Chapter 9: A Date With My Sister in Law

-=Ang's Point of View=-

I didn't have to get up early because it was Saturday, and I didn't have to go to the office today. Nevertheless, I got up early to carry out my scheme to win Miranda over.

I saw Miranda leave Anthony's room that morning, so I approached her decisively, "Miranda, can I talk to you?"

"Yes," she curtly answered. To avoid Mom hearing us converse, I decided to speak with her outside in the garden.

I informed her, pretending to be hesitant, "Uhm, I need your help. I'm planning to surprise Mom and her husband," and saw the joy light up in her eyes.

She smiled and said, "Sure, what's your plan?" I gave her a response with a hidden smile in return.

I began to tell her about my claimed "plan," and she listened intently to everything I had to say.

"I'm organizing to have a family dinner later, but the fact is, it's for them, and we'll leave once they're comfortable and let them enjoy their intimate meal," I added with a grin on my face.

She said, "Wow, that's nice, but they've done that before," but I was prepared for that.

With a smile, I continued, "Well, that's not all because that dinner date is on a yacht," observing the excitement light up her eyes. I already had everything set for this scheme.

We started carrying out our plans—though at first, I didn't have one. It was imperative that she not realize how much of what I was doing was a set-up. I was carrying out my strategy in an attempt to win her over. We broke off our talk as Mom appeared out of nowhere.

"What are you guys talking about?" My mom asked with a wide grin on her face, and because of my mom's sudden appearance, we couldn't stop exchanging glances.

"We were just talking about something, but it's not that important. Do you need anything?"

It was Miranda who replied and asked, but Mom said that she was just checking on us and wanted to tell us that our breakfast was already served, and after telling us to follow once we were done with what we were talking about, she finally left.

Miranda and I looked at each other once more and shared a chuckle. It was genuine laughter, I must admit, but I stopped quickly when I saw how close her face was to mine. She noticed me staring at her, and I saw her smile fade as she also noticed our closeness.

Her words caught my attention, and I couldn't help but follow her stare. "Um, I'll just go see Anthony first; just see you in the dining room," she remarked.

The quickening of my heartbeat caused my hand to instinctively lift to my chest, where my heart is, but I forced myself to remember Miranda's moral character and suppress any emotions that were stirring inside of me since this was all wrong—the timing was off, and she was the wrong woman.

The breakfast meal felt a little awkward, and I could feel the tension from Miranda. Once she was done with her meal, she excused herself, saying that she would go to Anthony's room.

I could sense Miranda's anxiety during the somewhat awkward meal. After finishing her food, she left, stating she was going to Anthony's room.

"It was so nice to see that you're getting along with Miranda; she's a nice girl, and she really cares for Anthony," my mom said.

Instead of uttering a word that might ruin my plan, I decided to just nod vaguely.

Just after five minutes, I managed to finish my food and chose to go back to my room, where I went through the plans I had for the evening. I wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong. I needed this for this foolishness I was feeling would end as soon as possible.

I told myself, firmly rejecting the voice telling me that what I was doing was completely wrong and that I would live to regret it, that "the sooner Miranda is out of this family, the better."

I didn't even realize it was noon because I was so preoccupied with my plan. It wasn't until I heard one of our maids knock on the door that I noticed the time.

I went to the dining room, where Mom was waiting with her husband, and Miranda came over shortly after. She appeared to be in trepidation, as I could see her attempting to avoid my eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked her as she took her seat.

A few moments later, the maids had already served our meal, and when we were already enjoying our food, that was when I decided to tell them about my plan for this evening.

"That sounds great! It's been so long since I've been to the sea," Mom replied with excitement.

When no one was looking, I looked in Miranda's direction, and when she felt my gaze, she forced herself to meet my eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her lips that made my heart beat erratically.

"This would be over, Ang," I assured myself.

The hours flew by until it was finally getting dark. We quickly got ready for our meal on a yacht that I borrowed from a friend. I also thought about getting a yacht, but I decided it wouldn't be worth it, especially because I wouldn't use it often.

I have the means to buy things I want, but I'm also a practical person. I may be wealthy, but that doesn't mean that I will just go and spend my hard-earned money.

When we got in the yacht and settled in, I signaled Miranda to get ready to leave, but before we could even get out of our seats, the yacht had already started to sail.

"What now?" She motioned with her mouth.

"Let's just enjoy the meal," I said, trying not to look disappointed. Little did she know, though, that I had arranged the entire thing, so we were stuck on the yacht.

At first, she seemed hesitant, but after noticing the distance and where we left off, she realized that my plan was ruined.

"It's fine, but are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied, and then shifted her gaze to the calm sea.

After a short while, we were informed that dinner would be served in a few minutes and brought to the exquisitely laid table that was decorated with a variety of exotic flowers.

"I'm impressed, Ang. I didn't know you could be romantic," Mom commented.

After a few more minutes, the waiter came back with each of the dishes I had requested in advance.

I asked her, observing that she was silent during her meal, "Are you thinking about Anthony?"

"No, I'm just thinking," she replied shortly.

I said to her, not sure why, "Anthony and I are close. He's actually the source of happiness in this family."

"Anthony is a good person," she said absentmindedly.

"Yes, and I'll do anything for him. But I recall when we were kids, we fought over a girl. She liked him, but I liked her." I laughed.

I couldn't help but think about that high school episode. Unfortunately, I appeared like a completely different person in my fourth year—thin with big glasses. It was therefore not surprising that the girl went for Anthony, who was already quite appealing.

As we consumed the food that had been prepared for us, we proceeded to talk about an array of matters. My hired musician and the server reappeared as we were finishing our dinner and enjoying champagne.

When the song started to play, I stood up and approached Miranda, gazing deeply into her beautiful eyes. I could tell that she was trying her best not to avert her gaze.

"May I have this dance, please?" I asked genuinely, extending out my hand to her and waiting for her to accept my request.

"I don't think..." but before she could finish, I cut her off.

"Don't think, Miranda, just go with the flow," I murmured with a smile, and she cautiously reached out to take my waiting hand.

I could feel her hands quivering as she placed them on my shoulders and mine on her waist. Our bodies were close together, and I could smell her feminine fragrance. I felt a tug on my heart again in this position.

The violinist performed Jim Brickman's "The Love I Found in You" song, and we remained caught in each other's gaze, reading many emotions in Miranda's eyes.

That particular moment was incredibly wonderful. I didn't know if I was still acting or if I was simply showing what I was feeling for her.