Chapter 4

Starlet was with her cousin, and her sister-in-law. They were shopping and catching up with each other. Star needed a dress for her mother's party which was later that night.

"Xiamie doesn't know what she's missing," Octavia said as she held up a shimmering dress and examined it.

"Oh, you have to get that one," Charlotte said approvingly. "Maybe it can change your dark personality."

"I don't know…" Starlet said lifting a magazine with their friend on the cover. "She made the most iconic wedding gown this year. Between her and her brother, they don't need to go shopping."

"Where is she anyway?" Charlotte asked.

"She said there was a family emergency," Octavia said as she put the dress against her front, turning this way and that way in front of the mirror. "No one is hurt, I did ask. She just said she could not talk about it and needed to be with her family."

"Odd." Charlotte said and then exclaimed, "What is she doing here?!"

"Who?" Starlet asked turning to look at whoever caught her cousin's gaze. She saw who it was and for a second, her breath stopped. She felt the blood rush in her ears but then she reminded herself of control.

It was Ayanda Hill in the flesh. She was outside the shop. She was having an intense discussion on her phone and trying to flag down a cab.

"Oh, her," Octavia said with a dispassionate voice. "She's having a bad week. I heard her agency cancelled her. Most companies dropped her. And new ones won't touch her." She picked up a black satin garment that looked like it had stars sewn into the hem.

Charlotte looked at her cousin with veiled speculation. Starlet said nothing and examined a random scrap of cloth.

Charlotte watched as the subject of their conversation got into a taxi and left.

"She's gone." She announced without ceremony and with a hint of relief. She didn't want a showdown between her cousin and that woman on social media. Bob Marks would freak.

Octavia picked up the dresses she wanted and took them to the pay register.

"I don't know about you guys but I am hungry!" she announced as she gave up her VIP card to the cashier.

"I am picking up your brother for lunch, do you want to join?" Starlet asked picking at the pile she had accumulated and picking up the few pieces she wanted.

"Sure," Octavia agreed readily as Star joined her at the check-out and handed over her bank card. "I haven't spoken to him face to face for a while."

"I'm having lunch with Rich," Charlotte said regretfully as she looked over what Starlet had abandoned picked what she wanted added it to her loot, which she took to the register.

"You guys arranged for lunch without me?" Star asked.

"No," Charlotte said with a mischievous grin. "I am going to surprise him."

Starlet laughed at that because Charlotte and Richard lived to annoy each other.

Starlet and Octavia drove separately. Star was getting out of her car when she saw Ayanda Hill knocking over a couple in her hurry to get out of the Blade Inc. building. The lady shouted at her and the man set off to pick up the papers they had dropped in the collision.

Starlet broke her gaze from the commotion when Octavia startled her by knocking on her window. She raised a finger turned off her engine and got out of the car. She grabbed her keys and picked up her purse. Then got out of the car and locked it, her gaze on the storming-off Ayanda.

"Did you see that?" she asked gesturing with her head to a storming off Ayanda.

"Yeah, I'll be that angry at you if you don't feed me," Octavia said drily.

Star grinned, put her arm through her sister-in-law, and started marching her towards the building's entrance.

"I get the hint, let's find your brother." She was smiling.

When they got to Lucien's office, they were pleasantly surprised to find his brother in his office too.

"Well, hello ladies!" Tristian said cheerfully coming over to the two women his arms extended.

He hugged Starlet first doing the exaggerated and dramatic kiss on both cheeks. She took it good-heartedly. He moved away from her to extend this greeting to his sister who stopped him off with one hand on his chest.

"Get any closer and I will have to depend on Lucy for nephews and nieces." She said in warning.

Getting the picture, he stepped away from her muttering something about hugging cacti and went to stand behind his Lucien who was frowning at the nickname. Only his siblings used it, he hated it. They didn't care.

"What brought you here anyway?" Tristian asked.

"Lunch is on Lucien," Octavia said as she picked up a crystal paperweight on Lucien's desk and held it up to the light.

"The Italian place down the street has the best crab ravioli," Tristian said suggestively to his sister ignoring the glare Lucien gave him.

Octavia put the paperweight down and went around the desk to start pulling on her brother.

"Come on," she said as she tugged on his arm. "I am starving! Move your behind Lucy!" she ordered a reluctant Lucian and Tristian followed the pair grinning as the effect he desired was acquired.

The four of them walked to the restaurant and got a table. They got their order and as they waited Octavia suddenly asked. "Does Ayanda have any business with Blade Inc?"

Everyone on the table froze for a second.

"She was going to be the face of our company until the recent bad press," Tristian said his tone was as cheerful as ever. "Too bad though because she has the look we were looking for."

"You know nothing about looks, Tristian," Octavia said to him.

Starlet was looking at her husband who had a carefully blank face.

"My goodness, Octopus" Tristian responded "Why are you in such a dark mood today? It's off-putting, don't show it to your dweeb boyfriend or he might run away."

"Don't you call him that," Octavia said angrily.

"Note how you don't disagree." Her brother shot at her. Octavia and Lucian glanced at each other shared a glance at each other and tried to cover their grins.

"You're a moron, Tristian," Octavia said flatly. "At least I have someone to go home to."

"Better than knowingly going home to a dweeb."

"You're toeing my line," Octavia warned her brother who raised his hands in surrender his shit-eating grin doing what it was meant to do by drawing a little snarl at his sister.

"We are in public," Lucien said as he took out his phone. "Try to act civil and not get us thrown out."

Octavia rolled her eyes at him and began softly tapping on the tabletop with her fingers. There was some silence. Lucien was going through his phone.

"I heard your cousin is holding an art exhibit this week, any good pieces I should look forward to?" Tristian asked Starlet.

"I sent some of mine to him. I think some of Gareth McCall's work will be too." She told him with a smile and leaned back as their food arrived and was placed on the table.

"Get off your phone, Lucy," Tristian said as waved some of the steam from his plate towards his brother.

Lucien shot him a look turned off the screen of his device and put it in his pants pocket.

"Or go back to what you were doing," Octavia said around a bite of ravioli. "I can eat for two."

Starlet loved how the family interacted with each other. This is what she wanted to have with Lucien a relationship where they were comfortable enough with each other that she could easily joke with him or playfully toss jabs with him.

She hoped that spending time with him would wear his negative feelings towards her down and they could actually be happy together. She wanted him to be her support and she wanted him to go to her when he needed someone to talk to.

Enough time spent and she would have that. At least that's what she envisioned. She saw him having dinner with her laughing with her, holding her hand and letting her lay her head on his shoulder.

But she had to wait. She was sure he still held some resentment towards her. If she reached out to brush that piece of hair falling on his brow, she was sure he would automatically recoil or bat his hand away.

"Star, I know my brother is pretty but you can stare at him at home where I'm absent," Octavia said and Tristan let out a quick surprised laugh before choking it back.

Lucien who had been focused on his risotto looked up at her and she smiled at him in embarrassment and picked up her cutlery.

He would never know how much she loved her. Never understand the feelings that danced in her chest when she saw him doing the most mundane things. She knew his habits and was used to the way he tapped a pen over his thigh when he was preparing for a board meeting and going over the figures. The way he paced his office when he was frustrated and making calls to fix an issue with the company.

He would never know the sadness that she felt when she saw an old couple. When she wondered if they had a chance of being like them one day. Knowing how much he hated her. Wondering if he would ever love her even a little. If he ever had.

She willed back the tears. She loved him and her love was selfish and stubborn. One day if she held on, he would love her. He would wake her up with breakfast in bed just because and they would go on walks her hand firmly in his. She needed to wait. He will love her. He was her soulmate. She just needed him to realise that she was his too. That there was no one else for him. No one who would love him more than her. Why did he fail to see that?