More drama coming your way. I don't own anything, on with the story!

"You know I haven't been talking to Dex. All I'm saying is that it's strange that you came here around the time I was coming back and yet you hit me with this marriage arrangement. What if I was dating someone already?"

"I knew that you weren't"

"What made you think that?"

"Maylu is the only girl you're interested in. That Jasmine girl you were never interested in her"

"Funny that you mention her since I never told you about her"

"Why did you help Dex in blocking communication between me and Maylu?"

Lan sits impatiently for Princess Pride to answer, but she remains quiet. She looks up at Lan, but tries to remain non-expressive in the face as she asks, "Did Dex tell you anything?"

"Like what? I'm not really talking to Dex, but he been calling Maylu and she's not answering him"

"Well, maybe he can tell you how he did it because I don't know"

"I feel like you're lying to me. Why you keep asking me about Dex?"

"No reason"

"Princess Pride, if you don't tell me the truth, you are going to have to find somewhere else to stay until it's time for you to go home"

Princess Pride stares at Lan to see if he was joking, but the seriousness in his tone and his face tells differently. After a sigh, she takes out her computer and shows him the screen on how she did it.

"I know I should feel bad for doing this, but I don't. I knew you were the perfect guy for me, but I had to get rid of the only obstacle that stood in the way of being paired with the suitor automatically"

"Did it ever occur of you to ask what my relationship with Maylu before college?"

Princess Pride shook her head as Lan sighs. This is going to the first time that he ever speaks a bit about this subject.

"We tried dating over the summer before heading off to school and before you ask, yes we went to two different schools in two different places not close to each other. It was fine at first, but I got busy and her job schedule made it hard to plan stuff out, so we decided to remain friends in school, but still kept in contact with each other. We made a pact that if ever met someone else, we would be happy for one another. Her ignoring me really did something to me for Maylu is very special to me."

"If you cared about her so much, why did you let her go?"

"I didn't let her go. I just didn't want to give her false hope and not ruin a great relationship that we have. We both agree that it wasn't the right time to change our friendship into a relationship"

Princess Pride nods her head in understanding. She looks back at him and grabs his left hand. Lan looks at her,

"Do you think things would've been different if you two stayed in touch?"

"I honestly don't know. I did travel a lot in school to the point where I did had to take some online classes and Chaud helping me out in some subjects. I have no idea what she was up to"

"Focus on her piano playing, had a bunch of recitals and such"

Lan looks at Princess Pride as she closes her computer, "I'm sorry Lan, but at least you two got a chance to reconnect"

"It's not the same. It was different when we were kids. Times has changed and I don't know how her relationship with Dex would stand"

"Let them talk that out, but I feel like I should be there"

"I thought you didn't care about the situation?"

"I don't, but that doesn't mean she should know how he was able to do it. He created the plan and I was just the brains and supplier"

"How did he even put a plan together like this?"

"I think he should tell you how, but I felt for him. He wanted to give up on Maylu when he saw how close you two were, but when you were gone, he saw it as his opportunity to shine"

They sit in silence for a couple of minutes before Lan's phone vibrates. It's a text from Chaud: Yai and Maylu went to Maylu's and Dex's house to interrogate Dex. Maybe now is the time to settle this

"How about we go over there now?"

"Where?"

"To Dex and get this settle. I have a feeling that everyone that deserves to know-how will be there"

At Dex's and Maylu's house

Dex is pacing back n forth in the living room as he hears the front door unlocks. He smiles as he sees it's Maylu, but the smile morphs into a frown when he sees Yai is behind her.

"Yai, this has nothing to do with you"

"Anything that involves my best friend by default has to do with me. Who helped you trick her?"

Dex doesn't answer as Yai walks up to him and slaps him in the face. Maylu pulls her friend away as she hears someone entering the house. She turns to see Lan, Chaud, and Princess Pride entering. Their eyes connect for a moment before Lan looks at Dex and sees a slap mark on his face.

"I let Yai get a hit in. Better now than later" Maylu says as Lan shrugs his shoulder.

"Why is she here?" Yai asks as Lan sits Princess Pride next to Dex.

"Well, remember how we were looking for the missing piece to the puzzle, she can fill in the blanks from the story" Lan answers as Dex whips his head at Princess Pride.

"After the crap you gave me about not saying a word, you spilled your guts in a matter of seconds?" Dex asks as Princess Pride shakes her head.

"I only told a little, but you never told me that they weren't even dating in the first place"

"Huh?! You told me that y'all were" Dex said as he looks at Maylu scratching the back of her head.

"I only said that so those guys would stop talking to me. I didn't think you were listening in on that" Maylu said as Dex facepalm himself. "Besides, you could've asked me. We are friends Dex"

"You both aren't going to admit that I fade out of the group as we got older? I know Lan that we crossed paths a couple of times, but did you notice how I stop coming?" Dex asks

"Dex, I did notice, but even when we invite you for a game/movie night or dinner, you still didn't come. I just stopped telling you and went" Maylu answers as Lan nods along with the statement. "We couldn't force you to do something that you didn't want to do"

"All I want to know is why you wanted to break communications between Lan and me?" Maylu asks as tears start to form in her eyes. "Despite everything, Lan is my best friend and I care about him a lot. Do you know the many thoughts that went through my head when every time I tried calling or texting him the message never went through?"

"I thought if I did this, you would realize that I was right for you. You two still wanted to play the just friends role, so I thought that I can come in and try to sweep you off your feet; but every time I wanted to ask you to go somewhere, you were already preoccupied talking with Lan or Lan and Yai or all three of you that I would feel bad for asking you to end the call so we can do something" Dex answers as he grabs Maylu's hand. "All I wanted was your heart"

"That wasn't the way to get it," Maylu says as she takes her hand away from Dex and looks at Princess Pride. "How did you get involved?"

"He reached out to me on a way to block a person from a device without being notice and I told him how I could, but there was something I wanted in return from helping me. When he told me he was blocking Lan, it worked out for me because I knew I was running out of time for getting married and since Lan and I got along so well, he could be my suitor" she answers as Yai lunges at her, but Chaud grabs her before she could do anything. "When he told me that it worked, that's when I put my own agenda to work. Though I did learn some things from Lan about the nature of your relationship that if I didn't know while we were making a deal, I wouldn't have done it"

"Like what?" Maylu asks.

"That even then, you two were just friends. I thought I was helping to break you two up as a couple." Princess Pride answers as Yai stares at her.

"So if you would've known that Lan was already single, you wouldn't have helped Dex?" Yai asks as Princess Pride nods her head.

The room becomes quiet as Maylu stands up and stares at her wedding ring. She slides it off her finger and hands it to Dex as she says, "This relationship started with dishonesty and hurt for the fact that I endure the months of sadness that you caused me for your personal gain. I can't be with anyone who is that selfish"

"Would you had gone out with me if I asked you?" Dex asks with tears in his eyes.

"I don't know Dex. Sure I could've tried to move on, but not this way. It would've been different just being around you, but I might've come around to the idea. But now, I can't stand the fact that you did this to me" Maylu says as she walks into the kitchen. Yai follows her as Dex looks at Lan

"I'm sorry Lan. I know how much you value your friendship with Maylu and I was jealous that she chose you over me" Dex says as Lan approaches him.

"Dex, I want to forgive you, but I can't now. You wanted to relieve hurt from her by causing more pain and be the hero where the whole time you were the villain the whole time." Lan says

"Why you never took a chance with her? You two could've worked out" Dex asks as Lan shakes his head and starts to head towards the kitchen before saying, "There's a lot that you don't know about my relationship with Maylu. Maybe instead of trying to separate us, you should've asked about it. Though the answer wouldn't be concrete, something is better than nothing".

Lan enters the kitchen to see Yai comforting Maylu. Yai turns to see Lan and motions to switch spots with her. Lan nods as he grabs Maylu by her wrists and wraps her arms around his neck as he hugs her.

"You can still stay at my place Maylu as you figure out your next move," Yai says as Maylu nods her head. Lan tries to separate himself from Maylu, but her grips tighten. He releases one of his arms and walks with her and Yai to their car with Chaud following behind. As they got to the limo, Yai slides in first with Maylu following. She grabs Lan's hand and looks up at him,

"Will you come over as well?"

"Yeah. Chaud and I will follow you both"

Maylu smiles as she lets go of his hand as he shuts the door. Chaud and Lan walk to their own vehicle and follows them to Yai's mansion.

At the mansion in Yai's room, the girls are preparing for bed. Yai keeps looking at Maylu as she groans, "I'll be fine Yai. You don't have to keep looking at me like that"

"Are you going to be able to get any type of sleep after everything?"

"I don't know. What's going to help me sleep better, melatonin?"

"Yes, but maybe something that you don't have to take"

"I'm not going to ask Lan to come in here to share a bed with me so I can sleep"

"He probably can't sleep because he's worried about you"

"He'll find a way to sleep, but I'm not asking him"

"Fine, you won't have to ask him. I will"

Maylu chases Yai out of her room to the guys' room. Yai busses in and tries to outmaneuver Maylu as Lan and Chaud watch them in confusion. Maylu eventually grabs Yai but realizes that she is the guys' room. With a wicked grin, Yai looks over at the boys, "Do you guys want to know why?"

"I'm a little bit curious, what about you Chaud?" Lan asks as Chaud shrugs

"Well, Maylu says she might have trouble sleeping so I made a suggestion for"

"Don't say it aloud Yai! I told you I'll be fine" Maylu says as she covers Yai's mouth with her right hand while still holding her with her left arm. Chaud and Lan look at each other and both realize what Yai was about to say.

"I don't mind if it's going to help you get any sleep. I know it may have been a long day for me, but you got the worst of it" Lan says as Maylu looks at him.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"No, I don't"

Maylu lets go of Yai as she skips over to Chaud to grab his hand and pulls him out of the room. Lan shakes his head at his friends as he lays in bed and motion Maylu to join him. She shyly walks over to the bed as she gets underneath the cover. She scoots closer to Lan as he wraps an arm around her"

"How come I feel like Yai did this so she can be closer to Chaud?" Maylu asks as Lan lays her head down on his chest.

"I feel like it just worked out in her favor, but she does want you to get some sleep. So do I"

"You figure out what you're going to do next?"

"Princess Pride is going home tomorrow. After that, I don't know"

Maylu nods as she nuzzles closer to Lan and dozes off. Lan slowly follows

That's the end of this chapter, but not the story just yet. Until next time, R&R!