Seventh Seduction

CHAPTER ONE: EPIC TRIO

✧THIRD PERSON POV✧

"Faith! Faith Zeican! Love Andrei! Yoohooo!"

Hope’s voice echoed through their large house, announcing his arrival. It was Saturday, and as usual, he wasn’t stuck at home on weekends. The good news was, he’d either come from their Mommyla’s place (his mom’s mother) or from Uncle Ryan’s house.

Meanwhile, his twin siblings, Faith and Love, along with their younger sister, Summer, and their parents, Keycee and Ace, were at home. Especially since they didn’t have a scheduled family trip. They had just returned from Thailand the previous week.

"What gossip has he picked up this time?" Love Andrei said, shaking his head while still absorbed in his game controller. Faith Zeican was equally engrossed in the game. The two of them were playing in the living room while Summer, now twenty-one, had just left with her friends. Their parents were upstairs.

"Maybe it’s about contraceptives again," Faith replied quietly. Recently, Hope Ryker had stirred things up after hearing from some friends that condoms aren’t 100% effective.

"Oh yeah. My doppelgängers are here," Hope chuckled as he sidled up to his twin siblings, squeezing between them on the couch and throwing an arm around each of them.

"Hope." Love huffed, blowing out a sigh of exasperation. His eyes remained glued to the big TV screen, fingers deftly working the game controller. "We are not your doppelgängers. Do you even know what a doppelgänger is? In folklore and popular culture, it's often seen as a harbinger of bad luck or an omen of death! You're just spewing nonsense without thinking."

Faith bit his lip, trying to hold back his laughter. It was always a treat for him when Love launched into one of his rants aimed at their triplet sibling, Hope. Hope Ryker was definitely the wild one among them. They were triplets: Faith Zeican Lee, Hope Ryker Lee, and Love Andrei Lee, who was the last to come out of their mother's womb.

Among the three, Faith Zeican stands out as the epitome of kindness and compassion. Known for his gentle demeanor and caring nature, Faith is always ready to lend a helping hand and offer support to those around him. His generosity knows no bounds, often putting others' needs before his own, and his nurturing personality makes him the go-to person for comfort and advice.

Hope Ryker, on the other hand, is the mischievous prankster of the trio. With an irrepressible sense of humor and a penchant for practical jokes, Hope brings laughter and excitement wherever he goes. His playful antics often lighten the mood and add a sense of fun to any situation, though they occasionally land him in trouble.

Love Andrei complements the siblings with his sharp intellect and quick wit. A true genius in his own right, Love excels in academics and problem-solving, but can be easily irritated by incompetence or frivolity. He tends to keep to himself, preferring solitude over social gatherings, and his reserved demeanor often comes across as aloof or standoffish to those who don't know him well.

"Oh, fine! If you don’t like the ‘doppelgänger,’ then let’s go with the ‘clone.’ After all, we come from the same sperm. But on a different note, I was looking for you guys because I—"

"—have some gossip for us," Faith cut in.

"Oh, you’re such a genius," Hope laughed, turning to Faith. "How did you guess?"

"Because we come from the same sperm, you genius," Faith repeated, a smirk playing on his lips.

Hope burst into laughter. "So, here’s the scoop. I had just been to Mommyla's, and there was a Madam there. I’m not one to spread rumors, you know that. If anyone knows me best, it’s you guys because we share the same sperm. Anyway, I accidentally overheard their conversation. Do you know what they were talking about?" Despite their attention being fixated on the flat screen TV, Faith and Love were still listening intently to their gossip-loving—though unwilling to admit—triplet, Hope. "Next week, Faith, you’re going to meet your future fiancée from the Herald Family."

"What?" Love and Faith both exclaimed in unison. Their hands froze mid-action on their game controllers, their eyes now locked on Hope.

"I thought it was supposed to be next year?" Love said, his brow furrowed with concern. "Do Mom and Dad know about this?"

Hope shook his head. "Not yet. But Mommyla, Daddylo, and Aunt Baby are coming over later. They’re probably going to inform Mom and Dad, especially you, Faithfully, since you’re the first one in line to get hitched—no, I mean married."

Faith fell silent. Yes, he was aware. They had been briefed about the arranged marriage by their greatgrandfather when they were teenagers. They had all agreed because it was a long-standing tradition in the Lee Family. Besides, given Don Adolfo's immense wealth, even the grandchildren of his heir, Ace Lee, were promised a substantial inheritance.

But everything comes with a price. Before Don Adolfo passed away—when they were sixteen—he left a will about his inheritance. It stated that the triplets wouldn't receive their inheritance unless they married the partners Don Adolfo had chosen for them. It was only then that they learned Don Adolfo had already found matches for them while they were still young. However, they had no idea who these people were. The only person who knew was Stephanie—their Mommyla—Keycee’s mother, because Don Adolfo had entrusted her with this task before he died. They were supposed to meet their matches when they turned twenty-five, giving them time to get to know each other before the arranged marriage. But now they’re only twenty-four, so they’re puzzled as to why things are happening a bit earlier.

"Good thing you’re the first one up," Hope continued, still grinning, while Love and Faith looked on with concern. "Lovey-dudes and I will be keeping an eye on how things go with your future wife. If it turns out to be a flop, a no-go, or a denial to your happily ever after, I’ll just go AWOL from this family. So what if I don’t inherit anything? I’m totally fine living on the fringes or even getting adopted by Uncle Ryan."

That was also Faith’s concern from the start. What if his arranged marriage doesn’t turn out as successful as their parents’? They knew Don Adolfo—their dad’s grandfather—and they were well aware of his reputation as the King of Matchmakers. When he was alive, he told them they needed to trust his decisions because he had nothing but their best interests at heart, just as he had with their mom and dad. Still, Faith couldn’t shake the worry, especially since he was the first among them to face this.

Love nudged Hope's arm to give him another lecture. "What do you mean by 'unsuccessful'? Are you seriously worried that Faith will mess up? Have you forgotten that you’re the one who nicknamed him Faithfully? He hasn’t even courted anyone because he’s FAITHful to his future fiancée. Faith can handle married life easily if it comes to that. You should be worried, Hope, because if anyone among us is going to be 'access denied' to your so-called Happily Ever After, it’s going to be you. No one’s going to stick around with you and your wild ways."

Hope immediately turned to him. “Don’t cover the judge by its book!”

Love shook his head at Hope’s remark. He really took after their Uncle Ryan, always ready to ramble on just to crack a joke.

Faith returned his focus to the game controller, mulling over the possibilities.

'What if I don’t like my fiancée, but she likes me?'

“And why do you keep calling me Lovey-dude? I’ve told you a million times, just call me Andrei!”

'What if I like her, but she doesn’t like me?'

“Andrei? Don’t flatter yourself. Andreng is fine.”

'What if we don’t like each other, and we end up just suffering through the time we spend together?'

“Stop getting on my goddamn nerves, Hope. It’s Andrei!”

'But is it possible that our fate could be like Mom and Dad’s?'

“Dad's nickname was Asyong, so don’t be so choosy, Andreng.”