conversation about wedding planning and practically planning my whole life. I'm intrigued by Mrs. McBride's attitude, well, Amanda's. It's as if she doesn't like the idea of her son marrying me, and believe me, I don't like it either.

At this moment, I wish this were a movie where the groom's mother opposes the marriage, and they cancel the wedding, but this is real life, that doesn't happen here.

We all stand up from the table and walk towards the exit. The McBrides leave first, and then my parents and I.

"Are you coming with us?" my mother asks with seriousness.

"Are you upset?

"You arrived late, Allison," she says my name under her breath.

"Ten minutes, Mom. They're not the king and queen for you to make such a fuss."

"They're your future in-laws! Will you treat Harry the same way?" I look at her and let out a mocking laugh.

"Oh, his name is Harry? At least you tell me his name eight hours before meeting him."

"That's enough!" my father says with an annoyed tone. "Daughter, are you coming with us?"

"No, Dad, I have to go buy a dress for tonight. I'll see you at home." I smile and hug him.

"A decent dress, please," my mother comments, and I just look at her while shaking my head and walking away from them.

I get into the car and instruct Luck where to go. I take my phone and dial Annabelle's number, my best friend.

"It's time for the impossible mission, babe," I say as soon as Ana answers the call, and I smile because I know she's doing the same. "I'll pick you up in twenty minutes."

She just makes a noise with her mouth, and I hang up. My best friend is very fashionable, so she's the best option to help me choose a "decent" dress for my engagement dinner.

Speaking of the dinner, I'm very nervous. I haven't even seen Harry in photos. By the way, it feels very strange to say his name. Just a few days ago, I only referred to him as "the McBride's son."

As I think about how to act in front of Harry McBride, I look out the window, and slowly my eyes close, and I fall asleep.