Kindling Flame

6. Let Me Take Her Place

"Exposure event. Judge for yourself!"

A huge lustrous poster with those words greeted everyone who arrived at the drop-off point of the school. Despite how eye-catching it was, the large majority paid it no more attention than a glance. However, the three siblings knew better than to trust what they saw. This school was all about image and politics. 

Before they parted ways to head to their individual faculties, Darius turned to his sisters and pinched their cheeks. "You girls stay safe and contact me if anything goes wrong, okay? I'll be here in a jiffy."

Out of concern for Aster, Rhiannon had told Darius about everything that had happened.

The two sisters nodded their heads with a smile on their faces. 

The event was the talk of the school for the day. There was no one in school who had not seen the poster. In the first place, the drop-off point of the school was made that grand to accommodate all the students' cars.

The school bell chimed. The last class of the day concluded. Rhiannon absent-mindedly conversed with her friends about attending the event of the day while they headed for tea.

"Rhia." 

Rhiannon's head snapped to the side. "Big sis?" A bright smile lit up her face. It was the first time her sister came to find her in school. Aster had always been too busy studying or practicing something.

"Rhia?"

"You guys go ahead first. I'll find you!"

Her friends exchanged confused glances before nodding and walking off. 

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Not for too long." Aster said with a smile. 

"What're you doing here? Is it related to..."

Aster lightly flicked Rhiannon's forehead. "Silly. I'm taking a break from studying today to hang out with you. You're not feeling good about today, are you?"

Rhiannon laughed coyly.

"I was thinking of the aquarium in the entertainment building. There'll probably be a lot of people in the main hall for the event, so it's a good chance to enjoy the aquarium in peace."

"That's true!" Rhiannon whipped out her phone and texted her friends the update. 

Aster smiled gently. It was good to see Rhiannon's mood improve. She had been nervous and down since the previous night. 

"Let's go!" Rhiannon grabbed Aster's arm and pulled Aster along, with a spring in her step. 

"Wow." Rhiannon exclaimed breathlessly as the double doors of the aquarium slid away. The place was truly a lot emptier than usual. "I've come here several times but this feels completely different."

"Amazing what a crowd can do, right?"

"Come! I'll show you my favourite exhibit!" Rhiannon's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

Aster let herself be pulled along and listened to Rhiannon's lecture about every marine creature she knew. 'We should do this more often.' 

Light footsteps drew Aster's attention behind them, whereas Rhiannon was too focused on the exhibits to notice a new presence in their midst.

'He's here.' Aster locked eyes with the newcomer for a good few seconds before she broke the silence, "Mr Wu."

Rhiannon's head snapped around.

"Excuse me, but I'm here for your friend." Lucifer gave a small bow. Then, he shifted his gaze onto Rhiannon, who now had a scowl on her face. "Miss Lee, your presence is needed in the hall."