Chapter 352: About their friendship
Zilia walked in carrying a tray and carefully set it down on the table. As she straightened, Idris’s eyes immediately caught the sparkle on her hand. His face lit up.
"Oh my God! That’s such a beautiful ring!" he exclaimed, rushing over to her.
Zilia extended her hand, showing him the ring while her gaze flicked toward Casaio, unable to hide the shy smile tugging at her lips.
"When did you get proposed?" Idris asked eagerly.
"Well... just before you arrived," Casaio replied, his tone calm but his eyes betraying a quiet satisfaction.
Idris blinked, his excitement giving way to sudden guilt. "Wait, did I interrupt you both?"
"Not at all," Casaio reassured quickly, shaking his head with a gentle smile. "But you did give us a surprise. I thought you weren’t arriving until tomorrow morning."
"I thought I should come early," Idris said with a grin. "I wanted to give you both a surprise."
Zilia softened, cupping his cheek briefly before slipping back into her sisterly tone. "That you did. But now, you must wash your hands and feet first. Then you can enjoy this cold drink and the snacks I brought."
"Before that..." Idris’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he wheeled his trolley bag closer. "I want to give you both something."
He bent down, unzipped the bag, and carefully pulled out two neatly wrapped gift bags.
"Why did you bring gifts for us?" Zilia asked, accepting the gift bag from Idris, while he handed the other to Casaio.
"I won a monetary prize last week," Idris said, grinning. "I thought I’d buy something for both of you. They’re not big or expensive, though."
Casaio shook his head with a smile. "It’s not about the price. They mean a lot more than you can imagine. Thank you." He eagerly unwrapped his gift, a watch, and immediately strapped it to his wrist, removing the other which he had already worn.
"Thanks, Idris. It looks perfect," Casaio said, turning his wrist so they could see. Idris’s chest swelled with pride; his brother-in-law genuinely liked the gift.
Zilia wasted no time opening hers and gasped softly. Inside was a pair of elegant heels.
"Idris, these are beautiful! How did you know I love heels so much?" she asked, lowering herself onto the chair to try them on.
Casaio smirked. "Idris seems to know everything about his sister."
Zilia laughed.
"Well, whenever sister used to visit me twice or thrice a year, we’d go shopping, and she would always be looking for heels. That’s how I figured it out." Idris beamed, clearly happy to have made both of them smile.
"Since you both like the gifts, now I can go to freshen up," Idris stated, rising to his feet. He disappeared into the washroom while Zilia removed them, placing the heels back into the box. "Idris has truly grown up a lot. But Cas, you’ve the most of the role in this. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to live like this. I’m so happy."
The corner of her eyes turned damp because of the tears. Casaio was quick to approach her and hugged her tightly. "He was meant for all of this." His lips found her forehead as he pressed a tender kiss there.
~~~~
"Amelie!" Katelyn exclaimed with joy as she stepped into the living room.
"Kate!" Amelie turned to her, abruptly ending her conversation with Albus. The two women embraced warmly, laughter bubbling between them.
"Gosh! Are you working in this condition?" Katelyn asked, a teasing note in her voice.
"I wasn’t working," Amelie replied with a small smile. "I was just talking with Albus."
Her gaze then landed on Sage, who had just entered, carrying Katelyn’s trolley bag. They exchanged polite greetings.
"Please, take a seat," Amelie said, gesturing toward the seating area.
"I should probably head back," Sage replied.
"You can go after having dinner with us," Amelie suggested.
Katelyn glanced at Sage, smiling knowingly. "He probably wants to join his family for dinner first," she remarked lightly.
"It won’t hurt Sage if he has dinner with us," Gabriel’s voice carried across the room.
"Hey, Gabriel!" Sage greeted him with a warm smile, and the two shared a casual hug.
"Do you two know each other?" Katelyn asked, though she already had a good idea about their friendship.
"Yeah, we went to the same college," Gabriel replied.
"And school too," Sage added with a small grin.
"You never bothered to tell me," Katelyn said, frowning slightly at Sage.
Meanwhile, Gabriel moved toward Amelie and helped her settle comfortably on the couch.
"Have you ever tried to get to know me?" Sage arched an eyebrow teasingly at Katelyn.
Albus had already gestured to a servant to take Katelyn’s luggage to her room.
Just then, Karmen walked into the house, a file in his hand. He paused, noticing Katelyn and Sage.
Katelyn’s gaze softened as she watched him approach Gabriel’s side, seemingly ignoring her presence. "I’ve prepared an important investment proposal. Go through it when you have a moment," Karmen whispered.
"Hmm. Thanks," Gabriel replied, taking the file.
"Karmen, it’s been a long time since we last saw each other," Sage said, extending his hand.
"I agree," Karmen said with a friendly smile, clasping Sage’s hand firmly.
Sage noticed Katelyn’s gaze lingering on Karmen and couldn’t help but wonder, ’Is he the beta she admires so much?’
After the handshake, Karmen turned to Gabriel. "I’ll take my leave. Good night," he said, and departed.
"Sage, please take a seat. Why don’t you stay here tonight? Albus, ask a servant to bring Sage’s luggage inside and keep it in the guest room," Gabriel suggested.
"I don’t want to trouble you," Sage replied politely.
"It’s no trouble at all. You’ll head to your apartment anyway, and it’s already late. Just stay here tonight," Gabriel insisted, smiling reassuringly.
Katelyn felt annoyed hearing that, which Amelie noticed.
’Why does Brother Gabriel ask Sage to stay here tonight? He’s doing it intentionally to irritate me more,’ Katelyn thought.