The Guest

It's been three weeks since something important from 3F was relayed to Xyron. Regardless, Xyron's schedule was so jam-packed that sleeping was no longer an option. He's been working and attending meetings around the clock. He's been overworking to the point where the Stellar Council issued an executive order granting him a two-day day off. Even while Xyron pushed on continuing, the CUE decided to butt in. It didn't take long for him to give up because it was getting on his nerves. As a result, he accepted the order. He's currently relaxing in his mansion's huge hot tub, enjoying a glass of wine.

"Adam, have my appointments already been rescheduled?" Xyron inquired while brushing off his hair.

"Sir, yes. All of your scheduled events have already been rescheduled. You don't have any work to complete today or tomorrow," Adam said as he pours wine on his glass.

"It's been a long time since I've had a day off. Can you think of anything I could do?"

"You've been working around the clock, Sir. I recommend you take a rest."

"How about after that?" Xyron continued.

"How about you try to contact that college friend of yours and maybe hang out like you used to?"

"You do realize we're no longer close once we graduated, don't you? Even if I do that, he'll never be able to leave Bionic. I may have the power to make it happen, but I cannot use it that way," Xyron rationalized as he sips his glass of wine. "And I'm not sure he'll accept my offer because we already know someone close to him has gone missing."

"Have you looked for that girl, Sir?" Adam wondered.

"I've already done that, and I know where she is. And it appears that she is in an unusual location," Xyron said as he sipped his wine. "I think I should investigate that strange area."

"Did you inform him about your finding, Sir?"

"I would love to but my connection 'there' notified me not to reveal her location," Xyron sighed, a little bit irritated. "He really has the audacity to tell me what to do after messing up badly!"

Xyron gaze up to the ceiling and began to think. As his mind wander, he recalled the party Albert mentioned 3 weeks ago.

"Hey, Adam! Is tomorrow Ali's birthday?" Xyron inquired.

"Yes, Sir. Tomorrow is Alegna Matthews' birthday."

"I guess my plan for tomorrow is already been decided!" he said as he drinks the remaining wine in his glass.

The next day, at the Galactic Empire, Lyn Matthews, Seref Matthews' wife, is busy early in the morning preparing a variety of delicacies for Alegna's birthday lunch party. She is anticipating a number of guests, most of them are Alegna's friends and classmates, neighbors, and family relatives and friends. Lyn's relatives visited yesterday to assist her in preparing the dishes because she is renowned to make everything herself rather than using a catering service.

When Seref arrived, Lyn was still working in the kitchen.

"Honey, I got the cake we ordered," Seref announced.

"Thanks, Dear! Place that on the table along with the dishes. We're nearly done," Lyn replied.

"Do you need help?"

"Nah, we got this!"

"Okay, if you need something, I'll be in the living room with the kids," Seref said as he left the kitchen.

Seref sat on the couch, watching their three children play.

"Ali, Kate, Mark! Guests will soon start arriving anytime now. Take your toys away now."

"Yes, Papa!" the three children said in unison.

Guests began to arrive a few minutes later. As they entered their home, Seref greeted them. As expected, the number of visitors continues to grow with time. It's eleven o'clock in the morning, and the total number of people inside their home has already reached 28. The majority of the visitors are children, most of whom are Alegna's friends and classmates. Her brother and sister also invited a few of their friends.

Albert Matthews has finally arrived as their house becomes increasingly lively.

"Where is our birthday girl?" Albert exclaimed.

"Grandpa!" Alegna shouted and rushes towards him.

"Did you miss me, my little pumpkin?" Albert said as he carried Alegna in his arms.

"Yes! You rarely visit us."

"Are you happy I'm here?"

"Of course! I thought you forgot my birthday," Alegna replied with a few tears in her eyes.

"Nonsense! Why would I forget the birthday of our little angel?" Albert reasoned out. "And look who got you a present?"

Alegna's face lit up after seeing a huge present Albert brought.

"Grandpa, thank you!"

"Now, where's your papa?" Albert asked.

As Alegna pointed at where her father would be, Albert put down Alegna as he approaches Seref.

"Oh, Dad, I didn't notice you've arrived," Seref said.

"I can't blame you. You have a lot of people here!"

"Hahaha! Well, we have a lot of friends. Anyway, why are you late?"

"A friend called me that he'll be attending today's celebration and I lend a hand to make his visit free of hassle."

"And who might it be? Some big shot?" Seref jokingly said.

"You'll be surprised!" Albert replied with a laugh. "How's Lyn? Feeding this many people might be a challenge to her."

"She's doing great. Some of our relatives arrived yesterday to help her prepare."

After being covered by multiple plates, the table's surface is no longer visible. As the meal preparation was completed, they waited for the person who made the food to dress and begin the party. It only took a few moments for them to reappear. Lyn still looks stunning despite only applying a light coat of makeup due to her lack of time.

"Honey, you look so gorgeous," Seref praised.

"Really? I thought I messed up? I was in a rush because I don't want our guest to wait a little longer," Lyn replied.

"Dear, you look even prettier every time I visit!" Albert greeted.

"Thank you, Father. You're still a sweet talker as always!" Lyn retorted.

"Dad, about your friend? Should we wait for him?" Seref asked.

"Friend?" Lyn uttered.

"Well, he did say that he'll be running late and he said that we can start without him," Albert replied.

"Should I save some of the food for him? I'm afraid it will be consumed all before he arrives," Lyn suggested.

"That would be lovely!"

"I hope this person you invited won't surprise us!" Lyn chuckled awkwardly.

Albert only laughed and didn't say anything, making Lyn and Seref nervous. Albert usually catches them off guard when he does something without their knowledge. That is why this couple is apprehensive when he says he invited a friend.

As the party began, everyone sat down and ate. The food was excellent, and the party was entertaining. There were a variety of party games set up for the kids to play. The Matthews' house got extremely lively.

Not until an unexpected visitor showed up.

"Do you hear that?" a guest mentioned.

"Oh, that probably be him!" Albert announced.

Everyone was perplexed as to what he meant when he said that. Albert didn't tell Seref or Lyn who he invited to the party. They are anxious since they did not prepare adequately to satisfy this friend of his, if this person is indeed a big shot.

"Dad!" Seref uttered with nervousness.

"Father!" Lyn seconded.

"…who did you invite exactly?" they both said in unison.

"My golf buddy!" Albert replied merrily.

Seref and Lyn flushed when they discovered who this friend was. Albert came out of the residence to greet the person he had invited. Some of the visitors followed and kept an eye on the door to see who it may be, while others peered through the window. Everyone's mouths drop when they witness an aircraft land on their expansive lawn. Cars passing by came to a halt, and everyone who spotted the aircraft stopped what they were doing.

It was their first close encounter with a Starjet.

A man in a suit appeared as the Starjet's hatch burst open. Everyone who saw the man dropped their jaw even lower.

"Xyron! I'm glad you came!" Albert greeted as he hugged him.

"I got an unexpected day off, that's why!" Xyron replied elegantly.

"Let's head inside. Lyn saved you some food," Albert informed.

"Thanks," Xyron replied.

Meanwhile, Lyn was still astonished at his father-in-law's lack of foresight in not informing her in advance. Seref sensed her panic and calmed her down right away.

"Dear, I should have prepared a much luxurious food if only I knew beforehand that Mr. Troy would come!" Lyn lamented.

"Honey! Calm down! I'm sure Xyron wouldn't mind it. Your food is the best," Seref comforted.

Despite this, Lyn was still nervous. This is Lyn's first encounter with Xyron. Her children and Seref first met him when the children requested if they could play golf with them.

The visitors began to murmur and got perplexed. Some of their relatives and even friends rush up to Seref and ask the same question.

"Seref, is it alright for us to stay here or should we go out and stay in your backyard and wait for Mr. Troy to finish?" a relative asked.

"Why?" Seref asked in wonder.

"Because Mr. Xyron Troy will be entering this house?" the relative pointed out.

"You don't have to! Mr. Troy came as a guest and that means he'll be treated equally. Just consider this a chance to see him up close with no guards restricting you!" Seref reassured with a smile.

With that assurance, the guest started beaming with happiness.

"Feel free to talk with him. Just please, don't be rude, okay?" Seref reminded. "Also, ask for his permission first if you want to take a photo with him."

As Xyron and Albert reaches the front porch, Seref greeted Xyron.

"Mr. Troy! I'm glad you made it. Thank you for coming to our small gathering!" Seref greeted gleefully.

"It's a pleasure," Xyron replied as he look at Lyn after. "You must be Seref's wife? Lyn, am I right?"

"Yes, I'm Lyn. I believe this is our first time meeting in person. Nice to meet you, Mr. Troy!" Lyn politely greeted.

"It is my pleasure to meet a beautiful lady like you. And please, just call me Xyron," he said as he kisses her hand.

That took Lyn by surprise but she remained calm.

"Let's head inside now. I'm sure the kids would be thrilled to see you again after a long time," Albert suggested as they entered the house.

As Xyron entered, Alegna, Kate, and Mark rushes towards him and embraces him tightly.

"Uncle! You're finally here!" the three of them exclaimed in unison.

"I luckily got a day off and worked everything out just to be here!" Xyron said.

"I really thought you'd already forgotten your promise when we played golf," Mark exclaimed.

"I apologize if it took way too long for me to fulfill that promise."

"That's alright, Uncle. What's important is you're here," Kate said.

Xyron gave them a friendly smile. Seeing Xyron's smile is a rare treat. He's already stunning; how much more so if he smiles? People who saw him smile at the three children reddened. Even the men who saw him couldn't deny that he looked great. Regardless, they kept silent.

"I have a surprise," Xyron said to the children as he presses his earpiece and said to bring in the gifts.

Three men carrying massive presents entered the house.

"This is for Ali… this is for Kate… and this is for Mark!" Xyron said as the men handed the presents to each of them respectively.

"Thank you, Uncle!" the three of them exclaimed as they hug him tightly.

Following that, the three children dashed to the center of the living room and began unwrapping their gifts. Kate was given the most recent model of a retractable bicycle. Mark received the latest model hoverboard model. Alegna, on the other hand, received a fully furnished dollhouse complete with limited-edition dolls and furnishings. All of the gifts are purchased from Stellar's premium brands at exorbitant prices.

The kids couldn't contain their joy and returned to Xyron to thank him one more. Xyron also gave Seref and Lyn their gifts, although he told Lyn to unwrap hers privately. Xyron whispered to her that her present contains a pair of 64 karat diamond earrings and a custom-made necklace. Lyn almost refused the present because it is far too expensive, but Xyron insisted, and Lyn concedes defeat.

Albert then leads Xyron to a table reserved for them, where all of the dishes Lyn had saved a while ago are already prepared. Albert, Seref, and Lyn joined him as they ate the food cooked by Lyn and their relatives. Lyn's anxieties faded once Xyron remarked on how good the food was.

"The food is delicious. You have my compliments," Xyron praised as he eat up his share with elegance.

"Thank you. I am really glad my cooking suits your taste," Lyn replied.

"Homemade cooking really hits you differently. I would love to eat this every day," Xyron confessed.

"Does the food of the world-class chefs in your home no longer satisfy you?" Albert bantered.

"It's nothing like that."

"Hmm... I think what you're looking for is someone to take care of you," Albert pointed out. "Have you considered finding someone? Or do you already have someone?"

"Father! Don't be rude!" Lyn interrupted.

"What? I'm just asking." Albert reasoned.

"Honestly, I have no interest in settling down with someone let alone having a romantic relationship with someone else," Xyron explained, showing no interest in the idea. "I don't see any reason to be in a relationship though."

"If your fans heard that, their hearts would be broken," Seref retorted.

"Speaking of broken, Seref, I have heard about the crisis of the Brilliance TelCom? About that broken satellite of yours?" Xyron inquired.

"Actually, I'm not sure why our main satellite is out of range. We are unable to communicate with it. The satellite itself is in perfect condition, and no damage has been reported to me. It's just there... in orbit but utterly inactive. We're already working on it so that our usual service can resume. I sincerely hope that it will be resolved as quickly as possible because our customer care department is overburdened with complaints," Seref explained.

"If there is something I could do, don't hesitate to ask me!" Xyron said as he wipes his mouth elegantly with a napkin.

"Thank you for that nice offer but I cannot accept it. We can solve this problem on our own. I will be glad to seek your aide if we really needed to," Seref respectfully declined.

Xyron spent his whole afternoon with the Matthews, enjoying every bit of fun the family is having. Though he didn't participate in any of the activities, he still had fun observing them. He also entertained countless questions from everyone present and converse with them about certain topics. It was already ten o'clock in the evening when Xyron received an urgent message. As he open the message, everyone noticed his sudden change of expression.

"I am sad to say this but I think my visit here is over," he declared as he stand up and gave them his thanks.

The Matthews sends Xyron off and thanks him for spending his precious time with them. As the Starjet takeoff, Xyron immediately called the sender of the message, Dr. Damascus.

"Doctor, what is it?" Xyron immediately inquired.

"Sir!" Damascus paused. "Project Reminiscence has been activated!"