The great warrior

.Back to the present...

"Mr. Lollipop!!!" Lila Xia exclaimed in surprise and disbelief.

"Dora!!!" Kevin Mar's eyes widened as he looked at her, unable to believe his eyes. He had thought that their encounter on the rooftop years ago was just a memory, but here she was, standing in front of him.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Lily Mar interjected, her confusion evident.

Kevin Mar paid no attention to his sister's question. Instead, he walked straight up to Lila Xia and asked, "Dora, is this really you, or am I hallucinating?"*

Lila Xia, still in disbelief herself, replied, "Mr. Lollipop, so you are the mighty and arrogant brother of Lily Mar, Kevin Mar, the CEO of Mar Wine."

Kevin Mar, astonished by the unexpected reunion, could hardly contain his surprise. "Dora, I can't believe it's really you. What are you doing here?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

Lila Xia, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness, explained, "This is kind of weird, but I'm actually a friend of Lily's. My name is Lila Xia. I don't know if you've ever heard of me or not."

"Are you kidding me? I've heard a lot about you. You own XT and currently lead the East Xia Empire, right?" Kevin Mar said with a smile, which only added to the confusion of Mrs. Mar and Lily Mar.

"Kevin, can you two please explain what's going on here?" Lily Mar demanded, growing more perplexed by the situation.

Disregarding his sister's question, Kevin Mar continued, "Now I see where all the confusion came from. You have a twin, and I mistook her for you last night."

"Wait, you met Skylar?" Lila Xia inquired, surprised by this new information.

"Yes, I did. But I actually saw her with my brother, so I got confused," Kevin Mar explained, trying to make sense of it all.

Mrs. Mar, struggling to grasp the situation, finally spoke up. "Wait, your twin sister is with Justin?" Her astonishment was evident, as she had never anticipated that Justin would be in a relationship.

The revelation left everyone in a state of amazement and intrigue. The unexpected connection between Lila Xia and Kevin Mar, as well as Skylar's involvement with Justin, had certainly taken them all by surprise.

Before Lila Xia could say something, a voice sounded from behind. "Mom, I hope I wasn't late," Justin Mar said as he entered the room, accompanied by Skylar Xia.

"Justin, how have you been? I've misssed you so much," Mrs. Mar said with warmth as she hugged her son. She then turned to Skylar and added, "You must be my future daughter, Skylar Xia, right?" She extended her arms to embrace Skylar as well.

Skylar Xia, feeling a bit nervous, found herself comforted by Mrs. Mar's friendly demeanor. She returned the hug and responded, "It's nice to meet you, Madam Mar."

Mrs. Mar smiled kindly and said, "Oh, please, sweetheart, call me Mom, like he does." She gestured towards Justin.

Shifting her attention to Lila, Mrs. Mar remarked, "I can see you two are really identical. I can't believe my Lily can even differentiate between you two." This comment earned a laugh from the Xia twins.

"I've been their friend for a very long time, Mom. You can't expect me to mix them up," Lily Mar chimed in.

"Okay, I get it, dear," Mrs. Mar said with a chuckle. Then, turning her focus back to Justin and Skylar, she asked, "So, Justy, when is the wedding?"

"Wait, what?" Kevin Mar exclaimed, obviously taken aback.

"And wait, you two were serious about all this?" Lila Xia added, her forehead creased in confusion.

"Mom, I don't quite get it. You've just met her, and you're already accepting her?" Kevin Mar questioned further.

"Oh, please, you two. I've heard a lot about her from a lot of influential people, and from my own observation, she's the one for my son," Mrs. Mar stated confidently.

"Mom, actually, I came here to discuss our relationship and when we should plan the engagement," Justin Mar explained, holding Skylar Xia's hand.

"I can see that, dear. But has her father accepted the relationshiip between you two?" Mrs. Mar inquired.

"Yes, Mom, he has. He's given us his blessings for all time," Justin Mar replied.

"Well, okay then. I'll discuss this with your father and see what he thinks about the two of you. But for now, feel at home while I go talk to him," Mrs. Mar concluded, preparing to leave the room to confer with her husband.

"So, does that mean Justin ge will get married before Kevin ge?" Lily Mar teased.

"Well, I guess so," Mrs. Mar answered with a smile before she left the room.

"Wait, Mom, I want to talk to Daddy as well," Lily Mar said abruptly and followed her mother, leaving the others behind.

The room was filled with a mix of emotions as Justin, Skylar, Lila, and Kevin processed the unexpected turn of events and revelations that had taken place.

"Sky."

"Lil." Saying this, the two sisters embraced each other warmly.

"I can see that you and your sweetheart will be married soon," Lila Xia remarked with a playful smile.

"Lil, I can see that you and Mr. Mar already know each other," Skylar Xia added, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Sky, stop that," Lila Xia responded, her annoyance evident.

"Stop what? I didn't say anything wrong," Skylar Xia retorted with a chuckle.

"Okay, mi lady, let's go show you my paintings," Justin Mar interjected as he playfully pulled Skylar away from Lila Xia's side.

"Really, dear? I can't wait to see them," Skylar Xia replied as she followed Justin, their laughter fading as they left.

"It looks like it's just the two of us now," Kevin Mar said, moving closer to Lila Xia.

"Mr. Lollipop, I can't beliieve your brother always takes her away from me," Lila Xia said with a hint of mock frustration.

"Can I take you away too?" Kevin Mar asked with a slight smile, his tone holding a touch of intrigue.

"Are you asking me out?" Lila Xia's expression shifted to one of questioning curiosity.

"Yes, if it doesn't sound weird to you," Kevin Mar replied, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes

...

At Justin Mar's room...

"Mi lady, welcome to my formal palace," Justin Mar announced as he gestured Skylar Xia into his room.

"I like your condo better. This is actually your parents' place, not yours," Skylar Xia commented as she stepped inside. "But still, this place is not bad at the same time."

"Well, that means I won't be getting any kisses in this palace," Justilia quipped with a playful pout, his eyes locked onto her, as always.

"Oh please, stop calling it a palace. It's just a room. Besides, it's not as special as the room in your condo," Skylar Xia replied as she walked around the large, luxurious bedroom. She was looking for any differences to compare it to his room back in the condo.

"Says who?" Justin Mar responded with a devilish smile as he guided her to a corner of the room behind a curtain, and then dramatically pulled it aside.

As the curtains opened, Skylar Xia was rendered speechless. She stared in awe at the site before her. A marvelous mini library filled the space, with books neatly arranged on shelves.

Skylar walked towards the library with an amused expression, impressed by Justin's taste in books. The books were organized according to their specific fields: science, history, comics, novels, and more. Skylar found herself brushing her fingers across the bookshelves, marveling at the collection.

However, her attention shifted when she noticed a shelf filled with video game disks. Confused, she turned to Justin and asked, "Justilia, why do you have these video games when you hardly get a break from work?"

Justin looked at her confused face and chuckled. He felt a mix of amusement and embarrassment, realizing that Skylar seemed to think he was a workaholic. "Damn, does this girl think I'm a robot or something?" he thought before replying, "Mi lady, I do have leisure time, and I engage in a variety of activities. Why wouldn't I play video games when I have all of this?" He gestured towards a large HD TV and a comfortable couch in front of it.

Skylar walked towards the TV and couch, her eyes lighting up with happiness. "Justin, can I play too?"

"No," he responded with mock seriousness.

"Tell me why," she retorted, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Because I want to tell you about a short historical book," he said, guiding her to one of the armchairs and seating her down. He then went to one of the shelves to retrieve a book.

Looking at him with annoyance, Skylar rolled her eyes and retorted, "I hope it's a short book because I really want to play this game."

Returning with a book titled 'The Mighty Warrior', Justin Mar settled next to her and said, "Come closer, mi lady. I'm just going to summarize it for you. And, oh, could you do me a favor and take off your contact lenses? I'm dying to see those blue eyes of yours."

Complying with his request, Skylar removed her contact lenses and said nonchalantly, "Can we please start the story? I can't wait any longer."

Ignoring her casual attitude, Justin proceeded with his "book," 'The Mighty Warrior'. "This book is about the great warrior of Malia. I wanted to share this with you because I know you'd be interested in knowing what happened to him after his passing."

"Too bad I'm not into that kind of stuff now," she replied, resting her head on her hands and putting on a bored expression.

Disregarding her attitude, Justin continued with his storytelling. "He was once a royal guard in the Lia palace, tasked with protecting the goddess of all royalty. She sacrificed her role as queen to safeguard the kingdom of Malia. Tragically, she died the same day she stepped down from the throne. It wasn't just her who perished; the king, the new queen, the talented young Lord of Malia, and the day itself—Apple Festival—turned into a day of sorrow. The goddess was none other than Queen Skalia." Justin paused and glanced at Skylar.

Suddenly intrigued, Skylar, who was previously disinterested, pleaded, "Justin, continue! I want to know how Madah became a warrior. I really, no, I need to know everything. Please, please continue."

Amused by her sudden shift in interest, Justin chuckled and said, "I think I should stop and let's just play the game."

"No, we can't play until you tell me more about Madah," she insisted, holding onto his arm and shaking him.

"Alright, alright, I'll continue," Justin relented. "And so, after the royal family's tragic demise, Madah vowed to uncover the reason behind their sudden deaths and fight for the sake of Malia. As time went on, Madah transformed into a great warrior, eventuallly meeting his end in a fierce war between Malia and some Asian countries. Nevertheless, Malia remains grateful for his sacrifices." Justin's tone turned somber as he finished the story, but his surprise knew no bounds when he saw Skylar next to him, crying her heart out.

"Mi lady, don't cry. I should have chosen a different story. I'm sorry, please don't cry," Justin Mar tried to console her.

"I didn't expect him to die in such a tragic way. I imagined him dying peacefully, and…" Skylar's sentence was abruptly cut off by a voice from the doorway.

"Skylar, don't tell me you took off your contact lenses!"