A/N: This is a somewhat long chapter because of some unveiling but ensure you don't skip a line. Everything contributes to the end result. Don't say I didn't tell ya. Enjoy ❤️

~Isaias De Léon~

The girls had both their feet tucked within the bedsheets as Dolores recounted with laughter in her eyes, the incident that happened in the junior part of the cafeteria. With eyes and mouth opened wide, Aurora greedily swallowed every word that escaped her lips, leaving no tiny detail to go to waste. She soon began to regret not leaving for school but at the same time was grateful she didn't.

"You should have seen the faces of the cleaners." Dolores said, mid laugh.

"They are always grumpy about cleaning, rotten eggs or not. I don't like the sight of their faces everytime." The brown haired girl replied, reaching over to the table for her phone.

"Well, if you had to clean up after people who weren't even toddlers, and knew where the bin was, I'm sure you'd do worse."

Aurora shrugged, "Valid point. I should get Nicolas to make you his specials; chicken burgers. That's the next thing he knows how best to do asides annoying the hell out of me."

Dolores leant over, laughter rippling out of her in waves. The siblings had something she didn't have; a weird sarcastic relationship, which was every way perfect in her own view. Who else better to make you want to choke on your saliva than your siblings?

She had to admit that she often stopped by their house on most days to watch the drama between both. They almost never agreed on same terms but their oppositions brought a mutual agreement at the same time. It was something she couldn't fathom because she didn't get siblings before her Mom left.

Shaking out of memories she didn't want to look into, Dolores rested her gaze on the girl beside her who was typing away with such speed that she almost couldn't see her fingers move.

"This is insane! How fast can you get?" She commented in astonishment. The last time she did something like this was in class and it was because she had to type a quick reply to Nicolas before the teacher caught her. The annoying boy wouldn't stop sending funny memes to her.

"I don't even know how I do it. What I do know is since I barely had friends then, I spent my time on the internet trying to be friends with people out of my locality. Sometimes even outside the country."

"Outside the country?" She couldn't believe her ears. "You're just underaged, Aurora."

Her reply was met with an indifferent tone. "So? It was fun and a far better means of socializing than not being able to physically interact with people your age. I was done trying to get attention from my classmates."

Although there was a point in her defense, the point remained that it was risky to chat with people who were possibly older and were from different walks of life. Did she know nothing about her location being able to be tracked?

Dolores shook her head, dismissing her thoughtlessness. "That being said, I'm glad Selena got what she deserved. Now she'll soak in an epsom salt bath for days."

Her comment had Aurora shaking in laughter, tears dancing in her eyes. This was the kind of attitude that suited the poor girl. Having being through a lot while growing up, she didn't need a depressing atmosphere to dampen her spirits.

The door swung open and Nicolas swept in breathing hard as his eyes searched around the room with wild eyes. He looked like he had seen something he wasn't supposed to. While Dolores looked at him funny, Aurora didn't find his sudden intrusion humourous. His eyes locked onto Aurora in a heartbeat and he breathed out her name.

"You might as well have knocked. What if one of us were naked?" Aurora questioned, wearing a disapproving look.

Dolores cringed visibly as she tossed her a bewildered look, then she looked back at Nicolas was having trouble putting together his words with his continous panting which hadn't subsided.

When it looked as though he was going to remain in that position for the longest time, she had to inquire with an exhaustive roll of her ocean eyes. "What is it, Nicolas?"

"Dad. He wants to see you."

There was a deafening silence that swept the room, slowing every activity to a stop, before a loud crashing sound disturbed the serenity. It was Aurora's phone which had fallen from her hold. Her face was frozen as ice in shock, with all the colors draining out from it.

Dolores looked between the siblings, at loss for what to say. Nicolas had never said anything about his Dad being around because he always spoke of him as one who was gone and she never doubted him. He was almost twenty, making it possible for him to have legal guardianship of Aurora.

She felt pangs of betrayal in her chest but didn't ponder so much about it. It was his privacy and his choice to make if he wanted to make certain things known to her. Maybe he still didn't trust her enough to disclose confidential matters. She was not a part of their family afterall.

After a full minute of quietness, Aurora's voice came out in a hushed whisper like one unable to process what she heard. "Dad?"

Nicolas nodded in the affirmative, motioning for her to follow behind him with a hand stretched. Time ceased to tick as she slowly got up, walking to her brother like one in a trance. None of them took notice of Dolores who stared on with a confused frown mounting upon her forehead.

When Aurora got closer, he held open his hand as she placed hers in. He clasped his fingers around and together, they stepped out leaving the door open. Thoughts of Dolores being the least on their befuddled minds.

Dolores on her own part, picked up her bag, figuring it would be best to give the family some private moments together. A text to Aurora would help to explain why she had to leave without saying goodbye. She stepped out of the room, bag in hand, quietly shutting the door closed behind her.

As she looked down the hallway, she heard distinct voices but that of Nicolas couldn't be mistaken. Curiosity pulled the strings of her mind and she walked towards the voices. There was an instant kick against her impulsive actions but she ignored it, wanting to see for herself what was happening.

There was an opened door with light seeping through and illuminating that part of the house that she never thought existed. Further intrigued, she crept stealthily towards it. She knew down to the sole of her feet that everything she was doing was wrong but she was far too gone to go back without seeing their father.

'what if he doesn't want you to meet his father?'

She paused suddenly, thinking it over. It was their private life and here she was, snooping around. A picture of Nicolas looking very disappointed at her actions popped up in her mind filling her with instant shame amd regret. She turned back immediate, trying to creep back to the hallway so she could exit the house. A voice brought her to an abrupt halt.

"Aha! No wonder he kept arguing that there was someone else standing by the door. I knew it had to be you."

Sweat broke out over her, drawing a long line downward towards the waist of her jeans. She turned around with a face as red as red could be, embarassed for being caught in such a compromising situation.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't usually a-a-act this nosy." She stammered nervously.

Nicolas only smiled at her before taking her hand and drawing her in to himself. "It's okay. That's why I left the door opened for you. I don't think I want to keep anything from you."

She smiled back as relief flooded her system. "Are you sure he wants to see me?"

"He was the one who caught you, wasn't he?"

She swallowed in a nervous way. Nicolas held her hand nonetheless, tugging her in to meet the one person that mattered the most in his world.

As they stepped in, the man looked away from his daughter who was pressed into his side, focusing on the timid girl who was clinging to Nicolas like a second skin. His eyes shone in recognition.

It was the man who spoke first before anyone uttered any more words. "You look awfully familiar, kid. I think you were the one I saw outside the house some months back. What's your name?"

Dolores looked to Nicolas who nodded with a smile. She looked back at the aging man. "Dolores Huerta."

If her thoughts were that his face couldn't get more wrinkled, she watched in shock as his eyes crinkled when she mentioned her name. He sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Damian Huerta was an old friend of mine who we worked together but lost contact as we each got married. You have his features but more of Carmenita's looks, your Mom. No wonder you looked so familiar."

Dolores stood rooted to a spot as her face whitened like ash, her cheeks looking pale. She didn't blink because if she did, tears would drop down her face. She remembered when her Dad once made reference to his friendship with two men in the past. Her late best friend's father and one other person he mentioned as...

"Isaias De Léon." She whispered.

"That's me." The man replied with a pleasant smile that reached his eyes once more.

~~~{•}~~~

Do you guys think I took too long to unveil this chapter or it happened at the right time?
I personally love keeping my readers anxious though. *Evil laughter*
Might be wondering where Carlos has been but don't worry. There's enough of his villainy in the coming chapters.

Leave a vote if this was your best chapter yet
~~Chignature~~