"What mother? You? It's so kind of you to call yourself a mother, yet you barely spend time with them or attend to their childish needs! All you do is swap men like you change your clothes." She retorted angrily. "And what's so wrong with that? Am I the only single mother in the world? Can't I have a bit of freedom? The twins are old enough to be alone; they're happily playing, so what's your issue with me having a male partner, virgin?" Kerry defended herself. This caught Antonio's attention. "Virgin? Well, thanks to me, you won't be brought down by such remarks anymore," Antonio thought to himself, responding to the insult. Angela glanced at Antonio after Kerry's outburst and remained silent, feeling a bit embarrassed that he might have heard her sister. "Kerry, that's enough... you need to stop this..." "Stop what? Being the disliked member of this family? Even my kids hate me!" She snapped loudly. "What are you talking about?" Angela responded sharply, then paused and looked towards the twins and Antonio. They were playing with him, but she was sure they could hear the argument. "Let's discuss this inside, Kerry," Angela replied tightly and went into the room. She clasped her hands, waiting impatiently. Kerry entered a few minutes later. "Kerry... enough with the emotional manipulation and childish outbursts. No one hates you. Mother loved and cared for you before she passed away, and I care about you. Jace and your baby girls love you too! You just need to stop acting like you’re jumping into every man's arms you meet, Kerry," Angela scolded, losing her patience. "What's wrong with how I want to live my life? I'm not a virgin; I'm an adult, and if I choose to pursue any man, it's my life and my business. I'm no damn virgin!" She snapped back. "Neither am I, okay? Stop calling me a virgin at every little annoyance." She paused after Kerry began staring at her, circling her like a vulture with a mischievous grin. "Girl, you're lying. It's obvious. I'm your sister; I can tell you've never had a man between those legs," she said, shaking her head. Angela was triggered by that comment and reacted angrily. "Great! Sex expert, what are we discussing here? I'm your older sister, and I deserve your respect. I'm still wondering why everyone hates you as you said. You never consider others, their feelings, or well-being. Have you ever scheduled mommy time for your kids? No. You rarely visit home, always in one man's bed or another. That's not living, Kerry. You're a beautiful young woman and can do better if you're wise enough to learn from our mistakes." Kerry chuckled dryly, trying to hold back her tears. Just then, the room door opened, and Jace stood there, their stern expressions warning him. He stepped back and closed the door. "Jace." Angela called out in frustration. Jace slowly opened the door. "Sorry for interrupting," he replied. Kerry hissed and walked past him, exiting the room. "No, you didn't interrupt." Angela responded slowly and sat on the bed, placing a hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry I told her our new location." "Don't apologize, silly. She might be trouble, but she's still our sister, part of the family." Angela replied softly. Jace nodded. "Also, you have someone waiting for you," he added. "I came with Antonio... Jace." She responded without much interest. "Not Antonio, but Sean." Angela's eyes widened. "Sean?" she asked in disbelief. "Yes, and he gave me a ride back home," Jace announced. Angela's eyes opened wide in amazement. It can't be, not now, not with Antonio around. She nervously clenched her teeth, fingers crossed. She walked into the living room and found Antonio and a young man dressed in a white shirt and jeans locked in a tense stare-down. He was almost unrecognizable to her. "Sean?" Angela gasped. Antonio's gaze shifted from Sean to Angela's excited face. Sean stood up, spread his arms with a broad smile, and walked towards her. Angela blushed deeply as she hugged him... Antonio watched from a distance as she greeted the visitor while his dark eyes closely observed Sean's body language towards Angela, not missing a thing. Angela could feel her heart pounding against her chest and cursed softly. "How am I going to explain this to Antonio? I didn't expect this." She glanced back at Antonio and then at Sean absentmindedly. "Is everything okay with you, Angela?" Sean asked as his lips curled back to reveal a set of strong white teeth. She blinked, then forced a nervous smile. "Yes... I'm just... I mean, look at you... you're all grown up and..." She said, glancing back at Antonio again. Sean followed her gaze and saw Antonio glaring at him, a cigar now clenched in his teeth. "Is that him for real? Antonio Montero?" Sean asked with a hint of excitement in his voice. Both looked back at him. Antonio noticed. "Must be the introductions happening," Antonio muttered and took a long pull from the cigar before stubbing it out. "Why do you smoke so much?" Liya asked another question. Antonio looked down and forced a smile. "Your aunt... it's all because of her." He smiled at them and quickly added, "I'll be back in a minute." The girls nodded with smiles. He stroked their hair and stood up. Taking a deep sigh, he tucked his anxious hands into his pockets and approached Angela and Sean. Up close, Sean looked better; his masculinity was more apparent, with a strong jawline, clearly someone worth competing with, Antonio thought. Sean saw him approaching and pulled a long face. Angela noticed before she could turn to see what he was reacting to. Antonio circled her waist and breathed heavily over her shoulder, his piercing green eyes glaring sharply into Sean's blue ones. "Introduce me to your friend, baby," he whispered huskily. Angela's face turned red, and her heart raced. "Um... I mean... Sean... meet my fiancé... This is my fiancé, Antonio." She pulled away shyly from Antonio and stood closer to Sean, silently hoping for a smooth interaction. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Antonio. I'm Sean, Aurora’s..." "Ex..." Antonio completed. "I was about to say childhood friend." Sean chuckled awkwardly and gave Angela a questioning look. "Childhood friends, huh?" Antonio smirked, his eyes narrowing as he saw Sean gently pat Angela's back near her waist. "Yeah, we're really close friends from middle school, but after high school, we... you know... had to go our separate ways." He smiled back at Angela and continued. "Anyway, it's truly a pleasure to meet you in person, Antonio Montero. I'm a huge fan of your movies." He said politely and offered a handshake. Antonio's gaze returned to his hand on Angela's slender shoulder, his eyes darkening and eyebrows twitching. "How much do you know about me?" he asked smoothly with a demanding, evil grin, ignoring the handshake. Sean chuckled awkwardly, his hand still hanging in the air before he shamefully put it into his pocket. "Well, I can say pretty much... I've seen like twenty-plus of your movies," he replied, unsure if Antonio needed that information. Antonio grinned mischievously, his eyebrows raised as he clench his fists into his pockets. "I doubt that... because if you do, you should know that I have something called strict boundaries, you see. I don't like people touching what's mine."