When we arrived at the bar, Alex didn't let go of my hand, which made me feel uneasy. It became even more awkward as people around us couldn't help but steal glances, as if he didn't want anyone else to touch me but him. We walked until we reached a quieter area, and there, I saw the familiar figure of Shena's brother, along with several other men, who seemed to be a group of seven.

I wasn't surprised when I spotted the other two men I had met in Hawaii.

As we approached them, I felt the people's attention shift towards us, especially me, making it challenging for me to look directly at them.

"Wow! Splendid beauty... Alone?"

I was taken aback by the swift comment from one of them. He had a mischievous grin on his face, his focus squarely on the two of us. In his presence, I noticed that Alex's grip on me tightened, almost as if he were angry.

"I'm not a ghost, Xavion. F*** you," he retorted sharply. Laughter erupted from the group at his choice of words, leaving me feeling bewildered.

"Confirmed, someone got hit. Is this the last one?" he added with a meaningful glance. Another guy playfully slung his arm around him and looked at both of us.

"Oh, it's obvious Xander's ideal type. Marriage material right there!" another one chimed in, playfully tapping Xavion's back. Before they could recover, another guy passed by and joined in the fun, causing them to almost lose their balance.

"Hey, man. You're drunk... You stink," Xavion said, covering his nose as he faced the guy in the middle.

"Nani?" (What?) he exclaimed, his question quite loud. I understood it because I had heard it from a Japanese customer before.

"Introduce her to us, Xander... Don't be stingy," one of the guys from earlier said as he took the Japanese guy's hand and sat down on the couch. Meanwhile, Xavion and the Japanese guy were playfully bantering behind the couch but stopped when they heard the guy and looked at us again.

I felt a bit anxious, worried about what Alex's friend might say about me, especially if they knew where we had met.

"She's Isabela Heyes.. Mon futur amour."

I don't know, but they looked at us and exchanged glances, then smiled broadly. "You're lucky you found her, Xander. When will it be my turn?" Xavion said, smiling at me because I've been wondering since earlier.

"Hi Bella, I'm Xavion, and this is Daichi. Forgive us; we're a bit drunk, so we're not on our best behavior."

"Yow," even though he was intoxicated, he still managed to greet me. I just smiled at them.

"Covemier, just call me Mier," he said with a friendly smile. "Do you want to drink?" He raised a glass in front of us, but Alex grabbed it and took a sip without hesitation, earning some surprised looks from Mier and his companions.

"Wooohh... I haven't even said anything yet," Alex teased, then led me towards a pair of seats away from them.

He disregarded Mier's offer and gave me a reassuring smile. "You probably know those two guys over there; that's just how they are, so don't be surprised."

Even in Hawaii, despite not making a move, they hadn't escaped my attention. I watched them one by one, but only one thing occupied my mind. These seven, along with Alex, had foreign blood, but I wasn't sure of their exact ethnicity. I watched them with fascination but kept my observations to myself.

I noticed that Kuya Silver, whom I knew, seemed to ignore me, preoccupied with his phone, his forehead creased in concentration.

The two people I recognized, Oliver and Daniel, seemed lost in their own worlds. Daniel stared into space, while Oliver had his eyes closed, likely due to the effects of alcohol.

"Alex, where's Shena?" I whispered to Alex when I noticed that the girl was missing.

"I'll ask, Silver," he said, excusing himself and tapping Kuya. I couldn't hear what Alex said to Kuya, but later, Kuya glanced at me and grinned. I raised an eyebrow in response.

"Shena's with her friends. She's on the dance floor," he replied, looking at me. I nodded and was about to stand up when the two guys stopped me, simultaneously holding my wrist.

Alex furrowed his brow when he noticed Kuya Silver's hand on mine, but given Kuya's penchant for eccentricity, he chose to give him an innocent look instead.

Alex himself grabbed Kuya's hand and tapped it. "Why are you touching her?"

Kuya Silver, with a somewhat sheepish expression, replied, "Woah... I'm just stopping her. What's wrong with it?"

"It's wrong to hold her like that. She's too fragile. Your hands are huge; she might feel heavy," Alex retorted with a hint of a smile.

"She can take a hit from this one, she's just acting cute," I retorted, giving Kuya Silver a teasing look. Alex let go, looking at me in mild exasperation.

"Stay here, Isabella," Alex instructed, his voice calm but firm. "Just wait for your friend."

I nodded and resumed my seat. Meanwhile, Kuya Silver went back to focusing on his phone, which had started ringing again, engrossed in his own world.

I waited for a few minutes until I saw Shena stumbling our way. She had another girl with her, someone I didn't quite recognize. The girl was smaller than Shena and was alone, unlike Shena who was guiding her.

"The hell, Silver. Get your sister. I thought she was just going to dance, but she ended up at the counter drinking," the woman complained as she lowered Shena in front of us.

Kuya Silver got up and lifted Shena, seating her properly on the couch where he had been earlier. The girl in front of us, Sylvie, was panting, and when her eyes landed on the glass of alcohol that Xavion was about to drink, she grabbed it and downed it quickly, leaving Xavion gaping.

"Sylvie, you're being rude again," the man with his eyes closed said in a deep voice. He slowly opened his eyes, fixing his gaze on the woman in front of him. His two hands rested on the couch's armrest, and the tattoos on both his arms were visible all the way to his neck, thanks to the fitted tee he was wearing.

"No one cares," Sylvie retorted with attitude, fixing her disheveled hair. Oliver didn't react and just stared at her.

"Bro, just sleep there. Let your sister do her thing. She always has an attitude," the girl said as she approached Mier, who was grinning. Xavion and Silver stood up quickly, seeming to know what was about to happen.

"Who has an attitude?! You want me to shave your head, you b****?! You're such an attention seeker!" she shouted at the guy and tugged at his collar, but Mier managed to avoid her.

"Pst. Your breath stinks. Go brush your teeth!" The girl turned red with anger at his comment and raised her hand as if she were about to punch him, but she was stopped by the two guys who had been standing earlier.

Due to the commotion and their shouting, Daichi fell asleep on the floor, so he clumsily stood up, glanced around for a few minutes, and then sat back on the couch but fell over again due to the movements of the other four.

Shena let out a soft moan as the couch they were sitting on shook, so I held her by the shoulder to prevent her from falling. I brushed her hair away from her face while Alex mentioned that he needed to get something from his car.

Dachniel seemed unfazed by what was happening, quietly sipping his drink on the side. Meanwhile, Oliver disappeared again. Did Shena and Oliver see each other earlier? But he probably wouldn't get drunk if they did because I knew he'd choose to stay here over dancing.

They offered me drinks several times, but Alex kept intercepting, so I ordered juice for myself to have something to drink. I watched them argue in front of me, but it didn't bother me much as I had witnessed various scenarios with groups of friends drinking in bars before.

I felt sorry for Mier, though, as he looked like he had been through a tough battle. His shirt buttons were all broken, his neck and face were red, and his hair was disheveled. He looked like he had been through a rough night.

The girl remained angry even though she was already far away, but she managed to apply some foundation on her face. The two guys seemed exhausted. Kuya Silver was about to pour more alcohol into his glass, but it was empty, so he stopped a passing waiter near us.

Xavion, on the other hand, picked up Daichi from the floor as he seemed to have had enough. Was he that drunk? They had been drinking for a while, so maybe Daichi got tipsy faster than the others.

Xavion noticed my gaze on Daichi, so he looked at me after placing Daichi back on the couch.

"He didn't get much sleep in Tokyo, so that's why he's like this... He didn't want to drink, but he's stubborn, so here we are," he explained, nodding understandingly.

Sylvie, on the other hand, asked, "Who's this? Lian's new girl?" I was about to approach her when Kuya Silver blocked my way.

"Enough, Syl. She's not Lian's girl, so stop it," Kuya said with emphasis. Sylvie scrutinized me, her eyes locked on mine.

"Oh, really? She looks like Lian's type... How would I know?" I swallowed hard in nervousness as I heard her words. I was anxious because there had been several instances when I had been mistaken, even though I didn't respond.

"If Shena hears that, she might not talk to you anymore... This woman is Shena's best friend, Sylvie," Kuya said, trying to clarify the situation.

She seemed to comprehend what she had heard and gazed at me. Realizing what Kuya had said, her eyes softened, and she approached me. However, before she could reach me, she pushed Kuya Silver, causing him to fall onto the couch and knock Daichi over.

"Argh, are you crazy, Syl?!" he complained. She was small, but she packed a punch. Mier had a tough time with her earlier when she tackled him.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know. I'm so sorry! Are you Isabella?" She disregarded Kuya Silver's protests and sat in the spot where Alex had been sitting earlier. She grabbed my arm.

I nodded in response, "Yes, that's me." She looked at me for a moment before speaking.

"Shena was right... You're beautiful. Would you like to become a model? I can recommend you to someone I know." she said while smiling at me.

I scratched my wrist and smiled back, "I'm not really into that. Plus, I'm short; my height wouldn't fit. Shena would be more suitable for that," I said, glancing at Shena, who was dozing off on my lap.

"Didn't she tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"That she's being scouted by Fashion Royal Inc. and will become one of their ambassadors after studying in France for two years," she explained.

I nodded, "Did she accept?"

"She said she hasn't decided yet," she replied.

I looked at Shena again, who was now lying on my thigh. She hadn't mentioned this opportunity to me. I wondered why she kept it a secret. What could be the reason?

This was a big opportunity for her since she aspired to become a model for prestigious companies in the fashion industry. But why hadn't she immediately accepted it? Was she having second thoughts?

I felt a kiss on my neck, making me jump slightly, but when I caught the familiar scent, my anxiety faded, replaced by embarrassment, because Alex had just kissed me while I was talking to Sylvie.

Sylvie, who had been staring at us with her mouth agape, finally snapped out of her trance, seemingly in disbelief.

"Lin? I thought you were in Malaysia?" Alex asked, ignoring Sylvie's reaction. Sylvie regained her composure and cleared her throat.

"Geez, I didn't know you were this flirtatious, big brother," she asked, a playful smile dancing on her lips. Alex turned and came to sit in front of both of us. Sylvie immediately scolded him, poking him in the chest to make her point. Since Shena was still lying on my lap, Alex had to sit across from me.

"Wirklich?" I couldn't understand what Alex said, so I just looked at him.

"Ist sie die Frau, mit der du sprichst?" Sylvie responded. Are they talking in another language? I'm familiar with the language, but I don't understand it fully, although I can read it sometimes. I think they're speaking German. If they can speak German, is there a possibility that Alex is German? Oh, I remember my research, his dad stayed here in the Philippines. I did a bit of research.

I was taken aback when Alex looked at me before shifting his gaze back to Sylvie. "Ja, sie ist besonders."

I chuckled when Sylvie squealed and lightly slapped me, even though I didn't understand the conversation. I smiled because of her carefree attitude.

"Xander, inom," Mier offered and handed Alex a drink. I thought Alex wouldn't take it because he hesitated before taking it and looking at his friends' condition.

"You're wasted," Mier didn't respond and just sat down with his eyes half-closed. He didn't look as drunk as he was during his scuffle with Sylvie.

Kuya Silver and Xavion said their goodbyes, mentioning that they were heading to the dance floor, while Daichi simply disappeared, which I didn't notice because I was engrossed in conversation with Sylvie.

"I think we should send Shena home," Alex suggested, and Sylvie agreed.

"Good idea," Sylvie added with a hint of frustration in her voice. "Her supposed 'responsible' big brother just let her be. He was too confident because Isabella's here. That idiot."

"It's okay. I'll feel safer if I accompany Shena," I chimed in.

Alex stood up, tapped his drunk friends, and then took Shena from me. "We'll just take Silver's sister home. Is that okay with you, Isabella?"

"It's okay. Let's just take her to the condo. Her parents might scold her if they see her like this," I nodded in agreement. Alex led the way while carrying Shena.

"When are we going to see each other again, Isabella? Will you go to the gala?" Sylvie asked.

"What gala?" I inquired.

"Hasn't big brother Alex mentioned it to you yet? He might invite you as his date. Say yes, okay? I'll see you there."

"I can't promise, but if Alex brings it up, why not?" I replied. She hugged me and playfully shook me.

"Can't wait! By the way, add me on Instagram, okay?" I nodded in response and said my goodbyes before leaving the bar.