Part 35

The next day, Claire was still upset by Abigail's statement about becoming Flavia's mother. As a result, she glared at Antony every time she saw him. Bella, noticing the change in her friend's demeanor, was too afraid to ask what was wrong for fear of getting caught in the crossfire of Claire's anger. Yes, Claire was that intimidating when she was mad.

Meanwhile, Abigail felt sorry for her friend when she told her the truth, as Flavia's expression immediately turned sad.

Abigail and Flavia were sitting in the living room of Flavia's home when they heard the front door open, revealing an elderly couple entering and greeting them.

"Granny! Grandpa!" Flavia exclaimed, immediately jumping up and running to greet her grandparents. She embraced the middle-aged couple with great enthusiasm, relieved to see them after several days apart. "Why are you back so early?" she asked, surprised. It hadn't even been two weeks since they had left, but here they were.

"i couldn't stand being away because I missed you," Arthur Quirino said, hugging his granddaughter tightly. "Don't you want to hug me too?" Arthur asked Abigail.

Shyly, Abigail stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the elderly man. To her, Brianna and Arthur felt like her own grandparents. Especially since she had never known her real grandfather, and her relationship with her grandmother wasn't very good, making her appreciate Mrs. Brianna Quirino even more.

"Were you a good girl while we were away?" Brianna asked, to which Flavia vigorously shook her head.

"Did you not bother Aunt C either?" Flavia shook her head again.

"You can ask Abby," she pointed to her friend, who nodded in agreement.

"Thank goodness for that," Brianna said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"What do you want to drink? I can make something for you."

"I want lots of ice lemon!" a shout from the door made both teenagers turn and widen their eyes. One was surprised, while the other was enthusiastic.

"Uncle Gian?!" Flavia exclaimed, then rushed past her grandparents to throw herself into her uncle's arms. "You came too?" she asked in disbelief.

The tall, slim man with a bushy beard nodded. "I had to," he replied flatly, only to receive a swift kick to his shins. "Oh my God!" he yelled, startled. "You ungrateful cousin!" he grumbled at the cousin who had walked past him, dragging a large suitcase behind.

"You're the one who's ungrateful, Gian!" Altezza shot back, turning his attention back to Flavia as he spread his arms for her to hug him. Flavia abandoned Gian and embraced Altezza tightly.

"Of course I missed you," Flavia replied sweetly.

"Hey, little Claire, why are you daydreaming?" Altezza glanced at Abigail, who was still standing frozen in place.

"Abby?" Flavia waved her hand in front of Abigail's face, as her friend continued to gaze at Gian in awe.

"Uh, yeah?" Abigail finally turned to look at Flavia. "Is that your uncle Gian?" she whispered. Flavia nodded. "He's handsome," she praised genuinely.

But then Abigail turned her attention to Altezza and gave him a light hug as well.

"Any news?" he asked Flavia and Abigail. Hearing that question, Abigail and Claire exchanged glances.

"What news?" Flavia asked back, confused.

Altezza merely smiled and shrugged. "It's fine if there's none; I'll just ask your dad directly," he replied ambiguously. "Aunty," he said, looking at Brianna and Arthur, who were lounging comfortably on the sofa with cups of drink in their hands. "All the suitcases are here, so I'm heading back home now." After receiving nods from the older couple, Altezza started walking back toward the door, but Gian stopped him.

"Where are you going, cousin?" Gian asked curiously.

"To my apartment. Where else would I go?" Altezza replied tersely. "Don't expect me to take you with me; my apartment only has one room. You should stay here because there are plenty of empty rooms."

Gian shot his cousin a sardonic look. "So this is how you treat someone who has traveled all the way from Italy to help?" he scoffed, but Altezza simply shrugged dismissively.

"Tell that to Antony. He's the one who ordered me to bring you here, so you should ask him for an allowance," Altezza retorted, swatting Gian's hand, causing the man to shake it off in pain.

"Gian, just stay here," Brianna interjected. "Altezza is right; there are plenty of empty rooms here." She continued, "Besides, there will be more food here that suits your palate. You can't be sure there's anything decent in Altezza's apartment." Her words weren't meant to insult; she genuinely understood her youngest nephew's character.

Despite his annoyance at Altezza, Gian nodded in agreement. He settled down on the sofa, sipping the drink that had been offered. Meanwhile, Flavia and Abigail were engrossed in unpacking the suitcase, which, according to Brianna, was filled with souvenirs.

"Granny, who are all these souvenirs for?" Flavia asked, lifting out a black kaftan adorned with beautiful sequins.

"For everyone. Especially for Abigail's family since I've inconvenienced them while I was away," Brianna replied. Then she turned to Abigail, "Has your grandmother come back yet?"

Abigail shook her head. "She said she wanted to stop by my uncle's house, so her vacation got extended." Brianna nodded in understanding.

"Granny, what about my gift?" Flavia chimed in eagerly.

Brianna looked at her granddaughter, confused. "You want souvenirs too?" she asked, to which Flavia responded with an enthusiastic nod.

Brianna opened one of the suitcases and pulled out three identical boxes. She handed one to Flavia and the other to Abigail. Both girls gasped in surprise as they revealed gold bracelets adorned with an oval centerpiece, flanked by diamond chains.

"This is a sapphire," Nyonya Brianna explained. "People believe that sapphires symbolize sincerity. I bought one for each of you so that you can be friends forever." Her words brought tears to Flavia's and Abigail's eyes. Without hesitation, both girls embraced the middle-aged woman tightly.

"Ahhh, Granny... You're so sweet..." Abigail exclaimed, her voice full of affection. Brianna chuckled at their reaction.

"And this?" Flavia asked, pointing to the remaining box still held by her grandmother. The bracelet looked the same, but the oval in the center was a vibrant red instead of blue.

"This is a ruby. Rubies symbolize love. I hope whoever wears it can find their true love," she said, gazing back and forth between the two teenagers. Understanding the meaning behind her words, they hugged Brianna again in unison.

"So, who are you going to give it to?" Brianna asked with a playful grin.

"Oh, I'm not telling you," Abigail replied cheekily, prompting laughter from Brianna.

"Why can't I know?" Brianna pressed on.

"Do you want to know or do you really want to know?" Flavia challenged with a smirk.

"You're being dramatic," Gian interjected, having been forgotten in the excitement. He watched his cousins with a bemused expression, which earned him a playful pout from Flavia.

"Aunty, I'm going to sleep now. I'm tired," Gian announced, but before he walked away, he ruffled Flavia's hair, causing her to scowl in annoyance.

"I want to rest for a bit too. You all can choose which ones you want to give as gifts and to whom," he said, which was met with nods from both girls.

Once the adults had left, Abigail shifted closer to Flavia, forgetting her excitement about unpacking the souvenirs brought by her friend's grandmother.

"So, is Uncle Gian single?" she asked Flavia.

Flavia looked at her friend with a furrowed brow, clearly confused. Abigail, however, returned her gaze with a sly smile.