Arianna excuses herself and hurries to the kitchen. She makes a full jug of the tea and instructs Lula to heat it up for Rosalind before serving. ' After an hour, the tea will no longer be suitable for Grandmother to drink.' Arianna says as she leaves the kitchen. She sends a text to Riona and Ashley.
She returns to the dining room and eats her food hurriedly. Ashley and Riona hurried up as well.
' Do you girls have somewhere to be?' Brenda asks.
' Yes mom. Breanna, Riona and I are going to the bank so I can personalize my account. Then we are going shopping for next week's banquet.' Arianna says.
' That's a great idea! Ivy, Lily, we should also go shopping. It can be like ladies day out. My treat!' Brenda says excitedly.
' I'm in.' Lily squeals.
' Mom, you should go as well. Dad won't mind you leaving for half a day. Right dad?' Arthur asks.
' Of course not.' Stephen replies clenching his first underneath the table.
Arthur was relieved. At least his mother would be away from this toxic man.
' Oliver darling, could you lend me your credit card?' Brenda asks sweetly.
' Anything for you darling.' Oliver says as he opens his wallet where up to 8 credit cards were visible. He hands one to Brenda.
Arianna's eyes changed to dollar bills as her head started formulating plans.
' Mom, can we come with you guys?' Arianna asks with puppy eyes.
' Of course! The more, the merrier.' Brenda replies.
' There goes my money.' Oliver mutters. He didn't know why his daughter had to inherit his money grubbing character.
' Can Bella come? Aunt Lily please tell Bella to come. She's always inside all day.' Arianna says.
' Olivia I don..' Bella is saying but Lily interrupts.
' Olivia is right. Let's go, it will be fun. Please Bella!' Lily says.
Lily and Arianna pouts while pleading with Bella.
' Okay.' Bella agrees.
' Yaaay!' Lily and Arianna squeals.
' As if one Lily wasn't too much. She went ahead and transformed my daughter into a miniature Lily.' Oliver says shaking his head. They all start laughing all except Mira, Rosalind then Stephen and Ava, who seemed to despise everyone else's happiness.
Rosalind was silent, her eyes observing the family members.
Arianna finishes her food and is slowly having hot chocolate when a maid enters, ' 4th Miss, there's a package for you.' The maid says.
' Thank you, thank you, thank you.' Arianna says as she happily takes the box.
' What'd you buy?' Brenda asks.
' Some toys for Ari..Aiden.' Arianna says as she takes the box upstairs.
She unpacks the box which contained another wrapped box and some toys.
She takes the wrapped box to Mira's room and kept the toys for Arian then she called her father.
At the table,
' Yes darling.' Oliver says to Arianna.
Brenda's face turns dark. Who was Oliver talking to?
She snatches the phone from Oliver and says with a raised voice, ' You should be ashamed of yourself, trying to wreck another woman's home. Listen! Oliver is a married man with two grown up children. Stay in your limit. Do you understand?' Brenda says.
' *Tsk tsk* What is this world coming to? I can't even talk to my father in peace.' Arianna says.
' Olivia? It's you?' Brenda says shocked.
The family members looks at her.
Arianna comes downstairs with the phone still on her ear.
' Dear mother, please hand the phone to my father. I promise I am not trying to steal your man.' Arianna says.
Brenda hands the phone to Oliver embarrassingly.
Everyone starts laughing.
' Olivia how can you be your mother's rival?' Lily says.
' What can I say? This is the length of Mrs Oliver's possessiveness.' Arianna says.
' Why did you call your father?' Brenda asks swiftly changing the topic.
' We are going out and I wanted dad to watch Arian for me.' Arianna replies.
' Of course. Finally my grandson and I can spend some quality time together.' Oliver says.
********
Mira walks into her room and sees a box wrapped in white addressed to her.
She peeled off the wrapper and open the box. Her brown eyes lit up as she saw the devices inside.
A laptop, A phone, headphone, a smart watch, a necklace and a hairpin.
' Do you like it?' Arianna asks.
' Are these for me?' Mira asks.
' Of course silly.' Arianna replies
' I .. thought.. it was.. cousins.' Mira says.
' How can I buy gifts for my cousins when I haven't given my little sister a gift. Besides I have over 20 cousins, I can't give each one a gift. Forget all that, Do you want to go shopping?' Arianna asks.
Mira replies negatively.
' Alright, I will have someone accompany you so he can help you set up.' Arianna says.
She dials Arthur's number.
' What's up Olivia?' Arthur asks.
' I need you. Come to the room next to my room.' Arianna replies.
Some minutes later,
' What do you need?' Arthur asks.
' I wanted you to help Mira set up her phone and laptop.' Arianna says.
' Sure!' Arthur replies. After setting up, he could pull Mira into a team match and with her skills, they would win.
' No funny business, MIND your language and don't you dare bully my Mira.' Arianna says.
' Don't you have to go shopping?' Arthur asks.
' Fine, I will go. I will be back in the evening, Mira. The maids will get you something to eat soon.' Arianna says.
' Send me pictures of your outing.' Arthur says
Arianna leaves and enters her room where Ashley and Riona are waiting for her.
' You said you wanted to discuss something with us.' Riona asks.
' Yes. I wanted us to pool our resources together to start up a business.' Arianna says.
' What kind of business?' Ashley asks with piqued interest.
Arianna brings her design board and wipes it clean. Then she takes a marker.
' Whenever there's a special occasion like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentine, Birthdays, etc. Three things are involved, what to wear, what to eat, How to set up.
The hosts would need to do outfit shopping, contact event planners, and contact caterers. All from different places and at different times.
Our company will be footed in event planning, design and catering. The company site will be structured with four one storey buildings and a small bungalow for reception.
The potential customer will enter the reception where they will be served refreshments and then they will be directed to the building they want to consult first. Our potential customer can make all enquiries and bookings and all is settled.
Now for the structure, The first building will be for the event planning, the top floor will be where the employees organize materials for decoration like chairs, tables, flowers, etc. The ground floor will hold the cafeteria and consultation room.
The second building will be for catering, the top floor will be for the cooking and housing kitchen utensils. The ground floor will have the cafeteria and consultation room.
The third building will be for Design, the top floor will be the workspace and cafeteria. The ground floor will display the available clothes.
The fourth building will house the HR department, technical department, etc on the ground floor and the top floor will be our joint office and we can even have rooms for when we have to work overtime.
As for recruitment process, We will visit several community colleges and give an exam for those in the fields we are interested in ( like design, cyber security, catering and crafts). We'll have a training course available for those that meet our standard.
Opposite our company site, we will have an eight-storey building that can serve as an employee lodge. We can provide long term residence for our employees along with electricity and water services. This will enable them have loyalty and dedication to work as we are covering most of their expenses.
Now all this will be possible if you two agree to partner with me on this startup. We'll have an equal 25% share of profits while the remaining 25% can be used for salaries and maintenance. So what do you guys think?' Arianna says.
Ashley and Riona are speechless for some minutes.
' Does becoming a parent make one smarter? Because your idea is perfect!' Riona exclaims.
' Riona is right. You covered all possible aspects, I am impressed.' Ashley says.
' I even though of a name.' Arianna says.
' What??' Ashley and Riona asks.
Arianna writes on the board, ARADEC.
' What does that mean?' Riona asks.
' It means Ashley, Riona and Arianna's Design, Event planning and Catering company.' Arianna says.
' The name is good.' Ashley says.
' Just three things to note down, make sure that in the future your child has an initial of either A or R, so when we hand the company over to our kids there won't be a problem. Secondly, we need a company logo and motto. Thirdly, we'll need to come up with a convincing advertisement when the time comes.' Arianna says.
' I have an idea for the logo. It can be a starry sky with our company name written on the full moon.' Riona says.
' And our motto can be, ARADEC, reach for the stars.' Ashley says.
' I'm soooooo excited.' Arianna squeals.
' We still need to hurry to the bank.' Riona reminds.
' We can create a joint account, where we can add money so in the future we won't be stranded.' Ashley suggests.
' That's a great idea.' Arianna says.
' Let's hurry. It's not everyday you get to shop for free.' Riona says.
***************
Arthur had already finish setting up and he was currently showing Mira how to play a game.
They both race against time to see who could bear levels faster.
20 minutes later,
' Ha! 15 f*cki... I mean 15 levels in 20 minutes. See if you can top that. Wait What? You beat 26 levels how?' Arthur asks.
' You.. you don't.. kill.. pawns.. kill boss.' Mira replies.
' Mira you are a genius. Let's play an online match against my friends.. You are my teammate, you are not allowed to be in a team with anybody else or else I will be very upset.' Arthur says.
Mira chuckled at his childishness.
Arthur freezes staring at her.
' You look very beautiful when you laugh. You should laugh more often.' Arthur says. God! What was he saying? He felt the tip of his ears turn red.
Mira lowered her head with her cheek burning up.
The room was awkwardly silent till the game made a sound indicating the start of the match.
Mira's game name is Runaway! while Arthur's is Demigod.
They both put on their headphones.
Arthur's friends' voice is heard through both their headphones.
' You dare to go against us? Who's your new teammate? Don't come crying when you lose.' His friend, Hugh says.
' I won't be the one losing today.' Arthur replies confidently.
The game starts,
Five minutes later,
Runaway kills Prettydemon,
Runaway kills Pandemic,
Runaway kills Pandemic,
Runaway kills Prettydemon,
Demigod kills Pandemic,
Runaway kills Pandemic.
' Prettydemon where the f*ck are you?' Hugh asks panicking, he had only one life left.
' Pandemic I am hiding for my life.' Henry replies.
Runaway kills Prettydemon.
' Argh! He found me!' Henry shouts.
Soon the match ends,
' Dude where did you find that god!' Henry asks.
' She's not a god, She's a goddess. I told you I won't lose today.' Arthur says happily.
' She? It's a girl! Dude I am in love. Introduce me to her. Hi angel, my name is Hugh Sawyer.' Hugh says.
' F*ck off Hugh! My name is Henry Jonathan. May I know your angelic name?' Henry says.
' Both of you, f*ck off! Stay away from her! She's mine!' Arthur says. It takes him a second to realise what he just said.
Mira's eyes widened at Arthur's declaration.
' That's a lie! When did you get a girlfriend? It's impossible for you to have a girlfriend without our knowledge.' Henry says.
' Henry is right! Stop hoarding the goddess, you stingy man.' Hugh replies.
' She's my girlfriend. I told you now, don't try anything funny.' Arthur says decisively.
Mira is getting uncomfortable with the discussion about her. She takes off her headphones.
Arthur disconnect the game and turned to Mira and holds her hand, she shrinks and Arthur let it go.
' I am sorry Mira if I made you uncomfortable.' Arthur says apologetically.
Mira smiles as she sees the remorseful look on his face.
Arthur's heart raced. She smiled again.
Arthur subconsciously raised his hand and brushed the stray strands of hair from her face.
Mira's face turns red. What was this feeling in her stomach? Did she eat too much at breakfast?
Arthur takes her phone and types in his number and saved his number.
Mira looks at it and blushes.
My only partner.
Arthur chuckled at her red face. The girl was way too cute. Her slanted brown eyes, her tiny pointed nose, her succulent, pink, kissable lips.
What was he thinking? The girl was just 13, this was not right? Was this even legal?
Mira looked up at Arthur who was staring at her lost in thought. She bit her lip.
Arthur's breathing became ragged, he felt drawn to those lips.
They were seating very close to each other and if he leaned forward just a little, their faces will be 3 cm from each other.
He found himself leaning close, Mira's lips which was now parted slightly wasn't helping. Then he did it! His lips came in contact with Mira's. His hand circled round her small waist.
Mira's eyes widened in shock.
Arthur's tongue delved into her mouth, Mira was at a loss of what to do.
She followed Arthur's rhythm and she felt something crawling in her stomach and a tingling sensation in her chest.
She got lost in the moment for a while and soon she was out of breath. She pushed Arthur away as she took in a deep breath.
Arthur's face darkened. What had he done? He pictured Arianna's face telling him ' No funny business!'
' Mira I very sorry. I shouldn't have done that without your permission. I just don't know what came over me, I really didn't mean it. I.. Mira are you crying?' Arthur says shocked.
Mira didn't know when a tear slipped down her eye.
She couldn't believe she kissed someone who was about 5 years older than her and she enjoyed it.
What was the weird feeling in her stomach? She couldn't understand anything.
' Mira I am sorry. Please don't cry. You can hit me if you want but please don't cry.' Arthur's voice became hoarse. Why did his chest tighten when he saw her tears?
Mira was overcome by a strong impulse, she looked at Arthur.
His dark hair was messed up in a cute way, his hair had a shiny gloss that made it look soft.
His eyes looked at her apologetically, with concern and fear.
His lips quivered slightly as he spoke. She could remember the taste in her mouth. He tasted like orange juice and chocolate.
Mira struggled to push the thought aside.
She just threw herself on him and hugged him.
Arthur was expecting to be scolded, hit or even thrown out of the room. He didn't expect a hug. He slowly raised his hand and hugged her back.
' Why.. do I feel.. strange in my stomach?' Mira asks confused.
Arthur didn't know how to answer the question.
' I am sorry Mira. It's my fault. Please don't be upset with me and don't cry either.' Arthur says.
Mira just lay in his arms, she loved his masculine scent and his strong hold and... She closed her eyes and drifted to Dreamland.
' Mira, Mira, Mira!' Arthur called out.
He looked at the girl in his arms, He could see her gentle breathing. She must have fallen asleep.
He placed her gently on the bed and sat on the floor close to her bed.
Did he fall in love with little Mira? He refrained from any deep relationship with any girl because he knew he wasn't capable of tending to the every whims of the girl.
He idolised the relationship between his Uncle Oliver and Aunt Brenda.
The way Oliver spoilt Brenda, doted on her. He always wanted to dote on two women in his lifetime. His mother and his wife.
He would only marry a woman he loved, he didn't want a relationship like the one between his parents.
He looked at the sleeping girl. He didn't understand what to do next.
****************
Meanwhile,
Ashley, Riona and Arianna had already finished their business in the bank and were currently with Lily, Ivy, Brenda and Bella shopping. Arianna took lots of pictures and then she says, 'Let's go to the amusement park ride the roller coaster.' Arianna says.
They kept their shopping bags in the car and went to the amusement park. Arianna paid someone to take them pictures. They had icecream, tried to win prizes by hitting targets and finally entered the roller coaster.
Lily and Brenda sat together, Bella and Riona, Ivy and Arianna and Ashley sat with someone.
Arianna noticed that Ivy was fretting.
' Aunt Ivy, you haven't been on a rollercoaster before, have you?' Arianna asks.
' No.' Ivy mutters.
' Do not worry. You can hold my hand. It's fun you can scream loudly and feel the wind mess up your hair. But remember to do it elegantly, I paid someone to take pictures so try your best to have fun and look good. I have to show the pictures to your son and he will skin me alive if I don't get him good pictures. I want to live long and watch Arian give me grandchildren.' Arianna says.
Ivy laughs as she feels the tension in her heart ease.
*************
In Oliver's study,
Oliver was playing with Arian when his watch beeped indicating he had a job offer.
Oliver didn't become rich by his hotel business alone, he was also the most skilled hacker in the hacking world.
Many years ago, he was one of the three disciples of the hacking Master Jun Feng who was resident in Paris at that time. After five years of serving and learning from his master alongside Kiara and Eric ( the other disciples), Oliver emerged as the best disciple and the best hacker. It was during his stay that he met Brenda.
He placed Arian on his lap and started working on the new hacking job he got.