Walking out of the pool, Christian picked up his white towel, dried his body and headed towards the mansion before his eyes caught sight of a leaning figure beside their dog's cage playing with the dog.

He scrunched his brows while wondering who it could be, Christy didn't fancy dogs, so she'll probably be in the dance room while Cherry would be down the estate visiting their cousins.

"Hey," Christian called as he approached the cage, at first she didn't hear, it wasn't until he tapped her did she turn back to look at him.

"Who are you?" Christian inquired as his eyes travelled down her willowy body that made her look like a model. Her light skin shone brightly in the scorching sunlight, and she had innocent dark eyes that bored into his soul. Slender eyebrows that ousted her tiny eyelashes, slightly pointed nose and a heart shaped pink lips.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Christian asked again after he was done checking her out, she wasn't someone he knew or had ever seen, he knew all his sister's friends, so she couldn't be from them.

Mimi ignored him not like she could actually reply him, she clutched her jotter to her laps as she looked straight at him wondering what made Fara and Lola call him hot. He looked just like a normal person, there was nothing unique about him, fair skin just like other people wasn't rare at least she and Fara were light skinned, slender figure wasn't something to really fawn about as Fara and Lola had been ranting about since they all saw him two days ago.

Small face just like his mother only made him look babyish and somehow attractive, so, she couldn't place her head on why Fara and Lola kept on ranting about his looks, not like he was any different from other guys infact he looked like a young kid to her courtesy of his mother who also looked younger than her age,  Mimi had actually presumed his mother was probably in her late twenties and would still be a spinster not until she took them home and introduced her kids and husband. Mimi's jaw had dropped to the floor then likewise Fara and her cousins because she looked so young to have birthed her acclaimed children.

"Hey," Christian snapped his fingers across her face and that brought her out of her thoughts, it wasn't until then that she noticed he was shirtless, she didn't know if he had six-packs or not as Fara and Lola had claimed or were always mentioning boys, she was never interested in stuffs like that and found them meaningless just like Lara too, they were somehow similar in behaviours while Fara and Lola were the same though their physiques are different, while Fara was willowy and fair just like Mimi, Lola likewise Lara were dark-skinned and somehow between chubby and slender.

"Can't you talk? Why are you looking like a moron?" Christian questioned and Mimi glared at him before she saw Lola approaching them.

"Mimi, we've been looking for you," Lola shouted while Christian turned back to the direction of the voice, he somehow recognized the girl coming as one of the girls his mother had brought home two days ago with their mother, and he couldn't possibly forget the girl that had been trying to gain his attention for the past two days.

"Hi, Christian," Lola waved at him with a wide smile.

"Hi, do you know her?" He pointed at Mimi who seemed less concerned about the whole thing.

"Yeah, she's my cousin, Fara's sister, you know Fara right?" She replied with her smile not wavering.

"Yeah," He knew Fara to be the one always walking with Lola, he glanced at Mimi before continuing," But I've never seen this one."

Mimi rolled her eyes before Lola replied as her eyes wandered around his bare chest, "Mimi isn't someone that goes out, this is her first time stepping out of the chalet."

"Oh okay," he nodded while Lola tried averting her gaze from his chest, she'll surely gist Fara about it, if only Fara wasn't sleeping, they'll probably be babbling about it, Fara was like her best friend, and she was closer to her than anyone not even her twin. Lara wasn't that close to her when all she did was bury her head in the middle of a book or watch film with Mimi who had the same personality as her while Fara was the outgoing and fun-filled type just like her though in their early years, Mimi had been the most spirited of them all until few years back.

"I've been trying to ask for her name since but all she did was gape at me," Christian's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Lola glanced at Mimi who was now smiling at the dog before answering, "She can't reply."

"Why?" He asked with puckered brows.

"She's mute."

At the mention of this, Mimi turned to look at him in expectancy of a disgusting or pitiful look but all she saw was a blank expression and an unreadable face.

"Oh, I didn't know, I'm off," he walked away even before Lola could reply while Lola stared at his retreating figure.

"Gosh, isn't he so cute? Look at his abs?" She tapped Mimi's shoulder and that earned her a scowl from her before walking away, Lola hurried after her, and they sauntered to the Chalet while Lola still kept on thinking about Christian, she would surely wake Fara to tell her about the gist.

They got to the chalet; the one Lisha had decided they stay after Sindara finally opened up to her, it was situated in the middle of the other two chalets that was at the back of the main building; the mansion. Mimi still wondered the usefulness of the chalets.

Entering into the building painted in cream, they met Lara in the living room not reading novels or school books like always but rather flipping through a fashion magazine, it was still reading to Lola, the fact that she still had a book in her hands was reading, she was just too nerdish and to top it all, she was suffering from short-sightedness which explained the reason for her use of glasses which made her into a perfect nerd.

That was the difference between her and Mimi, Mimi didn't use glasses and wasn't nerdish considering the fact that she wasn't that good in school work unlike Lara; the science guru.

Mimi quickly joined Lara on the two-seater while Lola rolled her eyes before going into Fara's room the one she shared with Mimi while she and her twin sister shared the other room which was beside Sindara's room.

"I didn't know that woman was a fashion designer," Lara started as she admired Lisha's designs.

Mimi raised her brows and Lara quickly understood what she meant, Mimi was fond of communicating with her facial expressions or gestures even though she had her jotter and pen with her always, but she was too lazy to write.

"The woman that helped us, the one that brought us here,Madam Lisha," Lara clarified and Mimi nodded in understanding before collecting the magazine from Lara while Lara took pleasure in talking about the designs as Mimi seemed fascinated by it.

"Mummy said we'll be resuming school by Monday, and we are resuming in their family school, the one Madam Lisha's children attend and I'm so excited about it, you've heard about Maple International school right?"

Mimi nodded before her eyes widened in realization. The school was the best in the whole state if not the country and it was renowned, only rich parents could afford the school.

"Yeah, that's where we'll start attending from Monday," Lara said with amusement evident in her voice. It was apparent she couldn't wait for Monday to arrive while Mimi didn't know if she should be amused or not.

The school was for rich people and not them and the main issue is her condition, it wasn't a school meant for mute people like her, and she'll surely feel odd amongst them that's if they even accept her or didn't make her into an outcast, maybe it would be better if she attended the school for special people like her.

The feel of Lara's cold hand on her laps brought her out of her reverie, "Don't sweat over it, I'm sure you'll enjoy the school," she assured even though she wasn't so certain about it, their last school had proved it to her, no one associated with Mimi, and she didn't have any friend not even one except her family of course.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Christian had no other choice than to welcome his mom when she got back from church with Cherry so far he was in the living room. He had gone home with Christiana and their dad immediately the service ended unlike their Mom who still stayed for one meeting or the other.

"Welcome Mom," he greeted as she enveloped him in a hug.

"Thanks, what of your sister?"

He opened his mouth to reply but the voice of Christy beat him to it, "I'm here mom, welcome home."

A crook smile appeared on Lisha's face, "Umm, Sayo, I saw your husband on my way now."

Christy scrunched up her face, "Which husband?"

"Your boyfriend na, he couldn't even greet, he pretended like he didn't see me," Lisha continued and Christy bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Just don't bring him home because I won't accept that disrespectful…"

Christy cut in, "Ah ahn, Mummy, lower your voice, daddy will soon come down oo."

Lisha smiled before pointing at Jimi who was now descending the stairs, "Your dad is already here."

"Ah, your secret has been leaked," Cherry mocked while Christy glared at her while hoping their dad didn't hear the conversation. Their mother knew about her relationship with Tomiwa likewise Christian's relationship with Inaya, and she didn't punish them or stop them from it, she only advised them unlike their dad who always warned them about teenage love, so, it wouldn't be pleasant if he heard.

"Welcome Smallie," Their dad beamed as he enveloped their mother in a hug.

"Thanks Gym," she replied before withdrawing from the hug while their kids shook their heads at the ridiculous pet name they called each other, the name that dated back to the first time they met as Lisha had told them. They knew everything about their parents relationship courtesy of their mother who took pleasure in narrating it to them almost every week.

Lisha turned back to her kids, "Eh ehn, Sindara's children will start attending your school from tomorrow and you guys will have to go with a van."

"What!" Her kids shouted in unison.

Christy shrieked, "Mummy it's enough that you don't allow us go to school in separate rides, now you want us to go to school in a van with those things?" The glare her parents dashed her made her change her last word, "Girls?"

"And what's the big deal in that?" Their dad queried, and they all knew there was no way to convince them again, their dad always agreed with them mostly with Christiana who was the closest to him, he wasn't as difficult as their mother.

"But it'll look like a school bus, can't they go in another car? Why van?" Christian voiced out.

"If you can find a reasonable reason then we can consider another car but without that, you're all going in a van," Lisha concluded and her children groaned.

"Let's head over to Mark's place," their dad announced, and he walked out of the living room with his hand wrapped around their mother's waist.

They always had family dinners every Sunday evening, it was Mark's turn today, and they all had to go there, his place was just down the estate, he actually owned the estate, he quitted work at MAPLE fashion industry few years back and decided to go into real estate.

"Why is mummy doing like this? I can't even imagine myself in a van with those filthy girls," Christy scorned.

Christian turned to her, "Christy, I think you should try to convince dad, you know he always listens to you, Mommy is already adamant about the issue and the only person that can convince her is her husband."

Christy scratched her nose, "Can't you see dad agrees with her?"

"Then try to talk to him na."

"Let's go oo," Cherry shouted, and they both turned to glower at her while she only shrugged.

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