Chapter 38 - Dean’s POV

We arrived at the Thunderbird Resort a little later than we wanted. We left Baguio later than we wanted and got stuck in a traffic jam going out of the city.

Sylvia’s parents were gracious to take care of Jax while we were away. I was expecting Jax to throw a tantrum because we’re not taking him. But to my surprise, he only asked to bring him grapes when we returned.

I love Jax isn’t a brat like most kids his age are. He’s a testament to how great a mother Sky is, and I couldn’t be prouder.

My lips could not help but smile when I remembered how Sky said she loved me. Of course, I had to make sure it wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment utterance. Nothing could match the happiness I felt when she said she loved me again and again. It was simply divine.

Phil had reserved a small function room for this event, which shows how mellow the celebrant is as a person. Most eighteen-year-olds would opt for a princess-like celebration as a rite of passage but Daisy liked it toned down. Despite being a low-key dinner among family and friends, Phil still made sure the function room was well-decorated.

There were flowers everywhere and by the size of the roses that littered the venue, they were definitely from abroad. Phil really spoiled his sister rotten.

“Dean!” a gleeful, petite girl threw herself at me. “I’m glad you came!”

“Happy Birthday, Daisy.”

“Thanks! Aren’t you going to introduce me to your companion?” she asked, giving Sky a toothy smile.

“This is my girl, Sylvia. Via, this Daisy, she’s Phil’s youngest and only sister.”

“Happy Birthday, Daisy. This is for you.” Sky handed her a box. “I did not know what you wanted but I hope you’ll like that.”

“Of course. Uhm…” Daisy looked at Sky from underneath her brows and she fiddled with the bow of Sky’s gift. She wet her lips twice before she continued, “Sorry, I hope you don’t mind me asking. Did you write online? Like Wattpad?”

Sky looked a little taken aback by Daisy’s question. Her cheeks flushed a little, and she swallowed hard.

“Uhm, yeah, back in college.” I noticed Sky avoided Daisy’s eyes.

“I knew it!” Daisy snapped her fingers when she heard Sky’s confirmation. “Sylvia Night, right? That’s you, right?”

“Uhm…” Daisy made Sky uncomfortable. She looked like she had swallowed a fly. What the fuck is up?

“OMG! It really is you!” Daisy shrieked and hugged Sky. Her kilowatt smile brightened the room.

“You read my work?”

Daisy nodded her head like a puppy at Sky’s question. Her wide eyes shimmered as she looked at Sky like some demigod. “But you only turned eighteen. I mean… you are not—”

“Via, can I call you that? Let’s go inside. I’ll introduce you to my friends.” Daisy cut off Sky, who still looked confused and flustered. “Dean, Phil, and the rest are there. Go!”

WTF! Did she just shoo me away?!? She and Sky walked away from us and into a group of teenagers huddled in a corner. Like Daisy, her friends were shrieking and fawning at Sky.

“What’s going on?” Vince asked. He and Joey walked in with Phil, Joash, and Stefan tailing them. All their eyes were at the small crowd of teenagers huddling over Sky.

“Beats me.” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Daisy recognized Sky and said she read some of her work in Wattpad or something.”

Joey coughed her drink when she heard what I said. Vince helped her wipe his mouth and when she’s breathing properly she asked. “Are you sure Daisy said she read Via’s work?”

“Yeah. She called her Sylvia Night or something.”

Joey shook her head at my answer, looking at Daisy and her friends. “Phil, talk to your sister. Sylvia Night’s work is definitely not an underage read. If you know what I mean.”

“I’m sorry, Joey, but I don’t know what you mean,” said Phil, whose frown got deeper.

“Well, Sylvia got some following as you can see,” she pointed to the group that circled around Sky. “How do I say this… uhm…” the more Joey talked, the more uncomfortable she looked. “Think E. L. James,” she looked at our faces, but our blank expressions told her we did not get her reference. “Fifty Shades of Grey? Erotica? BDSM?” Joey lengthened the way she said her words to help jog something in our brains.

A collective gasp came from our mouths. Then we all looked at Via and the group of teenagers huddling about her.

“What?!?” I recovered first.

“Yup, Via writes erotic fiction back in college to kill time.”

“Wow! Via, Via, Via” Joash said, patting my shoulder. He handed me his smartphone, which displayed Sky’s author page.

She had millions of followers. Wow. Who knew my Sky had such a following. It’s a feat and I am one proud boyfriend. But erotica? I never thought she’d pen something in that genre.

I mean yeah, Sky’s got some moves but then if she wrote her work when she was in college, it meant she was inexperienced then. How the hell did she know what to write? I made a mental note to read her books.

Daisy finally returned Sky to me.

“Sylvia Night?” Phil asked with a smirk, with his brow arched. Sky was as red as a tomato and could not look at us, especially me.

“Uhm… that was a long time ago. I have not written in years.”

“Five years,” chimed Daisy.

“What?” Phil asked his sister. His brows almost fused together as he tried to make sense of his sister’s utterance.

“Her last work, Secret Obsession, was last updated five years ago.”

“You were reading my work five years ago? How old were you then? Thirteen?”

“Uhm… Come Via, they’re serving food already. The chef my brother invited is my favorite.” Daisy pulled Sky away and walked towards the long table setup at the middle of the room.

“Daisy, we’ll have a talk after this,” Phil said to his retreating sister.

“That’s the reason you should control the use of technology at home,” said Joash.

Stefan had been quiet the whole time. He only smiled and followed us to the long table.

We all gathered around the table. My forehead creased when I saw Sky sitting with Daisy and her clique. Hmm, did Daisy think Sky was my gift to her? I could only shake my head as I took my seat with my friends. It’s her birthday, I’ll let today slide.

Sky looked like she’s enjoying the company she’s with. From time to time, I would see her blush and Daisy and her friends would giggle. I don’t need to ask what they’re talking about. I could not help but smirk. Erotica, huh? Let’s see what else she got later..

The servers brought in the food, and we all dug in after singing Daisy a happy birthday song.

“Hi, I hope I’m not late,” a high-pitched woman’s voice cut the noise in the room. All eyes were on her.

A tall and slender woman, wearing an almost see-through gown, with a cleavage so low, it almost reached her navel. She sauntered towards the table where we gathered. My brows frown at the sight of her. Then my eyes looked at Sky, who, like me, had her brows knit, but unlike the curiosity on her face, my face turned dark. What is she doing here?

“I see everyone’s here. Happy Birthday, Daisy baby,” she said, smiling at Daisy but not stepping towards her. Instead, she walked towards me. Her arm snaked around my neck, and she gave my mouth a kiss.