"Which one do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?"
Lannie's sudden question caught Anna off guard, but she didn't hesitate to answer. "The bad news, I guess?" Anna is not even sure if she wants to hear the bad news. Either way, she will get both answers, so picking the bad news first is not big of a deal.
"Well, I was hoping you would like to pick the good news first, but if that's what you want then, I will gladly tell you." Before coming here, Lannie was debating if she wanted Anna to know of not so good news to Anna. She's afraid that Anna might get angry because even herself, she's quite angry. Nevertheless, Anna has the right to know. "I heard from my parents that my brother's so-called childhood sweetheart is back, and I got a feeling that she's gonna do something bad."
When Anna heard that, her movements stopped for a few seconds then, she answered. "I see."
Her answer wasn't the one that everyone at the table is expecting, especially Lannie. They all thought that Anna would be panicking after hearing that or at least slightly worried about that so-called childhood sweetheart.
Anna's calm demeanor is somewhat making them worry for her. They are not sure if Anna is confident that nothing will happen and she is just only trying so hard to calm herself after hearing the news, either way, they want Anna to be honest with them.
"'I see'? That's it? That's the only thing you want to say about this bad news?" Lannie wants to confirm if there is another specific feeling that Anna is trying to hide from them. But even after she asked that question, Anna still remained calm.
"Yes. That's it." Anna said. She looks at Lannie, and knew exactly what's she's thinking. "Don't get me wrong, Lannie. I am worried about that person, however, worrying too much is not gonna do me any good. Besides, I trust your brother."
"You're unbelievable," Lannie spoke. "I know I shouldn't be saying this because I'm his little sister, but you shouldn't put too much trust in my brother. It's not good, you might get hurt in the end." Lannie appreciates that Anna trusts her brother that much, however, she fears that with that much trust, the more painful it is for Anna to bear if somehow her brother betrays Anna.
"There is nothing I could do. If she's back, she's back. I can't do anything about it. But that doesn't that I won't fight back if ever she retaliates." There are no ifs in this situation, she knew that the person Lannie is warning her of is going to retaliate.
In her past life, everyone knew that that person likes to destroy every woman who tries to get close to Kyle. And since she has a powerful background and Kyle behind her, everyone is afraid of her.
Now that Anna is thinking about it, she remembers that whenever there is a scandal between that person and Kyle, the scandal of them was immediately removed by the next day. Anna suspects that there was nothing going on between them, and that person was the one who spread that she and Kyle are together.
With that thought in mind, her worries about that person are decreasing a little bit. 'Let's see what else you can do.' Anna inwardly said.
Aaron noticed that smirk on his sister's face and couldn't help but frown at her. "Why are you smirking like that? Don't tell me that you're planning something towards that person." If his sister is going to move first, then Aaron wouldn't mind giving his sister a helping hand.
"Just because I'm smirking that does not mean that I'm planning something. I'm not as wicked as you think I am, brother." Anna admits that she always smirks when she feels wants to mess up her prey, but it's not always like that. Knowing that is how her brother thinks that whenever she smirks she's up to no good, is somewhat making her sad.
He's making her feel like she's the bad guy.
"What? I'm not saying that. You're the who said that, not me." Aaron spoke in a defensive tone.
"That's basically what you were saying, Aaron," Zen spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. He too thought the same thing as Aaron. Zen once heard from Aaron that Anna used to be this quiet girl and doesn't have the confidence to stand up for herself. It's hard for Zen to imagine that was like that before, that is why his default thinking of when Anna is smirking, she's planning something.
"Anyways," getting tired of the conversation they are having, Anna turns around and asks Lannie. "What's the good news do you have for me?"
As soon as Lannie heard that, a huge smile appeared on her face. "Uncle Alfonso, is going to launch his new designs soon, and guess who's going to wear those dresses? You, of course!" Anna is tall and anyone could mistake her as a model, and having Anna walking the stage with her uncle Alfonso's new designs is making Lannie shiver in excitement. "Anna, you're perfect for the job."
Not even giving it a second thought, Anna immediately replied. "That's not good news for me. That's bad news." She said firmly. At the moment, she is still a high school girl and her schedule is already packed. She has her school to attend, training under Martha, and training under her father. The times that she is free from those schedules, she wants to at least spend those times to be with her family, friends, or with Kyle.
If she agrees to her uncle Alfonso's set-up, then she will have no more free time. And it's going to be too exhausting for her to bear.
"How come?" Lannie asked. Ever since the last event, Lannie has been wanting to see Anna like that again. Anna looks so confident and natural, and in her eyes, Anna was the most beautiful person on that stage. Even her brother thinks so too. It would be such a shame if Anna turns this offer down.
Anna is about to say her reason, but her brother spoke first. "She's only saying that because she's lazy. Don't worry, Lannie. I will force my sister to be part of that." Aaron gave Lannie a reassuring smile, and Lannie felt great happiness inside her.
"Great! I'll call uncle Alfonso now!" After she said that Lannie turns around and left everyone. She did not even give Anna the chance to speak.
With an angry look on her face, Anna spoke to her brother. "What was that? I didn't say yes, and I won't"say yes. Why would you put words in my mouth? Brother, you know that I don't have a lot of time in my hands right now." Her schedule and her brother's schedule are practically the same, and she can't understand why her brother is this to her.
Is this some sort of revenge towards her? If so, then her brother is being way too childish.
"Anna, you have been way on top of our family matter, but shouldn't you be focusing on yourself more, especially at our age? It's sweet and very considerate of you to think of our family first before anything else, however, you have to take a break. If you take part in uncle Alfonso's runway show, I'm sure you're going to have fun." From time to time, he may seem like he doesn't care about their family matters, but he does. He observes in silence, he observes even when he's goofing around, and when it's time to speak his mind, he will.
Right now, he is speaking what is on his mind because he saw that his sister is working way too hard for their family. He has no idea why she's working so hard, and he does appreciate her every effort. However, because of her working way too hard, he thinks that it's time for him to set a limit for his sister.
"I don't care if you agree to it or not, you are still going. I'll tell our father that you couldn't come, so don't worry too much." Forcing his sister to go is not exactly the 'break' he was talking about, but all that matter is for his sister to have fun, at least once in a while.
"Aaron doesn't really push you to do a lot of things, but I think it's better that you listen to him now, Anna. You never have seen your brother get angry, have you?" Josh spoke. He sounded like he is giving Anna good advice, but it is not like that. In fact, he is having fun watching her and her brother having a conversation like this.
Despite her irritation in Josh's words, Anna knew that her brother is serious this time and yes, she has never seen her brother get angry. And she would love it if she won't have to see it. Ever.
Full of unwillingness in her heart, Anna replied. "Fine."