Chapter 147 - 146

Sara had installed a new aquarium in the living room to liven the place up, and Enzo had discovered that it had live fish in it, so it captivated his attention while the adults talked amongst themselves.

"Fish! Fish! Look, mama! They have different colors," he squealed in delight. He stuck his face on the glass and clapped when the big oyster opened up and blew bubbles into the water. 

Aurora called him an hour later, "Baby, it's time to have dinner."

"No, mommy, I want to look at the fish," he complained.

"We'll see them again later. There are yummy desserts on the table. Don't you like sweets?" Aurora tried to pick him up, but he wriggled free, "No! I want to look at the fish, mommy." he argued.

Dimitri intervened when Enzo started crying every time Aurora tried to pick him up. He knelt and wiped his son's face, "What is happening here? Stop crying," he instructed.

"Baby wants an orange fish. Look, dada! I want that," he pointed adoringly to the fish inside the aquarium.

"I don't know how to help him when he goes on these tantrums," Aurora sighed helplessly.

"Don't worry, I will talk to him," he reassured her.

"So tell me, does my baby want to have fish at home?" he asked his son.

"Yes, papa, please," Enzo wrapped his arms around Dimitri's neck, trying to be sweet, begging his father to let him have one.

"Then you should have dinner like a good boy. I will buy you one, and you can choose where to place it in our house," Dimitri said.

"Yay! I have the best papa," Enzo squealed happily and planted kisses on Dimitri's face.

"Dimitri, stop spoiling him,"  Sophia scolded.

"It's fine, having a pet is good for a growing child," he argued.

On the surface, it looked as if Dimitri was spoiling Enzo, but in reality, he gave in to his requests only when his father saw the need. Dimitri was very strict when it came to the important stuff. He wanted his son to grow up to be capable, intelligent, and hard-working, not wanting his son to think that everything was easy to get because they were rich. 

Enzo agreed to eat since his father promised to buy him his aquarium. During the first part of the meal, he happily showed everyone he was a big boy, how eating on his own was a breeze. He ate with gusto, but as the meal progressed, he kept asking his mother for sweets. 

"You didn't eat everything on your plate. Finish it off so you can have dessert," Aurora sternly instructed.

"I don't want veggies mama, I want sweets," he said as he pointed to the dessert plate in the middle of the table. Aurora glared at him, and he stopped whining.

Ava was having a problem of her own, "Sis, why didn't you ask them to prepare my favorite dish?"

Blake laughed out loud, "It seems like there is no difference between Ava and Enzo."

Ava pouted angrily and crossed her arms. She glared at Blake to stop him from laughing, but he just continued when he saw her take the same stance as Enzo.

"Enough!" Tristan narrowed his eyes at Blake.

And Sara consoled her sister while swatting Blake with her napkin, "Don't worry Ava, next time I will remind the chef to prepare all your favorites." 

"Little one, don't mind Blake, we'll get your favorite macarons on our way home," Tristan added to pacify Ava. She smiled and resumed eating.

"Mama, pleeeease…," Enzo continued his begging to have his way.

"Enzo, you need to protect your new fish, so you have to eat so you can be strong and tall like me. Be a good boy and finish all your veggies," Dimitri intervened before Aurora started scolding their son.

Enzo nodded as she slowly contemplated what his father said. Dimitri always knew what to say to sway his son from being hard-headed. "Yes, I need to protect my new fish. I will eat my veggies."

Sophia looked around the table with a smile on her face. This group of friends had the warmth of a family where everyone cared for each other genuinely. There was laughter, teasing, and playful banter. She understood that the men cared for each other like brothers, and was glad that she was part of it.  This is what she imagined having a good family would feel like.

On their way home, Aiden asked, "Did you like my friends?"

"Yes, they are very nice and welcoming. I liked how your friends received me with warmth right away," she answered.

"Ava, Sara, and Aurora meet up regularly to go to the spa or shopping. You should join them, it's good to get out of the office and get a break. Maybe you can start a hobby with them, make new friends," he suggested.

"Yeah, we talked about that. I have their contact numbers, so we would probably meet soon. It will be new to me, and I'm a little excited," she replied.

"Good. I'm happy that you're happy," Aiden took Sophia's hand and squeezed it. Everything felt just right.

-=-

Sophia had come to the Spa, she thought she could have a relaxing day, but then she spotted her aunt, Mrs. Sterling, and her cousin, Harper.

They were arguing with one of the attendants as she came in, "Madam, I'm sorry, but your appointment was only for one person. Please understand that we cannot accommodate both of you right now because we are fully booked."

Mrs. Sterling raised her voice, "My daughter has to attend an event with her fiancé. This event is very important." Her face got red when she saw Aurora being attended by someone else. 

"Did you lower your spa standards that anyone can just walk in here? I am Mrs. Sterling, and my husband owns the Sterling company. Why are you refusing my daughter your services and giving it to someone who came from the streets?" Mrs. Sterling screamed.

"Mom, please calm down, sister has an appointment. We cannot ask her to give up her spot," Harper replied with fake concern. She was implying Sophia should give her spot to Harper because her social status was higher.