Annabella’s Point of View:
The persistent ringing of my doorbell disturbed my relaxing moment. My laptop was beside me, and I was vibing to the music of my favorite Thai singer, A’ Muk. I was hesitant to leave the bed, hoping the person would leave, but when the knocking continued, I sluggishly got up and shuffled to the door.
“I just can’t have a moment of peace and quietness in my life. Not even for once!” I bemoaned, marching to the door. “Who is it?” I grumbled and mumbled a few angry words to myself.
The person at the other end refused to reply and kept giggling happily. I wanted to ignore whoever was at the door and continue with my moment of peace, but my curiosity caught the better part of me, and I bent to the door hole size. I peered through the door’s peephole, but I couldn’t see the person’s face clearly because a hand was obstructing the view.
“Umm.” I sighed, wondering what surprise awaited me at the other end. I turned to return to my room, but on remembering Rachel and her mischievous behavior, I reluctantly opened the door, wondering if she had come to greet me. When the door opened, the deep frown on my face was replaced with a look of shock, surprise, and excitement.
“Big sister!” Mira screamed excitedly, like a three-year-old child, and jumped on me.
“Hey, babe, what’s cooking?” Millen asked with a bored voice, and without waiting for my response, she pushed me away from the door and entered my house, her luggage held tightly in her hand.
“You won’t believe it, sister, but I bought the whole carton of teddy bears that was on display at the audition!” Megan, the eldest and most playful of my three adopted sisters, exclaimed with a loud, shrill voice. She opened her box, and I was astonished to see it covered with teddy bears. There were no single clothes.
“Where are your clothes, shoes, and make-up?” I asked curiously, amused by her carefree behavior.
“Oh! Teddy bears are more important than shoes. I will use your makeup, and if it’s about clothes, I will borrow those of Grumpy Millen.” Megan replied with a loud voice and shook her exalted body.
“Don’t even think of it! I’d rather feed them to street dogs than lend them to a feathered brain like you.” Millen’s icky voice echoed from the house, and I smiled at her cruel words. Megan didn’t look surprised; she just shrugged it off and zipped her boxes.
“Don’t mind her big sister; Millen is just being grumpy. I personally think she’s experiencing her August visitor,” Mira explained playfully, dragging me into the house.
“Nope, I think it’s because her best friend was murdered by those evil bloodsuckers.” Megan said as she closed the door.
“Murdered? What are you guys talking about?” I asked with furrowed brows as I looked at my sisters, wondering what I had missed. Mira and Megan sighed sadly. They were about to explain what happened to me when Millen appeared from nowhere, a deadly glare on her face.
“Stop talking behind my back.” She growled at us and hissed loudly. She looked around the house, noticing how disarrayed it was. “This is definitely why you’re still single! No reasonable man would want to go out with a woman who can’t take care of herself.”
“Oh godmother Millen, don’t begin your lectures on self-hygiene again; how about we have a sisters’ day, just the four of us? I’ve missed you guys so much,” I said soberly, thinking of the bad times I had being alone.
“Ummm, umm.” Megan hummed softly and hugged me tightly.
“We’ve missed you more, big sister,” Mira interjected, joining the cute sister hug. I hugged them back more passionately, and Millen, feeling left out, joined the moment of love. I was so happy to see my three sisters. I knew they had a lot of gossip to tell me, and as much as I wasn’t in the mood for it, I’d made a vow to myself that I would never shut them out and would always offer them listening ears.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I should tell them about my one-night stand with Adriel Lupa. I trust them; I mean, they’re more than sisters to me. We’re best friends, and we share our deepest secrets together, but I didn’t want to freak them out or make them see me as a bad example.
Millen, Mira, and Megan were adopted when I was just four to six years old, so we grew up together. Megan is the oldest of the three ‘M’s, followed by Millen, who is two years younger than me.
Millen and Megan were often identified as twins because they weighed the same size and looked very much alike. But their different characters and different opinions made them stand out. Millen was quiet, sharp-tongued, and very good at criticism, while Megan was playful, carefree, and lively. They both lost their parents during a shadow-hunter clash. All this made our bond strong, and I love them, not out of pity or sympathy. But out of love, respect, loyalty, and empathy. We cared about one another and made a vow to always be there whenever we needed help.
We settled down on my bed, and Mira kept bringing out the different things she bought for me. “Here, I ordered it all the way from Singapore,” Mira explained, dropping a fancy bag on the bed.
“Wow! So pretty….” I murmured thoughtfully as I admired the bag’s beauty.
The doorbell rang again, disrupting our peaceful moment.
“Are you expecting someone?” Mira asked with raised eyebrows, looking at me with squinted eyes.
“Of course not,” I quickly replied to her, not wanting my sisters to think I was keeping secrets from them.
“She is obviously not expecting anyone. A woman like her ends up single, just like me.” Millen said coldly and moved closer to me to braid my rough hair.
“You really don’t have to be so mean every time,” Megan added, almost like a soliloquy, and stood up from the bed. “I’ll go and attend to whoever is at the door, and when I come back, we’ll discuss the rumors of you dating that playboy, Lee Eul.” She gave me a curious look before leaving the room.
Mira sat on the bed, trying to get a picture of me with the handbag. After a few minutes, Megan returned, a large parcel in her hand. She looked genuinely curious and looked at me with a puzzled expression. Mira excitedly stood up from the bed and ran to Megan’s side. She jerked the parcel from her hand and dropped it on the bed.
“Should I open it? I’m getting really excited about this!” Mira squealed, giggling like a baby.
“Sure, open it; it’s nothing special. I’m sure it’s a gift from a fan,” I replied, not paying attention to the parcel, and my tone dripping with heavy sarcasm.
“I don’t believe you. It’s obviously from your boyfriend,” Mira answered and quickly tore the parcel open. As Mira tore open the parcel, her eyes widened with excitement. “Oh my gosh, Bella, it’s a beautiful bracelet and a self-check-up machine!” She squealed, holding up a stunning silver chain with a delicate heart-shaped locket.
Megan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at my little sister’s words. “Something is fishy. Who could have sent this? You are hiding something from us, big sister.” She accused me with a blazing face.
I rolled my eyes, trying to downplay the situation. “Of course not, dear. It’s probably just a fan gift or something. Don’t make a big deal out of it.” I tried convincing them, but they didn’t look convinced.
“I doubt so; there’s an inscription on the back.” Mira announced, and she lifted the gift closer to her face, her voice filled with excitement. “It says, ‘To my dearest Bella. Take care of your little, adorable legs. With love and secrets, A. L.”
My heart skipped a beat as I felt my face flush. A. L.? As in Adriel Lupa? How did he get my address, let alone my home address? And what did he mean by ‘secrets?’
“Bella, who is A. L.? You’re not hiding something from us, are you?” Megan’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized my face. I hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal to them. But my sisters’ curious gazes and their sudden presence made it hard to lie. I mean, how am I supposed to deny the truth when it is right in front of me?
“Okay, fine,” I sighed, taking a deep breath. “I met someone. But first, I need to tell you something. Promise me you won’t judge me.” I began with a melancholic voice. Megan quickly sat down on the bed beside Mira, while Millen paused my hair, which she was braiding, and paid attention to me.
“Why do you care about getting judged?” Mira asked slowly. “I thought we agreed not to care about what the world thinks about us.”
“My public reputation matters to me because of my family. I don’t care about what outsiders might say, but I care about what my family has to say, because all I’m doing is to make them proud,” I replied honestly, and my sisters looked proud of me.
“It’s nice that you care about us, your family, but don’t try too hard. Remember that mom and dad have enjoyed their moments; now it’s our turn. We didn’t make any choices for them, so neither should we try too hard to impress them.” Millen advised me like an elder sister, and I nodded in response to her kind words.
“Sister Millen is right. Continue with your words; no one will criticize or judge you. I promise you.” Mira said like a cheeky little baby, and I smiled at her as a tear dropped from my eyes.
“Firstly, I have been involved in a lot of scandals, and most of them were planned by my rival, Pamlet, because she wanted to ruin my public reputation. To save myself and my career, Rachel came up with a plan and advised me to fake a romantic relationship with a popular artist who is also going through the same thing, and that’s what gave birth to my relationship with Lee Eul. We are not real-life couples, just celebrities who are desperate to save their reputation.” I explained to them sincerely, but my sisters didn’t look surprised at all; it was as though they already knew the truth.
“I know it wasn’t real. A playboy like him doesn’t deserve to be loved, especially by a jewel like you,” Millen said, bitterness in her voice. She gently held my cheeks. “Also, you are definitely not his type of girl.” She said unapologetically and burst into laughter. I couldn’t help but join her. My sisters totally forgot what brought up the discussion and kept laughing, well, until…
“Hmm, forgive me if I am too noisy, but how is Lee Eul connected to the parcel sent by A. L, and who is A. L?” Mira asked curiously, and I sighed softly, knowing I had to tell them the full story.
“It’s a very long story, girls, but I might have done something regretful… No, I did something very regretful and shameless. To cut a long story short, I gave my virginity to a stranger; we made out all night without protection, and he might have my ungodly moment clip.” I explained quickly and covered my face with my palm. My sisters stared at me with a widening mouth and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Nice one, you almost got me there,” Megan said after a long moment of silence and burst into laughter. “You are talking as if you had a one-night stand with a Mafia, and now you are pregnant with his baby,” she continued, laughing hysterically.
I frowned as her words sank into my skull. ‘Mafia… pregnant… baby.’ When my sisters realized I wasn’t smiling, they turned serious, looking at me with piercing eyes. Suddenly, a loud, shrill voice echoed from our sitting room, as if a glass cup had fallen down. We all became alert.
“Did you lock the door, Megan?” I asked my sister, and she nodded at me.
“I might have locked it,” she replied, her voice hesitating.
“What do you mean you might have?” Millen yelled at her with a low voice.
“Hello!” A husky voice greeted and was followed by approaching footsteps.