Somewhere in Singapore, a man in his forties sat in a living room with his wife, Melania, and their lovely six-year-old child, who was sitting on his father's lap as they played together like a perfect family.
"Melania," the husband called softly.
"Yes, Fred," she answered.
"Our child is really cute, don't you think so?" he said, looking at his child.
"Yes, more handsome than your other kid, right?" she said, sarcasm evident in her voice.
"Yes, you're right. I shouldn't have married her in the first place. You know she sucks," Fred said.
"That's good that you know before it's too late," Melania said.
"You know what they say: it's better late than never. Good that you left her and came back to me and our child," she said, crossing her legs over the other.
"Yes, I made the right decision. You know, the right thing I've done in my entire life is marrying you, Melania," Fred said with a small smile, holding her hand in his.
Fred, also known as Fredricko, was Aria's father, who had cheated on his wife when they were still married and left her after finding out his mistress was pregnant. Despite Carla's pleas, he left with a cold heart and never returned, not even to see his two children, Aria and Max.
While he was far away from them, living his life happily with his son and mistress, whom he married after she gave birth to their son, his family back in Hong Kong struggled to move on from his betrayal.
"Papa," the child called his father, who was sitting on his father's lap.
"You have another child, and not me," the kid said with a pout, looking at his father.
Hearing what his son said, Fred's eyes grew wide. He never expected his son to pay attention to what he and his mom were saying. So he hurriedly explained, "No, no, of course not. You are my one and only child. Don't you know you are my lovely and cute boy?" Fred said with a smile and carried his son out to the yard to play together.
"Hey, you forgot about this. Come on and take it," Melania said as she hurried behind her husband and son.
Back to the grand party in Lewis Mansion...
Mr. Lewis smiled warmly as he introduced his granddaughter to the family. "This is my granddaughter, Veronica."
Veronica greeted the family with a pleasant smile. "Nice to meet you, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Ace."
As she finished her greeting, her eyes lingered on Ace, and she seemed momentarily lost in his gaze. Alexander, Ace's father, noticed the exchange and commented, "Why does it seem like you're only looking forward to meeting my child, not anyone else?"
Veronica's face flushed, and she quickly shook her head. "No, Uncle, it's not like that at all. It's nice meeting all of you."
Alexander chuckled. "It's okay, I was just saying. Forget it."
Camila intervened, "Ah, please come. I guess you're tired of standing. You should have a seat first."
Tom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's a bit tiring, but it's nothing."
As they were led to the table by Lewis and Veronica, Ace grew uncomfortable under Veronica's persistent gaze. He turned to her and said coldly, "It's uncomfortable."
Veronica, still staring at him, didn't seem to hear. "What?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on Ace.
Ace repeated, his tone unchanged, "You didn't hear the first time. Stop staring at me."
Veronica's expression changed, and she snapped, "Oh, fine."
Ace resumed walking, catching up with his family as they reached the table. Veronica quickly followed her grandfather, who gestured for her to follow him.
As they took their seats, Carrel hummed, sounding tired. Tom turned to her with a concerned smile. "Are you tired, wifey?"
Ace chimed in, his tone disinterested, "It's so boring."
Veronica was standing with a group of girls when one of them asked, "Did you know the guy who came earlier with his family? It seems they're close to your family."
"Yes, the old man is Grandpa's friend," Veronica replied, slightly boasting because she knew the handsome guy most of the girls at the party were talking about and eyeing.
"Oh, that's good. He's so handsome. I hope you'll get close to him and talk to him about me," one of the girls said.
Veronica raised an eyebrow, looking at the girl with a hint of annoyance. She didn't like what the girl was saying, and who did she think she was to tell her to talk to Ace about her? Even if she would, she would only talk about herself, not anyone else.
Veronica was desperate to have Ace from the moment her eyes landed on him. After her grandfather introduced her to his family, she became even more determined to make him hers.
"You think so?" Veronica said, looking at the girl with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, of course, if you have no interest in him, surely," the girl added, sensing that Veronica didn't like what she said.
Before Veronica could respond, Tom waved at her from across the room. She quickly excused herself and walked towards him.
"She left without saying a word," one of the girls commented.
"You must have pissed her off with what you said. Maybe she also likes him," another girl chimed in.
"Even if she likes him, it's not a big deal. I don't think it's her fault. The guy is so handsome and charismatic. Why wouldn't a girl fall in love with him? It's normal," the first girl said.
Veronica reached Tom's table and smiled. "Yes, Grandpa?" she asked.
"Little girl, can you show my grandson around your mansion?" Tom asked, smiling.
Veronica's heart skipped a beat. She would get the chance to talk to Ace and leave a good impression. "Sure, come with me," she said, smiling.
Ace stood up, and Veronica followed closely behind him. As they walked, Veronica couldn't help but sneak glances at Ace.
After walking halfway to the garden, Ace suddenly spoke up with a deep voice that nearly startled Veronica. "Stop looking at me."
Veronica was startled, having been caught by him again. "I can't, I'm sorry," she said, blushing.
Meanwhile, back at the table, Alexander said, "The girl is nice."
Tom nodded in agreement, but before he could say anything, Carrel spoke up. "Hope you're not thinking of making her my daughter-in-law, are you?"
Alexander looked at his mother, surprised. "How did you guess?" he asked.
"I'm not blind, and the way you're looking at them is obvious. Stop it," Carrel said, seriously.
Alexander explained, "Marrying her into our family would be good since they're financially strong, even though we're more financially stable. But they're not that far behind either."
Carrel shook her head. "The way you're looking at them is obvious, so stop it. And don't go match-making the kids. None of them said they like each other, and even if one of them does, both of them must be in love before we parents get involved. So please give them enough time, and don't bring anything about it up to your son or to someone else. We'll bury it here, okay?"
Alexander nodded, "Okay, mom, but it's evident that Veronica likes Ace."
Tom chimed in, "Yes, sure, I noticed it, and even her grandfather did, but no one takes it seriously, so don't bring any ideas to anyone's head, okay? Your mother is right."
As they continued their conversation, Ace and Veronica walked further into the garden, the tension between them palpable.
As they strolled halfway to the garden, Ace's deep voice suddenly cut through the air, making Veronica jump. "Stop looking at me."
Veronica's eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed as she felt caught red-handed. Ace had already warned her once, and now he was reprimanding her again. "I-I can't, I'm sorry," she stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper, as she looked away, trying to compose herself.
As Veronica's whispered apology hung in the air, Ace's eyes narrowed, his gaze intensifying. He turned to face her, his tall frame looming over hers as he took a deliberate step forward.
His piercing stare seemed to bore into her very soul, as if daring her to meet his eyes. Veronica, sensing the sudden shift in his demeanor, felt a shiver run down her spine as she stood frozen, her heart pounding in anticipation.
HAPPY NEW YEAR.🎉