Chapter 11

I avoided eye contact with him and said, "I do not know what you are talking about, brother." He stares at me closely, as if he is examining my expression. He is watching how I make myself look inconvenient in front of him. So, what do I do now? I assumed he"d already forgotten about it. I went out not expecting him to confront me about what occurred the night before. I came to the conclusion that since he was inebriated, it should not be a huge concern or that he had already forgotten what had happened. After all, that is nothing compared to the kiss he gave me last night, isn"t it? "I am sure Aunt Lila and Uncle Sandro are already waiting for us," I responded, trying to change the subject so he would not corner me with his remarks. I Walked away from him fast, leaving him with a naughty grin on his lips. He delights in humiliating me. Tss. As I pulled away from him, I let out a sigh of relief. I can feel my heart pounding loudly whenever I am near him. When he stares at me, I cannot think straight, and just thinking that he is gazing at me causes my entire body to shiver. "Isn"t Allen"s party really lovely?" I overheard Aunt Lila and Uncle Sandro discussing. I am guessing they are talking about the party they went to the night before. "Yes, I want to throw the same party for Anna," Aunt Lila chuckled. "Of course, Anna"s will be much more grandiose and beautiful than that." I also heard Uncle chuckle before agreeing with his wife"s statement. I finally made my way into the dining room and revealed myself. Their gazes were drawn to me by the two of them. When they spotted me enter the eating room, they both smiled. When Aunt Lila smiles, her face appears to be glistening. With a single smile, she has the ability to transform the mood into one of brightness and happiness. It makes my heart happy to see her smiling like way. "Good morning, Uncle," I said as I walked over to Uncle Sandro"s chair and kissed him on the cheeks. "Good morning, Auntie," I replied as I kissed Aunt Lila on the cheek. The charming couple returned my greeting with a bright smile. "When did you guys arrive home? After I sat down next to Auntie, I remarked, "I couldn"t wait for you to get home since I fell asleep already." Because I did not forget to put concealer on before I left my room earlier, I am sure they will not notice the puffiness in my eyes that is the result of my crying all night. That is also why it took me so long to get dressed, because I did not want them to see the traces of my tears. I do not want to bother them with such trifling stuff any longer. "It is all right, Anna. Your Uncle and I arrived at midnight," Aunt Lila said, smiling as she kept a close eye on me. My brow furrowed, and I looked at her in surprise. Why is she staring at me so intently? This is the kind of smile I do not want to see from Aunt Lila. With that smirk on her face, it is as if she is plotting something wild. Auntie is still a little crazy at times. If you think about it, she is a lot like Lyka; in fact, it appears like Lyka got his antics from her. "What? Why are you giving me that type of smile? That"s kind of scary. The last time you looked at me like that, Auntie, I ended up with bangs." I still cannot get over Aunt Lila cutting my hair with bangs. She is so delighted to finally have a girl in their family that she informed me that she wants me to get bangs when she gets the chance. I consented because I was young and didn"t think much at the time. As a result, several of my classmates mistakenly assumed I was Korean, and everytime they saw me, they would bow their heads and greet me in Korean. Others who had overheard them stare at me and nod, as though they were persuaded that I was a Korean. That day, I was so embarrassed. Lyka used to tease me about my bangs. Ah! Even though I am now an adult, those memories continue to haunt me. Not because I do not want to be mistakenlt thought as a korean, but because I do not look good with bangs. I look like Dora, the explorer instead. I have the appearance of a round, fluffy face with bangs. Aunt Lila, with her innocent countenance, asks, "What?" Because of that, my face contorted in annoyance. She is definitely working on something. "Where is Alessandre, by the way?" she inquires, her gaze roving, most likely in search of her son. "He is just behind me earlier," I said, referring to the fact that he had followed me down here earlier. What happened to that one? Tsk, he is making the food wait. "Have you seen my Alessandre,Emma?" Mrs. Emma, who is filling our cups with water, is asked by Aunt Lila. "I saw him earlier, Ma"am; he appears to be on the phone, and I saw him go out to the garden," Mrs. Emma replied politely to Auntie. Uncle Sandro drew Auntie"s attention with a frown. When Uncle noticed that I was gazing perplexed to them, he grinned at me and said, "I will talk to him, do not worry." Is there a problem with my older brother? They appeared to change their mood when they learned that brother was talking on his phone. What exactly is going on? We have already begun to have breakfast. We cannot wait for my older brother to eat because it appears like he will take a long time to talk to whoever he is talking to. Auntie"s bright smile reappeared. They had gone to a friend"s daughter"s birthday party. They are invited since Uncle Sandro"s goddaughter is celebrating her eighteenth birthday. "How would you like to celebrate your birthday, honey? Do you want to celebrate in a different country? Or is it just the Philippines?" Auntie inquired, her face lit up with delight. "Huh?" I inquired, perplexed. "Do not tell me you forgot your birthday is next month," she replied, a frown on her face forming. I laugh uncomfortably. Isn"t it my birthday in a month? I was clumsy, and if Aunt Lila had not reminded me, I would have forgotten. "It will be a long time before that occurs. Will it be too early to make arrangements for that, next month? " I inquire. "Besides," I added flatly, "I do not need a party for my birthday." To be honest, I would rather not have a big party because I am an introvert who is not particularly communicative, especially when I am not close to the people I am with, and I am easily intimidated. Prefer of spending time with other people, I would rather sleep and laze around all day. That is not unique to me. While some girls my age enjoy going out or partying, I am not one of them. I despise going out, especially when it"s only me. When I am with Lyka or Auntie and Uncle, I just go out or go for a walk. "For me, a simple dinner with you guys will be more than enough," I expressed heartfelt gratitude. I give them a friendly smile. "No! It will be your eighteenth birthday next month, and I will not allow you celebrate your eighteenth birthday with just a modest supper," she said, frowning. She is vehemently opposed to my birthday being commemorated in this manner. "Honey, a woman"s eighteenth birthday is the most important birthday," she replied, smiling. Auntie teases, "That is where you dress up and dance with your crush or lover, though I doubt you have the latter." What she said makes me laugh. Uncle, on the other hand, simply smiled as he watched Aunt Lila and I have a witty exchange. She even interrupted her breakfast to persuade and explain why I should lavishly celebrate my eighteenth birthday, which is coming up next month, which I had forgotten about. "Auntie, truly, there is no need for it. That would be a waste of both time and money." While saying that, I shake my head, stressing that I have no intention of holding the party Aunt Lila mentioned. "I do not have to spend money to celebrate that day, and I have a birthday every year. So there is no need for that, really," I continued, earning a sulky expression from my Aunt. "You always celebrate birthdays," she said, perplexed by me. "But a lady enjoying her eighteenth birthday will only happen once!" she shouted. What she said made both Uncle and me laugh. She is very irritated by what I am saying. "Talk to your daughter, honey. This young lady is causing me a lot of anxiety," I giggled as she stated this while fanning herself, and she even asked Uncle for assistance. "Your Auntie is correct, Anna; why don"t you delegate the planning to us? You will not even have to plan your party because we will take care of it," he said. Uncle pleaded with me to accept. I was taken aback. I was still convinced that I was on Uncle"s side, as he was always. "Give it to your Aunt Lila," he said, shaking his head, "it does not seem like that will stop what she wants." Uncle Sandro added, chuckling, "It appears she is willing to drag you to the venue if you do not agree, just so she can do what she planned for you." I also smiled at what Uncle said. I can imagine myself being dragged by Auntie just so I attend the party that she made for me. "However, I do not have a lot of friends." With a smile, I replied, "I only have two friends." You need a lot of guests, right, if you plan to have such party? What do you call those? "Do not worry about the eighteen candles and roses; we will take care of everything." When Aunt Lila saw Alessandre enter the dining room, she exclaimed, "Oh, here comes Alessandre." "Will Alessandre be your eighteenth dance, son?" she inquired of kuya, who appeared to be in a foul mood; gone is the humorous and wicked Alessandre with whom I had previously conversed; he has returned with his emotionless countenance. "What?" When he asked, his mother"s face creased, indicating that he did not understand what she was saying. "I told you, that you would dance Anna on her debut," Auntie stated once more. "Who was it that you were on the phone with earlier? You just talk on your cell phone and do what you are doing instead of helping to prepare Anna"s birthday." I was taken aback by Aunt Lila"s change of tone. She seemed enraged by whoever kuya was on the phone with. Aunt Lila exhaled, as though trying to cool down, while Uncle Sandro cleared his throat. Okay, I am not sure what is going on, but the room has gone quiet; what is going on, and why is it such a huge issue for Auntie that big brother is talking to someone? "Auntie, there is absolutely no need for that." I said waving my hand at Aunt Lila. "I know he is busy managing the company so—" I was cut off when my brother speak. "Yes. Mom, I"ll be her date for her debut," he added, his gaze fixed on his mother. They seemed to be conversing with their eyes; they appeared to be in a gazing contest, with brother losing to her Aunt Lila, who simply sighed and glanced at me. "Good, that is good, son," Uncle Sandro said, nodding as if he agreed with what his son had said. Auntie remained silent and continued to eat. No one said anything as we finished our breakfast quietly. The rattle of the spoon and fork on the plate was all that could be heard. I did not even make an attempt to speak. Each of them appeared to be deep in thought. I was about to go up to my room on the second floor to sleep when suddenly a car blew its horn from outside. As I opened the front door, I grimaced. Do Auntie and Uncle have any visitors planned? I do not recall their telling me that someone would pay us a visit at home. I saw our guard open the gate and my older brother"s friend had just entered. What are the names of these three again? They have introduced themselves to me before, eh. I just forgot their names. "Oh, hello!" exclaimed a man with a gold piercing in his left brow as he waved at me. He reminds me of some of the Hollywood movies that I have seen. Those actors who take on the role of a bad boy in school. "Hello," I returned shyly. His two other pals noticed us and approached us. They were both grinning as they looked at me. They stared at my entire being before grinning and gazing at each other. My entire face flushed down to my neck as a result. "That is why we cannot reach Villareal; he is having a good time here," the brown-eyed man explained. Both of them agreed with a nod. "Ahm, are you looking for my older brother? He appears to be in his room, brothers," I remarked as I flung open the door wide. "You may call us just our names and leave off the older brother at the beginning," the third guy replied, frowning. "It sounds strange to be called older brother, especially with such a lovely lady as you," the pierced man replied, winking at me. "Did your eyes ache, Dela Cruz?" a voice behind me remarked suddenly, and I felt my older brother approach me, hiding me behind his back and frowning at his buddies. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he sneered at his companions. His three companions burst out laughing. My brow furrowed in concentration. Is it still a source of joy for them that their friend has sworn them? I am not sure what they are talking about. They are all acting oddly. "You are being a jerk, Villareal. We would just like to speak with your step-sister. We will not eat her," remarked the man whom my brother referred to as Dela Cruz, referring to the one who winked at me. "Fuck off, asshole," brother said threateningly, and I winced at his crisp swearing. I gently tugged on his shirt to get his attention, and he frowned. I murmured to him, "Don"t swear at your friends." He turned away from me and returned his attention to his smiling friends who were watching us. My entire face flushed once more. "Aww, you are pretty cute, baby," a guy with a piercing said, but his path was stopped by my brother"s. He was irritated. The guy just put his hands up as if he is surrendering and grin knowingly to my brother. "Tss, anytime, Villareal, you are such a scrooge. Just leave that baby girl to me," with a shake of his head, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation. "You are being indifferent, bro. That is dangerous. You might end up swallowing your words, be careful," he added, earning a mischievous smile from my brother. "That will never happen, I will make sure of that. So, mind your own fucking business," he hissed. "You three, go home; I am not in the mood to see your faces, and I am annoyed by the ugliness on your faces." with a sneer, remarked my older brother. He seemed to have no intention of letting his companions in. His three visitors grumbled. "We do not bite. Why are you so eager to send us out? We are not here for you, asshole. We are here for this young beautiful lady," the man named Elias said to me then wink. I cannot help but laugh. They didn"t appear to appreciate the older brother"s repulsive behavior toward them. Who would like to shove away by your friend whom you put an effort to visit, right? Even I, if I were in there situation, I might be upset as well. "You are a complete jerk, Villareal. It is a good thing Anna is here; otherwise, I would have scolded you for your attitude earlier," the proud guy with brown eyes stated. Brother Alessandre responds uninterestedly, "Oh, yeah? Are you challenging me, Elias?" I walked around behind my older brother"s back, facing his three pals once more. I gazed at them with a smile on my face. "Ahm, please come in. Aunt Lila and Uncle Sandro are inside," I exclaimed, a broad grin on my face. My brother introduced me to a man named Dela Cruz, who promptly approached me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. He ushered me into the house, leaving my brother speechless at the front door. He did not seem to anticipate what I would do. "You are a smart cookie, baby girl. It is a good thing you did not inherit that from your useless step brother," he joked as he messed up my hair somewhat. "Hey, Dela Cruz! You are flirting far too fast! You are going to be doomed by Villareal later," the other guy warned. They followed us as we walked and are now behind us. "Do not be concerned, Marco. I am not afraid of that Villareal," said by the arrogant individual who had his hand in my shoulder. "That is blatant arrogance I cannot stomach your attitude, bro," Elias answered, "and when Villareal treads on you, I will laugh at you."