CHAPTER 1

"THANKS, Raphael."

Princess even waved at the man when she got out of the car. Raphael is also one of the models working at the modeling agency where she works. He often smiled at her which further added to his charm.

“No problem, Princess. Anything for you, ” Raphael replied then winked at her.

Princess just smiled at him and then waved again. If her Mommy hadn’t called her, she wouldn’t have come home. So Raphael got the opportunity to take her even though they were on different paths.

She waited for Raphael to leave before stepping towards the gate of their house. She was immediately greeted and opened by one of their servants.

"Good evening too," she replied. "Where are Mommy and Daddy?"

“They are in the dining room. They waiting for you before they eat. ”

“Okay. Thank you, ”she uttered.

She lowered her bag to the sofa in the living room for a moment before going straight to the dining room. She just couldn’t reject her parents so even though she was exhausted from the pictorial before she went home.

She also has a condo, where she lives near his agency. So her car rotted in the parking lot because she did not want to use it, the reason why she had difficulty coming home suddenly.

“Oh, Princess! You’re here! ” Smiling, her Mommy stood up from the couch and approach her.

"I miss you, my daughter!" She hugged her tightly.

"Mommy, I just came home last month. How could you miss me right away? ” she asked as she responded with a tight hug as well.

“Why, of course! If only you could be here with us. We can still be with you every day, ” her Mommy exclaimed then turned to her Daddy with a serious face. "Won't you greet your Daddy?"

“Hi, Daddy! Why do you seem in trouble? ” She quickly kissed him on the cheek and then hugged hir just next to her Mommy. "Is there anything wrong?"

“Just sulking, Princess, my daughter. Because if we won't request you to come here, you won't go home. It looks like you don't want to be with us anymore, ” he responded with a frown.

His expression beats the loser in the lottery every time her Daddy's face wrinkled.

She is an only child so she knows it wasn't easy for them when she moves away to pursue her career in life.

“Why don't you just learn to take care of our business? I hope you are not far from us, ”he added. He still wasn't smiling and he didn't even look in her direction.

"Daddy, you know I'm not in line with the business." Princess hugged him tightly again. She could feel his excessive upset towards her. Her Daddy loved her so much.

A real princess if they treat her. Everything she likes they give without a doubt. Whenever her birthday comes, their garden where it was held was full of visitors.

A few of their servants would watch over her when her Daddy leaves as if he was afraid she would have a scratch while he was not home. He was very protective because she knew her father loved her dearly.

“What about when we are old? We still can't be with you because of your job? ” He stared at her for a moment. “Our business is not difficult to study and you are smart. No one else will inherit that if not you. ”

She sighed deeply. At that point, she seemed to have lost. His father was full of resentment and that meant only one thing, she has to decide what she should pursue in the future.

"Don't pay attention to your Daddy first, my daughter," her Mommy said. “Let's all eat first. You must be hungry because of the trip. Sit down, my daughter. ”

"Okay, Mommy."

"Excuse me, Sir Jameson." They were distracted when one of their servants suddenly spoke. "Sir Dominic is on the phone."

Suddenly her Daddy stood up when he heard that.

"All right! Go ahead and eat without me, ladies," he said then turned around.

“How are you, my daughter? Aren't you having a hard time with your job? ” her Mommy asked her. "Did you commute home to us?"

“No, Mommy. One of my co-workers took me here. ”

“Just use the car that your Daddy gave you. It's a pity that it only stayed in the garage.” Her Mommy took the food and spontaneously scoop some on her plate. "I want to experience shopping with you in that car."

“Okay, Mom. Don’t worry, I’ll use it. ”

She smiled at her Mommy who was excited to be with her. She was suddenly guilty. She only comes home to them once a month since she started working as a model. She doesn’t spend even a week with them because her agency is too demanding. Even so, she was happy she wasn’t losing her job. Others said she was in demand so she almost didn't want to rest.

She just doesn't care because she enjoys posing in front of the camera.

When she was little, that was her dream. She often opens the magazine when she is taken to her Daddy's office. At a young age, she won't forget what was featured in magazines. She always tells herself that once she grows up, she would be there too.

At first, her Daddy objected when she told him about it. In college, she was then studying Business Management. She followed her father's wishes because she knew he would get upset if she took another course.

Her Mommy helped her convince her Daddy to accept the offer of a modeling agency after she went to college. Since then, her Daddy has not pushed her to study the management of their family business.

"Can you leave work first, Princess?" Her Mommy smiled and then held her with one hand.

"Mom -"

"Princess, Jade." At the same time, the mother and daughter turned to the source of the voice. Her Daddy was already smiling. His mood seemed to change quickly. “Get dressed. We will eat outside. ”

Meaningfully her Daddy looked at her Mommy who was just staring hard at her father.

"It's time to meet the Rodriguez family," her Daddy said with a wider smile.

"WHERE are you going, bro?" Arvin asked. "We still have a meeting, don't we?"

Ethan is currently arranging his belongings on the table. He looked at his friend for a moment, seemingly confused.

“I need to go home. It’s a family dinner, ” he said then smiled at his friend whose facial expression still did not change.

"So, how's our meeting?"

“You know what to do, Arvin. You take care of it first. I will come in early tomorrow to check the meeting minutes. ” He was already wearing the coat that hung on the swivel chair.

“A-are you sure, Ethan? You know that they will all look for you in me. ” Arvin scratches his head.

“I know. “ He tapped his friend on the shoulder. "That's why you're there."

Ethan tapped him again. "I'll go ahead."

He stepped out the door.

“Ethan! You might be surprised. Hey!"

He just waved at Arvin and then closed the door. He shook his head while smiling. He already knew that friend of his. Arvin was always nervous whenever he was not in the meeting. Most of the staff of the Marketing Department are women, so he is awkward with them. Not used to dealing with women.

"You have to get used to it, bro."

"Hi, Ethan!" A loud call from behind him. He was about to enter the elevator.

“Yes, Estella? What’s up? ” He could not help but notice the dress she wore that perfectly fit her body.

“Ah, because - I would have invited you to eat out. I know you will work overtime later. We can take Arvin with us if you want. ” She smiled then slightly bit her lower lip.

"You can ask Arvin to have dinner with you, Estella."

"A-don't you want to come?"

Ethan could see the sudden frown on the girl's face. “I can’t join you. I need to go home. ” He turned around but she immediately grabbed his arm.

“Did something happen? Maybe I can help you. ”

He slowly removed the hand that was holding him. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong. It’s just a family dinner. ”

“Ah, that's right. Sorry, Ethan. I thought-“

"I have to go."

"All right, be careful."

He knew the girl was disappointed. How many times has she invited him but he just doesn't have time to accept it. She also works for their company so he socializes with her often.

"Thanks," he said then entered the elevator. Suddenly, his mobile phone rang again.

"Mom."

"I just called to remind you -"

“Yeah, Mom. I'm going home. ” He heard her deep sigh on the other line.

“It's good, son. We’re all excited to see you. Be careful driving, huh? ”

“Thanks, Mom. See you later. ”

He goes home every day but the family dinner that his parents want seems strange. Whatever it was he could not fathom. Another puzzle to him was his early leave from the office of his Dad.

They often go home together because they work for the same company. He could not have imagined any special occasion today. Maybe there's a celebration in the mansion that he just can't remember or maybe there's a surprise that his parents will announce.

He just can’t refuse whatever his parents want or request because as the eldest, he wants to be a role model to his two other siblings. That was the lesson he will never forget that his bereaved Grandfather taught him.

He needs to be obedient to his parents and he needs to be a role model to his siblings, Add to that that he handles their company.

For him, it was enough to be Head of the Marketing Department. He enjoys the very challenging job with his friend Arvin and his staff. Gradually, he trained Arvin on the ins and outs of what to do in their department because he would soon be the one to replace his father.

He was already expecting that to happen. That was part of his responsibility as the eldest son and he would readily accept it at the right time. He holds on to the promise made to him by his Daddy that he will only be given that position when he is capable enough to manage their company.

Kaiden and Margo greeted him after he parked his car. He noticed that another vehicle was also parked inside. Perhaps his parents had a guest who was with them at the family dinner.

"Hi, brother!" Margo greeted him with a kiss on his cheek. "How's your day?"

“My day is always fine. Why are you out here? ” he asked as he hugged his younger brother, Kaiden.

“Mom told us to wait for you here. We thought you would come home later, ”Margo replied.

“I have to go home later because I have a meeting with my staff. Mom called me saying that I needed to go home early so Arvin would take care of our meeting first. ” He turned to Kaiden.

"You're thinking deeply." He observed his brother.

"This is from lack of sleep, bro."

“Is that so? Maybe it's a girl? ”

Margo covered her mouth. She seemed bewildered hearing it from him.

“I have no time about that, bro. You know that” Kaiden defended.

"I'm just kidding. Wait, did Mom and Dad buy a new car? Who owns -“

“Brother, we have a visitor. They will introduce them to us when you arrive,” Margo answered.

“Okay. So, let's go inside? ”

The two nodded at the same time following him simultaneously and stepping inside their mansion.

"Hello, son!" His Mommy immediately got up from the chair when she saw him. He hugged her then his Dad followed. “By the way, we have a visitor; our close friends. Meet your Tita Jade and Tito Jameson. ”

"Good evening, Maam and Sir," he greeted then extended his hand which was immediately accepted by the couple. "

"He is my eldest, Jade and Jameson. His name is Ethan. My Kaiden followed him and my youngest is Margo, ”said his Mom again.

"They look like their parents," Jade said with a smile. "They inherit your grace and beauty."

Everyone laughed.

“Thank you, Jade. By the way, where is your only child? I thought she was with you? ” Dominic asked curiously.

"Yeah, just went to - that's her!" Jameson.

At once everyone turned in the direction he was looking. Ethan stared at the girl whose face was familiar to him. She was wearing a simple dress but her natural beauty was enhanced.

"Hi," she said to them and then gently waved. Her small dimple came out that made him swallow his saliva.

"Children, meet your Tita Jade and Tito Jameson's only child, Princess," Ethan's Mommy announced.

"Hi, I'm Kaiden." He held out his hand to the maiden which Princess accepted.

"I'm Margo, Ate Princess." She kissed Princess on the cheek.

“My eldest son, why don’t you introduce yourself to the young lady?” Ethan's Dad requested.

He seemed to suddenly wake up when his father spoke.

"My apologies, I'm Ethan." He held out his right hand. "Nice to meet you, Princess."

Their eyes met and he could not fathom the effect on her when they look each other.