Right after the party, Prince let the maids to wrap up the mess inside the mansion. He hopped in to his sedan to check whether Aria was still sleeping at the hospital. Before he can even drove off to the hospital by 3 in the morning, someone stopped in front of his car, his arms were wide open.
Prince stepped on the brake hastily, and lunged forward, looking at the man in front, and realized its Bryce.
This man knew really well how to play the definition of nuisance.
Bryce took a huff, went to the passenger seat, and knocked on the tinted windows.
Prince rolled it down, asking, "I'm doing you a favor now. So what's your business today?"
Bryce reached out to unlock the door. Prince didn't even have time to push him off his car since he has ridden it before he could say no. Bryce was an expert in annoying the hell out of him. He locked the car window before turning to Prince.
"Where are you going in the middle of the night?"
Prince sighed exhaustedly, gripped the clutch, and stepped on the accelerator. He responded, "To the woman you supposed to kill."
Bryce raised his eyebrows. "What are you going to do to her?"
Prince sped up to the highway with a clenched jaw. Bryce was still agitated.
"I'm not going to kill her. She's two months pregnant, Bryce, and you're the father. Do you think I don't have any conscience with a fetus living inside her womb?" Prince talked straight. He didn't know what had gone to Bryce's mind to fall in love with Aria and even impregnate her. Prince doesn't know what kind of love it was.
With Avery, she didn't feel it at all.
"I just thought you're going to get rid of her if it brought you too much headache." Bryce looked out of the window right after he said that. A lot of things have gone through his mind, and when the time's right, he could find a way to vent it all out. Right now isn't the time yet.
Bryce thought of his child, and Aria, too. He sighed, and the silence occurred between them.
Prince had been bugging the question inside his mind and it never leave ever since he helped Aria on the pavement. He gripped the steering wheel, steadying his drive, and asked Bryce, "When did you fall in love with her?"
It was unexpected. Bryce perked up in his seat and turned to Prince. He stared at him, as if he's checking if he heard it right in his mouth. Prince smiled jokingly, reassuring, "You heard it right. I'm asking you. When did you fall in love with Aria De Leon?"
Bryce looked at the front window, processing everything. It's better to tell him…
"It was the spring when we plotted the plan 4 years ago…"
…
[4 years ago]
Bryce just finished a call from Prince about their plan. He's about to walk inside the florist shop when he saw a familiar face down the road, holding a basket of oranges, and wearing a long-sleeved dress in plain cerulean. Bryce squint his eyes, checking if the one he had seen was…
"Aria De Leon…" Bryce just got fascinated by her simple and kindred beauty. Aria even had the same face as the one Prince talked about, Avery. The two of them were spitting images. Aria's red lips smiled through the sweet air, and the leaves of the cherry blossoms flew away, scattering on the ground.
Right when the pedestrian street light turned into a green one, all of them crossed the street at once.
This is the only time Bryce thought of a thing to catch her attention.
When he's nearly approaching Aria, he pushed himself a little to brush her shoulders, letting her out of control with her bag. The bag spilled all the oranges to the ground, and Bryce took initiative on helping her. Aria found a hard time chasing down the oranges, so Bryce did it for her.
His heart pounded louder when Aria looked at him, smiling, and thanked him for his kind gesture.
"Thank you, Mister." Aria's voice was bewitching. Bryce had never thought that secretly plotting to kill such a woman will make him too soft rather than being defiant. Aria slipped in the oranges once again inside the bag, and bowed down to the man.
Bryce had taught never to lose opportunity when it came by. So before the highway resumed its progress, he crossed the street, following Aria, and calling her out.
"Hey, Miss." Bryce huff some air, and Aria raised her eyebrows. He stopped right in front of her.
"Mister, is there something you wanted to tell me?" Aria wondered. Bryce beamed, retrieving a card inside his coat, and gave it to her. Aria didn't know what to do with it. Bryce smiled.
"I just want to introduce myself to you, lovely lady. I'm Bryce Fajardo, and I'm a prosecutor for the Vasterian Supreme Court." Aria got surprised, and took the business card right away. She read the letters, and he even had a seal. The man was saying the truth. But Aria found it suspicious, too.
"Why are you giving this to me, Mr. Fajardo?" Bryce darted his eyes everywhere, his cheeks was reddening.
"In the hopes of seeing you again, lovely lady," he dropped it. Aria stared at him for a long time.
…
"You were too cheesy for a first meeting." Prince parked the car on a space by the exit of the lot. Bryce unbuckled his seat, and turned to Prince with narrowed eyes. Prince doesn't get all excited when it comes to love.
"You're a cold-hearted prince. Your name fits you well," Bryce uttered. Prince smirked.
"What would love do to you, eh? It will just hurt you. Nothing would last forever with that kind of love." Prince was the first one to step out of the car. Bryce followed him through. They both fastened the buttons of their coat before Bryce answered.
"Do you think you'll last this world without love, Prince?"
"I love my father, yes. I know what you're thinking, Bryce. But for a woman, I don't think so," Prince shrugged, and pressed the remote. He slipped it inside his pockets and set out to the hospital's basement elevator. Bryce followed him beside.
"You didn't fall in love with Avery De Leon, even once?"
Prince puffed his cheeks. "No, I'm not like you, Bryce. I know where to stand. You take a seat down, that's why you got tricked."
"Aria isn't a trick, Prince," Bryce retorted. Prince creased his forehead, and pressed the buttons in the elevator. They waited for a while Prince scoffed.
"Look where denial got you, Bryce. You got tricked by no other than Aria De Leon. She has your child, so you don't want to kill her. Isn't it a bit tricky to even tell?" Prince was too straightforward. Bryce doesn't have a choice but to knuckle her fists.
The elevator dinged, and Prince walked inside. Bryce glared at him.
"Aren't you coming to see her? Come in before I change my mind," Prince ordered. Bryce's face calmed down, and sighed in frustration. He went inside, scratching the base of his skull, and let Prince take care of the floor.