After concluding the second meeting, Felix opted to drive straight home since Michael had declined his invitation to grab a drink together tonight. Upon his arrival, he found that Nicholas and Isabelle had not yet returned from work. As Felix stepped inside, he discovered that Audrey and Celine had yet to have their dinner, as they had been patiently awaiting his return.
'How was school today?' Felix enquired, addressing his sisters as they settled down for dinner in the spacious dining area.
Audrey's smile faltered, her fingers fiddling with a strand of hair. 'Stressful,' she muttered.
'Beautiful,' Celine chimed in, her eyes sparkling.
Felix turned his attention to Audrey, his brow furrowing slightly with concern. 'Why do you say that, Audrey?'
'Isn't going to university stressful?' Audrey replied, her tone heavy with fatigue.
Felix nodded understandingly. 'It can be, but you're managing well. And you're also looking for an escort for your debut, right?'
'If that's your concern, I can help you find someone to escort you,' Celine offered with a smile.
Audrey's eyes flashed with irritation. 'That's my business, not yours. What? Do you want to bring your little boyfriend to escort me? You seem to think highly of yourself, little sister,' Audrey retorted.
Celine flinched slightly, a hint of hurt colouring her eyes. 'No, I was actually going to ask Nathan to escort you,' she said, her smile faltering.
Felix, sensing the rising tension, interjected with a suggestion. 'You don't have to go all out with a ballroom-type birthday celebration if you don't want to. We could always go to the hot springs with Michael, like we talked about.'
'That's not a bad idea,' Celine conceded, 'but I don't think it's quite the right fit for Audrey's 18th birthday. I want my big sister to have the best. Audrey is celebrating her coming of age, and she deserves to dress up and make a stunning impression on the world. Dad has promised to be there despite his busy schedule... He will be your first dance in the 18 roses,' Celine giggled.
'Then who will be the last dance?' Felix asked.
'Well, that depends,' Celine explained, a mischievous glint in her eyes, 'it could be a special someone, a suitor, or maybe even her best friend.'
Audrey sighed, a touch of longing in her voice. 'Unfortunately, I don't have any of those right now.'
Felix suggested, taking a bite of his rice, hoping to steer the conversation towards a less elaborate option, 'The hot springs still sound good to me.'
Celine's smile faltered slightly. 'This isn't some silly birthday party, Felix. This is just like the Filipino tradition of celebrating a girl's 18th birthday with a grand party. It's similar to quinceañera or sweet sixteen, where she has a hand-picked entourage of 18 individuals. This kind of birthday isn't new to you guys, but you pretend not to know, and it's frustrating me,' she grumbled.
Audrey picked up an omelette roll with her fork and placed it on Celine's plate. 'All right, all right,' Audrey conceded, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, 'I accept the grand celebration.'
'Thank you, Audrey! I'll have to invite some of my classmates,' Celine replied, her face lighting up with excitement.
Felix wasn't particularly fond of the idea of the 18th debut birthday, but since the girls were enthusiastic about it, he had no choice but to gladly welcome it.
'I will be going shopping with Prince this Saturday. I had wanted big brother Felix to take me to the mall today, but he didn't show up. Instead, Jessica did,' Celine shared.
Felix chuckled. 'I don't need someone who will rip me off. Glad I escaped your wrath.' He winked at Celine, then lowered his head and continued eating silently.
'Audrey, we'll have Dior make your dress. What do you think? Celine asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
'Perfect pink princess dress,' Audrey nodded in agreement.
After dinner, Celine video-called Prince. 'Prince, did that mechanic fix your car properly?' she enquired.
'Yup,' Prince replied.
'Have you had dinner?' Celine asked.
'A few minutes ago. What about you?' Prince enquired.
'Yup,' Celine replied with a smile. 'Do you already miss me?'
'Very much,' Prince smiled warmly.
The two of them were having a lively chat when suddenly Audrey walked out from behind Celine.
'Celine, do you want some chocolate cake? I bought it on my way from school. You'll love it. The chocolate was imported all the way from Italy. It's deliciously yummy,' Audrey offered.
When Prince saw Audrey behind Celine, he waved at her.
Celine turned around and took the cake. 'Thank you.'
'It's really delicious. You might want to teleport some to Prince through the phone,' Audrey joked.
'No, Celine doesn't have to teleport the cake. She's not a witch,' Prince smiled. 'I'm okay seeing it from here.'
Audrey waved her hand playfully. 'You two continue with your bedroom talk.' She then walked upstairs to her room.
Audrey's comment made Celine blush. After a lengthy chat, Celine and Prince bid each other goodnight and retired to bed.