I woke up with a smile on my face, but it quickly faded as I remembered what happened with Sophie last night. I got up and immediately messaged Sophie to check if she was okay. I wanted to go to her house, but I knew she needed some time alone for now. I got ready and left my room. I needed to talk to Briana. I went to her room, but she wasn't there. Maybe she's downstairs having breakfast with Mom. I decided to put off talking to her for now, afraid that I might lose control and start another fight.
 
I didn't want Mom to see us fighting again, knowing that I would be the one blamed. I prepared myself and went downstairs to the dining area. I furrowed my brow when I saw no one sitting there, only empty plates and a single dish on the table.
 
"Where's Mom and Briana?" I asked one of the maids as she placed a hot cup of milk in front of me.
 
"They left early. They didn't say where they're going, but they're together." She replied.
 
I felt a heaviness in my chest. Yes, I think I'm jealous. They're always together whenever they go out. I don't want to think that Briana is taking Mom away from me too. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and focused on my food.
 
After eating, I went back to my room and immediately checked my phone. Still no reply from Sophie. Maybe she just needs some time alone. Deep down, I know that what happened last night was just a misunderstanding. I'm sure Ace didn't mean to kiss Briana.
I decided to take Yuan out for a walk in the park. As soon as I stepped out of the gate, I saw Liam smoking in front of their house. Before I could even call out to him, he noticed us and dropped his cigarette, stepping on it before we could approach.
 
Yuan ran towards Liam, so I started running too since I was holding Yuan's leash. Liam sat down and gently petted my dog. Judging by Yuan's expression, he seemed to really like him.
 
"Looks like he likes you."
 
He stood up and faced me. "Your dog seems to have a crush on me. He might turn gay later." He teased. I chuckled in response. He's such a tease.
 
He smirked. "Where are you guys heading?" He changed the subject.
 
"I'm just taking Yuan for a walk. I have nothing else to do, and it's been a while since I took him out." I replied, looking at Yuan who was circling around Liam's feet.
 
"Would you mind if I kept you company?" He smirked again. Damn it, Liam. Stop smirking. It's driving me crazy, seriously! He becomes even more attractive when he does that.
 
"Are you sure? Don't you have anything else to do?" I asked, ignoring the explosion of emotions in my heart.
 
"No. I was just waiting for my mom and my sister to come home, but their flight got canceled so they won't be back until tomorrow. So, let's go?" He took the leash from me and they started walking ahead.
 
I couldn't help but smile to myself. I never expected us to become this close. I chased after them and walked alongside them.
 
"How's Sophie doing?" He asked me as we sat down on a bench in the park.
 
I looked at him. "I don't know, she didn't message me back. And what about Ace, have you talked to him?"
 
He nodded. "Last night, after I dropped you and Sophie off, he called me. He explained that Briana kissed him, mistaking him for her ex. He assured me that Briana didn't mean any harm because it was unintentional."
 
I laughed in disbelief. "Seriously? He actually believed my cousin's lies?" Briana is so good at lying, it's infuriating.
 
"I can't understand that guy either. He's not easily fooled, but it seems like he falls for Briana's tricks." He commented. "By the way, have you talked to Briana yet?"
 
"I was going to, but she's nowhere to be found. She and Mom left." I replied, feeling a tinge of sadness.
 
He chuckled slightly, catching my attention. "What's so funny?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
 
"Nothing. The way you talk, it's like you're jealous. Oh wait, you're really jealous, aren't you?" I glared at him for teasing me with his tone.
 
"I think so. Lately, they've been going out together a lot. I don't want to think that Briana is taking Mom away from me because they've always been close since we were kids. But it feels like Mom is drifting away from me because of Briana." I sighed and lowered my head, lost in my thoughts.
 
"Maybe you're just overthinking things?"
 
"I hope so," I forced a smile. I really hope that's the case.
After a few minutes, we left the park because it looked like it was going to rain. Before we could even reach home, a heavy downpour started. We had no choice but to run while Liam carried Yuan. We headed straight to their house since it was closer.
 
We were immediately greeted by two maids carrying towels. One was older, while the other who handed me a towel was around our age.
 
"Oh dear, you're soaked!" The older maid scolded Liam.
 
"Nanny, I'm okay. I won't get sick from this. And we're not that wet anyway." He explained to her.
 
"What about this beautiful lady? What if she gets sick?" she looked at me with concern.
 
"I'm okay, really." I reassured her. I handed the towel to the young maid and was surprised when I looked at her face. She looked so much like Briana.
 
Liam instructed the Briana look-alike maid to get an extra towel for Yuan. She followed his order and they left us in their living room. "Seems like you're a Yaya's boy." I teased him.
 
"Oh, you noticed? I've been with Nanny Yolly for a long time, since I was a kid. That's why she's always worried about me as if I'm her own child."
 
Our conversation was interrupted when the maid returned with two towels. I took one and dried off Yuan.
 
"So, what about her?" I asked as the maid walked away.
 
"She's new here. She just started two weeks ago. Why?" He replied.
 
"She does look like Briana." I answered.
 
She furrowed her brow at my statement. She called out to the maid who hadn't gone far. "Bea!" She immediately stopped and faced us.
 
"W-what is it?" She replied, looking embarrassed.
 
"Oh, Nothing. I'll take care of it later. You can go now." She just nodded and excused herself.
 
"Yeah, they do look alike. I just noticed it now. Bea is so unlucky." Liam commented.
 
I looked at him. "Why is she unlucky?"
 
"She's unlucky because out of all the people she could resemble, it had to be your cousin." He said and chuckled.
 
"You're so mean, it's like you're saying our family line is ugly. Anyway, she's still my cousin."
 
"You're different from her, you're beautiful." He said seriously while looking into my eyes. I looked away and pretended to dry off Yuan even though he was already completely dry.
 
"Do you plan your dog to be bald?"
 
"W-what?"
 
"He looks like he's in pain from your vigorous drying. You're almost plucking out his fur." He pointed to Yuan.
 
I stopped drying him because he was right, I might be hurting my dog. This is all Liam's fault for saying all sorts of things to me.
After a while, the rain stopped, and we said goodbye to Liam before heading home. As I entered the gate, I saw Mom's car parked. It seemed like they had already arrived. Inside, I found Mom and Briana in the living room.
 
"Oh Mira, you're back! Where were you? We've been looking for you." Mom greeted me.
 
"Just took Yuan out with Liam. We got caught in the rain, so we stayed at their place until it stopped." I explained.
 
"I didn't know you two were that close." Mom remarked.
 
"We're part of the same friend group, that's why." I replied.
 
"By the way, I got something for you." Briana said.
 
"We went shopping earlier. I wanted to get you a new dress, but I couldn't decide, so Briana picked it out. I think you'll like it," Mom proudly announced.
 
"I chose your favorite color." Briana handed me a shopping bag. I already have a bad feeling about it. 
 
It was a dress. A cute one. I liked it, except for the color. Ugh! Briana knew exactly how to annoy me. It was a beige dress, a color I've always hated for some reason.
 
"Wow, it's lovely! Thank you, Briana. You always know how to make me happy." I forced a smile.
 
"Of course, why wouldn't I?" She grinned. In my mind, I was stabbing her repeatedly. She was so frustrating!
 
"You two are so adorable. Such a beautiful cousin relationship." Mom chimed in.
 
"Of course, Aunt. She's my dear cousin." She replied.i wad annoyed by that term. Dear cousin, my foot!
 
"By the way, Briana, can we talk?" I changed the subject.
 
"About what?" She asked as if she didn't know exactly what it was about.
 
I took a deep breath. "About Ace. I need a favor for Sophie."
 
"Sorry, dear cousin, I can't right now. I have to go to Rhian's house for a project." She replied.
 
"Project? We don't have any project, Briana." I retorted.
 
She grinned. "Not all subjects are the same for us, right? I'm a transferee student, remember?"
 
"Oh yeah, Biology. My bad." I said annoyingly, with a double meaning in mind.
 
She grinned at me again, but this time her irritation was obvious. "Aunt, I have to go." She excused herself to Mom who went to the kitchen to sort out the groceries she bought.
 
"Okay, take care." Mom replied.
 
Briana turned to me and shot me a look before leaving. Before she could step out, she stepped on my foot and bumped into me. Luckily, I held onto the nearby display table. I heard her laugh. I closed my eyes in frustration.
 
Your time will come, Briana. Just wait and see.