Chapter 5:

Aviannah’s eyes quickly searched for the person she came here for at the party of the man she despised. She had come straight from her boutique shop because securing a deal with the Zhang family was so important to her. She and her team had worked on this project for a month, so there was no way she would let it slip away.

“It’s better if we split up,” Aviannah said to Ruffa and Nimfa.

“Alright, I’ll go that way,” Nimfa replied.

“Okay, I’ll go to the other side. There are so many handsome guys there,” Ruffa added before walking away. Aviannah could only shake her head before continuing her search.

“Aviannah!”

She immediately turned when she heard a familiar voice.

“Yaya…” she murmured as she faced the person.

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to attend your brother’s party,” Vangie said as she approached her.

“I really had no plans of coming here.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Mrs. Cheska Zhang is here.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Have you seen her around?” Aviannah asked.

“Oh dear, with the number of guests here, I wouldn’t even know who Mrs. Cheska Zhang is. You know I’m not familiar with the wealthy people you interact with,” Vangie replied, which slightly disappointed Aviannah. Given the large crowd, she now had to search every corner of the venue just to find the woman.

"But aren’t you going to change your clothes first?" Vangie asked after a moment.

"Huh?" Aviannah looked down to check herself. That was when she realized that her outfit didn’t seem to match the party’s theme or what the other guests were wearing. "I think this should be fine. Besides, I’m really here for Mrs. Cheska Zhang. I didn’t come to this party to have fun—"

"Ms. Aviannah Madrigal!"

Aviannah stopped speaking when she heard someone call her name again. She quickly turned and saw Mrs. Cheska Zhang approaching with her assistant, wearing a warm smile.

"Mrs. Cheska Zhang," she greeted politely, flashing a sweet smile in return.

"Is she the one you were looking for?" Vangie whispered to Aviannah.

"Yes, Yaya. I’ll leave you for now, I need to take care of work," she whispered back before finally walking toward Mrs. Cheska Zhang.

"Good evening," Aviannah greeted respectfully as she reached her.

"Good evening to you too, dear."

"Uh… Have you been here long?"

"I just arrived. I had to make a quick stop somewhere first."

"I see. Uh… How have you been?"

"I’m doing well. I apologize for having to change our meeting time and location."

"Oh, that’s perfectly fine. It’s no problem at all," she replied with a warm smile.

"You see, my son kept insisting that I should come here. He said I was invited by your brother."

"R-Really?"

"Yes, so I decided to come and take the opportunity to meet your parents in person. Besides, your brother is a good friend of my son. In fact, he was the one who recommended you for my daughter's upcoming wedding," the lady said with a warm smile, but Aviannah’s own smile slowly faded.

First of all, she had just found out that Mrs. Cheska Zhang’s son was actually friends with Andrei. And more importantly, she had no idea that the only reason Mrs. Cheska Zhang approached her was because of Andrei’s recommendation. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

All this time, she had assumed that Mrs. Cheska Zhang had sought her out because of her talent and the high quality of her work. But now, she realized it was merely because of Andrei’s influence. It made her feel as if she had only caught the Zhang family’s attention because of her connection to him.

Aviannah didn’t know how to react to what the lady had just said. Fortunately, Nimfa and Ruffa spotted her at that moment and quickly approached them.

"Good evening, Mrs. Cheska Zhang," the two greeted politely.

"Good evening to you as well," Mrs. Cheska Zhang replied with a smile.

"Uh… This is Ruffa, our designer, and this is Nimfa, our sales assistant," Aviannah introduced her two colleagues to the lady.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours," Nimfa responded.

"Since the party hasn’t started yet, it would be best for us to begin our discussion now," said Mrs. Cheska Zhang.

Aviannah nodded at the lady with a smile. Even though she felt a slight disappointment, she chose to set it aside and focus on her work. She refused to let her emotions get the best of her and risk wasting all the effort and sleepless nights she and her team had put in just to secure this project.

They sat in an empty seating area and began their discussion. One by one, Aviannah presented their designs to Mrs. Cheska Zhang, who carefully examined each of them.

"I like this one," Mrs. Cheska Zhang said with a smile after a while.

"That’s a great choice, Mrs. Zhang," Ruffa responded cheerfully, looking proud of the designs she had created.

"And this one—I think my daughter will like it too," the lady added. "It’s perfect timing because she’ll be here any minute—"

"Mom!"

Mrs. Cheska Zhang was interrupted when someone suddenly called out to her. Everyone immediately turned to look at a beautiful, almond-eyed woman walking toward them. She was accompanied by two men.

"Oh, speaking of which, that’s my daughter, Charmie," Cheska Zhang said as she stood up. Aviannah, Ruffa, and Nimfa also rose from their seats.

"Good evening!" Ruffa and Nimfa greeted the newcomers politely.

"Charmie, this is Aviannah and her team. They will be designing your wedding gown."

"Hi, good evening! I’m Aviannah Madrigal, and this is Ruffa and Nimfa," Aviannah said with a smile.

"Good evening. It’s nice to meet you all," Charmie replied.

"Oh, so you’re Aviannah."

Everyone turned to look at the man who had just spoken.

"That means you’re Andrei’s sister," he added with a smile.

"Huh?" was all Aviannah could say in response. She absolutely hated being referred to as Andrei’s sister—she could never accept it.

"Uhm… this is Chris, my brother," Charmie said, referring to the man who had just spoken. "And this is my fiancé," she introduced the other man accompanying her.

"Nice to meet you all," Aviannah said, forcing a smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Aviannah," Chris responded, extending his hand toward her.

Aviannah stared at his hand for a moment. She wasn’t sure how close he and Andrei were, but something about the way he looked at her made it seem like he knew something.

Before Aviannah could decide whether to shake Chris’s hand, their attention was drawn elsewhere when her father arrived with her stepmother.

"Mrs. Cheska Zhang!" Cristy greeted enthusiastically.

"Mrs. Madrigal, at last, we’ve met!" Mrs. Cheska Zhang responded, and the two exchanged cheek kisses.

"I’m glad you made it here tonight," Cristy said warmly.

"Of course. It’s my pleasure to be here," Mrs. Cheska Zhang replied. "By the way, this is my son, Chris, and this is my daughter, Charmie. And this is her fiancé."

"Good evening, Tita," the Zhangs greeted Cristy in unison.

"Good evening to all of you as well."

A moment later, Cristy's gaze landed on Aviannah.

"Oh, Avie is here!" she exclaimed happily as she approached her. "This is Aviannah, my lovable stepdaughter."

"Oh, yeah. She’s the designer we hired for Charmie’s wedding gown," Mrs. Cheska Zhang added.

"Oh, really?"

"Andrei told me that she’s the best, so I told Mom about her," Chris chimed in, looking at Aviannah with a smile.

Aviannah responded with a forced smile. After that, Cristy and Mrs. Cheska Zhang continued their conversation, while her father approached her.

"Dad…"

"I thought you were not coming."

"Supposedly, but Mrs. Cheska Zhang wanted to meet me here," Aviannah replied lifelessly.

"That’s good then."

A voice suddenly spoke, making Aviannah turn her head. She was surprised to see Andrei standing behind them.

"Andrei," her father acknowledged him.

"Tito," Andrei greeted with a smile. Aviannah rolled her eyes and took a slight step away from him.

"I’m glad you’re here," Andrei said to her.

"Well, I’m not," she retorted sharply, which only made Andrei grin.

"Son!" Cristy called out to Andrei, drawing everyone’s attention to them.

Everyone greeted Andrei, and he happily engaged with them. Meanwhile, Aviannah stood aside with Ruffa and Nimfa.

"Are you okay?" Ruffa asked after a moment.

"Huh? Yup. Of course, I’m okay."

"Are you sure?" Nimfa asked for confirmation.

"Of course. Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, because your expression looks unreadable. Is there someone here at your brother’s party that you don’t want to see?" Ruffa asked.

"Geez. He’s not my brother," she muttered.

"Huh? What do you mean he’s not your brother? Why? Do you refuse to accept him as your brother?" Nimfa asked, frowning.

"Come on, girl! Why can’t you accept that handsome guy as your brother? He looks kind and intelligent. And… he’s really handsome! Don’t you want to have a brother like him?" Ruffa teased.

Aviannah glanced at Andrei, who was happily chatting with his friend Chris. Five years had passed, and she had to admit that he had grown even more handsome than before.

"I don’t want to. He’s not my brother. I don’t have a sibling," she said, her eyes locked onto him.

A few moments later, a group of people approached Andrei and Chris—three men and two women whom Aviannah assumed were also their friends.

From a distance, Aviannah silently observed Andrei as he introduced the newcomers to his mother, Cristy, and the other guests. One woman, in particular, caught her attention. Not only was she stunning, but she also seemed very close to Andrei. Aviannah’s eyes widened when she saw the woman wrap her hands around Andrei’s arm while laughing playfully.

She hadn’t realized she had been staring for too long until the group reached where she was standing.

"And this is Aviannah, my sister," Andrei introduced her to the woman beside him.

"Oh, so she’s your sister," the woman commented cheerfully. "It’s so nice to finally meet you."

"Avie," Andrei said her name seriously, making her meet his gaze.

"This is Khyline, my girlfriend."

And with that, Aviannah felt a stab in her heart.