Ruby
"Mom, how was I born?" my curious little five-year-old son asked.
The question caught me off guard and my hand slipped, resulting in my eyeliner getting smudged. I was getting ready for Weena Nivekle��s daughter��s fifth birthday party.
Vexon cleared his throat and attempted to change the subject. "I'm ready. Let me see if Ev is rea��"
"Your dad knows the answer, Vayden," I said with a smirk.
Vexon stopped on his tracks. "No... How would I know? You came out of your mom, not me. So she knows."
I sat the eyeliner pencil down on the dressing table after fixing the smudge and placed my hands on my hips. "Vayden, baby, you did come out of me, but I don't know how you got inside of me. One time, I was sleeping, and the next day, boom! I was pregnant." I couldn��t let him escape this conversation this time and he couldn��t leave me alone when a kid asked this question.
Vayden ran a hand through his hair as he thought about what we were saying. I smiled at this gesture as it mimicked his father. He was really a carbon copy of Vexon, though only in some cases. He got my black hair and Vexon's blue eyes.
The strangest thing was that he never truly acted like us. He didn't have a short temper. He was always calm, which was scarier than throwing tantrums. Even if he was upset, he would play with his Rubix cube. I wonder how he plays with that thing. Ever since he saw a rubix cube and insisted on buying one for him, he was learning on his own to fix the mixed up rubix cube just by watching tutorial videos from YouTube. However, as a toddler, Vayden barely expresses his inner feelings, but he could never let it escape from his mother��s eyes. I knew when he was upset or angry, though. After all, I was his mother.
"So, it means my dad did something to my mom," Vayden said after a long pause, putting a hand on his chin, which showed he was really thinking hard on this matter.
"No, I didn't," Vexon objected, glancing at me but I averted my gaze.
"Then how come you are my dad?" he pointed out, making us awestruck.
His intelligence was impressive for his age. Vexon always said that Vayden inherited his sharp mind from Vanera, which I found was really true.
"Once you grow up, you will understand, Son," Vexon said with a sigh. "Now is not the time for you to even think about this."
Vayden nodded his head. "Okay, Dad." He then turned to me and asked, "Can I go and check on Allie?"
��Why, so that you can annoy her?�� I arched an eyebrow and he gave me a toothy grin. He loved annoying Allison until she burst into tears. Then I nodded as an answer to his question and said to him, ��Tell Eve that all her accessories are in her second closet. I re-organized her stuff today. She should not mess it up.��
��Okay,�� Vayden said and rushed away from our bedroom.
Even though Allison was Nafeesa's daughter, she was practically mine since I was raising her. Legally as well, she was our daughter because we adopted her and Nafeesa signed those papers. I just hope Nafeesa sticks to her promise and doesn��t return to our lives, creating problems in the future.
"Things are really going great, and this is all because of you,�� said Vexon, smiling in my direction, which I returned to him. ��I just hope they don't turn out like me and my siblings," he mumbled under his breath, but I could hear him since this room was fully silent. Besides, Vexon��s fear was justified considering what he went through. No one could ever forget what happened to the entire Bevines a few years ago, even the Gladiolus would never forget about it.
All I could do was, teach my kids how to differentiate between right and wrong. Also, not to ever betray their own family ever, come what may. My kids would not repeat the same history, rather they would create their own future. I believe in my upbringing.
I stood up from the chair I was sitting in to fix up my eyeliner and walked up to him. Then I held his hand. "They won��t. Their bond is very strong. Vayden and Rio are apart, and yet, they video-chat every day. They are best friends."
Rio Bevine was Cason and Keya's son. Though they were in Italy, Rio and Vayden were virtually inseparable. They met when I was face-timing with Keya and all of a sudden, Vayden showed his face on the screen. Keya had Rio with her so when Rio saw Vayden, he took the phone and they spoke in their baby language, smiling and giggling when they felt like. Since then, they would cry if we didn��t make them talk every day.
"I hope so," Vexon mumbled, leaning in to kiss me. I was about to give in too until someone��s voice interrupted.
��Mom!�� Allison's sudden voice broke us apart. ��Look, Vayden is trying to cut my braid with scissors.�� She ran to me and hugged me from behind. ��He is evil!��
"Allie!" Vayden called out, searching for her.
"What's wrong, Vayden? Why are you��" I started, but Vayden cut me off.
"Mom, is it true? Are we going to Viana's birthday party? Allie is lying, right?"
An awkward silence covered the entire room. When we didn��t utter a word more, he took our silence as a yes.
"No," Vayden whined, understanding that it was true. He was going to say that he would not go to the party and these were his next words, "I am staying at home. I hate her. Why would I go to her birthday?"
I narrowed my eyes at my son.
He hated Viana Nivekle, the daughter of the Mafia king of the Blemish, Tyran Nivekle, and the queen, Weena Nivekle. The Nivekles helped me and Vexon to be together once again. As they said they wouldn't sign the contract without the Gladiolus king and queen. Soon after I and Vexon got together, a contract was merged among the Blemish and the Gladiolus.
Since then, Weena and I have become best friends. Even Tyran and Vexon had become close friends. We thought our kids would be great friends. Viana had a nice friendship with Everley, Allison, and even Rio. Unfortunately, she and Vayden never got along.
Maybe one day they will, this was all I could pray for them. If they got along, I and Weena would be so much stress free. Because of the hatred of Viana and Vayden, it affected our every plan we made with the Nivekles.
When I knew I didn��t have enough energy to explain and convince Vayden to come to the party, I glanced at Vexon. I was going to leave this matter on Vexon��s hand.
"Vexon, he is all yours," I told him, holding Allison's hand. "Let's go and get Eve. Then we will head to the car."
��Okay, Vayden,�� Vexon started speaking. ��We need to have a talk, man to man. Come,�� Vexon mumbled and picked up Vayden in his arms.
___
Only God knew what Vexon told him at that man to man talk, because as soon as we reached the party, the only thing Vayden was trying to do was make Viana cry.
"Vayden Bevine! How dare you put chewing gum in my hair?" Viana yelled, running with a pair of scissors to cut off Vayden's hair. She was tripping on her party dress, but she was determined to ruin his hair as he had ruined hers.
Both of them were dangerous. Vayden was not short-tempered, rather he could keep his calm, which was dangerous and Viana was short-tempered, which was dangerous as well. Vayden was like ice, and Viana was fire. They might end up being perfect for each other in future.
Ever since we had gotten there, my son was testing Viana's patience. She was annoyed from the very beginning when Vayden wished her, "A very bad birthday to you."
"They are crazy." Weena sighed before taking a sip of her drink. We were sitting together, watching our children.
"Indeed," I let out with a smile.
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