"What are you doing?" Sophia heard someone whispering from behind her. She panicked, scattering the paper she had in her hand all around the floor.

"Aiden!" she squealed, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she snapped at him.

"I came to see you," Aiden stated.

"I was in the living room the whole time, but I never heard you knock or ring the bell," she complained.

He shrugged off her comment, "It's too tedious to go out the front door, going through the back is way easier." He sat on the sofa, flicked on the remote to find himself something good on her TV.

"Aiden, can you promise me something? Tell me you won't come through the balcony anymore, please," she pleaded.

He ignored her the whole time, watching TV as his life depended on it.

"Are you listening to me?" she raised her voice at him, not seeing him secretly smiling as he continued to ignore her demands.

His inattentiveness was irritating her, so she stood in front of him to block his view. "Move…," he tried to push her lightly out of his way, "I can't see what I'm watching."

"No, no until you give me your word," she demanded, standing her ground. But he was relentless, he just moved to one side and continued watching.

"Are you listening to me? Dammit!" she was getting more and more frustrated.

Aiden was unaffected, "You could always close the balcony door," he replied.

"I want fresh air while I work. That's the whole reason why I chose this floor. Good view with no disturbance," she answered.

He just groaned, "Oh no… I have to wait another six months to watch the Tom Cruise movie," still ignoring Sophia.

"Aiden! That's enough, look at me," she requested as she placed both of her hands on his shoulders to get his attention.

He smirked at her as he got up, looking her square in the eye, "Okay, I'm looking at you now," with a softer tone, crowding into her space. She did not account that they would be this close when she stood in front of him.

"Uhm... I think you should just stand where you are," she poked at his chest and moved back.

"Hmm... I think you better make up your mind. This is getting to be confusing for me. One minute you ask me to look at you, then the next second you push me away," he teased.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Oh, you know what I'm saying. Don't make this hard for me."

"Okay fine, give me the password to the door so you'll always hear me when I come in," he suggested.

She cursed and gave him the password eventually. "Don't misuse it. Don't come in when I'm not home. Don't come in at night when I'm sleeping. Don't come in too early in the morning either," she listed her conditions.

"Yes, I promise I won't," he smiled a very satisfied smile. He felt like they were together, kind of like the boyfriend having his girlfriend's house key.

It had become routine for him to come to her house at the end of the day, and spend time together. Now, it felt like he got upgraded, he was now a member of the family, able to come in and out whenever he felt like it.

Sophia had gotten used to him coming to her house, watching TV, or reading a book, and though there was silence between them whenever they were busy doing their own thing, it did not feel uncomfortable or awkward. And when they do have discussions, it is just a matter of exchanging opinions and not arguing too much. It made Aiden feel like they were getting along very beautifully, just like a normal couple would.

-=-

Sophia was busy typing in front of her laptop when her phone started ringing. She looked at the number and frowned, not bothering to pick it up. But still, the phone kept on ringing again and again, and every time she would send it to voicemail. When the caller did not give up, she blocked the number, anger masking her face.

Aiden observed her reaction, but it was evident in her body language that she did not want to volunteer any information about her caller. So she pretended to keep on working, but he knew she wasn't making progress when he saw that she hadn't turned the page in the last half hour.

It had bothered him that she wouldn't share any information, but as he had figured out, he was a patient man after all, and this could wait.

-=-

Most of the time Sophia avoided gatherings, but this time she had been invited to a very high-profile party that she had been forced to attend due to the fact that a very important associate was holding the party, and she wanted to make a good impression.

The guests attending these functions usually travel in the same circles, so they knew one another. Her attendance had garnered their attention just because she was fresh meat. People were intrigued to know more about the enchanting beauty who decided to grace their presence.

"Sister, I can't believe you are here," a sweet voice excitedly said behind her.

Sophia knew the voice even before she turned around, Harper her cousin, decided to appear before her. Once upon a time, Sophia had considered her like a sister. But there was always more than meets the eye. Some people are disguised as angels while evil lurks deep in their hearts.

Harper wore a white dress that made her look almost virginal and innocent. Sophia faced her cousin wearing her stoic mask, "Yes, well, I am now able to get an invitation to parties such as these."

"I'm just happy to see you, why are you being so offensive?" her cousin asked, a little panic in her voice.

"Wait, don't leave, we haven't seen each other for such a long time, and I was thinking we could catch up," Harper pleaded when she saw her cousin walking away. She held onto Sophia's arm to make her stay.