Akira got up and returned his greeting, "Hello! To you too! Idol!" She bantered, then winked at Ashton.
Pearl, who also stood up, listened to Ashton and Akira while waiting for her turn, full of anticipation. In the past, whenever she watched a concert, she was never allowed to meet and greet the idols. Her father forbade her from being exposed to danger. So she usually only got to sit in the audience with at least 4 bodyguards around her all the time.
Once, she thought it was her turn, "hello Asthon!" So she greeted him while her hand was waving.
Ashton smiled at her then winked. "Hi, Pearl! You look gorgeous with your get-up." Making her blush after hearing the compliment from her idol. Goosebumps were visible on her arms.
Ava, who had earbuds on both ears, was engrossed listening to 'EXODUS' music. She wasn't very familiar with the group, and she wanted to hear their songs before the concert so she could sing along. Unknown to her that Ashton had been trying to get her attention for a while.
After trying several times and she still didn't notice him, Akira tapped her shoulder to get her attention. Only then did she push the pause button on the screen of her phone before raising her head to look in Ashton's direction. She then saw a lopsided grin on a handsome face looking right at her. She was dumbfounded for a moment, and a blush crept on both her cheeks.
"Oh, hello! I'm sorry! I didn't know you guys arrived. I love your outfits; they look great on you." She complimented him on easing the embarrassment that she was feeling at the moment.
Ashton slightly turned his head down and bent closer to Ava's ear. "You look sweet and hmmm—adoring with your outfit. How come you three wore the same designs, but it looks different on you." He said flirtatiously with a seductive voice.
That earned a raised brow from Ava and a glare. One thing she hated was flirtatious boys, and Ashton seems to be one. Her nose was flaring as she clenched her jaw. She was about to say something insulting in return just to spite him, but suddenly their Manager came to inform them that they needed to go. The concert was about to begin...
The small crowd in the exclusive meet and greet were disappointed because they weren't able to get autographs and pictures with Ashton. They voiced their displeasure as the group left.
"I hate those girls; why did they take up all his time? I didn't get his autograph and pictures with him because of them." One girl said with a pouty lip.
"Hmph, you're not the only one. The same goes for all of us, we need to make sure that after the concert those girls aren't allowed to get inside the lounge. Who's with me?" Another girl said, and everyone around her agreed.
Crystal heard what they were saying, and she was smiling from ear to ear. But then she thought of Prince Edmund; if the girls were not allowed in, then Prince Edmund would leave with them. That cannot be! She needed to do something, or else...
She went toward the group of girls gathering their belongings to move to the concert hall. She stood in front of them with full authority.
"I heard what you were talking about earlier. I wouldn't do that if I were you. Those girls are highly connected, and you all could get in big trouble if they're unhappy." After warning them, she turned around toward Crown Prince Philip, who was getting ready to move to the concert hall.
====
After the concert, 'EXODUS' had a fan meet and greet with the VIP fans of about 50 people only, since they were tired and still needed to entertain the VVIP guests.
The venue for the VVIP guests was changed to the club inside a five-star hotel where 'EXODUS' was staying.
The girls and Prince Edmund had so much fun during the concert, and by the time it was over, they were worn out and ready to go back to the Royal Academy. Since they already had signed autographs and pictures with the group, it was decided that they would forgo the after-concert party and head back to the Royal Academy, to the disappointment of certain people, namely Ashton, Crystal, and Crown Prince Philip.
Ashton excused himself after less than 30 minutes with the excuse that he was tired and needed to make a call to his parents. When in truth, he wanted to call his younger sister Akira to find out what had happened.
Crown Prince Philip didn't feel like partying either after finding out that the girls didn't attend the party and excused himself as well, leaving Crystal to fend for herself since she wanted to stay with the idol group and have fun.
===
Ashton couldn't wait to arrive inside his room so he could facetime call his sister privately. As soon as he arrived in his room, he slumped down on the top of his bed before quickly dialing Akira's number...
Unfortunately, as soon as Akira arrived back at the Royal Academy, she went straight to her room, dumped her belongings on the top of the bed, and took a long bath. Her phone was vibrating and still inside her shoulder bag, so she didn't hear the phone ringing when Ashton made the facetime call.
After trying several times with no success, Ashton gave up and took a long shower to relax his tired muscles. Once he finished taking a shower, he once again tried to contact Akira. But, to no avail, she still didn't pick up. He gave up and called his twin brother James instead to give him the news about meeting Akira and her friends.
On the other side of the world, James was online playing games with Ava and busy chatting.
"So, did you have fun watching the concert?" Asked James nonchalantly while pushing the keyboards to kill the enemy in the games.
"Yea! It was cool! And you know what, big brother, you are right about your friend. The lead singer, after checking him out, I found him hmmm—adorable and very handsome ..." Ava said sheepishly with laughter in her voice.
James stopped typing on the keyboard and didn't know what to say after hearing what little sister said on the other line…