Airis was shocked to see the garden full of decorations and at the perfect timing Mommy came out with the dishes. I gestured our friends to take their seats while Vincent prepares the video presentation.
"Mom, what? How?" Airis asked Mommy.
"Well, it was Yve who prepared all of this. I just cooked your favorite foods coincidentally." Mommy responded which made Airis run towards me.
She hugged me from behind and said, "Thank you very much, sis."
"Anything for my sister. I hope you will enjoy the small party I prepared."
"Yes, because you invited Vince here."
I looked at her and pouted, "Only because of him?"
"Of course not but you made the party complete the moment he came."
"You are so head over heels at him." Airis just laughed at my last sentence.
We were enjoying the dinner, laughing our hearts out when my dad arrived.
"Oh, I thought it is a simple party." My dad came and greeted all of us.
Daddy walks to the table and joined us for dinner. Everything was going so well about the party and I can see the smile in Airis' face. I also felt happy for her.
Soon, it was time to call it a night. Everyone was about to head on to their separate ways when Vincent said, "Sir, may I have a word with you?"
"Why the sudden formality?"
"Because the next thing I will talk about is a serious matter. Can we talk somewhere private?"
Vincent looked very serious. His expression changed my daddy's look.
"Sure. This way."
Daddy guided Vincent towards the house. I decided not to pry because it might be business thing. My father is a businessman and Vincent, on the other hand, will take over his family's business in no time.
Our friends decided to go home and ride their respective cars. I was also about to head back in when Airis said,"Yve, thank you very much."
"Come on. You should stop thanking me. Let us get inside. I still have assignments to do."
"I also have. Hahahahahaha."
We laugh our hearts out as we went inside the house.
The night went by so fast, I didn't realized it was almost 11 o'clock until my father knocked at my door."Baby, you awake?"
"Yes, dad. Come in."
I gestured my father to come in and take his seat. Suddenly, he hugged me so tight.
"Dad, is anything wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just I realized that you are not a small little girl anymore."
"Of course. I am turning 18 in a couple of days."
"Yeah, I know. But not just with numbers. Someone is planning to take my princess away for a lifetime."
I removed his arms and looked confusedly at him, "WHAT?! And you will just let that person take me away?!!"
"Hahahahahahahaha!!" My father laughed but stopped when he saw how serious I looked.
"It all depends on you if you will let that person." He added.
"WHAT? I don't understand you." I turned around and looked at the stars.
"Hahahahahaha!! You will know in a couple of days. You should sleep now because you still have a class tomorrow." He patted my head and left the room.
Sometimes, I can't understand my own father. He looked sad but calm despite the possibility that she will be taken away. And what was the "If I will let him" about? As if I will let someone kidnap me without a fight. I decided to follow my father and fixed my things before going to bed, sleeping all of my doubts away.
================================================================
Unknown POV
In the darkness, evil is lurking around....
"But she is very good to me."
"That is only for now. She might have said something to all the people around you. You need to be very careful. You should steal everything and everyone from her."
"Wouldn't that be unfair."
"My little swan, nothing is fair in this world. If you want to secure a good future then you should start now."
"You're also good to her."
"That is because I need to, at least for now. She is destined to have everything that we see and use here. So we need to be very careful."
"I don't know. She's nothing but good to me. I don't want to hurt her."
The other woman shrugged the younger one.
"You should stop acting like a little girl! Do you want to lose everything that you have now?!"
"OF COURSE NOT!!! But can't we just share it? It seems okay for her to share it with me. I don't even mind how much as long as I continue to enjoy the leisure life that I have now."
"UGGHHH!! I don't know why I have a daughter like you who doesn't have the sense of urgency."
The older woman looked at the stars from the window and remembered something.
She turned around the younger lad and said, "But what if she will take your special someone away from you?"
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!! She is very supportive of my feelings."
"Then look at this picture I took earlier."
The woman showed the other lady her smartphone. The young lad was filled with anger at what she saw.
"If she plays like this, I'll be more than happy to play with her. But I will make sure that it is I who will win this tug-of-war."
"That's my girl. Now you should go to bed. You still need to go to school tomorrow."
With the silence of the night taking over, the residents of the house sailed their feelings to a vast ocean called sleep.