(Anj’s POV)
“You should have taken medicine, Angela,” Sister Grace said, her index finger holding my chin as if balancing my face. As of my count, she sighed three times already just from studying my face.
Dylan and I had to hurry to take the blankets from the clothesline outside because the cluster of clouds covered the perfect blue sky, hiding the sun and promising a thunderstorm. We reached the porch just in time for clouds to shower their tears on the ground, but before I could hide from Sister Grace, she had already opened the door and seen us.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, glancing at Dylan, suppressing a smile on his pressed lips. My eyes narrowed as I watched him continue our work. “Does my hideous face bother you, Sister?” I asked, showing a playful smile at her.
She scoffed at me, placing her hand on my hair, brushing off the strands on my puffy face to the side, and putting on my blue peacock hair clip.
“Yes and no. Yes, I am bothered, but you’re not hideous,” she said as she placed her hands on my shoulders. The door opened, and Mrs. Antonetta, the culprit, gasped as she saw me.
“Who is this ugly girl, Sister Grace?” The eighty-year-old nursing home resident asked, tilting her head from side to side as she tried to recognize me.
Dylan could not help himself roaring with laughter upon hearing Mrs. Antonetta. He shook his head, glancing at me again, winking, and mouthing, ‘Don’t believe her. You’re still beautiful.” I felt the heat on my cheeks, blushing as he gazed at me.
“Good morning, Mrs. Antonetta!” I greeted her as I helped her step onto the porch, and it was also my opportunity to pretend not to mind Dylan.
“Oh… but you sounded like Angela,” she said, still looking at my face as she sat on the wooden bench.
“Because I am Angela,” I answered, walking toward Dylan and punching him in his arm. “I hate you,” I said, frowning at him before taking the book in my bag, but he only laughed at me.
“What happened to you? You can’t go to a party like that,” she said, adjusting her eyeglasses as I handed her the book she reads daily.
Sister Grace only looked at me, not saying anything. I know that face, a look that she is still undecided whether to allow me to go or not. With my face now, I would rather not go and sulk in my room later.
“Then, I won’t go,” I twitched my lips as I went back to Dylan’s side, helping him fold the other blankets. “I can’t go looking like this, right, Mrs. Antonetta?”
“It’ll wear off later,” Sister Grace said and heaved a sigh. “You know that this is not a children’s party, right? People coming to this place are the same age as Anya or older than her. You’re only sixteen,” she reminded me.
“Seventeen,” I corrected, hoping I was also right.
“She’s a forty-year-old woman in a seventeen-year-old body, Sister Grace,” exclaimed Mrs. Antonetta as she chuckled. “Let this poor girl go to the party.” She turned to Dylan. “How about you, young man? Will you be going to the party?”
He shook his head. “I have to work at the convenience store later tonight,” he answered, glancing at me with a worried look in his eyes.
“You’re all wasting your youth. When I was your age, I would go to every party and enjoy my life,” she smiled at me, leaning her head toward me to whisper. “And make out to interesting guys. Do you have a boyfriend, Angela?”
When I shook my head, she gasped and chuckled softly.
“Why? Don’t they find you interesting?” she asked curiously. “What are you doing at that university? Just study? Are there no gorgeous guys in that place?” Although we knew she wasn't, her eyes were round, pretending to be horrified.
“Mrs. Antonetta, when Miss Genius here set her foot in the university with Anya and me, she’s only twelve,” Dylan chuckled, tousling my hair. I hissed at him, hating him whenever he did it to me. “Not only she’s young, but every guy is intimidated by her intelligence,” he explained as he leaned on the railing of the porch, crossing his arms to his chest as he fixed his eyes on me.
She nodded. “I’m getting older. I keep forgetting that your brain is bigger than your head,” she grinned at Dylan, her eyes flickered toward me. “You have to hurry to guard this young lady here. She might be taken away by her alien family. They might realize they’re losing one of their species and take her from us.”
I pursed my lips but curved a smile when I saw Sister Grace rolling her eyes at her.
“She can’t have a boyfriend until she reaches the age of eighteen,” My legal guardian cut in, but Mrs. Antonietta only laughed at her.
“Angela, don’t be like Sister Grace. All she did was pray, serve, and work here,” she sneered.
“She’s a nun,” I reminded her, picking up the blankets Dylan had already folded and handing them to Sister Grace, just smiling at her.
Mrs. Antonetta chuckled, flickering her eyes on her. “I always forget that. Come on, Sister Grace, give this poor girl a break. Let her brain stop working for a while. Allow her to go.”
“Fine,” she said, kissing the top of my head. “You can go, but you must bring Mrs. Wilbur the flowers for the offering for the service tomorrow morning. Make sure to bring it later before you and Anya go to the party.”
My heart leaps, jumping with joy as I hear the answer to the prayer I have been asking for days. My eyes went round, looking quickly at Dylan to make sure I heard her right. When he nodded, I pressed my lips, suppressing showing an excited and cheerful smile. She seldom allows me to go anywhere with Anya except the university, library, or the supermarket, and today was like an upgrade to my boring life.
She was about to enter the door when I called Sister Grace. “Why?” I asked her, suddenly suspicious and curious about her allowing me to go.
“Consider it my birthday gift to you, Angela,” she answered. “But as I told you, this kind of party is not for you, and there will be drinking and who knows what else. Don’t make me worry.”
“Pfft! You have nothing to worry about with our little Angel here,” interrupted Mrs. Antonetta. “With that face, she’ll probably be the number one wallflower tonight, Sister Grace.”
“Ouch!” I laughed, but Dylan only shook his head. “Thanks for the kind words, Mrs. Antonetta,” I said, hiding the sarcasm in my words. “But I was hoping to find my prince charming tonight,” I joked, causing Dylan to raise his eyebrows.
She giggled, gesturing her hand and telling me to come closer. I walked to her side, sat on the couch, and then waggled my eyebrows at Dylan, which he only smiled as we both waited for whatever crazy advice Mrs. Antonetta would give.
“Take your medicine, Angela. Don’t look like an ugly monkey at the party tonight. Make sure that tomorrow when you come here, I will only hear good news and that you found a boyfriend and had your first kiss,” she giggled as if she were a teenager.
“Mrs. Antonetta, didn’t you hear what Sister Grace said? She can’t have a boyfriend until she reaches the age of eighteen,” Dylan reminded her, but she only scoffed at him, gesturing her hand, waving in the air to tell me to ignore him.
I smiled at her, wanting to escape from a topic I dislike hearing from her with Dylan around. “I can’t be reckless.”
Whoever my parents are, I can’t be careless like them. Anya and Dylan knew that I had planned my life already, and the only stumbling block I had in my life was the lack of resources and time. I didn’t tell them I had received scholarships abroad, but I couldn’t leave Sister Grace yet. She is the only mother I know, and I can’t be selfish leaving her when I know she needs me right now. She and Aunt Rose are trying to keep it from us, but we know that Sister Grace is sick.
At eighteen…
Although she has given me the freedom to decide for myself and my future, still, I want to keep my promise that I will stay with her until I reach the age of eighteen. I heaved a deep sigh, unsure of the age because I would not leave her as long as she needed me by her side.
When I tilted my head, looking at Mrs. Antonetta, she was smiling at me.
“Sometimes it is nice to have a devil-may-care attitude toward life, Angela,” she said, carefully touching my face. “It’s the excitement of doing something without thinking that is fun. Allow your heart to decide for you once in a while. You will realize that your heart is much wiser than your brain.”
I held her hands. “I will not let my heart decide for me, Mrs. Antonetta.” Not for now.
She poked my forehead. “I’m not asking you to get married, Angela. Just do something crazy once in a while.”
I rose to my feet, squinting my eyes at her. “Define something crazy, Mrs. Antonetta.”
She chuckled, placing her palm in her heart. “Allow your heart to think, Angela.”
“The bad news is the heart has no brain on its own,” I argued with her, glancing at Dylan, hoping he would stop me, but he seemed to be enjoying listening to us.
She took a deep breath, raising her hands in the air, showing her surrender. “If that’s what you think, Miss Genius, but FYI, our brain is more stupid than our heart.”
I chuckled, looking up at the sky as I wondered what would make my heart do to make my brain stop from doing right.
(Anj’s POV)Go straight to the hallway, and then turn right…I heaved a deep sigh as I carried the elegant arrangement of sunflowers, anthurium, hydrangea, and heliconia for the offering Mrs. Wilbur ordered from Sister Grace. She usually donates at the nursing home, but I seldom see her because she is mostly out of town, joining her husband on his business trips.The housekeeper had other flowers to bring, so here I am, forced to look for that room where Mrs. Wilbur expected the offering should be. I didn’t have the time to memorize the direction because I was also in a hurry to go back.Anya said that instead of meeting me, Claire was friendly enough, offering to pick me up outside the gate of Wilbur’s mansion because Aunt Rose asked her to run an errand before going to the party.“It’s a black SUV,” she told me. “When you get there, let’s meet in the lobby.” She has repeated those words many times, worried that I would wander and get stuck in a room called the library or study room.
(Sky’s POV)Leo and Jake must be kidding me bringing a kid to a party. The freckles or maybe red spots on her face could not hide the fact that she looked minor and had not been to this kind of party. I could not help myself feeling angry at Jake because she looked drunk already with a glass of appletini in her hand.“Are you kidding me, Jake? Why did you bring-” Before I could add ‘a minor’ to my words, she advanced toward me, pouring liquid onto my lap. I growled, screaming at her. “Are you crazy?” I said angrily, grabbing her arm and dragging her to the room.I banged the door, but I didn’t feel guilty when her body jerked, startled by what I did. I walked past her and went straight to the bathroom, taking a towel to dry my pants. My head peeked at the ajar door to see her, and I was right that she was trying to open the door.She could be fifteen or sixteen, but thinking about it, I must have just overreacted because Jake would never do such a thing. He knew that the fraternity ha
(Sky’s POV)Tempting…My hands which grip her hips, want to pull her inside the room again, but when my lips touch her nape, her baby sweet scent woke me up. If I were right that she lied to me about her age, I would be in big trouble.“How about we get out of here together, get that appletini you want, and call whoever Anya is?” I placed my hand on her head to protect her from the window frame.She squinted her eyes for a brief second and then smiled, nodding as she agreed with me, jumping at the short distance from the window stool to the landing area of the staircase. I took the bottle of liquor and glasses.“Hold this,” I said, and she took it, opening the lid and smelling the alcohol. Before I could stop her, she drank from the bottle. I had to snatch it away from her before she could finish the whole content.“This taste better,” she giggled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.“Move,” It was an order. Her slow steps were making quiet thuds as she went down. I followed h
(Anj’s POV) My brain must be on haywire. Like taking my medicine, after drinking Appletini, I feel dizzy but in a really good way. I felt lighter and free and had the courage to do everything I wanted. This gorgeous Greek god must have used his magic spell on me that I just kept on following everything he said. I heard he told Frank to bring us to the nearest coffee shop, but I didn’t want to get sane yet. He was driving us somewhere when my eyes caught a glimpse of a place I had never been to before. The seashore. “Woah! Is that…? Stop the car, Frank.” I gasped and tugged him in his arm, but when he didn’t stop, I cried again. “Stop the car! Please…” When the driver finally listened to me and stopped the car, I didn’t wait for him. I unfastened my seatbelt and got out of the car, dashing toward the beach, ignoring the handsome man running after me. I could hear Mrs. Antonetta’s voice telling me to do something crazy once in a while. I was not up for it but seeing the full moon
(Anj’s POV)“Just a kiss?” Sky Mars, the Mighty Sky, curved a naughty smile on his lips.I chuckled, feeling the heat creeping through my cheeks. I knelt before him and leaned my head forward. “Just a kiss,” I whispered. Not waiting for him to answer, I planted a quick kiss on his lips, and I was right about the softness of his sensual lips.My heart was dancing with joy, my brain was screaming with shame, and my body was burning with unexplainable desire as I returned to sitting on the sand. I swallowed hard, wanting to run to the water and submerge myself to hide from him. Then, I heard him laugh hard.“You call that a kiss?” he asked amusedly, filling his glass and drinking his liquor. “I was right, then. You’ve never been kissed.” He teased me.I raised my eyebrows and frowned at him. “Excuse me, Mighty Sky, but I have kissed plenty of men,” I said proudly, taking a sip from my glass, thinking of all the grandfathers I have kissed on their cheeks whenever they missed their childre
(Anj’s POV)I stayed in my position, crawling slowly under the bed of the stranger I slept with, but as I lifted one arm to move forward, my heart stopped beating when I saw a shining gold wedding band on my finger.My eyes blinked many times, racking my brain of what exactly happened last night, but the little workers seemed not done fixing my head as it ached so much I wanted to curl back in bed. This feeling was worse than a migraine, although I have not experienced it in my entire life.“Daddy!” she screamed again, making me cringe as her sweet voice was causing my head to crack.I kept my eyes closed, only listening to the sound of the door opening, footsteps, and Sky cursing under his breath.“Sky Mars!” A yell roared like thunder inside his bedroom. “In the study room. Now!” An angry voice said.I felt the quilt thrown at me, but I did not dare look up to see who did it.“And you, young lady, you’re not going anywhere!” The older man’s voice shouted. I took a deep breath, wanti
(Sky’s POV) I have never disappointed my father in my entire life, but when he saw me with a naked woman in my bedroom, his voice and looks could tell me I failed him for the first time. Panicking that Olivia saw us, I grabbed the quilt in a hurry from the woman I hardly remember the name, not minding her naked and using it to cover half of my body, and when my sister called my dad, I could only stand up, grabbing my night robe. “Have you lost your mind, Sky?” he asked angrily, pacing the floor. “What did I tell you about bringing a woman into this house?” He threw the crumpled paper at me, and when I picked it up, I breathed out, trying to remember where I left my brain to make such a haste decision last night. My eyes darted slowly on my finger, checking and breathing hard when I saw the gold wedding band. I thought it was a dream. “Have you gone mad?” His voice roared in the study room. “You’re the smart one! You’re supposed to be responsible for your actions.” “Dad,” I breat
(Anj’s POV)Of all the emergency teams coming, Effie’s team came to rescue their family, but right now, it was less of my millions of concerns. I leaned my back on the seat’s backrest as I glanced at Effie, still on the phone as she checked on the patient with us.Looking at Sky, whose eyes were pinned on his father, I realized that this must be the first time it had happened in the family. His father must be furious at him, at us, for doing such a stupid thing. I wonder how Sister Grace will react or Aunt Rose. Anya will surely cry and blame herself because she is the one who insisted that I should come to the party. Dylan… Well, I don’t know how he would react.Effie placed her phone back in her pocket and looked at me. “What were you doing there?” She asked curiously. Her forehead knitted, probably wondering why I was there when I was supposed to be in the nursing home.“Doing good deeds?” I forced a grin, sounding unsure of my answer. She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief an