  &quot;Thank you,&quot; I said quietly, &quot;for sharing your lovely family with me; I am not sure what will happen to me if you do not take care of me.&quot; I could not even sniff because I was sobbing. Having him around me with his arms is an overpowering sensation for me. It is as if I am dreaming.
  I overheard him say, &quot;Hey, kid, are you crying? Do not ruin my tuxedo.&quot; I could not stop laughing at what he said.
  Because of what he said, I softly smacked his chest. He let out a sigh.
  &quot;I can and did share my family with you. But why do you keep requesting more?&quot; I raised my head to look at him, surprised. What was he talking about? It was my first time hearing him speak in such a broken voice, as if he was in pain and I was the source of it.
  &quot;What exactly do you mean?&quot; I inquire, oblivious to what he is saying.
  He merely gives me a naughty grin.

  I am going to try to quit thinking about the future from now on. I am just going to live in the moment the way I want it to be. I am going to live it to the utmost, armed with the knowledge I have gained in the past.
  That is something I have not been able to do in recent years. I am constantly so worried about how things will end out that I forget to live in the moment, and as a result, time has passed and I have not had the opportunities that my contemporaries had. I do not want to have any regrets, therefore I am going to enjoy my life to the utmost.
  My spirit is ecstatic. I felt as though a huge object had been lifted from my shoulders. As I felt the rain, I grinned. Oh, how I adore it.
  It feels so lovely to just lie down in the grass and not think about anything or be concerned about anything.
  I smile as I close my eyes and enjoy the rain water hitting my moist body. I beli

  The program is already in progress. As is customary, it began with a prayer. Then there is dinner. The visitors began eating as soon as the meal was served.
  So, what exactly am I supposed to do when they are eating? Will I just sit in the first row? Okay, this is becoming a little awkward.
  &quot;Hey, pretty,&quot; I was shocked as Aiden appeared in front of me. Is it possible that I am day dreaming once more? I suppose so.
  &quot;Hello, A!&quot; I exclaimed happily. Aiden gives me a boyish grin and a wink.
  &quot;You look lovely today, ah. I did not recognize you when you first stepped out, and I thought I would gone to the wrong location,&quot; he teased. I give him a shake of my head.
  &quot;You fool,&quot; I said, covering my face. &quot;My gosh, stop it, you are making me embarrass.&quot; My cheeks are flushing and my entire face is flushed as a result of Aiden&quot;s words.
  Aiden laughed and answered, &quot;Why would I? I am telling the truth.&quot; He is most likely chuckling since he was successful in mocking me. This guy, in particular.
  &quot;Does not the birthday celebrant look good on her birthday?&quot; he teased. &quot;You do not look like this on a regular basis, so I guess it is because it is your birthday. Should I record this rare moment of you being beautiful?&quot; he asked. I suppressed a laugh as I pouted. He was amused by my reaction.
  &quot;Tsk, go ahead and taunt me because you can&quot;t eat,&quot; I sighed.
  I pretended to look at him. He laughed at what I said instead of being terrified. I am not a clown, so he assumed I was joking. If I hit him, will he still laugh at me?
  &quot;Where is my present? What, are you going to eat at my party and then not give me a gift? Why, why would you be my buddy if you do not have a gift for me, right?&quot; I asked, extending out my two hands to him. He only gave me a frown.
  He shrugged and said, &quot;Tsk, I do not have any money; I will give you a gift next year.&quot; I frowned this time. Is he for real? I was joking about the gift before, but now I am serious.
  &quot;You have a lovely car and then you say you do not have any money?&quot; I question, my brow furrowed. He burst out laughing.
  He grinned and added, &quot;No, I am not kidding, woman.&quot; I sulked. He laughs at me as he shakes his head.
  He said, &quot;Stand up, I want to see your entire face.&quot; He snatched both of my arms and forced me to stand. In a haze, I stood up. As I stared at him, my eyes glazed over. He kept a close eye on my entire appearance.
  He kept his index finger on his chin and kept a close eye on me. He looks like a judge who is evaluating a contestant.
  &quot;Hmmm...&quot; he said as he looked at me. I&quot;m curious as to what he was thinking.
  &quot;Hey, do not pervert me,&quot; I jokingly told him. His mouth was twisted in contempt.
  &quot;Tss, do not spend too much time with Lyka; she is already infecting you with her presuming attitude,&quot; he warned. He even pinched the bridge of my nose. I pouted as I yanked his fingers away from my nose.
  &quot;By the way, you are on a diet, right? You were not so skinny the last time we met,&quot; he added, his brows meeting. I slammed against him. He is starting to grate on my nerves now.
  &quot;You jerk, I am not skinny,&quot; I asserted. &quot;This is what they call sexy.&quot;
  Anyone who hears what I say might believe I am arrogant. Allow it to be, I just said that to Aiden. He makes me feel oppressed.
  He laughed and looked at me from head to toe, saying, &quot;You do not look sexy to me.&quot;
  &quot;You!&quot; He gets a hiss from me.
  &quot;Anna,&quot; I was ready to grab Aiden&quot;s arm when I was interrupted because someone called me.
  My hand was dangling in mid-air. I returned my attention to the caller. I noticed the older Alessandre, who was wearing his typical glum demeanor.
  He continued, &quot;We need to greet your other guests,&quot; then looked at Aiden, then at my still raised hand. When I realized he was staring at my hand, I hurriedly lowered it.
  I answered, &quot;Ehem, okay, brother.&quot;
  I make a formal expression on my face.
  &quot;By the way, brother, this is Aiden, a friend of mine.&quot; &quot;This is Aiden, my older brother,&quot; I stammered as I tried to introduce the two of them.
  &quot;Nice to meet you, bro,&quot; Aiden smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake.
  My cranky older brother simply looked at his outstretched hand and brushed it off. I just laughed nervously and took Aiden&quot;s hand in mine.
  Make it a handshake for big brother.
  When my bigger brother grabbed my other hand and dragged me without unexpectedly, it almost made me jump.
  Aiden stared at us with a grimace on his face. He was probably perplexed by my older brother&quot;s behavior, and I was perplexed by my older brother&quot;s activities as well. I know he is unpleasant, and I have known him for a long time, but I believe he did too much to neglect my friend. He can at least shake the man&quot;s hand, unlike the fool he made him out to be.
  Brother Alessandre was hauling me along the corridor. People were too preoccupied with eating and talking about their enterprises to notice us. I tried but failed to free myself from my older brother&quot;s hold.
  He glared at me when I did not stop struggling. I remained unmoved and attempted, but failed, to free myself from his grip.
  He still would not let me leave when we left the venue. The staff members noticed us, but none of them attempted to stop older brother. Perhaps they knew him and are afraid of him because he is technically their employer.
  &quot;What are you doing, brother? What are you going to do with me?! Please, for the love of God, let go of me!&quot; I yelled angrily at him. He did not listen and continued to drag me till we reached the hotel&quot;s back entrance. We appear to be in a garden. He just let me go after that. He lowers his chest.
  He seems to be calming down.
  &quot;Cannot you at least treat me nicely once in a while? Is that something you are capable of? Just one time, brother, treat me like your sister.&quot; I beg to differ.
  &quot;I have told you a million times that you&quot;ll never be my sister.&quot; As he approached me, Brother Alessandre stated, &quot;You will be more than that, and it is your fault.&quot;
  He drew closer to me with each step. My brow furrowed in disbelief at what he was doing. What exactly is he up to? I could smell the wine he drank as he approached me.
  I crumpled my face and said, &quot;You are drunk, brother.&quot;
  He simply laughs at me without a sense of humour.
  &quot;What are you talking about with that jerk? Is he a boyfriend of yours?&quot; He inquired, his face solemn. His face is solemn, and his jaw is clinched.
  &quot;What are you talking about? Who is the jerk?&quot; I asked, adding, &quot;And I do not have a boyfriend.&quot; 
  I had a lot of questions on my mind. He is back with his accusations against me. He still does not believe me when I tell him I do not have a partner.
  &quot;You better be, because you are not permitted to talk to any males from now on, and do not even consider cheating on me; I am the only one who can do that,&quot; he stated now, beaming. How many bottles of wine has this person consumed? He appears to be inebriated.
  &quot;I honestly have no idea what you are talking about; are you already drunk?&quot; I inquire. I pressed my hand against his cheek to turn him toward the light so I could see his face. It is a little gloomy at the place he took me.
  His face was somewhat flushed when I noticed it. But, yes, he does not appear to be particularly inebriated.
  &quot;Your face is a little red, brother,&quot; I suggested. &quot;Perhaps it is best if you ventilate out here first so you can relax.&quot; My older brother just stood there staring at me. He did not say anything and was simply staring at me.
  &quot;Ahm, I will be back inside,&quot; I said, smiling. &quot;Perhaps Auntie is already looking for me.&quot;
  When my older brother intervened, I was going to turn around. He grabs my waist and holds me there, preventing me from fleeing. I grimaced and shifted my gaze to him. My gaze is inquisitive.
  He said, presumably referring to Aiden, &quot;You will not leave me here and go back to that kid.&quot;
  &quot;What is your problem with A? Maybe they will be looking for me there,&quot; I murmured, hoping to get free from his grip.
  He huskily muttered, &quot;Stay here,&quot; as he drew me closer to him. Because he drew me so near to him that our noses were about to touch, I was able to place my hand on his chest.
  We were so near to each other that it felt like he was holding me.
  I could not help but stare at him. This was not something I expected him to do. He is not that inebriated, so why is he hugging me again?
  &quot;You look stunning in that gown.&quot; He pressed his face to my ear and murmured, &quot;But you look prettier without it.&quot; At first, I was taken aback and could not comprehend what he meant. When he noticed my reaction, he burst out laughing.
  &quot;What did you say?&quot; I inquire. Maybe I misheard something. He did not respond and simply stared at me. He stared at my face without blinking before moving his gaze down my chest, which was pushed against his. He gave a huge grin.
  What he did made my eyes widen. Did he just openly stare at my chest? Because of the design of my gown, my cleavage is visible. I wanted to use my hand to conceal my chest, but he merely took it and put it behind me.
  &quot;What do you think you are doing, brother?&quot; I inquire, to which he responds with a sarcastically amused laugh.
  &quot;You are not going to call me brother starting tonight. And now I will be able to see you and your body. Is not that what you want?&quot; He murmured, a sly smirk on his face.
  What exactly is he on about? As I felt one of his hands slide down my bare back, my lips parted.
  He likes to draw shapes and write letters their. I was unable to speak. He locked her gaze on my parted lips. As he glanced at my lip, he licked his lips.
  Slowly, he brought his face closer to mine. Because he is taller than me, he must stoop to reach my face. Finally, our lips meet.
  The thrill I felt as our lips contact startled me, so I backed away, but he drew me closer to him. He kissed me again after chasing my lip.
  Rather than only touching me previously, he now kisses me with his tongue.
  As he brushes my lips, he is also tormenting me. I gripped his hand, which was gripping my hands, even tighter.
  I have no doubts now, unlike the last time he kissed me. All I want to do now is kiss him. He sounded like he was gnawing at my lips. I gasped as he softly bit my lower lip; despite kissing me, he appeared to be bitten.
  As he sucks my lips, I mutter, &quot;Brother...&quot; When he heard me refer to him as brother, he was taken aback. As he glanced at me, his brow furrowed.
  &quot;Did not I tell you to stop referring to me as brother?&quot; he said, his brows wrinkled.
  &quot;But&mdash;&quot; I was about to say anything to him when he unexpectedly kissed me again. He bit my tongue softly, which elicited a sigh from me.
  &quot;Remember, Anna, no siblings kiss like this,&quot; he murmured as he kissed me deeply one again. In the calm yard, the sound of our kissing could be heard. When we ran out of oxygen, he simply stopped kissing me. We both sweat profusely. As he inhaled the air, he locked his gaze on me. As he gazed at my face, he smiled. I am sure I am blushing at this point.
  As he slid his hand over my shoulder, he taunted, &quot;You are blushing.&quot;
  He grinned and remarked, &quot;Your lips look more redder and more natural.&quot; My entire blood supply rushed to my face. In total humiliation, I bowed. It was only now that I realized my brother and I had kissed.
  &quot;Perhaps they are looking for us inside, brother,&quot; I muttered hesitantly. He did not say anything. He sighed and had no choice but to nod. However, before we could return inside, I heard him call my name.
  &quot;You should get in the habit of calling me by my first name, Anna.&quot; He said, coldly, &quot;You cannot call your husband brother.&quot;
  That was how quickly his feelings changed. I gave him a puzzled look.
  He had already returned to the venue on foot. I was perplexed as I followed him. What does he mean when he says that?
  When Aunt Lila noticed my older brother and me, she instantly approached us. She seems to have been looking for us for quite some time.
  &quot;What happened to you two? I have been on the lookout for you since earlier!&quot; Aunt Lila spoke in hushed tones.
  I was unable to speak right away. Is it okay if I tell her what happened? How? Like, Auntie, me and your son kissed out there in the hotel garden, no big deal. Is that correct? Brother&quot;s straightforward response was, &quot;We just went out to get some fresh air, Mom.&quot; Aunt Lila inhaled deeply.
  She urged the emcee to begin the show right away. She assisted me in returning to my previous position.
  The texts from Aunt Lila and Uncle Sandro kicked off the program. After reading their meaningful remarks for me, I cannot help but be moved. Then there are the eighteen candles, of which Lyka is a part. To be honest, she is the only one of the girls who I recognize among those who greeted me. Apart from Lyka, I have no idea who my eighteen candles are.
  Lyka, as expected, would not be Lyka if she did not make everyone laugh. She is insane for sending me a message. I am not sure how I feel. Should I be crying or laughing?
  The eighteen flowers follow the candles. My first dance is dedicated to my heavenly Daddy. I cry quietly while I dance alone to the song&quot;s tune. It pains so badly to think that my father will not be there to dance me in my debut. One of my dreams as a woman is to dance with my father when I reach eighteen. That is why, despite the fact that he is not present, I choose to perform my first dance for my father. Dad, I adore you.
  Aiden then dances with me. He hugs me and wipes the tears from my eyes. I make an effort to relax. I do not want this to turn into a disaster.
  My last dance partner is none other than Alessandre, my stepbrother. He approaches me with such aplomb.
  I cannot help but be enamored with his attractive looks. How could someone be that attractive? He appeared to be awe-inspiring to everyone. He moves like if he is a self-assured man, which he actually is.
  He came to a complete stop in front of me. He is staring me down square in the eyes.
  He took my hand in his and placed it on his shoulders without breaking our gaze. I sighed as he grabbed my waist.
  As we danced softly, our gazes connected. His blue eyes seemed to absorb everything I said. The way he looks at me makes my knees weak. I would have probably dropped to my knees if he hadn&quot;t simply grabbed my waist.
  I feel like my knees are turning to jelly as a result of his gaze, but I can&quot;t take my eyes away from him. I&quot;m not sure if I&quot;m insane, but I&quot;m glad I had his entire attention.
  &quot;Brother...&quot; I grumbled, still taken aback by the fact that I was dancing with my stepbrother.
  His ocean blue eyes pierced my soul. Since then, his eyes, which appear to be a huge and tranquil ocean, have been my favorite. When I catch a glimpse of his eyes, I feel like I&quot;m drowning.
  His eyes are like a calm, deep sea. Although what you perceive in his eyes at first is coldness, if you look closer and stare at him longer, you will notice his emotion, concealed like treasure from others&quot; eyes.
  My head rested on his chest. I could feel his body stiffening, which I assumed was due to shock because he had not expected what I had done.
  When I hear his heart beating strongly, I grin. To me, it sounds like a lullaby, soothing and relaxing.
  &quot;Thank you,&quot; I said quietly, &quot;for sharing your lovely family with me; I am not sure what will happen to me if you do not take care of me.&quot; I could not even sniff because I was sobbing. Having him around me with his arms is an overpowering sensation for me. It is as if I am dreaming.
  I overheard him say, &quot;Hey, kid, are you crying? Do not ruin my tuxedo.&quot; I could not stop laughing at what he said.

&quot;Thank you,&quot; I said quietly, &quot;for sharing your lovely family with me; I am not sure what will happen to me if you do not take care of me.&quot; I could not even sniff because I was sobbing. Having him around me with his arms is an overpowering sensation for me. It is as if I am dreaming.
  I overheard him say, &quot;Hey, kid, are you crying? Do not ruin my tuxedo.&quot; I could not stop laughing at what he said.
  Because of what he said, I softly smacked his chest. He let out a sigh.
  &quot;I can and did share my family with you. But why do you keep requesting more?&quot; I raised my head to look at him, surprised. What was he talking about? It was my first time hearing him speak in such a broken voice, as if he was in pain and I was the source of it.
  &quot;What exactly do you mean?&quot; I inquire, oblivious to what he is saying.
  He merely gives me a naughty grin. Because the microphone abruptly rang, he was unable to respond to my query.
  When I turned aro

Chapter 19