Bryce's Vision

It's their meeting day, but Prince's mind still rumbled around last night, with his conversation from Bryce about Aria. Justin, Bea, and Rob must have heard it through, but there's nothing they can do but to face the truth. What Bryce envisioned as a dramatic end to their plans would be a heartache that'd eventually hole up overtime.

He stood close to the sliding door, thinking it twice. If he visited his father this afternoon, he'd have to report the progress, and it'd leave him with no choice but to lie. The same goes with Bryce. Prince guessed Mr. Nathan Fajardo didn't know about Aria's pregnancy.

The two of them wouldn't risk confessing at all. They'd be enraged, and will do anything to just die than to seek justice. If it weren't for their sons, they'll petrify inside their cells forever, repenting for the single mistake they have done, but never become the truest evidence.

They got falsified, blamed, accused, and even charged with lifetime imprisonment. Good thing the judge moved the sentence to a lower level than a death penalty by lethal injection. Prince would forever be grateful of giving his father some peace inside the prison, even if it's little.

"If only Bryce didn't fall in love, we wouldn't be in this misery."

But whenever he spoke that mantra, his heart sting, meaning that… Bryce isn't the first one to fall in love. Prince knuckled his fists, controlling his emotions to rise, and sighing every now and then. Does he ever feel the same way as Bryce? Do the warnings he gave off that day came true all of a sudden?

Prince had to get a knack of it, grasping the truth he live in, and not bursting the bubble to get out from the inevitable, embracing it like his mother. If only he had his parents to guide him out of this, Prince wouldn't be on a repeated cycle of black hole that seemed impossible to exit out.

He was going to open the door when it slid right, revealing Bryce's unfazed expression, and ready to go to the bathroom since they had been waiting for Prince for a while. His stomach stopped from rumbling the second they gazed at each other.

"Bryce, are you going out?" Prince pointed at his shoulder, asking him to break the reverie.

He turned to the three sitting down and chatting along the recordings, decided to slide out and have a word with Prince for a while. He slammed it tight, pushing Prince out of the way, to the farther hallway, and got confused, "Why are you pushing me through?"

Bryce checked if someone is eavesdropping, but so far, it has none.

"I don't know if you're against this, but whenever Aria sees me, she's pushing herself upon you."

What is he suggesting again? Does Prince have to play the shoulder now? Someone Aria can lean on when she badly wanted to forget Bryce in the most difficult times. Is he having theater class here, to improve his acting, as if it's the only thing he can do for a while?

"Don't you think it's our way to get rid of her?"

Prince tilted his head to one side. What would be the cause of his behavior today, and even his words deal with such arrogance that nothing can ever deceive? Prince wouldn't be able to tell it apart, but closely, he knew Bryce's vision was more appropriate than his.

"Why do you change so quickly?" Prince couldn't help but to ask.

Bryce raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue, and nodding, as if he's used to being bipolar.

"Like you, Prince, that transitioned way better than me. We have to be careful of every emotion we portray for now, because it's getting out of control, and we don't want that at all, right? Why do you have to wait 'till the moment has come and you can't prevent it?"

Prince sighed, holding his hips, and clenched his jaw. Though Aria had to be killed, something about it felt wrong, that they shouldn't be doing this for the sake of getting revenge, especially that Aria was taking care of the child inside her womb.

"Do you think we can do it? I can make Aria confess her feelings to me?"

Bryce shrugged, smiling maliciously, "She already did so. Why do you have to doubt about it now? Aria asked you to shed her under your wing, she asked you to kiss her, and to take care of her child when I should be the one on your position, Prince! Why do you have to falsify it when it's completely real?"

Prince couldn't believe Bryce had the knack to be furious, when in fact, he doesn't resist a woman's aroma underneath his nose. Now, he's the one to blame for protecting her from the eyes of the public. Prince wouldn't do so if he had the plan finished.

"It's not even real and I don't have plans on falling in love with her, Bryce," Prince retorted.

He pointed at him, accusing, "You are already in love with him, Prince. Who would have thought that a man would suggest being the father of someone's child when you don't love her at all? Seriously, I warned you that time. You are already the man who's making her heart beat."

No matter how many times they argued, Prince would clearly deny it. It's nothing to point out at all. Why does it even matter if he's going to kill her, anyway? When the plan was to get rid of the Cortez bloodline and proved that it's the former president's doing and not the three of them?

The heated glares backed down quickly when the three of their members emerged from the reserved room of their choice. Bea was the one who spoke up.

"What are you doing two?"

Rob and Justin rushed to their sides, hoping to ease down a fight that was coming through.

Prince adjusted his coat, turned to Rob, reassuring, "We're just talking about what happened last night. Do you think it was a good move on our part?"

The recordings were a big help to find out what kind of reaction do Aria has in one situation. In Bryce's case, he may have found out that Aria is alright, but listening to her falling in love with somebody else was a hit to her guts. Something can change in a drastic amount of period, and while it last, Bryce knew there's no returning.

The days have come to waste, and their memories would take time to heal those scars. Or not, because it isn't worth it in the first place, and Aria would bear the child with Prince's guidance.

"We examined her reactions, and to think that you're close to her, Prince, you should be the one to step up things, alright? The plan is progressing rapidly. For sure, you can deal a hand of marriage."

Justin sighed, planting a mesmerized look at Bryce, who felt lost with the sudden twists.

"To be certain, Aria wouldn't turn down a marriage proposal from Prince."