The two ladies were puzzled by the sudden action of the two brothers. Alveena was about to complain when Andrew scooped a spoonful of fruit salad and stuffed it into her mouth thus stopping her from saying another word.
Alveena glared at Andrew for his action however she had no choice but to shut up and chew the fruits inside her mouth.
Zhen-Zhen, on the other hand, gave Tristan a questioning look. Tristan just smiled at her sheepishly and asked her something else to divert her attention.
"Wifey, did you see FaMo and Pam-Pam? Shall we let them eat with us?"
Zhen-Zhen roamed her eyes to search for FaMo and Pam-Pam then she pointed her finger to FaMo who was already sitting next to Tristan. His eyes were glued on the table where the food was served.
FaMo was already waiting for them to give him his food. Pam-Pam also walked over to approach them.
"Here they are hubby," Zhen-Zhen said with a cheerful smile playing across her face.
Sophia and Matthew just watched the two pairs helplessly, holding their laughter. Matthew invited everyone to start eating. He made sure to accommodate and entertain Sophia.
Matthew was very attentive to her while they were eating. The other people's presence helped them not be awkward with each other as they were now acting naturally in front of each other, unlike before when the two of them were just alone.
During the meal, they started to talk about what happened in the selection of Campus Belle as Andrew was curious about how other students react upon seeing Zhen-Zhen's real appearance.
"If you just saw their reaction you would laugh at them. Everyone was so shocked. Those who mocked and insulted Lillie before felt like they were slapped on the face. They even accused her of hiring someone to represent her during the event," Sophia mumbled enthusiastically.
She couldn't help but rejoice whenever she would remember the faces of the people who looked down on Lillie. Jade's and Athena's reactions including their friends' reactions at the end of the program were also priceless. They never imagined that they would lose to Zhen-Zhen.
"Yeah, what a sweet revenge against those women who tried to bully my friend, Sophia," Zhen-Zhen also commented with a triumphant smile on her face.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Oh, wait… so Sophia and Lillie are still college students? How old are you ladies? Does it mean I am the oldest girl here?!" Alveena said exasperatedly, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"I'm 19 turning 20 next month," Sophia answered her.
Zhen-Zhen, on the other hand, glanced at FaMo meaningfully. If they would count her real age then she should be 101 years old right now. She was sealed during her first birthday. She got out after a hundred years.
Tristan had no idea about Zhen-Zhen's real age. He was about to ask FaMo whom he thought was Zhen-Zhen's father but he often forgot. Once they were at home, his mind was always occupied by Zhen-Zhen.
But to answer Alveena's question, Tristan was the one who spoke up. "Lillie is 20 years old." That's the age of Lillie Meyer if only she was still alive today.
"Wow, I am with beautiful young ladies who look like my younger sisters. I am 24 turning 25 this year so you can call me Older Sister, Haha just omit the word Older… just call me Sister Alvee or Veena. I want to adopt the two of you as my little sisters," Alveena said spontaneously with her exhilarated voice.
"I am the youngest so I didn't have the chance to have younger siblings. And my older brother is no fun at all. He's scary and pretty strict. His attitude is very rigid. Ahh just thinking about him is giving me a lot of stress," she added while lamenting to them.
Andrew shook his head as he massaged the space between his brows. 'Here we go again. She's starting to get hyper. Sigh.'
Zhen-Zhen and Sophia just smiled at her. To be honest, they liked Alveena. Her attitude was very bubbly and so refreshing. She's also frank and tactful. She was always saying what's on her mind.
Her jolly and unrestrained behaviors made her stand out. She's nice, friendly, and approachable too, not a snob.
"I don't have siblings either. I also want to experience having siblings, so can I treat you and Sophia as my sisters?" Zhen-Zhen asked them with her dreamy eyes.
"Of course! I will be happy with that!" Sophia promptly responded.
"From now on, the three of us are sisters, though not by blood, but by spirits!" Alveena declared to them, smiling broadly at them.
Sophia and Zhen-Zhen bobbed their heads frantically in agreement with Alveena's last remarks.
Tristan heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that. 'Yeah, it's better this way, rather than Alveena hitting on my wife. Whoah, I really thought she was into girls the way she reacted a while ago.'
"You know what Lillie if you are not married already, I am planning to make you my sister-in-law by introducing and shipping you with my brother. Don't worry… He is very handsome too. Hahaha. Maybe you are the one who can melt his stone-cold heart," Alveena blatantly said without thinking and restraining herself.
There was a moment of silence when Alveena had finished saying those words.
'Uh oh… Why do I feel that trouble is coming?' Matthew thought to himself after hearing Alveena's statement. He reflexively moved his gaze to check Tristan's reaction.
Andrew did the same as glanced in Tristan's direction. Andrew had the urge to seal Alveena's mouth when he noticed that his brother's expression suddenly changed.
'Damn… this girl. What should I do to her? She doesn't know how to stop her blabbering mouth! Grrr.'
The two men could sense it. They could feel the chilly aura emanating from Tristan. It seemed that Alveena accidentally touched his pressure point. Pairing Zhen-Zhen up with another man was a great taboo for Tristan.
Even Sophia suddenly felt the chilly atmosphere in the living room. Did someone turn on the AC?
Alveena, who was oblivious to the action she had done wrong and words she should have never said, turned to Andrew when she felt his hand gripping hers tightly.
She was about to ask him what's wrong when Andrew stood up and pulled her up with him. "Come with me. Let's go grab some cold drinks in the fridge."
Andrew was staring at her with a serious warning look. Alveena didn't ask further and just followed him obediently.
Sophia also turned to Matthew, feeling a little bit anxious. She somehow felt uncomfortable seeing the very quiet Tristan who was now wearing a grim expression.
Matthew just patted Sophia's back while giving her a reassuring smile. This was his way of saying "Don't worry too much. Lillie could handle this."
Matthew also stood up and asked Sophia to help him put the empty plates on the table to the kitchen sink.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmZhen-Zhen, who noticed the sudden change in Tristan's mood, decided to confront him.
"Hubby, are you upset? Are you offended by Alveena's words?" Zhen-Zhen grabbed his arm and leaned to his side.
Tristan glanced at Zhen-Zhen, sighing deeply. "I'm sorry, wifey. I didn't mean to ruin the mood. It's just that… I don't want you to be paired up with another man. I could easily get jealous."
"Alveena is a beautiful woman. I am sure her brother is also good-looking. What if she will try to matchmake you to her brother? I will have another competitor." Tristan expressed his concern with Zhen-Zhen.
Meow! Meow! Meow!
FaMo: "Good Tristan. You should feel threatened because my Zhen-Zhen could easily attract so many admirers. Make sure to cherish and treasure her or else, you might lose her to them."
Zhen-Zhen gave FaMo a warning look when she heard his statement. FaMo immediately shut his mouth and went back to eating his food together with Pam-Pam.
Then Zhen-Zhen averted her gaze back to Tristan who was still pouting his lips while frowning.
She cupped his face and turned him to her side so that they were now facing each other.
p
"No one can ever replace you in my heart." Zhen-Zhen grabbed Tristan's hand and placed it on her chest where her heart was located.
"Can't you feel it? Can't you hear it? It's only beating for you." Zhen-Zhen softly said, her eyes filled with love and affection for him.
Tristan was touched by her sweet loving sincere words. All the unhappiness and worries he felt moments ago just disappeared.
Without saying anything, Tristan grabbed Zhen-Zhen's chin using his free hand as he leaned over to kiss her lips.
'Damn! I'm so madly in love with this woman.'