A long beat of silence fell between the two as they drove down the streets of the busy city–the heat bullied in its humidity. People were seen in caps, umbrellas, and under shades, going about their daily lives. The half-lit towers of companies which rose like a Lego and stores, and cafes, quickly flew past them as their car sped on.
From the corners of his eyes, he still realized her displeasure hung on her face. His gaze slightly drifted to Aims' with concern written all over him. Nina noticed the odd atmosphere but decided to allow them handle it the best way they could as siblings.
“ Hey, are you still angry?” She heard his voice question but Aims just stared on without a word~ She seemed not interested at all and Prince knew how well she felt. “ Umm, sorry...just watching out for you. You know I don't fully trust her. I still have my doubts.” 
“ Have you guys met before?~ Is this about some old grudge between you two?” She sharply questioned but he tilted his head with a no. “...well, you don't sound so for me. Maybe you have grudges you don't want to talk about.”
“ It's neither of those, Aims...I'm just being careful." 
“ Why? ” She asked, her focus now fixed on Prince who in turn managed to balance his gaze on the road and her respectively. She still had a lot rushing through her subconsciousness and all these claims from him felt baseless. “ What's so bad about Lilia that he's passionately against their friendship” These thoughts got her confused.
“ Be cautious then~”
“ I think you should get yourself in line and stop overreacting bro...I'll be fine. Trust me” She assured. “ I know her too well for this– she'll never hurt me in any way, okay?”
Prince had no other option than to agree with her. Inaudibly, he let out a sigh. “ Alright...if you say so but...” He impulsively paused. “ I still have my doubts.” Just as Aims was about to say more, he cut in, holding back her words in her mouth. 
“ Can we talk about something else?” He smiled, opting for a change of topic. “... Umm,” He thought for a second. “ What about an ice cream date with me after the event?– What do you think?”
This deftly pinned her gaze back to him. “ Sure?~ No going back on those words right?... It's a pinky promise?” She rambled over the words which made him chuckle out loud at her sudden change of character. She suddenly looked more like a kid.
“ Yeah, yeah...I know. It's a pinky promise” He laughed and she howled with a yes, resting back in her seat with cheers. “ I guess those words surely worked some miracle.” 
“ You bet !! ” She giggled. Nina's face was pulled into a bright smile, seeing how well they sorted things out. She knew they could easily get along from the very beginning.
Lilia on the other hand wasn't so pleased with whatever the two had been rumbling over. Seeing her happy makes her heart hurt every minute. To her, Aims was the beast who took away her happiness the day Mart chose her over her, Lilia– she shouldn't be laughing now. She was the one who stepped on her toes first, taking what belonged to her.
Aims impulsively leaned over to his ears and whispered something to his hearing which threw the two into laughter. Lilia had secretly taken a snap of the two when she'd mumbled into his ears.
“ You wouldn't know what hit you, babe...” She faintly snorted as the words played in her subconscious thoughts– making corners of her lips curve into a sinister smile. 
             
                                          UNCLE RANDY'S VILLA
Turning off the main road with a left turn, Prince drove down the T-junction which led down a length of street marked by villa row houses protected by iron fences.
After the fifth building, they rolled into the sixth White and Rocks villa complex. “ Wow, this is huge” Aims' eyes lit with excitement. This was her first time making an entrance into such a big complex and it showed on her face. 
Prince who noticed her excitement smiled. “ Here we are~,” He said, pulling the vehicle over to a stop. “ Shall we?" He offered to which she instinctively nodded. Aims was the first to step out, followed by Prince and then Mrs. Nina with Lilia altogether.
“ Let's get in, they must be waiting,” Nina said, leading the way in. As they were about to enter the poolside yard where the event was, a ring from Aims's cell halted them. She quickly checked and it was Mart.
“ Sorry, but I need to attend to this. Kindly take the lead, I'll join you shortly.”
“ Alright, don't stay out for long. ” Nina excused her and they went ahead.
A few steps away from the noisy surroundings of the villa, Aims answered the cell. “ Hey, how is it going?” She asked after the first hello from the caller's end, leaning over their car.
“ Well, coping~ done with my entrance exams as well." He explained but then, he sensed she was kind of rushed– her voice kind of gave her away. “ Is everything alright?... You seem rushed.”
“ Ah~ well, you can say that...” She said sheepishly in a chuckle. “ Can I call you back later? kind of busy at the moment. ”
“ Sure, let's talk when you're free, love you~bye.”
“ Love you.” The call shortly ended and the line went silent. Aims dropped back the cell in her bag and rushed in to join the rest of the family. As she stepped into the yard, she felt lost for a moment– so many new faces with a few familiar ones to make out.
Everyone was in one way or another involved in a conversation over the long-lined table, laughing away at the moment. Aims wasn't so sure where to join in from.
“ Hey, over here!” a familiar voice from over the barbecue grill, a few distance away from the table called. Her eyes instinctively traced to the caller and it was Jasmine– she recognised. She was the one helping Prince with the barbecue.
Jasmine was the second member of the family she'd met after meeting Prince, her now brother. She was so kind and caring towards her the first time she dropped by the cafe after lectures. Since Jasmine was mostly glued to Prince, it wasn't difficult getting to know her.
“ Hey~” She smiled, wrapping her in a hug. “ Not surprised to see you two together~ a shepherd and its flock” Aims teased and they all laughed. Lilia kept track of her from the table with displeasure washed over her face as she sipped on her wine.