"He is so in love" Dawn huffed, folding her clothes and putting them away in her luggage. Paul was collecting all their electronics but looked up for a moment to see the frustration on his fiancée face.

"Ash?" He guessed. The bluenette nodded vigorously, shaking her head in absolute exasperation. Paul shrugged, adding. "With Serena, right?"

"See! Even you realised it!" Dawn pointed out. "And if you out of all people realised it then I don't see how anyone else cannot! Ash wasn't this stupid."

"What do you even mean by that?" Paul muttered. He cleared his throat. "Well, he will know soon enough. It is not your business, Dawn. You don't have to prod in their personal matters."

But when Paul looked at her face he knew that Dawn had already made up her mind. Her determined expression screamed danger. She smiled "Too bad. I want to play cupid now."

"Don't, Dawn." Paul rubbed his temples. Then realising that nothing can convince the stubborn bluenette, he added. "You do whatever you want but I am out. I don't want Ash running after my head a few weeks from now."

"Don't be such a sore loser, Ice Cube" Dawn pouted, her tone becoming serious. "You are supposed to be my partner-in-crime. You and I are gonna get married in a month; you don't want me to become a runaway bride now, do you?"

Paul sighed. Even though Dawn was joking about being a runaway bride, he knew he had lost.

SERENA

"Good morning, Serena" The honey blonde stretched. She was feeling happy; the after effects of yesterday's night sneaky adventure still lingering. Although she was disappointed that she will never know what Ash was trying to say to her before the fireworks exploded.

She got out of the bed, tossing the comforter away. They were leaving for Paris tonight and she was excited to tell all about Hawaii to May. She missed the jacuzzi too.

Within half an hour, she was making a beeline to the buffet hall. However, on her way she stumbled upon the bluenette, who was waiting for her.

"Morning, Serena!" Dawn greeted cheerfully. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she looked effortlessly gorgeous in her crop top and denim shorts.

"Good morning, Dawn" Serena smiled. She wondered how the woman was so full of energy early in the morning. Serena was never a morning person.

"I am glad I ran into you" Dawn began as Serena gave a questioning look. "You see, Ash and Paul are not here today and I really, really wanted to visit the Ala Moana Shopping centre!"

She whined, tugging to Serena's arm. "I knew from the starting that my ice cube of a fiancée wouldn't take me there even if he had time!"

Her royal blue eyes sparkled as Serena braced herself for the question that she was anyways going to answer in affirmative. Dawn winked. "Wanna go together?"

"I would love to" Serena beamed, more than glad that Dawn had tagged along with them. The bluenette had helped the honey blonde to strike off more than a few of wishes unknowingly.

ASH

"Remind me why that man is grinning so much?" Ash whispered to Paul. Paul glanced at the said the 'said man'. The I-laugh-at-everything Mr. Kukui led the way, humming and swaying to the Hawaiian song he sang.

"I have no clue" Paul grunted. "My jaw hurts seeing him smiling so much."

"Then Mr. Shinji and Mr. Ketchum, please come in. Madame is waiting for you inside~" And with Mr. Kukui swung open the door and pushed them in before slamming it shut, all the while he kept jiggling.

"What the hell?" Ash looked at the closed door incredulously.

"Aloha, Mr. Ketchum and Mr. Shinji." Ash and Paul turned around simultaneously to see a gorgeous woman with luscious platinum hair seated behind a cherrywood table.

"Lusamine" Paul whispered to Ash. "She is the CEO of the Aether Foundation that supplies us with machinery in a five year contract."

"Please have a seat, gentlemen" Lusamine smiled graciously. Ash nodded at Paul's words and they both sat down.

"It is lovely meeting you, Mrs. Lusamine," Ash smiled politely. "But I am afraid we are running low on time. Can we skip the formalities and move to the main issue?"

"Certainly, Mr. Ketchum." Lusamine nodded, her smile intact. Paul raised a brow at Ash; they weren't running low on time.

And it was true. They were free all day except for this engagement. But Ash couldn't wait to see her. And if there was any opportunity for him to finish with his work early, then he was going to take it.

"Lillie, will you please hand over that folder to me" Lusamine smoothly turned towards her left, her hands moving delicately.

It was then Ash and Paul noticed the presence of another person in the cabin.

A young woman, around the same age as them, stepped forward with a olive green folder in her hand.

She was a graceful beauty; her long platinum blonde hair swayed with her every movement, braided locks resting on her shoulders and a large white hat on her head. Her emerald eyes were like the replica of the clear Hawaiian seas.

Her pale face was contorted into one of anxiousness and nervousness combined.

"This is my daughter Lillie" Lusamine introduced, glancing at the young woman. "Lillie, these are our respected business partners. Since my assistant Faba is off to monitor the work on our artificial Aether islands, Lillie is assisting me today."

"A-Aloha" Lillie stammered, nervously. "Um, I h-hope you l-liked i-it h-here."

"Don't be rude Lillie," Lusamine glared at her, shutting her up and making her head droop in shame. The older woman snatched the folder out of Lillie's hands, smiling apologetically.

"Please forgive my daughter's clumsiness. She has always been like this" Lusamine's voice turned sharp. "Of course, she can't seem to learn at all."

"Of course, it isn't a problem at all" Ash furrowed his brows, briefly looking at Lillie and back at Lusamine. Their relationship didn't look like it was very good.

'It can only be me' He thought, casting a glance at Paul whose brows were knitted together too. They were thinking the same thing.

"Then, shall we continue" Lusamine's voice got his attention.

"Yes, please go ahead" Ash smiled kindly, not willinging to meddle in their personal matters.

For an hour and a half, they went over the plan, the pros and cons and the estimated profit that both sides will get. They wrapped up their discussion and Lusamine asked them to stay for chamomile tea.

"Yes, please" Paul nodded, homesick for the chamomile tea.

"I heard that you are getting married next month, Mr. Shinji to Dawn Bertliz" Lusamine smiled, making a small talk. "She is wonderful young woman. I had the opportunity to meet her at The Met Gala. Congratulations to you."

"Thankyou very much" Paul's lips curved into a rare smile. A man came in and set down the steaming cups of chamomile tea.

Ash lifted the cup to his lips when Lusamine suddenly asked him out of blue. "When are you getting married, Mr. Ketchum?"

Paul looked at Ash as the auburn-eyed man almost sprayed the tea over the lady's face.

"I am sorry?" He coughed, the tea going down the wrong pipe. Where did the topic of his marriage come?

"Oh, I was just curious" Lusamine smiled offhandedly. "Since you are almost twenty seven - "

"Twenty three."

"Yes, twenty three."

"I am not interested in marriage right now" Ash replied tersely. He wasn't liking the implication behind Lusamine's tone.

"Yes, it is understandable. You are young so you would want to enjoy your life. But isn't it better to settle down while you have the chance? For instance, someone who will secure your business, enhance your reputation and increase your social standing?"

"I don't understand what you mean, Mrs. Aether" Ash said coldly. He knew where this conversation was heading and judging by the widened eyes of Lillie, she knew too.

"I will be direct" Lusamine grinned. "Why don't you marry my daughter? I get that she doesn't seem very efficient but if you train her properly, she will be very productive. I can assure you."

"Mrs. Aether!" Paul raised his voice. "Do you even hear yourself right now?"

"I was just saying" Lusamine's grin remained as she raised her hands on defense. "It would be great for both of the families, wouldn't it? And with this nothing will ever - "

"And did you ask your daughter about this?" Ash's voice cut through her sentence. It had dropped dangerously and Paul feared that this conversation wasn't going to end well.

"What is there to ask?" Lusamine said haughtily. "Lillie is going to do as I say. She isn't going to disobey her mother."

"Then she would be a fool."

"What?"

"Do you take your daughter for a dog that is supposed to be trained on how to behave? Or a doll whose only purpose is to be of use to those who own it?"

Ash ruffled his hair furiously. "For God's sake you think that by marrying your daughter, I would be buying her? What kind of mother are you to objectify your own daughter? No, what kind of a woman are you to do this to another woman?!"

Silence.

"I -" Lusamine began.

"Shut it" Ash glared at her. He didn't have any respect for her anymore. He didn't care if she was older than him.

"Let's go, Paul." Ash turned around, walking past Lillie furiously. He caught sight of the tears streaming down her face as she tried to suppress them.

Ash couldn't look at her.

Parents were supposed to be your biggest supporters, your pillars and someone who would be on your side even when the world isn't. Lillie had her mother, but her mother wasn't any of those things.

Ash felt a pang of guilt in his heart. Lillie must have known that her mother didn't care for her. It wasn't like he was the one who broke the news to her. But knowing and hearing from a third person were completely different after all.