Chapter 92 - She's Not Interested...

James was planning to confess to her and let her know that he was no longer the one betrothed to her, but instead, it was Ashton. However, after seeing how adorable she looked with her glowing pearly white teeth showing on her face, he decided against it and let her believe that she belonged to him. He stayed silent and let her continue talking. 

"If it makes you feel better, don't worry, I'm not interested in anyone." She wanted to add 'but you!' But she didn't. "First of all, I'm still young and have many dreams. Boys don't come into the picture at all. Second, I want to concentrate on my studies and make my family proud, and once I fulfill that, I will fulfill the agreement our fathers made and marry you. How does that sound?" Her innocence was brightly seen in her eyes.

She spoke so calmly as if they were talking about something else and not their future together as husband and wife. So James decided to just agree on everything she said to make her happy. He would figure out how to tell her later when the time came...

It was very late when James finally left. As much as he wanted to stay longer, Ava still needed to rest. She also needed to pack and get ready to go back to the Philippines.

===

The next day, everyone at the Royal Academy was busy preparing to go home. So many vehicles were already lined up, waiting to take home their children.

Prince Edmund wanted to say goodbye to Ava but was too embarrassed to show his face. He contemplated so many times on whether or not he should go to her, but he decided to forget it and wait until they met again in the long run.

James came early to say goodbye to everyone. 

When Akira found out that James would be staying in the resort for the duration of the vacation, she wasn't happy. 

"Why do you have to stay? I thought that maybe you could come with us to visit grandma and grandpa in the Philippines. That way, we can also hang out with them. Come on, older brother...." She was holding James's arms while pleading.

James only smiled as he looked at his younger sister. If only she knew that it was what he wanted as well. Unfortunately, he already made a promise to his uncle.

"I will try and ask uncle Arman; if he says I can go home and it would be fine, then I can still join you guys later. We still have a lot of time, don't worry." He was looking at Ava as he spoke. Akira saw all this, and she knew he would do everything in his power to get out of working at the resort.

"Alright! I'm going to get my things ready; why don't you see if Ava needs some help." She then pushed her older brother towards Ava's room.

===

When Ava saw James peeking on the other side of her door, a simple smile popped on her lips. "Hello, big brother! Did you get any sleep?" She asked while putting away some of her things into a suitcase.

"Can I come in?" He asked instead of replying to her question.

"Sure!" She answered without looking as she continued what she was doing. She was in a good mood because James had come to say goodbye. Although they spent all night talking, the thought of not seeing him for a long time while they were on vacation dampened her mood. But after seeing him now, everything felt better.

"Akira was asking me to ask our uncle if I could skip working at the resort this time. I planned on speaking to my dad and uncle, and if they approve, I can come to visit you in the Philippines. What do you think about that?" He wanted to know what she thought. 

"Really?! If you can do that, it will be fun!" She answered excitedly. It was the signal that James was looking for, so he decided that he would do everything in his power to get out of working at the resort.

====

Meanwhile, back in the Philippines, a big welcome home and congratulatory celebration were prepared at the Island Resort owned by Mega World Intl. Group.

The same company that arranged the biggest wedding in the history of the Philippines was in charge. Rita, the CEO of the company, personally attended to everything. Her husband, the renowned 3-star Michelin chef, was in charge of the food.

The husband and wife duo wanted to make sure that nothing could go wrong. They owed everything to Jeff and Ann; if they didn't hire them for their wedding, they would not have been as rich and famous as they are now.

"Make sure that nothing is lacking. Everything has to be flawless." So ordered Rita to one of her crew that was in charge of the table arrangement.

"Yes, ma'am! I'm making sure that everything is perfect as you instructed." Replied the woman in charge.

Rita continued walking around, checking everything one by one. Once she was satisfied that nothing was lacking and was in impeccable order, she continued towards the kitchen, where she found her husband barking orders left and right.

She approached him silently from behind, "Sweetheart, don't be nervous. It's not the first time. We have been at their service for more than a decade now, and I never once heard a complaint from them." She said nonchalantly while surveying all the dishes that were being prepared.

After carefully looking over, she was satisfied with what she saw. Rita then bid her husband goodbye to make her report to Chairman Jeff Go and his wife, Ann.

===

Jeff and Ann came to pick up the children to bring back home for vacation. Unfortunately, President Grant and First Lady Andrea couldn't come to pick up Pearl, so they asked Jeff and Ann to do them a favor by dropping her off. However, Pearl had other things in mind.

"I'm going to ask my parents if they will let me stay with you guys during vacation. It's too boring at the White House. I have no one to hang out with." Said Pearl as they were getting ready to board the plane. 

"Why don't you ask them now while we haven't left yet. That way, we don't have to fly to America to drop you off." Suggested Arria while looking at Akira to help her out. "Better yet, why don't you ask my mom to talk to you mom." She added.

When Pearl heard Arria's suggestion, she quickly went to look for Ann. She found her comfortably seated next to Jeff, talking about something. She cleared her throat as she approached them to let them know her presence.

"Ahem! Aunt Ann, may I please have a word with you?" She shyly asked while looking at the couple while her lip was curved into a smile.

Ann looked at Jeff, telling him to leave for a moment. Jeff quickly stood up and patted Pearl's hair.

"She's all yours; I'll be over there. Let me know when you're done." She told Pearl as he left to sit with Ava.

Pearl swiftly sat down next to Ann and went into detail about what she wanted. After Ann heard what she wanted to do, she quickly took out her phone and called Andrea. It didn't take long, and when she hung up, she was smiling.

"You're all set; your mother said it's fine. You can stay with us during vacation." She then patted Pearl's head before ushering her to go ahead and tell Jeff to come back so she could inform him.

Pearl was quick to get up. She went straight where Jeff was busy talking to Ava.

"Uncle Jeff, Aunt Ann said for you to go back now she needs to tell you something." After informing Jeff, she only smiled at Ava before going to sit next to Arria.

"Guess what! I'm going to spend my vacation with you guys. My mom said it's okay, so we don't need to stop over in America." She happily informed Arria, who in turn gave her a tight embrace.

===

The plane would stop over in Japan to pick up Ashley, as she was going to the Philippines to spend time with her family. Unfortunately, Tanaga was on a business trip and couldn't join them. 

Ashley was already waiting for them at the tarmac when they landed in Japan. They wasted no time since it was already late. While they were refueling the plane, Ashley boarded. Soon they were on the air heading to the Philippines.

It was late in the evening when they arrived in the Philippines. A vehicle was already waiting for them at the tarmac when the plane landed. 

They first dropped off Ashley and Akira at the Gusman's home. Then they planned on going straight to the island resort where the whole family was waiting for their arrival. However, Arria complained that she was tired from the long flight and wanted to sleep in her own bed.

Jeffrey and Ava followed their younger sister and yawned to show their parents.. The couple could do nothing but give in and tell the driver to take them home.