After the applause finally settled down, Elli Starfall spoke once again in her calm, elegant voice.
“The official engagement date has not been decided yet,” she announced.
“However, all of you will be informed very soon.”
The guests clapped once again as the grand lights of the ballroom brightened beautifully.
Meanwhile, Aria looked completely horrified.
The moment Elli stepped down from the stage, Aria immediately rushed toward her.
“Grandma!”
Elli looked at her calmly.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Aria whispered angrily.
“I don’t want to get engaged to Ren.”
For a moment, Elli simply looked at her silently.
Then, without saying a single word, she walked away gracefully with the staff following behind her.
Aria stood there in disbelief.
“…She literally ignored me.”
Roy patted her shoulder dramatically.
“Stay strong.”
Aria immediately turned toward her friends with determination burning in her eyes.
“Did you all see that?” she declared proudly.
“Now watch how I stop this engagement from ever happening.”
Shin looked genuinely worried.
“Why does that sound like the beginning of a disaster?”
Before Aria could answer, Bali Nightfall suddenly appeared beside them.
“Aria.”
Aria instantly straightened up.
“Yes, Grandma Bali?”
Bali smiled calmly.
“Tomorrow, you’ll meet Ren and his mother properly.
You all need to discuss where the engagement ceremony will happen, when it will happen, and how it will be organized.”
Aria looked absolutely betrayed.
“Grandma Bali…” she complained dramatically, “you already know I don’t want this engagement.”
Bali simply smiled mysteriously.
Then Aria suddenly remembered something.
“Wait.”
She looked at Bali suspiciously.
“Does Muichiro know about this?”
Bali shook her head lightly.
“No.
He’s arriving tomorrow.
He’ll find out then.”
The moment Bali left again, Shuyong immediately leaned closer toward Aria with narrowed eyes.
“…Aria.”
“What?”
“Who exactly is Muichiro?”
Then he gasped dramatically.
“Wait— don’t tell me he’s secretly your boyfriend.”
Aria instantly looked disgusted.
“EW.
No.”
Everyone blinked at her reaction.
Aria crossed her arms casually.
“He’s Grandma Bali’s grandson.”
Roy raised an eyebrow.
“…Then why did you react like that?”
Aria looked away innocently.
“No reason.”
Shin immediately pointed at her suspiciously.
“That reaction definitely means there’s a reason.”
Aria rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Seriously, there’s nothing like that between me and Muichiro.
We’re just good friends.
That’s all.”
Shuyong narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“The way you reacted earlier says otherwise.”
Aria grabbed a cushion and threw it straight at him.
“Shut up.”
Then she stood up confidently and pointed at everyone.
“And as for this engagement…”
A dangerous smirk appeared on her face.
“You all just sit back and watch how I destroy it.”
After saying that, Aria stormed out of the room angrily.
The next morning, the entire group secretly gathered together before school.
Shin looked around carefully before whispering dramatically,
“Operation: Destroy the Engagement begins today.”
Roy sighed.
“That is the stupidest operation name I’ve ever heard.”
Suzumi ignored them and spoke seriously,
“Today Aria is meeting Ren and his mother.
If we want to know what she’s planning, we need to hear their conversation.”
Which was exactly why all of them collectively decided to skip school for the day.
Later that afternoon, they secretly followed Aria’s car across the city.
Eventually, the vehicle stopped in front of the luxurious Nightfall Resort.
Shin’s eyes widened instantly.
“Oh no.”
“What?” Jennifer asked.
“You can’t enter this place without a reservation.”
Suzumi smirked proudly and pulled out a black card from her bag.
“My father uses this Anytime Booking Card whenever he has business meetings here.”
She waved the card dramatically.
“And today, it’s with me.”
Shin immediately pointed at her emotionally.
“You’re the hero of this mission.”
Soon, all of them quietly entered the resort and hid at a table beside the private lounge area.
A decorative wall separated their table, making it impossible for anyone to notice them.
From there, they could clearly see Aria.
She was sitting casually on a luxurious couch wearing a sharp formal outfit, dark glasses resting on her face as if she owned the entire building.
Which technically… she did.
A few moments later, Ren and his mother arrived.
Aria looked at them once—
And completely ignored them afterward.
The two of them awkwardly remained standing there while Aria calmly sipped her drink without even looking in their direction.
From the hidden table nearby, Shin was already struggling not to laugh.
Finally, Ren’s mother forced a smile.
“Hello.
My name is Dany.”
Aria slowly looked up at her over the rim of her glasses.
“Oh.”
She paused dramatically.
“So you were talking to me?”
Shin instantly buried his face into the table to hide his laughter.
Dany’s smile twitched slightly.
“You seriously have no manners.”
Ren frowned immediately.
“You could’ve at least stood up when we arrived.”
Aria calmly removed her glasses and placed them onto the table.
“Why?” she asked lazily.
“We were going to sit down again anyway, so why waste energy standing?”
Then she gestured toward the chairs.
“Go ahead.
Sit.”
Dany took a deep breath before speaking again.
“We’ve decided to hold the engagement tomorrow itself.
We’ll organize it in a proper hall.”
Ren looked toward Aria.
“You’re not going to say anything?”
Aria shrugged casually.
“You’ve already decided everything yourselves, so what exactly am I supposed to do?”
Ren smirked slightly.
“Fine then.
Let’s make our engagement completely mafia-style.”
Aria leaned back lazily.
“Do whatever you want.
Just don’t waste too much money.”
Ren frowned.
“…Why?”
Aria smiled innocently.
“Because even I don’t know when, why, or how I might suddenly ruin everything.”
Then she crossed her legs calmly.
“And if you really want a mafia-style engagement…”
A dangerous grin appeared on her face.
“…then I’ll also run away from it in true mafia style.”
Dany looked horrified.
“What nonsense are you saying?!”
Aria looked at her blankly.
“Not you.
Say young miss.
Didn’t you just lecture me about manners?”
Ren immediately slammed his hand onto the table.
“How dare you speak to my mother like that?!”
Aria looked completely unbothered.
“Why are you acting like I declared war?
I’m literally just talking.”
Ren was about to argue again when Aria suddenly waved her hand lazily.
“Alright, enough.
I’ve listened to enough nonsense for today.
Now both of you can leave.”
Ren stared at her in disbelief.
“Why should we leave?
We booked this place.”
Aria smiled calmly.
“Yes.
You booked it.”
Then she pointed around the resort casually.
“But the resort itself belongs to me.”
Dany scoffed instantly.
“You seem to be forgetting something.
You’re a Starfall, not a Nightfall.
This is Nightfall Resort.”
Aria rested her chin on her hand lazily.
“No.
You’re forgetting something.”
Her smile widened slightly.
“I’m a Starfall.”
Then she looked around proudly.
“And this Nightfall Resort also belongs to the Starfalls.”
Silence.
Dany frowned immediately.
“Then prove it.”
Aria casually snapped her fingers.
“Waiter.”
Within seconds, a waiter hurried toward her respectfully.
“Yes, Young Miss?”
Aria pointed around the building casually.
“Can you tell them who owns this resort?”
The waiter looked confused for a second.
“…Young Miss, why are you asking like that?
This resort belongs to you.”
Aria slowly turned back toward Ren and Dany with a satisfied smile.
“Well?”
Ren looked irritated immediately.
“Fine.
We get it.
Stop showing off your money.”
Aria stared at them blankly for two whole seconds.
“…You two are seriously shameless.”
Then she picked up her glasses again and wore them slowly.
“Even after getting insulted this much, you’re both still sitting here.”