CHAPTER 5

Lance

"Good morning, Sir." Mikaela greeted me when she saw me walking to my office. "You are earlier than usual." she added.

I sighed. "I had to, or else my whole family would interrogate me for the whole day," I answered. "I need to save myself from my own paparazzi at home." I added. "I will go ahead. By the way, good morning."

I entered my office and sat in my chair to relax myself.

I am exhausted early in the morning already for not doing anything, and I have to stay late so that I can avoid Mom, Lizandrea, and even Dad.

Yeah, I need to avoid my family for now, and I do not know when it will end. Why am I suffering these last few days? Am I just unlucky?

A while ago, when I got down to eating breakfast, mom started her questioning portion as if we were on a hot seat.

"Lance, I heard from Lizandrea that you found her yesterday? Do you know where she is living now?" Mom asked me before I could even eat my food.

I quickly turned to Lizzy, quickly avoiding meeting my eyes. Feigning ignorance, acting like she did not know that I was already looking at her. Whatever happens, I can't trust her with any secret. She will surely share those with anyone.

"Not yet, Mom." I responded so that Mom would not ask any more questions.

I thought after answering her with a no, she would not ask me anymore, but the next line she said made me choke.

"If you see her again, bring her here. So that, we will be able to meet her finally." Mom said, not even budging from my state, that I was ALREADY CHOKING IN MY SEAT.

"Mom!" I scolded her after drinking water.

"Lower your tone, Mister." Dad commented, warning me, and went back to eating silently.

I sighed. "Dad, please stop Mom from asking me nonsense questions." I pleaded.

I thought Dad would do something for me, telling Mom and Lizzy to stop their questioning and continue eating quietly, but Dad left me in disbelief.

"Why? Is there something wrong with their questions? I thought you will be asking her to be your girlfriend when you meet her one day." Dad replied in a straight tone.

I can't believe what I am hearing early in the morning.

"Are you really serious?" I asked, still can't believe how alone I am in this fight.

I do not have any allies who will take my side in this house.

Dad looked at me and said, "Your Mom told me that you like―what's her name again, Honey?" He even asked Mom.

"It's Aera." Mom answered while eating.

"Yeah, your Mom told me you liked Aera since then," Dad said, nodding his head. "It's been 6 years since the incident happened, but you are still stuck with it. If it is not love, then what is it?" he asked. "You won't be doing it out of pity, Lance. And lastly, if that was not the case you were fighting for, you should have a girlfriend, and we should have met her by now. You are even at the stage of getting married. But nothing is happening. The blind dates your Mom prepared for you were not even working." Dad spoke longer than I expected.

I am starting to get pressured.

"Right, Dad! That is why we have to find her so that Lance can have his girlfriend already." Lizzy said while looking at me in derision.

She was avoiding my eyes a while ago, and now she has the guts to look at me. Wow.

"If you ask us to marry her already, we are okay with it, baby. Since then, I already liked her. She's good for you." Mom said that made me choke once again.

Am I supposed to choke twice early in the morning? As in, really?

I'd already told them I didn't like her. It is not that I like her, that is why I still don't have a girlfriend. It is just that I still can't see the person I like at all.

I stopped thinking when I heard the door open and saw Mikaela. "Ah Sir, excuse me," she said. "About the meeting that we were not able to finish yesterday―"

"Oh, I forgot about it. Can you call them if they are ready to present it today?" I asked back, interrupting her.

I need to divert my attention away from my thoughts or else this will be disastrous.

Mikaela nodded her head and smiled at me, "They told me that they could present it today, Sir. I already asked them yesterday to prepare their presentation for tomorrow since you had an emergency yesterday." She answered, that helps me feel relieved.

"I am really lucky to have you, Mikaela. Tell them to get ready in 10 minutes. I will make sure to listen to them without any interruptions." I said as I stood up from my seat.

All I have to do is just go to work! Right, let's not be bothered for the whole day. Even if it is her, I can say that I am busy and do not be agitated or anything. My priority is my work. No more, no less.

A week followed. I made myself busy with my work. I even ignored Bricx and Lizzy to bother me. I can just say that I really did my best to ignore them. Knowing Bricx and Lizzy, they will not stop bothering you, unless you face them or follow them, which I did. I overcame that situation. I tried my very best to not mind them and act like they were invisible or ghosts. Acting like I do not see nor hear them talking to me.

They did everything to bother me. They even distorted their faces to make me laugh. They also ruin my shelves, as well as my documents. But in the end, they put it back themselves.

If it is not about her, I will not do that. But it is all about her, so I need to. My priority is my work. Work is my only priority.

Lizzy kept on telling me to find her. She wants me to stop working and start to look for her in their school, which I could not do in the first place. I should be happy, because she is now in the outside world and studying. That is what is important right now.

It also looks like she does not need my help anymore. Knowing that she is doing good is what matters now.

To prove to her that I do not like her or that I am not that crazy about her, I had to decline and ignore everything she was going to say on the topic that would lead to her. Yes, all she did while talking to me was talk about her. She does not slip any moment that she would not mentioned her name. Although I really wanted to know how is she or what happened to her these past few years, everything, I want to know everything.

I won't deny it, because I am worried about her. How could I not be worried about her after what happened to us? My heart is not made of stone. I am worried to death after a few years have passed.

But that does not mean I am worried about her because I like her. Not at all.That is not what I mean. What I wanted to tell my family is that she is my friend. She is like a family to me. A person I cared about.

While I was reviewing a document, I received a call from Lizzy.

Since she is going to talk about her, I would not answer her. I know her tactics and I have even memorized them already. She is still at school. I know she is going to tell me that she will help me find her.

She ended the call after a few seconds. She called again, and I ignored it.

Five missed calls and tons of messages were showing. My phone lights up again, showing Lizzy's name.

I sighed and picked up the phone. "What is it now?" I asked, sounds like I am so done with them. "Please. I am really busy now. I need to review these documents in front of me, and I really need to finish this. My clients are busy and I do not want to delay it more." I added, trying to explain myself.

I don't know why, but I think they planned to ruin my every day.

All I wanted to do was to live in peace and work accordingly without any hassle. But what's happening to me right now is giving me stress already.

"Lance, I am in the lobby. At your company, see me here." She said, and excitement was evident in her voice.

She is more like giggling on the other line.

I sighed for the second time. "What do you want now, Lizzy? I have many things to do," I answered her.

"See me now at the lobby, Lance." she replied.

I do not think that she got what I was saying a while ago. She still wants me to go down and leave my work for her game.

"Please just tell me right away over the phone if it is very important. I am really busy now. I am not up for your games." I told her, trying not to sound annoyed since she is still my little sister.

As much as I wanted to, I did not want to get mad at her. I do not want to hurt her physically or verbally.

"I am not playing! I have a gift for you. That is why I want you to come down. I did my best and made some efforts, Lance!" She yelled on the other line. "I spent my weeks doing this and that because I wanted to make you happy. I am not playing games with you right now. Like, I am so serious and now you are turning me down! I am so disappointed in you!" she added.

I can see and imagine the reactions of the people already there. They must be shocked after hearing her shouting.

Based on her tone, she is really mad. She is not really lying and not playing with me right now.

"Okay, wait for me there." I admitted my defeat and stood up. "Wait for me to finish this document I am holding now. After that, I will go down. Just give me a few minutes to finish this, alright?" I asked her.

Another silence ensued in the other line.

"Lizzy?" I said her name.

"Ah, okay. Just a few minutes. Go and do it now." She answered, so I bid my good bye and ended the call immediately.

I quickly read the document and tried to absorb it quickly. I need to pass this to Mikaela already. That is why I need to finish it.

After a few minutes of reading and checking the document, I signed the document and went out of my office. I handed the document to Mikaela and told her I would go down for a while to the lobby.

Why do I still have this trashy attitude?

Hearing her say that a while ago, I realized that it was partly my fault too. I should not have said those in the first place and asked her calmly about her reason for going here.

Lizzy is worried about me. That is why she is bothering me. Why can't I see this?

Maybe I was blinded by my plan, that I was avoiding them because of her.

"Lizzy," I called when I got down to the lobby. "I am very sorry. I am just too busy today." I apologize. "I will recuperate okay? Please understand that I should not have taken out my frustration on you. I did not mean that." I explained.

Lizzy quickly gave me a hug and said, "I am not mad. I just wanted to make you happy. That is why I am doing this." She said and let go of me, finally showing her wide smile.

"So where is your gift?" I asked her.

She replied, "It went to the comfort room." That made me wonder.

I hope this gift was not a prank. I don't want to be mad at her for real. I might say something bad that will make her angry or disappointed once again. Please.