Chapter 58 - Ashton Wanted What James Has...

Unknown to Ava, Ashton, and James, their parents had been watching them from the corner of their eyes while they were eating. Tanaga and Jeff already made a plan to discuss their agreement over a poker game after dinner. And unknown to them, Ann and Ashley were also planning on having a conversation about the same matter.

The dinner was finally over, and everyone went back to their own villas to freshen up. When Ashton found out that James had his own room in the main hotel, he also wanted to have one. However, due to his popularity, Tanaga and Ashley didn't agree for him to stay by himself since his manager was not with them.

"But, mom... dad... I can take care of myself. I don't need a bodyguard or a manager to be with me. Please!!!" Ashton pleaded, using his charm on his mother.

Ashley looked at Tanaga, asking for help. However, Tanaga was quick to raise his hands, giving all the authority to Ashley to make the decision.

Akira, who was about to go to her room, heard what Ashton asked their parents. She quickly came back to the living also to ask for her to have a room at the main hotel.

"Mom... Dad!!! Ava, Pearl, and I also wanted our own room in the main hotel. Can we?" Akira butt in and began pleading just like his brother.

Tanaga decided to intervene. When he saw Ashley's brows almost colliding, he knew that she was getting upset. That's when he decided he needed to take over.

"Children! Listen up! How about this? I will speak to Jeff and Daniel later at the club about arranging two villas for all of you. One for the boys and one for the girls. How does that sound?" Tanaga said sternly.

Akira and Ashton could only agree after seeing their father's features. When his face becomes emotionless, they knew that he was already upset or to the point of getting there.

They knew better than to cross their father. He was not easy or as forgiving as their mother. The siblings jointly bid their mother and father goodnight and went straight to their room.

Ashley secretly laughed as the siblings left with their tails tucked in between their legs.

===

Inside a prestigious gentlemen's club, Tanaga, Jeff, King Alexander, Daniel, and King Ramon of the Spaniard Kingdom played poker while earnestly conversing about the children.

"I can't believe that time flies so fast. The children are almost adults. Just look at Alex's brother. When I got married, he was only two or three years old; now it's his coming of age." Said Jeff while staring at the card in his hand.

When there was no one around, the formality of their titles was gone. Instead, between friends and brotherhood, they called each other by their first names.

"True!" Replied Tanaga while sipping his brandy while the other hand was holding a big fat Cuban cigar.

"Look at our children; your twins are almost adults too, while my little Ava is now a teenager. I could still remember the day you brought James to our house when he bullied my angel." Jeff said jokingly as he threw chips in the middle of the table. "Raise a hundred more!" He added.

"Whoa! What do you have in there! Brave to raise a hundred more." Ramon bantered while staring at Jeff, who had his poker face on.

"I swear! It's hard to play poker with people that were born with a poker face." Daniel joked while looking back and forth at Tanaga and Jeff.

Ramon threw his cards in, "I fold! This is getting too expensive for my poor self." He then remembered what Jeff had said about Tanaga and his son James years ago. He got curious.

"Let me get this straight; you guys were serious about your brotherly covenant back then when we were drinking? So Tanaga actually brought his oldest son to meet your older daughter? When was this?" Ramon's eyes were staring wide back and forth between Jeff and Tanaga, waiting for an answer.

King Alexander was now also curious as to what they were talking about. He was not there when this had happened, and he wanted to know everything now, "Alright, guys! Don't keep the suspense; speak!" His voice was very commanding.

Tanaga looked at Jeff, "Should I tell the story or you?" A mischievous smile was vividly visible on his face.

Jeff straightened up and put down his cards on the table, "Okay, let's finish this game first. I really have a good hand this time. So, call or fold!" His face was void of any emotion as he spoke.

Everyone folded one by one as quickly as they could. Ramon, Daniel, and Alex were curious and could care less about losing the hand. Tanaga laughed out loud, he also folded his hand, but he knew that Jeff was bluffing. As soon as Jeff scoops the pot, Tanaga grabs Jeff's cards, and sure enough. He had nothing.

"Hey! Stop that!" Jeff's hand was quick to grab his card back and tucked it under all the dead cards.

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha!" All the men were laughing so hard their stomachs were hurting.

===

"Anyway, back when my princess was only five years old, Tan brought James over to visit her future bride. Before they came, I worked so hard to build the boy up to my little princess and told her that he was a brilliant and handsome young man, etc... etc... I even showed his picture as proof." He looked at Tanaga, "Remember I asked you a week before you came to send me a picture of him? I used that." He explained where the picture came from.

"Anyway, my little princess, who loves to paint, was so excited and decided to paint him with the help of her painting instructor. She worked so hard on it for a week, non-stop, and it came out really good; you wouldn't think a five-year-old had made it. On the day of their arrival, Ava asked her mother to make her as cute as she can be, not that she needed it." Jeff said proudly.

"To make a long story short, she was so excited that she waited for James at the garden to give him her masterpiece. I don't know what happened, but she came in at the parlor unhappy.. Then James came in later, and when we introduced them to each other. Guess what happened afterward?"