"Uncle Emzy!"
"Greenie Glitter!"
Two soft cotton balls lunged at the man's legs. Their voices were sweet like candy, dripping with honey. His tired face lit up as he bent to his knees and scooped both his princesses into his arms.
"Did you miss Uncle?" he probed the cute and chubby one in his left hand. Her cheeks were puffy, her eyes big and watery, and with two braids, she looked adorable.
"No, we miss those whom we try to forget. But my Greenie lived in my heart rent-free." Her voice was bubbly and sweet, and with her pretty pout, he was left dumbstruck by her words.
Turning to his right, he saw the older one looking at him with grievances.
"Why do you always ask her first? Am I not more important?"
Seeing her red cheeks and tear-filled eyes, his heart melted into a puddle.
"She is the youngest one. But my elder baby is still the best!" He moved to her ear and whispered softly.
"I know. You're just consoling me. My importance has greatly reduced. Though I don't complain, I feel it." Anyone who listened would feel sorry for her, the grievances were heavy, but the one tackling them knew they were playing with him.
"Are you watching too many dramas? All your dialogue seems inspired by them and used on me. Very well!"
He twisted both sisters' ears and said, "The gifts and chocolates are deducted."
"Uncle Emzy, you are my prince charming! You can't do that. If the elder goes back on their word, what would the younger learn?" Daisy, the older, spoke, chiding him and wearing a pitiful expression on her face.
"Greenie Jewel, you can't do that. If we younger ones are unhappy, won't you feel sad? You are our Prince Charming. Your duty is to keep us happy." Violet, the younger, tried to reason with him, her deadly pout and ticklish voice tugging at his heartstrings.
"My princesses are always right. Who could win against them?" He placed them on the couch and took out all the gifts.
In contrast to his nephew, these sisters had different tastes. They loved miniature Disney princesses, chocolate, and ice cream. Henry, his nephew, loved technical toys, puzzles, and computers. As he grew, he became increasingly immersed in them.
"Where are Mama and Dada?" he asked, noting how fascinated ed they were in their gifts, hardly paying him any attention. He knew that girls were born to be spoiled, and he had no issues with it.
"They are in the backyard, plucking fruit and vegetables," Violet answered, then turned back to her gifts. Daisy didn't even lift her head. He sighed heavily. Girls are ruthless creatures and heavy on their pockets!
********
"Here we are!" Inara said, stopping the car and turning to look at him.
"Thanks a lot, Helpful Heroine." Aiden gave her a bow as he alighted from the car.
"Little brother! Take care."
"In the life of chaos, let's cross paths again!" Putting his goggles on, he smiled at her and waved goodbye.
She didn't know why, but she wanted to keep him close and cherish the moment. A pang hit her heart as she watched his receding back.
She stepped on the accelerator, and her car vanished with a whoosh.
But they didn't know that they would meet again soon and in a very unexpected way.
Aiden didn't care about it at all. In his world, only two people mattered: his sister and his brother, though he didn't often say it.
Standing in front of the reception desk, he asked, "Is your CEO available?"
When the receptionists saw the source of the deep and euphoric voice, they were jolted, their cheeks flushing at the sight of a face that could rival anyone in the entertainment industry. But why did he seem so familiar?
"Aiden! How come you are here?" James had just arrived for some work when he saw a familiar back and heard a familiar voice. He knew instantly who it was.
"Brother James! Like Evie said, I'm everywhere like a ray of sunshine; you just don't see me!"
The receptionists were shocked to see him behaving like a boy next door: so cheery and jubilant, like a bright flower, attractive and blissful. But when he looked back at them, he nodded curtly as if what they had just seen was an illusion. There was no warmth in his eyes as he followed James back to the office.
As they entered the elevator, Aiden queried him, his voice serious and devoid of playfulness.
"Is my Evie doing fine?"
"You should worry more about officials."
Aiden knew his sister was more capable than anyone. He wasn't worried about her; as long as she was fine, nothing else mattered.
"As if I care, even if she bankrupts the company, I can fulfill her needs lavishly." James already knew how both of Evie's brothers' brains worked. They didn't care if the world went up in flames or down in floods, as long as their sister was fine and safe.
"Why does she even need to work? She could just appoint someone to look after the company. Who told her to shoulder this big responsibility? What a fool!"
Aiden questioned James, but James didn't know how to answer. Where older brother claimed not to care about the company, here was the younger Aiden saying his sister was distressed.
Why aren't their siblings protective like them? They just fight like cats and dogs.
But what the outer world didn't know was that the siblings had suffered much more than anyone could imagine. The tree doesn't bear fruit that isn't nurtured.