Calhoun couldn't think straight. Nikita was a part of his life he couldn't ignore and seeing her so suddenly was a shocker. He thought she had travelled overseas and would never come back because she had apparently met someone else. Yet here she stood in front of him.
"I am guessing you will stay for a few more days just for me?" Nikita said with a bright smile.
Lily broke out in a chuckle and everyone turned to stare at her even the bubbling Nikita.
"I am sorry forgive me... just that I have missed seeing you disturb Calhoun, Nikky. I am so glad you came to visit. You two should catch up!" She suggested as she returned her focus to her food.
"Well, I am done. I will be leaving first, you kids have fun," Grandfather announced with a bright smile.
Ariana wanted to get up too but she didn't want to give Lily the satisfaction of seeing how much all these affected her. Not only did Sofia, but her ex-best friend also comes into the Lawsons mansion, this Nikita girl was here as well. How was she supposed to cope?
"Aunt Ariana? Do you want to go to the garden?" Rosa spoke in her sweet voice.
Ariana would have loved the chance to run away from this mess but she knew she couldn't. This was her life. She couldn't keep running from it. She had to face it.
She lowered herself to Rosa's hearing level and she whispered sweetly. "How about we go to the garden later in the day? I really want to spend time with Calhoun..."
"Oh but I can keep Cally company. You go catch up with the kid!" Nikita said with feigning sweetness to Ariana like she was supposed to be a caregiver or Calhoun was supposed to be a thing they could decide over.
Ariana had had enough. She could see Sofia's smudge from the corner of her eyes and she hated it. She gritted her teeth and got up. She held Calhoun's right hand and pulled him to his feet. "I am afraid, Rosa and I already have a compromise and Calhoun..." she said with emphasis on his name, "and I have unfinished business." She was leaning intuitively on Calhoun.
"Come on my love, let's go!" She said with the sweetest smile she could muster. Calhoun followed her without question leaving Nikita with a pout. Their perfect plan was starting to have cracks.
Elsie burst into laughter as soon as Calhoun and Ariana had disappeared out of the dining. Lily, Sofia and Nikita looked like they could swallow her whole.
"What's so funny Elsie?" Grandmother asked completely ignorant of the drama that had just broken out.
"Oh mother, your ignorance tickles me even harder," Elsie cried out. Her laughter grew and soon even Little Rosa was snickering.
Mrs Lawson Senior looked around the table. The emotions and auras were divided into three parts. One side looked less concerned and practically invisible. Another looked about ready to explode with anger and the last one seemed not to be able to contain their excitement.
"Elsie?" Her mother warned. She hated being left out of something fun and this looked like a fun thing to her. Anything that made Lily cranky always turned out to be good drama.
Benson coughed awkwardly and got up. "I am sorry, I think I will be leaving too." Before anyone could protest —not like anyone actually wanted to protest, he walked away from the table that was about to explode like a bomb.
"We will leave too!" Thomas and his wife mumbled as they slipped away from the table.
Rosa looked around the table and she knew it was about to get really loud. Being the smart girl she was, she quickly got off the chair.
"I have homework to do. Bye and no screaming it distracts my brain!" She said sternly like an adult. This made Elsie's laughter roar even louder. Tears spilt out of her eyes. The situation was so funny.
"Even the kid understands but mother doesn't!" Elsie exclaimed. "How do you watch those soap operas again?"
"She repeats the episodes at least five times," Bianca mumbled before resuming her quiet waves of laughter.
It was just Lily, her boys, the two girls and Bianca, Elsie and Grandma.
"Very funny girls!" The older woman on the table snapped.
"Well, mother can't you see what Lily has done?" Aunt Bianca started throwing hard stares at the devil in question.
"And what has my mother done if I may ask?" Noah snapped like the dog he was.
"Hey!" Elsie snapped back. "I am not your grandfather or your grandmother, I would not tolerate such tone to be used on my elder sister, you understand me?"
Bianca held Elsie back and turned her cold stare to Noah. "Lily, ask your boys to excuse us. I believe we can have a conversation as women."
"The plan is obviously a teamwork Bianca. Let the bulldogs stay! They don't know how much of their lives they are wasting away following their mother's path!" Elsie hissed.
Grandmother had never been this confused in her life. She looked between the two obvious sides and wondered what was happening.
"That's enough Elsie!" Lily snapped. "You have insulted my boys enough!"
Elsie raised her brows and another burst of laughter erupted from her throat. "I shouldn't what?" She squeaked out. "—insult your boys? Lily, you insult them every day with your silly behaviour!"
"Please I do not understand what is going on here. I only came here to see Cally—" Nikita started but Bianca was quick to stop her.
"Oh please child, lie to your mates and those above you with little sense. Do you think we are blind?" She yelled.
"You left Calhoun broken and used years ago and today you return with the pretence of wanting to see him?"
Elsie wiped at the corner of her eye and got up. "You know what guys? I am done laughing this morning. Nikita, you are such a good actress but in this act, you failed girl!"