Chapter 17

"Miss Annalise Fay Amana?!!" I could hear Lyka's screaming voice from outside in the distance. She does not even know how to lower her voice, that insane woman. Her voice sounded as if it had been swallowed by a megaphone. "Good afternoon, everyone!" she exclaimed as she strolled over to me. She grinned and winked at me when our gazes met. Seriously, what vitamins does Auntie Sille give her to keep this woman so energized? Auntie Sille is Lyka's mother, by the way. She is just like Aunt Lila in terms of kindness, and she and Auntie are friends. "Happy birthday!" she exclaimed as soon as she was able to get close to me. She snatches me up with a hug. I was taken aback by what she did, and we were on the verge of collapsing as a result of her unexpected hug with me. I burst out laughing. This girl, in particular. "Happy 18th birthday, Anna. I love you," she said softly as she hugged me tightly. I patted and caressed her back. "Thank you, Lyka," I responded, a smile on my face. "I honestly adore you as well," I added. Lyka"s sniffing was audible. I burst out laughing. Is she in tears? "Do not make fun of me," she replied, sniffing again. I laughed even more after hearing what was stated. I laughed even more after hearing what was stated. "You have reached legal age, Anna," she said. "This is exactly what I have been waiting for; we are both 18 today." She turned eight months older than me and celebrated her 18th birthday in the first week of January. "You can flirt," she said enthusiastically, "and then we will go boy hunting." I could not help but push her away from me as she hugged me. I could not stop laughing at what she was saying. "What the hell, Lyka? That is your birthday message to me? I would have been crying at the first thing you said, and then you added more gibberish, you crackhead. You are a very weird woman," I laughed. Because of what Lyka was saying, my cheeks and stomach hurt from laughter. You can rarely have a reasonable conversation with this woman. The things she says are complete nonsense. "It is true. Were not we not allowed to have boyfriends before because Daddy felt we were too young? Well, now that we are grownups, maybe it is acceptable," Lyka remarked, grinning devilishly. "I am not sure what you are on about, Lyka. You are a complete moron. Uncle Anton, who is so protective of you, I do not think he will let you have a boyfriend until you are thirty." I replied, shaking my head. True, Uncle has always maintained that no man is deserving of his two darling children, Lyka and myself. Lyka"s family has been so kind to me that they treat me as if I were their own daughter. Lyka is the only child in the family, and we have been friends since my freshman year of high school. Aunt Sille even offered me to spend the night at her place on her birthday the last time she invited me. Lyka"s family is incredibly giving and nice. Lyka had a big smile on her face. I am sure she is already picturing her future boyfriend. She is a hopeless case, tsk. I turned away from her and took a seat in front of the vanity mirror. In the mirror, I observed myself. The Annalise I see now is not the same as the Annalise I saw eight years ago. My characteristics have matured, and I am now more capable of accomplishing my goals. As time passes, I am becoming to resemble my mother. I received the most of her best traits, which I adore. When I look in the mirror, I have the impression that I can see her younger self. My father would be pleased if he could watch me mature in the same way that my mother did. I have been sculpted and reinforced over the years. Despite the fact that the previous years were difficult, I am still here. My birthday is today, and I am eighteen years old. The speed at which the days flew by. Aunt Lila chided me about celebrating my birthday just a month ago. Now that it has arrived, I am getting ready for my party this evening at 7:00 p.m. We have arrived at the hotel where my birthday celebrations will take place. Everything is ready, including the cake, the venue, and the guests. The workers at Aunt Lila"s performed an excellent job. I am in my hotel room right now, getting ready for my party and fixing myself. I said I would get dressed later because it is still early, only four o"clock in the afternoon. Aunt Lila"s crew planned my outfit for later first. They are double-checking it because Aunt Lyka has previously stated that she has no objections to my celebration. Auntie had come early to see whether I was already getting ready. She is so involved in my party that she expects everything to be perfect. "Anna, who are the eighteenth roses and candles? Given that you do not have many buddies, who did you choose?" Lyka muttered, jolting me back to reality. In the mirror, I was astonished, and my thoughts began to wander once more. "I am not sure. Auntie assured me that she would take care of it. Anyone is alright with me as long as you and Aiden are already there," I said. I, too, became excited to know who will participate in my birthday party. They are the only people I know. Aiden, on the other hand, has not greeted me yet. I cannot picture him forgetting my birthday. "Did you speak with A?" I inquire of Lyka, who is currently examining the magazines she discovered on the table. "Yup. He had called earlier to see if I had a message for you. Why? " She remarked, her brow furrowed. "Nothing. It is only that he has not greeted me yet; I believe he forgot my birthday." I said with a grimace. He would better not try to forget my birthday; if he does, he will find it. He has no right to try me. "Do not worry, he will be here soon." Lyka shrugged. "He would not miss your birthday for the world." I gave a nod. "Ma"am Anna, we will make you more lovely," my Auntie"s make-up artist told me. Lyka clapped enthusiastically. I gave the make-up artist a nod and let him work his magic on my face. I instantly obeyed the make-up artist"s request to close my eyes. Lyka may be heard just inquiring about my make-up appearance with my make-up artist. She sounded ecstatic to see me apply make-up. The make-up artist did an excellent job. Even with my eyes closed, I was not bored by his soft hand. We conversed while he worked on my face. I am not sure how long it took me to put make-up on. I did not expect applying make-up to be so difficult and time-consuming. I assumed it was just a simple smudge done during make-up application. I do not believe there are numerous procedures. My make-up artist uses a variety of brushes and other instruments, which are shown on the table. If I were him, I would be perplexed as to where each of those is employed. I was scared that my make-up would be too thick and I would end up looking like a clown when I saw those brushes and the various applications they had. I even told him I did not like heavy make-up since I was concerned about my appearance. When I mentioned that, he just laughed at me, but I am sure he is good because Aunt Lila hired him. Lyka, by the way, was the first to leave to get ready for the party. You will notice right away if Lyka is not around. So quiet all of a sudden, eh? When she is around, though, you can clearly hear her very loud voice. "Wow, Ma"am, you are incredibly gorgeous," my make-up artist exclaimed. Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, When I saw how I appeared, I felt like a celebrity. I have a modest but elegant appearance. My wide brown eyes are accentuated, and my hair is curled. I grinned. He was excellent, just as I had imagined. Not the clown part, the part where I am sure he is good in doing his job done. "You have a lot of talent! I did not believe I would look nice with make-up on," I added, smiling. I even flash a cheeky grin and a thumbs up to my gay make-up artist. "Oh, Ma"am Anna, you do not need as much make-up as you once did; you are naturally lovely. All I did was enhance and highlight it," my make-up artist replied, beaming with pride at the outcome of my look. He said, "If I were truly a man, I would surely date you." I burst out laughing. Someone like him would not flirt with someone like me, I cannot imagine. When it comes to dress, she is even more feminine than I am. He conducts himself in a stylish and refined manner. I, on the other hand, am completely unaware of women"s fashion and attire. He showed me how to get into the changing room. When I walked in, I was welcomed by a beautiful ball gown. It is a champagne-colored ball gown with embroidered flowers on the chest. The gown is so nice and lovely that the word "beautiful" is insufficient to describe it. It is a simple design with a simple style, but it is stunning. I have the impression that I am a princess, Malificent"s daughter. My gown has a large resemblance on it, which I shall be wearing. I exclaimed as I examined the gown I was about to wear. "Wow!" That is all I have to say about the gown. I don"t know what to say. This gown is just stunning. Aunt Lila chose my gown to wear since, as I previously stated, she has a better sense of fashion than I do. And take a look at this exquisite outfit she chose for me; it is stunning. I was even hesitant to put on the gown for fear of ruining it. I took great care when putting it on. Fortunately, Erich, my make-up artist, was able to assist me. We had not talked much previously, so I was only able to ask him his name now. When I tell him I am terrified to wear this gown because it is so lovely, he just laughs. "It is terrifying to wear this gown; I am afraid I will break it," I exclaimed exasperatedly after putting it on. Erich assisted me in closing the gown"s zipper. When Erich saw my entire appearance, he applauded. When I smiled at him, he seemed taken aback. When Aunt Lila entered the room, my stupor was broken. She is already dressed to the nines. She is looking at me with a big smile on her face. She kissed my cheeks and whispered, "You are so beautiful, honey." "You are no longer a baby. Anna, I am very proud of who you have become. You have developed into a lovely young lady. If only your mother were here, she would be overjoyed to witness her baby girl grow into a woman. And I am very sure your father, Dominick, will have to protect you from a lot of men because you"re so lovely," Aunt Lila remarked, her eyes welling up with tears as she softly caressed my cheek. Aunt Lila added, smiling lovingly at me, "They are certainly proud and happy for you, Anna, and I am pretty sure they are also watching you happily." I nodded. I know they are. I can almost imagine my mother beaming with pride and complimenting me on how lovely I am now. Even though they are not present with me, I know they are keeping an eye on me from above. It has been eight years since you left me, Mom and Dad. If I had been with you to celebrate my birthday, it would have been a lot more fun. Today, my birthday, I would have been happier if I could hug you. Remember the family hug? We used to do that a lot. That is why I have decided not to celebrate my birthday. When there are major celebrations in my life, I am homesick for them even more. For my birthday, I recall my mother creating my favorite lava cake. My father would give me a big hug and a big kiss on the cheek as he wished me a happy birthday. We will watch a movie together and then sleep together at night. Before going to bed, they will wish me a happy birthday and then kiss me on the cheek together. I miss them terribly. I would pay them a visit in the hereafter if I could. I would like to feel their warm embrace once more. I would like to hear their voices once more. I want to visit them and tell them that I am alright and that I will grow up to be the fine woman that they have always wished for me to be. I truly want to tell them how much I adore them. I think of them whenever I am having troubles or just having a bad day. I am curious how they would respond if they saw me in a good outfit. Will they chastise me if I get a boyfriend? Even if I am eighteen, will Mom still make me lava cake? If they were still alive, what would they gift me? What would my life be like if they did not die right away, I wonder? Will I have depression in the future? I am afraid not. I do not see why I should have it. When I think of my deceased parents, I have a lot of what ifs and maybes. I miss them terribly. To keep the tears from forming in my eyes, I blinked. I do not want to detract from Erich"s labor. Aunt Lila hugged and cried as she drew me closer to her. I can sense the usual sorrow I have whenever I think of my family. "Honey, I adore you." She hugged me and whispered, "Do not worry, we will not leave you alone." "I adore you, Auntie." I hugged her back and said, "Thank you." "All right, that is enough drama." Aunt Lila added, "Your make-up will be damaged, but you are still gorgeous." She wiped the tears from her eyes and gave me a big smile. She smiled and said, "Let us go, honey." We smiled as we went out of the room with me nodding to her. Uncle Sandro was waiting for us outside. He looks so dashing in his tuxedo. Aunt Lila is in charge of them. He welcomed me with a kiss on the forehead and said, "Happy birthday, honey." "Thank you, Uncle," I said with a smile. We walked to the location. The emcee summoned us as the door opened. I am once again left speechless after seeing the whole place. The venue is tastefully designed. Along with the white flowers, elegant chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Peach-colored flowers bloom in the center, opposite the dancing floor. The flowers are also placed on the tables. I feel as if I have walked into a flower-filled garden. Despite the large number of flowers in the design, it does not appear to be unduly ornamented. In fact, for someone like me who is not very fond of plants and flowers, I love this kind of design. When I arrived at the front, I was seated in a comfortable chair. I am not sure what this thing is called, but it is rather lovely. My gaze wanders all over the place. There are many visitors, but I am unfamiliar with the majority of them. I simply recognized them by their faces and had no idea who they were. They are most likely Uncle"s business associates. My gaze was drawn to Lyka"s table. She gave me another flying kiss as she waved at me. Uncle Anton and Auntie Sille sat at the table with her. When I noticed Aiden, who was also at Lyka"s table, I grinned. He is giving me a big smile. He even said a birthday greeting to me in the air. My grin grew even wider. This individual is likewise completely insane. "Anna, baby! Look at us too!" someone yelled from the other end, and I turned around to see my brother Alessandre and his buddies. Those who heard him yell guffawed. When I turned to face them, I noticed that they were looking at me with a malicious grin on their faces. I return their uneasy smile. I am uncomfortable, especially because I recall the previous time we met. When I turned to face my brother, I was startled by older brother"s stare. I am frightened he can read my thoughts because he is staring at me carefully. When he stares at me, I feel like I am an open book. He locked his gaze on me for a long moment before grinning devilishly. I was taken aback when I saw him grinning like that. He knocked down the wine without looking away from me. My brow furrowed in concentration. Why is he using alcohol? I"m concerned that he"ll become inebriated. I shifted my glance around the room, looking for Aunt Lila and Uncle Sandro. I noticed Uncle conversing with one of the visitors. Aunt Lila was conversing with a member of the staff. I returned my gaze to my older brother, who was still staring at me.