Episode 5

Having shut down his laptop, Luca hurried to catch up with his mom and younger sibling. As usual, dishwashing was Luca's assignment, while his mom and sibling cooked and prepared dinner.

"Sweetie, what were you two really up to earlier?" Zhia asked once they had all finished dinner.

"That, Mom! Luci was looking up information about Ay—"

"It was nothing, Mom! Just the usual schoolwork."

Luca swiftly interrupted before his little sibling could reveal anything about Rayden, who bore an uncanny resemblance to him.

"Oh, you're such a diligent child, my dear! Go to bed soon so you're not late for your new school tomorrow," Zhia proudly smiled and gently stroked both her twins' hair.

"Yes, Mom! Goodnight!" Lucia said, rising from her seat, kissing her mom's cheek, and heading to her room.

"Goodnight, Mom! Sweet dreams!"

Now it was Luca's turn to give a goodnight kiss to his mom and follow his sibling to bed.

"Don't forget to wash your feet and brush your teeth before going to bed, okay?" Zhia called out, remembering their pre-sleep routines.

"Okay, Mom!" Luca and Lucia responded in unison.

"Without realizing it, my children have grown up to be smart and independent," Zhia murmured to herself, filled with pride for having kids like Luca and Lucia.

The next morning, a bit of chaos erupted between the mother and her twins; Lucia was particularly hard to wake up, and Zhia was nearly late for her meeting with BLOUSHZE Group to present her research findings.

"Luca! Lucia, wake up fast! Mom's almost late for work now," Zhia shouted amidst the breakfast preparations.

"Yawn! Mom, you're so dressed up early in the morning!" Luca commented sleepily.

"Good heavens, Luca! Why are you just getting up? Go take a shower and get ready now!" Zhia commanded, a touch frustrated.

"Yes, Mom!" Luca replied lethargically before trudging back to his room to shower and prepare.

"Eeeh, Luca! Where's your sister?" Zhia inquired, not yet having seen Lucia.

"Luci's still sleeping, I guess, Mom!" Luca answered nonchalantly, prompting Zhia to shake her head at her son's antics.

"If Luci's still asleep, you should've woken her up, sweetie!" Zhia said teasingly, itching to pinch his chubby cheeks.

"Haha, okay, Mom!"

Luca chuckled, delighted that he could provoke a playful reaction from his mom.

Then, Luca scampered into his room to wake Lucia up, as instructed by their mom, and the twin siblings began to ready themselves for their first day at the new school.

Zhia urged them to finish their breakfast quickly and packed their lunchboxes, making sure they wouldn't be hungry.

Afterward, she drove them to their new school. After taking care of the transfer paperwork, Zhia sped off toward the BLOUSHZE Group office.

Glancing at her watch repeatedly, she noted it was five minutes past the scheduled meeting time.

Upon arrival at BLOUSHZE Group, Zhia parked her car haphazardly and rushed inside, ignoring the security guard's admonition.

"Ma'am, you can't park here, or we'll have to take strict action!" A guard warned firmly.

But Zhia didn’t heed the warning, just running through the company's entrance, saying, "Sorry, I'll only be a minute!"

That's how Zhia dismissed the guard's caution.

Reaching the receptionist, she asked, "Excuse me! I have an appointment with Mr. Rayden Cano Xavier. Is he available?"

"Under what name, ma'am?" the receptionist inquired to check the appointment book.

"Arzhia Maverick from Qhelfin Group!" Zhia replied, panting from her dash.

"Please hold on, ma'am! I'll inform his secretary right away," the receptionist said before dialing a number and waiting for the call to connect.

"Oh, please do!"

Grateful, Zhia allowed this, as she also needed to catch her breath after the run.

"Hello, good morning, Mr. Will! I have a visitor for Mr. Xavier, Arzhia Maverick from Qhelfin Group. Is it permissible?" the receptionist asked over the phone, seemingly receiving a response shortly after.

"Very well, Mr. Will! I understand. I'll let her know," the receptionist continued, having apparently obtained an answer.

The hopeful Zhia, standing close by, beamed at the prospect of her project being accepted.

"Thank you, Mr. Will," said the receptionist before ending the call.

"And? Will I be able to see him?" Zhia asked eagerly.

"I'm sorry! But Mr. Xavier can't meet you now because you are late from the scheduled time," the receptionist relayed the message verbatim from her boss.

"WHAT?!" Zhia's eyes widened in shock at the news that a mere five-minute delay could result in a canceled meeting.

"Hey! How can he refuse to see me over such a trivial matter? I was only 5 minutes late, not 5 hours or 5 days. Can't he overlook a mere 5 minutes?" Zhia argued, unable to accept the rejection.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but that's Mr. Xavier's decision. He's about to leave for an important meeting," the receptionist tried to explain, hoping Zhia would understand this time.

"Call your boss again. Let me talk to him directly!" Zhia demanded the receptionist call Mr. Xavier or whatshisname so she could speak to him personally.