Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

Actually, Fallon has no reason to follow Lady like this.

He could have just stayed back there and waited for her to return. Even now, he could just remain at the sideline. He did not have to get involved in whatever she was trying to do. 

'But what if she really gets stung?! And I have to bring her back to Uncle Max at that state?! He and the others will probably think that I let her wander off on her own and get into trouble. That would make me look cold-hearted…!' he contemplated, trying his hardest to keep as calm as he could while he watched his cousin draw nearer and nearer to the bees' nest.

'Escape is always an option. I can just run away right now and leave her there. But if that's the case, I also have to pretend that I've never been with her... Or maybe I should just use brute force? Drag her out of here and tie her up to a pole? That sounds like a better idea.'

Soon enough, Fallon could see that Lady had already reached the bees' nest. 

It was nuzzling to a tree branch, looking all docile and innocent despite the harm it could likely cause. Much to his surprise, he found her not at all startled by the sight nor even concerned for herself. One bee would've been enough to get any child crying out for their mommy. Now, there are more of them, but even then, she doesn't appear to be anywhere near afraid.

"H-Hey, are you sure about this? You're gonna hurt yourself," Fallon asked, staying a few good meters away at the back.

"I heard you stutter~ You scared?" Lady teased, smirking amusedly. 

"Anyone would be, you crazy bug freak."

"Say what?! What did you just call me?!"

Then, all of the sudden, the tables have been turned. 

She was about to make fun of him for being such a coward. But that's until he began firing back with the name-callings. 

"Oh, hold on. Something's missing there. It's dumb, crazy bug freak," Fallon deadpanned.

"Why, you! Don't call me that! I sound like some nerd who's obsessed with insects! Which I'm not!" Lady bolted out.

"How can you be a nerd if you're stupid? Just so you know, a human can sustain ten bee stings for each pound of body weight. Therefore, the average adult should be able to survive around a thousand bee stings while a child could survive five hundred. Regardless of the odds, it's a fact that more than a thousand people already died from stings during the previous years."

"Oh, now you're talking, smarty-pants. You're more of a nerd than me after all."

"I just told you that you're not a nerd."

"Look, I ain't gonna get in trouble, okay? I may not be an expert in handling this kind of situation, but I am aware that bees only attack if they feel threatened, and I know how not to provoke these cute little fellas nor anyone for that matter."

"Well, you're certainly provoking me now." 

"Just what did I ever do to you, you coward?!"

"Just get away from there already, you freak!"

Both of them are panting at this point. Unexpectedly, all that shouting had drained a good portion of their energy. It still got their blood boiling and their nerves popping, though. With that, they just settled with exchanging glares while they continued to catch their breaths.

"Put that thing away. Otherwise, I won't help you," he then began again, huffing.

"Help me with what?" she blurted out with a raised brow. 

"With learning more about our family. You went here with me because you wanted to know, didn't you? Or maybe you forgot?"

Lady pouts at that, having realized that Fallon is right.

She wanted to go back inside the hotel with at least an idea or two about who her relatives were and what to expect from them starting from this point on. Knowing quite well that nobody else would entertain her curiosity tonight, she finally relented and did as she was told.

"Fine. Give me a sec," she groaned before turning back around and escorting the bee to its nest.     

Once it left, Lady quietly moves away. The insects still appear to be docile. Contrary to what Fallon has been fearing, they rarely ever attack and sting anyone as long as they don't feel threatened.

"Done?" he asked with a flat look and tone when she got back and joined him once more. 

"Yeah. As simple as that," she answered sassily, unwilling to be dominated by his grumpiness.           

"You're just lucky."

"Jealous?"

"As if. Good luck with that petty luck of yours next time. I'd laugh at your bloated face."

Annoyed, Lady huffs and pouts at him again. Now, Fallon is starting to miss the moment when she seemed so easy to talk to – so pleasing to look at.

He had a glimpse earlier. It happened briefly when she was holding a sunflower. Just right before she found the bee. For some reason, at that time, he suddenly felt drawn to her. There was this mystique around her that made her appear somewhat enticing - kind of eyesome.

"Anyway, let's get going," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets, before he turned around and started walking.

"Right. So, umm… Can we start with the other children? I'm pretty sure they'd be the easiest to remember," she replied while she followed him to wherever it was he's going.

"You mean the 'jerks' you mentioned?"

"Yeah. The jerks."   

"They're Bryce, Art, and Travis. First was the oldest of us children while I came after the second. The third was born before you. So, there, you've got our order by age." 

"Wait, did you just say… their names are Bryce, Art, and Travis?"

"I did."

"Pfftt…! Oh, good riddance! That's perfect! They're not 'jerks' after all!"

Fallon was struck dumbfounded when Lady suddenly burst out laughing.

Again, he has no idea what's running through that head of hers. She just really had to come up with one silly thought after another whenever he began to get all serious.

"They're the BRATS! Get it?! BR for Bryce, A for Art, and TS for Travis! Oh, gosh! Am I a genius or what?!" she continued to shoot her mouth off, already flipping over laughing.

"Yeah, wow. That's cool," he dryly commented, silently missing the part where he cared.

"No, really! It's hilarious! Their parents were really smart to give them those names!"

"And their parents would be mad if they heard you talking about them like that."

"Speaking of, now that we're on that topic, who're these Sires and Mademoiselles?"

Fallon was a little glad that she suggested something good for once. If he wanted to keep his sanity, he had to finish this business he had with Lady as soon as possible.

"Bryce's parents are Aunt Brenda and Uncle Cecil. They run a fashion business and a modeling agency. On the other hand, Art's parents are Aunt Arianne and Uncle Theo. They are well-known in the hospitality industry for managing several high-class hotels. Then, lastly, there are Aunt Tracy and Uncle Viscount who're Travis's parents. They used to be world-renowned actors but are now leading the country's biggest entertainment company." 

After hearing Fallon's explanation, Lady ended up gaping.

Those are some major achievements, she thought. She could not recall going through these side characters one by one since she was too focused on the main ones, but now that she learned how much of a massive deal these individuals were, she suddenly felt overwhelmed. 

"Pretty amazing, right…?" he said with a smirk, feeling oddly satisfied to see her speechless. 

"And yet, even with these successes, they're all still after the CEO's position of Mireille Group, which is currently in the hands of Uncle Max."

"They still are…?" she breathed out, a bit surprised.

"But why? They've got it good already. Very good, in fact." 

When Fallon didn't respond to that, Lady came to a realization that it must've been a dumb question.

She shouldn't have asked why they're the way they are. It's already obvious - she's the reason, though he doesn't that. These are the characters she made, after all. 

'And as far as I remember, while I made Maximilian as cold and hard as he could be, I made his relatives as greedy and insatiable as they could be. Why did I do that again…?' she quietly scolded herself, feeling guilty. 

'What's done is done, though. I have to take them seriously from now on. They're not just some side characters in my book anymore. They're real people.' 

While she was thinking about all these, she didn't notice that Fallon had been secretly staring at her through the corners of his eyes. If Lady hadn't looked back immediately, she wouldn't chance a glimpse of the strange, intent look in his gaze.

He appears as if he's planning something.

"What? What are you looking at?" she questioned, raising a brow.

Yet, before Fallon could give an answer, Lady caught sight of a shadow moving rapidly towards their direction.