Perilous Sea || Homer Series

01

"Would you like to go with us?" Syna asks.

I glanced at her, "No, I have something to do," I have dinner with Sierra. It is for our plates in the collaborative arts and design.

"Okay, next time then. Take care," she waved her hand as she left.

I don't have much time to spend outside. I'm swamped with preparations for our family's event. Our family is celebrating the success of the Bufete De Abogados El Homero law firm, which has had a significant influence on social matters.

We're all busy because everyone in the family is responsible for something. This is our company's second law firm, and the adults have plans to expand not only in terms of law but also in terms of real estate.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, princess, did you buy the decoration I asked you to?" Kuya Dylan asks.

Fudge. I forgot. "No, I'll buy it now," I said, confused. "We're not in charge of any event decoration, so why do you need those? Am I missing something?"

I heard him laugh, "What's funny?" what's happening?

"Nothing's funny, Cean, but the decoration is for my room,"

I frowned at him, "How do you have time for that? I barely have time to check my social media accounts!"

"I find ways, princess, adios!" he ended the call before I could rant at him.

Crescent, Demetra, Kuya Cheros, and I are in charge of inviting our family's co-shareholders in the company as well as their business associates. According to Uncle Jonathan, senators and mayors should also be invited too.

I'm completely exhausted. I'm hoping I can just stay in bed and sleep all day. The event will be held in Castriona, the country's largest venue, and I'm certain that everyone will be completely drained after this event.

I went to Allegra's Dine Restaurant to meet Sierra, my architectural design partner. We need to finish our plates this month, and we're aiming for perfection. We wanted to participate in an architecture competition in which our teacher would select the most ideal plate to compete. This is a significant opportunity for us.

I saw her sitting in the corner as I enter the place, she smiled at me. I did the same thing.

"Hi, I'm sorry I'm late," I apologize.

"No, it's okay. You didn't take long, anyway, do you want to order something?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm fine; in fact, I'm in a hurry right now because I still have a lot of things to do," I don't want to be rude but I really don't have time. I need to end things immediately.

She nods, "I understand, so let's start?"

We discussed various possible plates, but the final plate that we chose was the structural design of a building with unique materials and design that consists of fourteen floors in the buildings.

"I'll be in charge of the drafts of the paper, and you'll be in charge of tracing it, is that right?" I ask. I typed all of the important notes for the design.

"Yes, but if you need help, then you could contact me," she utters.

I'm glad she's my subject partner; she's pleasant and considerate. I don't have a problem with her because she is also smart and diligent in her academics. Her plates all received an A+, which simply means she is outstanding.

I proceeded to the Castriona after meeting up with Sierra. I only need to double-check the person's name on the list. I don't want to make any blunders, especially because this is such an important event.

"Where's the list? I want to check it," the receptionist asks me to wait for a while. I took a seat on the couch; the program is predominantly for my family's business. With the inauguration of Homer's new legal firm, we intend to expand even further. Many businessmen, I'm sure, are attempting to impress us and bow down to us.

"Miss Oceanna, this is the final list that Miss Crescent gave to me," she handed me the document.

"Thank you," I eyed the list closely, more than a hundred people will attend.

We've already sent invitations to the world's most powerful business executives. Of course, Crescent's fiancee, Zenos Vilmaris, will be also attending.

Pallas, Xakousti, Philips, Zaccheus, Narvaez, and Kyros, the largest competitor of our family's businesses, had all been invited.

It took me an hour to finish going through the list. Everything is in fine order. The event will take place on Saturday, which is three days away. For the next few days, we'll be busier.

I was about to stand up when someone sat beside me, putting enough distance. I easily recognized him, Rue Zaccheus. As he stared at me with his cold, frightening eyes, I pursed my lips. He's a law student.

He didn't break eye contact and kept staring at me, so I'm not going to back off either. I challenged him for whatever he was doing by raising my eyebrow at him.

He snorted a little and averted his gaze. I was offended by what he did; it seemed as if he was mocking me!

Instead of reacting, I calmly stood up and maintained my non-emotional demeanor. We, Homer, were taught to control our emotions and reactions, and we shouldn't give other people satisfaction.

In peripheral view, I saw him taking a peek at me as I walked passed to him. First, Homer will never bow down to anyone. In any situation, we are taught to look up.

"Is everyone invited already, did you double-check it, Cean?" Dad asks.

I give a nod. We're eating here at the house. Mom and Dad continued to discuss the approaching events while Crescent and I ate in silence."Where's Dylan?" Mom looks at me. Why is she asking me? I'm not sure where Kuya is.

I shrugged, "I don't know, maybe in his room?"

"Call your brother," she says. I sighed and stood up, I had no choice but to knock on my brother's room.

"Hey, Kuya. Are you awake?" I frowned when he didn't answer. "I'm going inside now, huh,"

I held the doorknob and went to his room. Wait, he's not here. Where the hell is he? It was still early in the morning for him to leave unless he didn't go home last night.

"Your brother is in the office," I jumped in shock as I heard someone's voice.

I'm perplexed as I look at him, Wyatt. We haven't seen each other in over six months. He's standing outside the room, while I'm inside near the door.

"Your brother asks me to get his architecture stuff," his stern expression deepens. His voice has also become deeper, and his hair has grown longer since the last time we spoke. His muscles were in the right place, and his physique grew a lot bigger.

"Done checking me out?" his lips rose up.

I cough a little and look away, what the hell?

"I'm not checking you out. I'm just shocked to see you here," I say inclemently at him.

I walked in front of him, not to mention he got taller, too. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

I awaited his response, but it never came. He turned away from me and entered my brother's room. I pursed my lips and shook my head, of course, we should act like a stranger. What exactly am I anticipating?

I went to my brother's office in the house instead of waiting for him to find whatever it was he was looking for.

I knocked before entering, I saw my brother sitting in his precious chair while seriously looking at his laptop.

"You're so serious, what is that?" I ask. I came to a halt near him and leaned in to read the document he was reading, but he quickly shut it and scowled at me.

I glared at him! I just want to know!

"Don't be nosy, princess," he pinched my nose. I pushed his hand away and looks at him suspiciously.

"What are you hiding, hmm?" he chuckled at me and stood up.

My brother is six-footer so I had to look up at him, "A secret you shouldn't know," he mutters mockingly.

I rolled my eyes and held his arm, "Let's eat. Mom asked me to call you," I pulled him but he didn't move.

"I have a visitor, I'll just eat later," he tapped my head like a little girl. He always does this.

I pouted my lips, I will just eat breakfast with him then. I don't want to eat with Mom and Dad because they kept talking about politics and medical science.

Kuya peered at me as if he was observing me, while I stood in front of him like a young girl. "Just sit there and wait for me, I'll make it quick. Anyway, how about Crescent? Is she eating with Mom and Dad?" he asks.

"Yap, she doesn't mind listening to them anyway, so?" I sat on his couch and leaned on his couch. It's so soft!

"You're still not on good terms with her?" I haven't seen them speak in months since he came back.

Kuya's face is downcast as he sighed deeply, and I'm still mystified. Before I left, they were so close that I was envious of them because I assumed Crescent was Kuya's favorite.

What happened to induce them to behave in this manner—or what did Kuya do to cause Crescent to behave in this way? This is something I'll never grasp.

Kuya was ready to say something when Wyatt entered, holding Kuya's expensive architectural pencils. Wyatt shifted his gaze from me to Kuya., "Are you two talking? Should I go outside?" he asks.

"No, let's proceed to the document and designs that I asked you," Kuya mutters to him.

My gaze remained fixed on Wyatt, who was seated in front of Kuya's table. They were having a serious discussion about something.

"I want a hotel with a blend of classic and modern style that is compelling and attractive to clients because it isn't very popular these days, therefore it is new to their eyes," Kuya says.

Wyatt looks at Kuya plainly, "It's not about that; a modern and classic combination will create a domino effect in the structure of the actual material that engineers will use. I understand what you're saying, Dylan, but it will take time to actually prepare and finalize the design that you want; it can't be done in a year." my mouth swelled as I look at Wyatt. I've never seen him talking about his course before. He is a student pursuing a degree in engineering.

But hold on a second... Why does Kuya seek to construct a hotel that incorporates both modern and traditional factors? Are we going to start a new corporation?

And oh, Wyatt is right, too. Combining those two design features would be difficult. It's not easy to build, especially because modern and vintage designs have different material structures.

"We're willing to hire more engineers and architects only to have it done this year; we're in a rush to finish this property before the end of the year," Kuya's remark made me squirm. Are we in a state of emergency?

Wyatt rubs his temples, getting stressed at Kuya, "Dylan, you're studying architecture as well, so you're aware of the consequences of rushing an establishment; we couldn't risk it," his voice marked in finality.

Kuya clenched his jaw, "If you can't do it, I'll have to find another engineer who can,"

"Do it. I'm looking forward to seeing your building and the people behind it, including you and your family, annihilated," Wyatt said solemnly and stood up.

"Wyatt—"

"Don't rush the construction of the Isola di Omera hotel, Dylan; this is our family's first resort, and the failure of the short-term success that you are looking for would put a burden on our reputation. Use your intelligence," Crescent stated harshly as she leaned against the door, her disappointment visible in her eyes as she looked at Kuya. Is she listening to it the entire time? I was completely unaware of her presence.

Kuya pursed his lips, unable to defend himself against his younger sister. Crescent and Wyatt are completely right, but Kuya's visibly hurt expression was too much for me! I strolled alongside Kuya and came to a halt there.

"Don't be so hard on Kuya, Crescent; he's just trying to meet the timeframe that was set for this project, and there's a way to do it this year. There's a lot of ways—"

"Would you, Miss Oceanna, shoulder the responsibility for the action you want to take?" Wyatt has a disapproving and dissatisfied expression on his face when he looks at me. To disguise my bruised ego, I bit my inside tongue.

I am a student of architecture. Does he have any doubts about my credibility? I understand it will be challenging, but as I already mentioned, there are numerous options. Our attention went to Zenos who walked into the room. He's gazing at us, taken aback.

"Yes, If that's what you want to hear—"

Crescent sardonically laughed, "I couldn't believe you'd take his side just because you're sympathetic, Cean; you should know better than that; a rushed construction will be a risk of destruction in the future. This isn't about success; it's about the future lives that rely on the building we'll construct. I hope you're not relying on your heart more than your brain—"

"Sweetheart, that's enough," Zenos apologized to us and grabbed his fiancee's waist before excusing themselves.

I closed my eyes tightly, Wyatt looks at me thoroughly before he left. Kuya looks at me with demure in his eyes, I sighed heavily and hugged him.

I'm not sure what's up with his haste to execute this project, but I couldn't let him be embarrassed in front of others. Whatever happens, I'll always be on his side.

However, I couldn't bring myself to be mad with Crescent. As always, she's exactly right. She is a practical and rational individual who thinks things through before committing.

"You shouldn't have been involved a while ago, they are right," he says and took a deep breath.

I smiled at him, knowing well that I had done the right thing. I'll always defend him, just as he supports me. In this house, he's the only person I could call home. My brother is the sole person who understands me and does not cast aspersions on me.

"Let's eat, I'm hungry," I pulled him outside his office.

Crescent's monotone voice and Zenos' fury were audible as we moved past the kitchen. We stayed at the entrance since we didn't want to get involved in their quarrel. I was going to remove Kuya from the room to prevent him from listening in, but he refused and stayed.

"I told you I wasn't a fool, so let's call it a day and cease the engagement so you can be free—"

"I am not cheating on you, stop it. Sweetheart, please," Zenos begs at her and tried to hold her but she refused.

"So you're saying Daphne lied to me when she said you two had s*x? Come on, Zenos, I wasn't born yesterday. Let's put an end to our engagement. Do whatever you want and I'll do what I want," Crescent tapped him on the shoulder and gave us a sidelong glance. I crouched behind Kuya's back, his jaw clenched from hearing the conversation.

Damn. This is a dire situation; Kuya is enraged. I could feel his muscles clenching because he was absolutely livid.

"Did I hear it right? You cheated on my sister?" It was made further alarming by his deep, calm tone. s**t.

Crescent walks past us but Kuya grabbed her arms, "Did he cheats on you—"

"So what if he does?" She yanked Kuya's hand away from her and looked him in the eye. "Everything he did was nothing compared to what you have done to me, so let go of your rage and concentrate on Oceanna so you don't make the same mistake twice," her voice trembled as she glances at Kuya, a hurt expression on her face.

I was dumbfounded; I didn't know what to say because this was the first time I'd seen her get slightly vulnerable.

What did our brother do to infuriate Crescent?

I look at Kuya, "You—"

"Just go eat, I'll talk to Crescent," he mutters before running.

I frowned and cast a glance at Zenos, who looks so problematic. He glanced at me, "I'm sorry about that; I'll leave." I gave him a nod as he walked past me.

Is it possible that he cheated on my sister? I shook my head and ate alone at the table. This is strange—and so freaking weird.

After that commotion, the day whizzed by like a breeze. The big day will be tomorrow. I lie down on the bed, needing to relax desperately. I'm already exhausted. For all of us, the last few days have been stressful. We're all occupied.

Zenos and Kuya Daryl never spoke after the incident in the kitchen the last time. Crescent, on the other hand, rarely returns home. Crescent was staying in her condo near her school since she was managing school and an event, according to Mom.

She's just inventing an excuse for herself. She refuses to return home because of our brother.

I was about to fall asleep when I heard a notification from my phone. I sighed and reached for my phone on the side table, thinking it was urgent.

When I saw an unknown number, I frowned. I opened the text message to find a strange text.

From: Unknown

Can I make a phone call? It's an emergency.

With a shake of my head, I slid it back onto the table. I don't have time to play with anyone. It's most likely a prank. My phone rang just as I was ready to lay my body down. What exactly is going on here?

I gazed at my phone and wondered if I should turn it off. But... What if it's important?

No, I need to get some rest in anticipation of tomorrow. I'm in desperate need of a full night's rest. I'll have to get up early tomorrow to take care of the event's administration. We had some issues with the decoration and speaker; when we tried it out a while ago, it didn't work. It's fortunate that Kuya Nathan instructed us to inspect all of the machines. I was upset with the event's organizer; that was her obligation; what if we didn't check it? If it happens, I'm confident she'll be fired.

My heart pounded as my phone rang. Who the heck is this? I clenched my teeth. It's eleven o'clock in the evening! Is this person even aware of the etiquette of not contacting someone after 9:00 p.m.? It's a minimum necessity to be conscious of.

I decline the call, but it rings again, so I answer it out of aggravation.

"Hello?" I said gently, attempting to keep my annoyance at bay.

"Hey," the caller says.

His voice sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't identify it.

"Who's this?"

"Did you forget my voice, hmm," the caller's deep, raspy voice made me fathom who he was? Why did he call me at such a late hour?

I licked my lips and sat in my bed, my phone pressed against my ear. "Why did you call, Wyatt?"

"Let's meet tonight," he remarked in a way that irked me. It's as if he's commanding me, which I despise. I am not a mindless robot who will follow anyone around. I'm sick of being trailed by my family, so I despise it when others do the same.

"I don't want to," I responded angrily as I hung up the phone. Who does he think he is to give me such commands? And why is he insisting on meeting at this hour? Wait... Isn't it imperative? If it wasn't, he wouldn't have called me. We agreed not to contact each other...so what happened?

Tss. The way he speaks to me bothers me. He could have greeted me with a pleasant approach. In any case, there isn't anyone with whom we need to talk. Why does he need to call me in the first place, and whence did he get my phone number?

I received a phone call from the same number, which I declined and went back to bed as if nothing had happened. I need to unwind and stay away from those who might disrupt my tranquility.

I tried to sleep in various postures but was unable to do so. It's been about an hour. I snatched up my phone and ruffled my hair. I received a text message from him.

From: Wyatt

I apologize for my tone, Cean. It's just that it's so urgent, but I know it's not a valid reason. If you're available before the event, I'll make it up to you tomorrow. You can tell me when you're free, and I'll try to appease you.

My lips protruded only a tiny little bit. What is he up to tonight? I made an attempt to contact him. I couldn't sleep, so why not wake him up? After all, he did interrupt me a while ago.

I expected him to pick up the phone, but he didn't. Perhaps he's sleeping, huh? I bit my bottom lips in dismay.

Damn. I needed to sleep desperately, but I couldn't. When my phone rang with the same number that had been contacting me for a while, a smile slowly appeared on my face. It's Wyatt, and he didn't call me; instead, he sent me a Facetime video!

As the video began, I lightly moistened my lips. He's brushing his hair with a towel while holding his phone in one hand. He had just finished bathing.

"Hmm, I thought you were mad? You even decline my phone calls," he adds, putting down the towel to look directly at me, "Why aren't you sleeping? Hmm," his low tone jolts me awake even more. Droplets of water were dripping on his broad shoulder as he looked so hot with his wet hair.

I shrugged and whispered, "I couldn't sleep," as I rolled my body onto the bed, causing my stomach to lie on the bed. I overheard him chuckling at what I did. I positioned my phone so that he could see my entire face.

"You couldn't sleep so you chose to contact me, hmm, Cean," he smirks.

"No, I just want to know why you called," I say, rolling my eyes at him. "We can talk about it now so we don't have to meet tomorrow," I suggest.

I noticed how his face hardened in response to what I said."No, let's talk about it in person," he says.

After hanging the towel in his bathroom, he sat on his bed. He looks at me with such intensity that I was secretly intimidated by him, but I returned his stare while raising my brow, as I always do.

"You look tired," I mutter. He's handsome, but I couldn't help but notice that he seems exhausted.

His eyes looks at me with drowsiness, he bit his lips."Yeah, and you? You should sleep as well, you need to rest,"

I pressed my lips together, sensing that he was eager to end the call. He's been asking me why I called him as if I'm already bothering him. I simply gave him a nod and hung up the phone without saying anything.

Why did I call him in the first place? I sat on my bed and rambled my hair.

Maybe I should go grab some milk to help me go asleep. To make my milk, I went down to the kitchen. Crescent's presence at the bar chair, sipping a margarita, drew my attention.

As I walked inside, she gave me a sidelong glance. She has incredible hearing; I didn't even make a sound. I went to the counter to get the glass, and as we waited for my water to boil, we were both quiet.

She looks so cold and hard to reach, she's so close yet so far away. I shook my head and concentrated on making my milk; I poured boiling water into a glass and added powdered milk.

"Can't sleep?" she asks.

I nod and set the glass down on the counter to face her. I may appear harsh to her, but there are reasons behind that. "You? We have a big event tomorrow, and you're drinking right now," I sound like a sister reprimanding her younger sibling.

She gently smiled at me, "Just want to unwind," she stated. She sipped the drink and combed her hair. Her white dress complements her tanned skin, and her long wavy hair glides through her fingers with ease.

I locked my gaze on her, attempting to decipher her, but failing miserably. While looking at me, she has been expressionless with a slight smile. She looks... lifeless in my eyes.

She glances aside and whispers, "This is the first time I heard you scold me."

My mouth fell open in surprise at what she said. "I... I am not scolding you," I said sternly and drank my milk in one go before hurrying upstairs.

My tongue hurts! The milk is freaking hot!

As I entered my room, I thumped my feet on the floor and held my tongue. I hurried straight to the bathroom to wash my burnt tongue.

After that, I closed my eyes and a realization hit me as her words reverberated in my thoughts. We're not like the typical sisters in books and on television. Apart from when we were babies, I have no memories of us being together.

I... I used to detest her because I felt like she was robbing me of everything I had.

I was startled when I heard my phone ring, I ran to my bed to look at the caller just to see Ulysses' calling. Hmm, why does he need to call me this time?

"Hello?" I say.

"Cean, I'm sorry for disturbing you. Did I wake you up?" he asks softly.

"No, but I told you not to call anyone at this hour," I heard him chuckle a little, and he sounded like he'd just gotten out of bed.

"Please say that to your best friend who called and woke me up at this hour," he mutters while yawning.

Huh? Lexine called her?

"What do you mean?" I ask.

He sighed, "She asked whether she could come to the event tomorrow without an invitation since she wanted to surprise you, but I didn't know the answer either, so I called you. Just act surprised tomorrow," I laughed at what he said, "That wouldn't be a surprise now that I know,"

"Just act astonished, Miss Oceanna, hmm. Lexine wants to be my partner so she can attend the event; is that okay? I mean, she hasn't received an invitation."

Lexine had to be insane; she was well aware that this was a special event with stringent entrance requirements.

"No, she should have an invitation to come; I asked her if she needed one last week, but she refused. That little brat," Ulysses chortled while I shook my head.

"Would you make an exception for her? You know your best friend better than I do, and she'll undoubtedly grab someone's invitation just to obtain what she wants," he said, jokingly. But we both know Lexine is capable of doing so.

Lexine Semilla, what am I supposed to do with you?

"I'll try to find a way for her; I apologized for her behavior, Ulysses," I mutter softly.

"Don't worry, Cean; Anyway, I tried calling you a while ago, but it said you were on another call; are you talking to someone?" he asks.

I unconsciously shook my head; it's been half an hour since Wyatt and I spoke unless someone has been dialing me since then.

"No, I went downstairs to get milk; regardless, you should come back to sleep; I'll sleep as well," we bid goodbye before I hung up the call.

My eyes widened as I saw nine missed calls from Wyatt. I thought he was dozing off and tired. I took a look at his most recent message. It was just a minute ago that it was sent. He sent me three texts, but I only read the most recent one.

From: Unknown

Who are you talking with? At this hour? Is that why you hang up the phone?

Huh? I was in the middle of replying to him when he calls me, again. I answer it without a blink. A facetime video again. He's currently lying in his bed, staring at me with a grumpy expression on his face.

"Who did you talk to?" his low deep voice sounded mad.

I tried to keep a smile from appearing on my face, but I couldn't; he's adorable and hot at the same time.

"You look happy, huh," he remarked fiercely, mockingly, while I kept a smile on my face.

"Why are you calling me this hour? It's already one o'clock," I say. I lie down on the bed and wrap myself in the comforter.

He licks his lips and squints at me, "You're awake too. Who did you talk to?" he asks again.

I bit my inside cheeks, "You know what, I think we should go to sleep,"

"Why aren't you answering me?" he glared at me but when he saw me yawned, his eyes softened, "Okay, let's sleep,"

I nod at him, "End the call,"

He shook his head, "No, don't end it. Put your phone on a cushion so I can see your face." he demanded.