Cyprian chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the growing tense atmosphere.

"Don’t sound so serious about this, Raymond. It’s a very normal thing and I didn’t think I should be telling you about it," she stated, trying hard to put a carefree expression on her face.

Raymond sighed, nodding as if he already had what to do in mind.

"If this is your way of telling me to make our relationship more official, Cyprian, then it is actually very effective. But I am so busy these days assisting Ethan with something very important to I don’t have time for... anyways, my point is that we will get married sooner or later so there is no need for you to take this pills."

The bathroom fell silent and Cyprian appeared to be mulling over Raymond’s words while his own hands played with strands of her hair.

Suddenly, she looked up at him and asked,"Seeing you so serious like this brings a kind of stupid question to my mind. What if I actually got pregnant and aborted the baby without letting you know, what would you have done?"

"That’s a very daring question right there," Raymond replied,"But of course, I know you wouldn’t be so stupid as to do that without letting me know. Except you want us to end our relationship right there and then."

He failed to notice the way Cyprian’s eyes dulled as she listened to him talking, and the way her hands gripped tightly on her nightdress.

"You would do that? Is a baby that important to you?" she managed to ask.

"Of course, I spent my childhood with Ruthlyn alone in a big duplex with multiple rooms. Our parents were rarely home and we didn’t have maids; Ruthlyn is just as quiet as she is now so I always yearned for a very noisy house. How else would I get that except by getting as many babies as I can?" Raymond replied, his last sentence said in a matter of fact tone.

"As...as many?"

"Yeah, I always thought I would have ten but afyer taking you into consideration, I decided against it."

"And how many do you want to have now?" Cyprian asked again.

"Nine," Raymond deadpanned. "Nine should be alright for me, at least."

He grinned widely at the mock horror evident on Cyprian’s face as he pulled her in for a kiss.

★★★

Esther walked down the stairs as slowly as she could allow herself to, trying to comply with Shikera’s instructions not to run on the steps.

"Esther?!" she heard Shikera’s voice calling out to her and she quickly replied, "Yes, mummy! Coming!"

Finally getting to the foot of the stairs, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the living room to catch a strange sight of her mother resting on her father’s laps while the latter’s hand massaged her hair.

"Mum," she called, watching as Shikera rose up immediately from Ethan’s laps.

"You are here, Esther. I wanted to ask if you would like to share ice cream with me," she smiled at Esther, and the young girl reciprocated it generously.

"Yes!" she gushed in excitement.

"Let’s go to the kitchen then."

Esther immediately pranced to the kitchen. Shikera stood up from the couch and was about to walk away when Ethan pulled her back with her hands.

"What?"

"You didn’t offer me ice cream," he deadpanned.

"Ethan, when did you start liking ice cream too?" she asked, chuckling at the pleading look on his face.

"I have always liked, no, loved it since I tasted it. And I thought you were very much aware of that," Ethan answered.

Shikera tilted her head, confusion evident in her eyes.

"How did you expect me to know you loved ice cream when you never told me?" she asked.

"Hmm...I think we must be talking about different ’ice cream’ here. You are talking about that one in the fridge which can be bought in the parlor while I’m talking about the one only my hands and mouth can produce." He lowered his voice into a whisper, "It’s been a while, Kera."

Shikera whose eyes had widened in shock and her body frozen in astonishment, moved slowly away from him.

"Ethan, where did you learn all this?!" she exclaimed, before realizing that Esther was in the kitchen and could hear them if she raised her voice.

"Nothing. I guess I’m probably addicted to your ice cream just like your father is addicted to Talon’s ice cream," he whispered.

"Shit! I definitely cannot have the last word as long as I’m arguing with you," Shikera mumbled. She pried her wrist out of his grip and turned to walk away when she remembered something.

"What did you and my father talk about though?" she turned back and asked.

"Nothing you would be interested in," came Ethan’s answer.

Shikera brows furrowed at that answer, thinking it was suspicious.

"How do you know if i will be interested or not? Tell me..." When she deduced that Ethan would not breathe a word, she added, "Please!"

"It’s nothing really. We had barely started talking when you came in so I’ll say you heard eighty percent of our conversation. What else do I have to say?"

"If you say so then," Shikera mumbled, leaving to join Esther in the kitchen.

Left alone in the living room, a thoughtful expression started to form on Ethan’s face as he watched Shikera’s retreating back. Even though he told Shikera just now that he had only exchanged pleasantries with her father the previous day, he didn’t tell her that her father had wanted to say something when she entered.

He didn’t suspect anything when her father didn’t say it after she entered but now that she asked, he was beginning to think it was something more serious. Standing up to his feet, he went to join the other two at the kitchen.

Shikera and Esther had their heads huddled together over a bowl of chocolate flavored ice cream, whispering to each other. As he walked past them to the fridge, fragments of their conversation drifted into his ears.

"What’s Elovien’s Spotlight next show about?" Esther whispered.

"Uhm... promise to keep it a secret? Like a secret, secret?" Shikera whispered back.

"Yeah, secret secret."

"I plan to invite Krystal’s mum. I haven’t been able to tell her though but I trust she will make a little bit of time if I use my influence as Miss Anderson, Mrs DeLoach and Esther’s mum, right?"

"Of course!" Esther exclaimed.

"I knew you would see that!"