He frowned at the papers in his hands and finally, placed them down. Massaging his temples, he rested his head on the head of the chair.
"Chairman Zala?" his secretary called out, opening the door slightly. He looked at her. "There is a couple of letters for you and Ms Meyrin is here to see you sir," she said, walking up to him and handing the letters. Taking the letters, he nodded and the secretary closed the door. The door opened again and the pink-haired woman walked in.
"Athrun," she greeted to which he smiled at her. She sat one of the chairs available there. "I thought of having lunch together, seeing how you are always busy these few days," she said. He smiled at her concern.
"Sure, why not?" he shrugged. Meyrin smiled and stood. "Why don't you get the car and I meet you down?" he suggested. She nodded and exited the room. Once the door was closed, he stared at the letters. Picking one up, he opened the envelope and took out the invitation inside.
'Chairman Zala, we thank you for taking the time to come down to Orb for the Peace Ball. And now, we invite you to a birthday party of both Ms Rosalynn Clyne Athha, daughter of Ms Cagalli Yula Athha and Kazuya Yamato, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kira Yamato. We hope that you are able to make it.
Sincerely, Mr. Shinn Asuka.'
"Shinn?" he read. "Why would he want to invite me to his daughter's party?" he wondered. Putting the birthday invitation down, he saw another letter with Cagalli's handwriting on it. Picking it up, he tore open the envelope and took out the letter inside.
'Athrun, I hope you get this letter. If you do, I like to ask you to come for my daughter's birthday party this coming weekend. I hope you are able to make it. I don't mind if you want to bring Meyrin with you. We need to talk.
Cagalli.'
"We need to talk?" he read again. Like the invitation, he placed it down and leaned back in his chair. He frowned at the ceiling. "What the heck is going on here?" he wondered.
Lacus hummed as she hung the decorations. Finished with hers, she looked around. Frowning, she walked up to her husband who was busy hanging the huge banner with Shinn. She waited until he climbed down the ladder and stood beside her. "Kira, do you know where Cagalli is?" she asked, scanning the area once again. She saw most of the servants helping out with the decorations but no sign of the golden-haired princess.
"Wasn't she here a minute ago?" he asked, wiping his hands. She shook her head and saw her husband scanning the area. He frowned and sighed. "Mana, do you know where your mistress has gone to now?" he asked a plump-looking woman nearby. The servant stopped her work and looked around again.
"I believe she is in the house. The last time I saw her, she was entering the house," the servant said before continuing her work. Kira nodded his thanks.
"I better go and check for her then," Shinn said, already making his way to the house. Lacus shook her head.
"It's all right Shinn. I think I better look for her," she said, smiling as she walked past the black-haired commander. She saw his face fell and her husband grinned behind Shinn's back.
She paced across the room, trying to determine if what she did was right. That was how Lacus found her when she entered Cagalli's bedroom. "Maybe I shouldn't have sent the letter. But if I don't send the letter, he will never find out. And he does find out, I'm sure he is going to kill me," she heard Cagalli mumbled. She giggled and Cagalli whipped her head to her.
"Lacus, it's just you," she breathed, placing a hand on her chest. Lacus closed the door behind her and sat on the bed. She patted beside her and Cagalli sat down.
"What do you mean 'Lacus, it's just you'?" she teased her sister-in-law. Cagalli smiled weakly and flopped down on the bed.
"I thought you were Kira or Shinn," she replied. Lacus looked at her, confused. "You see, I-I've sent a letter to Athrun," Cagalli replied her unspoken question. "I wrote that I need to talk to him," she said, not continuing after that. Lacus flopped beside her.
"You mean about Rosalynn?" she asked. Her golden-haired friend nodded. "Are you going to -" she asked tentatively. Cagalli shook her head furiously and sighed.
"The truth is-"
Once Lacus had entered the house, Kira clamped a hand on Shinn's shoulder. The black-haired commander turned and saw him grinning away like an idiot.
"Don't worry Shinn. There will be other times when you will be able to see her," Kira said, his amethyst eyes twinkling with mischief. Shinn turned around.
"I don't have any clue of what you're talking about," he sniffed and walked towards a box of decorations that was still not hanged yet. He heard the Head of Representative laughed.
"You know, you can't fool anybody. Just one look at you and they would already figured it now," Kira said, helping him with the remaining decorations. They worked in silent after that. "Did you send the invitation already?" Kira asked, breaking the silence. Shinn nodded and face the brown-haired man.
"Do you think it's right to meddle into her business? I mean if she finds out-" he grimaced, not wanting to think about it. The other man sobered, the decoration forgotten in his hands.
"I need answers. Beside if you don't tell her she would never find out," he said, shrugging. Shinn sighed and continued with the decorations.
"So what do you think?" she asked.
"I think it's great that you are going to tell him. Don't worry. It's going to be all right. Eventually everything will work out fine," she assured. Cagalli sighed at her and threw her arm over her eyes.
"But what if he don't have the same feeling?" she whispered, particularly to no one.
Cagalli looked around, anxious. She saw most of the children's friends and families were already here. But he was still not here. Twisting her hands, she paced around unable to keep still.
"What's wrong Cagalli?" a voice asked, behind her. She jumped and nearly shrieked. She looked behind and saw her brother grinning away like an idiot.
"Why is everyone giving me a shock! At this rate, I might have a real heart attack," she said, glaring at her brother. Her brother shrugged and laughed.
"Come on. Relax. It's a birthday party, not a funeral or anything like that. Rosalynn will be sad that you are not having fun," he advised. She let out her breath and tried to will her heart to calm down. She saw a shadow loomed over her and looked up. Again, she stifled a scream when she saw her brother staring intently at her with those amethyst eyes of his. She narrowed and stepped back.
"Why are you jumpy anyway?" he asked. She did not reply as she scanned the area again. He followed her action before looking back at her. "Who are you looking for? Shinn?" he asked. She shook her head. "Athrun?" she heard her brother asked in a very low and calm voice.
She turned back to her brother and laughed nervously. "Don't be silly. Why would I be looking for Athrun? I didn't invite him here," she replied back. With quick movements, she walked away from her brother before he could blink.
Can you guys figure out what Cagalli is going to say to Athrun? Hehe