Little did Isaura know just how much her presence in Alex's life had affected two households.
The Smiths, naturally, was one.
The other?
The Bakhtiar's.
Who, you may ask?
Muhammad Ali Bakhtiar, that is.
Another flashback, if you please, to the time just before bedtime.
✿ Author posts on WN and neovel ✿
Ali would always have a drink with his wife before bedtime, a custom that he followed from his parents' time. He found this to be a wonderful way to wrap the day, and spend it winding down with his wife.
Sometimes, they would talk about their day, but most of the time, it was just them cherishing their moments together.
With family, of course.
It was also the time that their son could come and join them.
Which Ziad almost always did.
Such as today.
Although they spent dinnertime together as a family, this quiet moment seemed extra special. Ziad liked this moment the most as he felt the closest to his parents.
It was also the time when he could ask them about things he encountered during the day, and/or listen to how it had been during the time his parents were growing up.
He loved hearing those stories the most.
"Baba," Ziad began as he poured tea for his parents, "We met someone interesting today."
Ali was quiet, waiting for his son to continue. He accepted the teacup with thanks, sipping on the minty tea as he watched his son.
"Her name is Isaura," Ziad said after he handed his mother a teacup, and poured himself a cup, "And she seems to almost worship Alex."
Ali stared at his son at that and Ziad quickly explained himself, "Not 'worship' worship, but her behaviour is almost zealot-like. Considering that we've only met today, she seems to latch onto Alex quite fast. It was as if, nothing he did was wrong and he is perfect."
Ziad had to explain this because in their belief, there is only one God and to say 'worship' to denote one person towards another, was frowned upon.
Though many would criticize this as being too strict and there was no other deep meaning to the usage of the word 'worship', Ziad understood that his father needed him to make it clear.
One should never just say things too easily, as that was also a form of disrespect to the 'original', so to speak.
Ziad drank a bit and then asked, "Baba, is she one of those that you warned me about?"
Ziad certainly remembered those stories his father told him about Uncle Kyle.
When he first heard them, he was feeling that it was like a fantasy story. That it could not really happen in real life.
There would always be girls who surrounded Uncle Kyle, and it happened even from the day his father became friends with him during primary school days. As they got older, the girls got more and some were more forward and aggressive.
He had felt his father had, perhaps, exaggerated things a little bit.
However, upon seeing Isaura today, perhaps not?
It did not make sense that a person that they had just met today, would suddenly be that way towards Alex.
"Is Isaura the only one acting that way towards Alex?" Ali asked.
"Well," Ziad said after thinking hard, "She's the one who is the most obvious. A lot of the girls were staring at Alex, but it wasn't much, I suppose."
Ali smiled a bit at that, "It usually begins that way."
"So is Isaura going to be like that?"
Ali shrugged his shoulders, answering, "It is too early to tell. At this age, one might put it down to just pure childlike adoration towards another, but…"
"But?" Ziad prompted, curious.
"But one can never take things for granted," Ali replied, "Kyle has always had this magnet for strange women."
Ziad blinked, confused, "Auntie Sayuri is strange?"
"Yeah, for sticking around…" Ali began, only to get whacked on the shoulder by his wife.
"Be serious," Sofiya told him, and she turned to look at her son - ignoring her husband's soft mumbling of 'I WAS being serious. It's the truth.'
"What your father means," Sofiya said gently, "Is that Uncle Kyle seemed to be the perfect guy in most girls' eyes. But even when Uncle Kyle rejected them, most would not give up. Some got to be quite obsessive, too."
In fact, she had been one of those said girls.
She had been quite spoilt at that time, always getting whatever she wanted. All she had needed to do was open her mouth and she would get it.
Seeing that Kyle had been the best-looking one of the lot and one that all the girls seemed to like, she had decided that he was the one for her.
She had only been nine at that time.
Thinking of those dark days, Sofiya would always be washed with shame; especially at the fact that she had gotten her butler to hire some men to kidnap Kay, Kyle's sister.
She had been jealous over the close bond the twins had and she wanted to be that person who filled that gap, not Kay.
Her actions had caused Ali and Xing Han to get hurt, while she, herself, had been warned severely by Kyle later. He had almost smashed her head, leaving only a crumbling spot next to her head. She transferred out of school due to her fear of the cold Kyle, realising at that moment that he was not as he seemed.
She had been petrified.
By some strange twist of fate, she met them again when they had all grown up, and even ended up marrying Ali - with Kyle's help.
"And delusional," Ali said, cutting into Sofiya reminiscing, "They can convince themselves that they were the one for him and so forth, and would even do all sorts of things to get him."
Sofiya winced at that, feeling like her husband was referring to her but knew that he was not. He, like the rest of the Elite Five, had forgiven her completely for her immature and dangerous act then - and in fact, never referred to it again.
But she was still filled with guilt whenever she thought of it.
Putting down his now empty cup, Ali said to his son seriously, "So you need to keep an eye out on this Isaura. If you feel it is strange, then it is strange. Do not ignore it."
"Every intuition or feeling that you have is actually an Angel whispering into your ear. It does not mean that she is bad, but certainly, there is something to look out for," Ali explained, "Observe, be vigilant and cautious."
Ali leaned back on his chair, "Perhaps it won't be so bad for Alex. After all, Alex is rather cold and distant - quite unlike his father who was very sociable and approachable. That, perhaps, was the reason why he was nearly stripped naked during Valentine's Day once."
Ziad's eyes popped wide upon that.
Ali laughed at Ziad's expression, while Sofiya had a puzzled one.
Ali, seeing this puzzlement, held his wife's hand and said, "It was after you had changed schools. During our final year, I believe."
Sofiya looked at her husband, noting how he was looking at her lovingly and there was not a trace of anger or blame in them. Even when he referred to the point that she had changed schools, he never seemed to remember that incident.
It made her love for him even deeper.
"The girls probably realised that that was their last chance of confessing their love to him or something," Ali mused, "So they got a little bit overboard in getting 'souvenirs', while also not wanting another to give their valentine's day chocolate offering. Caused Kyle to have this trauma over Valentine's Day, too."
Then, he rubbed his chin, "Actually, that was just the beginning. Girls would get more and more enthusiastic as we grew older. He just kept on getting more handsome, I guess."
Sofiya nearly scoffed at that, "You were popular, too, you know. You can't imagine the stares I got for being your best friend then."
Ali raised an eyebrow, "Really? I never knew that."
"Weren't you the Desert Prince?" Sofiya pointed out, "Plus, I seem to remember you had ten beauties to choose from to be your wife?"
Ali gave a slight cough, as if clearing his throat but Ziad already knew his parents' characteristics by now.
Whenever his father couldn't answer immediately, he would fake a cough. Ziad had no idea what that would achieve, as his mother would sit there patiently, looking at him seriously, while waiting.
Ali blinked innocently, then he seemingly had a 'light bulb' moment as he turned towards his son.
"Ah yes, that reminds me then," Ali mused softly, "It's time to choose Ziad's potential brides....AH!"
Ali turned to his wife while rubbing the spot she had pinched him, "What was that for?"
"My son is only eight years old," Sofiya hissed.
"Perfect age to get to know them," Ali insisted, and he placed his other hand on top of the hand that he was holding, "Trust me, Sofiya. I would not force him to get married. These are just to foster ties. Let them get to know each other, grow up together and if there are no mutual feelings in the end, so be it."
He caressed his wife's cheek, "Just like it was for us. I chose you, not them."
Sofiya sighed and nodded.
Ziad, however, was breaking in a cold sweat.
How did a talk about Isaura turn to him getting bride candidates?!