n

n

nToo focused on taking delight in holding a child for the first time in a very long while, Cassidy ends up completely forgetting that they have a huge audience watching them from behind.

nGertrude and her daughters are taken aback to find her doing the unthinkable yet again.

nEveryone knows that these children are hardly ever genuine about anything - or at least, as genuine as they appear to be right now. The three brothers just kept making these expressions during the whole time they're talking with her - genuinely pleased, astonished, delighted and even flattered.

nIt's quite a sight to see since they never shared this kind of relationship with Cassidy. They never acted chummy nor even showed any sign of wanting to be close with this dull and somber aunt of theirs.

nYet within five short minutes only, they had gotten considerably close.

n

"That ever timid Hugo even agreed to let her carry him,

" Olivia mused out loud in slight awe.

n

"Why a skateboard, though? Didn't Edward forbid that kind of toy since it kept breaking things in their house before?

" Irish pointed out with a brow lifted.

n

"Hmph...! Now, she's teaching my grandsons how to break rules. She's so gonna get an earful...

" Gertrude huffed in miff, crossing her arms and shooting her unaware daughter-in-law with a disapproving, sharp gaze.

n

"What a show-off, not to mention.

"

nAt that same time, Adrian and Edward are watching the entire scene from the other side.

nStarting from the part where Cassidy greeted the three up until when she started carrying Hugo, they were standing still on the same spot. They're just as thrown off guard as everyone else.

nAfter a moment of not saying anything, Edward finally broke the silence with a loud sigh of relief.

n

"Thank goodness. It seems like Damien is smiling for once,

" he thought out loud, making his brother turn to look at him.

n

"What do you mean? He didn't smile the whole night?

" he asked in bafflement.

n

"Well, he did, but he appeared to be just faking it, especially in front of the adults. I was worried that only the guests would end up benefiting from our efforts in organizing this entire thing... Really, how relieving.

"

n

"You may as well be saying that you're glad that my wife and her skateboard have saved the day.

"

nAt that, Edward falls silent again, taken aback by his uncalled-for remark. His eyes widen a little the moment Adrian splatters a soft and genuine smile. His brother doesn't only appear somewhat smitten, but he sounds endeared as well.

nDespite these things, though, it doesn't seem like he's aware of what kind of face he's making now.

n

"Say, Adrian, what happened?

" he ended up blurting out, unable to hold his curiosity back any longer.

n

"Oh, right. I hadn't told you why we arrived late yet,

" his brother replied as he snapped out of his trance-like state, misunderstanding his inquiry.

n

"No, not that. Well, there's that, but... What I mean is, did something happen between you and your wife?

"

n

"Huh? What?

"

n

"It's just that... you don't seem to see her the same way anymore, I guess?

"

nThen, silence once more.

nAdrian knew that what Edward claimed was right. He wouldn't deny that to himself - not after five years of staying as a blind moron, a self-absorbed slow poke, and a big-headed, stupid idiot overall.

nHowever, he didn't expect that he would be this obvious. He didn't anticipate that someone would notice so soon. After all, he was still getting used to his new emotions himself. He wanted this moment of discovery to be between him and his wife for a little while longer.

nBut even then, just as Adrian decided, he's not going to deny it anymore.

n

"Well, you can say that I finally realized how much I **ed up.

"

nWith his half-lidded gaze glazing with a heavy emotion, he musters a downcast smile that tells of a thousand words. The air around him thickened right then, accentuating a kind of change that no one saw coming.

nAll the while, Edward stays unmoving and quiet, confounded by his response.

nAs different thoughts and reactions stir among their audience, Cassidy eventually snaps out of her reverie.

nRight after cuddling her nephew in her arms for quite some time, she suddenly recalls her original plan there - and hogging a cutie pie like Hugo is certainly not a part of it. With that, she finally decided to pull away from him and put him back on the stage.

nThe six-year-old never tears his gaze off of her even when he joins his brothers again. With his mouth gaping a little, he just keeps staring at her dreamily until his brothers start commenting on it.

n

"Looks like Hugo finds that gesture soothing...

" Damien remarked with an amused grin.

n

"He's a small softie, you know. But usually, he doesn't let other people touch him like that unless it's us or Dad.

"

n

"Nah, he's just very shy. He hardly makes friends at school because of that, though...

" Joshua brought up before playfully ruffling the toddler's hair.

n

"Tonight too. He's glued to both of us the whole time.

"

n

"Being shy is normal for kids his age. Don't worry. He will soon get out of his shell...

" Cassidy trailed off with an encouraging, warm smile.

n

"Just continue being the good big bros, you two. Take care of your little guy.

"

nSparing them one last look, she then eventually takes a step back and bids them goodbye. The three react taken aback by this, not expecting that she will leave so early and without even resting yet.

n

"Aunt, don't you want to meet Grandmother and the others for now? You can also rest inside the mansion if you want. We'll have some waiters attend to you,

" Damien offered to which she only shook her head in reply.

n

"Your first suggestion doesn't sound too appealing to me. I'll probably enjoy the second one, though. But still, it's alright. No need to go through any trouble for me,

" Cassidy replied reassuringly.

n

"You just got here, though?

"

n

"It's fine, Damien. I'll rest better in my resort.

"

n

"B-But, Aunty...

" Hugo suddenly chimed in while blushing and fiddling with his fingers timidly.

n

"C-Can you please... s-stay? Let's eat cake together.

"

nRight then, Cassidy feels like her heart has been shot with a love arrow. He just looks so pure and innocent that she feels like wanting to stay for a while longer and savor this sight even more. But then, she knows that she has to resist this temptation, especially since she can already feel their grandmother's dagger-like glare on her back.

nIn fact, she doesn't have to turn around just to see that Gertrude is about to barge in their smooth exchange.

n

"S-So sorry for leaving early, guys. But I really gotta run away from Maleficent now...

" Cassidy hastily reasoned out, earning their confused looks.

n

"Who's Maleficent-

"

n

"And I'll probably see you tomorrow or the day after that, anyway. Just tell bossman that you wanna see me.

"

nAlready feeling at the edge, she waves them farewell for the last time before finally walking away from the stage.

nAs she takes her leave, she can see a very displeased Gertrude through the corners of her eyes. Just like what she thought, she's about to storm down the courtyard and charge in - probably to peel her away from her grandsons.

nBut then again, she has been keeping the spotlight all to herself for too long. Everyone's still watching her up until this point.

n

"Geez... It's not my fault, though. They're the ones who chose to stare at me. Maybe they had nothing better to do...

" Cassidy thought silently as she made her way back to her motorcycle.

n

"Other than behold my awesomeness, that is!

"

nIf it wasn't for the attention she's getting at the moment, she would've grinned cockily right then.

nAs soon as she reached the vehicle that's still parked on the middle, she didn't spare any more second and just went ahead to hop on it. That's until her husband and brother-in-law came walking up to her, both looking flabbergasted.

n

"Cassidy? What are you doing?

" Adrian called out to her with a nonplussed expression.

n

"Oh, hey. You're still not eating?

" Cassidy muttered placidly as she put on her helmet.

n

"The heck I am. I thought you're gonna join us?

"

n

"Change of plans. I'll be going ahead to that resort you reserved for me. I was ecstatic to see it up close after we passed through it earlier on the road. It's the blue house right beside the beach, right?

"

nAt that point, though, he could no longer retort.

nShe already stepped on the gas and started the engine, spreading the roaring sound all around the courtyard. Time and again, everyone there was astounded by such an uproarious scene.

n

"See you later, bossman!

" Cassidy bid with a conceited, luscious smirk before finally zooming away.

n

"Cassidy!

" was all Adrian could blurt out as he got left behind, an incredulous look gracing his features all the while.

nEveryone else just watches in silence - some appear dumbfounded, and others hella confused. Damien and his brothers, on the other hand, stand still on the stage and watch the chain of events in awe.

nThat's until Joshua asked something really crucial.

n

"By the way, who's bossman?

"

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