Chapter 9: "Sisterhood, Chaos, and Unexpected Intruders"
Reese's POV
The next morning, I found myself holed up in the office, going through reports and fixing proposals—not exactly your typical Saturday morning, but it kept my mind off… things.
That is, until my siblings barged in like a literal hurricane.
"Come on, Reese," Yasha huffed, hands on her hips as she glared at me from the doorway. "Stop working during our free day. You're coming with us."
"Yeah, Reese, it's Sister Day today," Paicey chimed in, dramatically sighing as she stared at her phone. "All our plans must be canceled."
Without hesitation, Yasha snatched Paicey's phone out of her hand. "No phones," she declared with the authority of a tyrant in a sundress. "I have endorsements too, but I canceled them. It's the end of the month. You know what that means—Sister Day."
It was kind of a tradition between the seven of us. No matter how hectic our lives got—modeling shoots, corporate meetings, performances, hospital rotations—we always made time at the end of the month to just be sisters. No roles. No pressure.
"Go on, Reese. Get changed into your casual clothes," Yasha said, already pushing me toward the hallway. "We'll be waiting here, so no escape routes."
"Where are we even going?" I asked as I grabbed the doorknob to my room.
"To the mall," Paicey answered, still sulking about her confiscated phone.
I rolled my eyes but didn't argue. Instead, I picked out something that looked presentable, comfortable, and—of course—intentionally stylish.
A white off-shoulder long sleeve dress that hugged just right, paired with a black waist belt corset to define the silhouette. I threw on a black beret for a touch of chic rebellion and completed the look with knee-high black boots.
I looked at myself in the mirror and gave a small nod.
Reese Laurier: effortlessly elegant, despite being dragged from her fortress of spreadsheets.
I opened the door.
"Ready," I said coolly.
Yasha and Paicey gave matching smirks.
"You look like you're about to break a thousand hearts," Yasha teased.
"Or step on someone," Paicey added.
"Good," I replied with a sly smile. "Let's go."
The mall was already bustling when we arrived, but that didn't stop us from taking over the place like we owned it. Seven sisters, each with wildly different personalities, striding together like a runway crew in a drama series—heads turned, whispers followed. It wasn't new.
Yasha strutted ahead, leading the pack like a fashion general. "First stop, new arrivals at Rose & Rue," she declared. "Reese needs more off-shoulder dresses. That one's cute but we can do better."
Ophira groaned. "Can we hit the sports store after? I saw this new pair of Nikes I want to test on the treadmill."
"You mean buy and hoard with your other twenty-five pairs?" Gaia adjusted her glasses, amused as she pulled out a notebook and pen. "I can do a quick price-to-performance ratio calculation for you."
"Boring," Paicey drawled, arms hooked with mine as she dragged me toward the accessories kiosk. "Come on Reese, look at this strawberry clip! It's so cute, you need it."
I couldn't help but smile. "Why would I need a strawberry clip?"
"Because I said so, duh," she replied with a cheeky grin, tossing it into the basket.
Bailey quietly passed me a matcha bubble tea without a word, her soft gaze meeting mine. She always noticed when I needed something, even when I didn't say a thing.
Valerie was sketching again—her canvas a napkin from the food court. "I want to paint this moment," she murmured, sunlight filtering through her curls. "Us, here, laughing like we don't have a care in the world."
We stopped in front of a photo booth. Yasha turned. "We have to do a shot. Tradition."
We squeezed in, all seven of us. Valerie in the front flashing a peace sign, Paicey sticking out her tongue, Gaia raising a brow in mock disapproval, Ophira flexing, Yasha fixing everyone's pose last-minute, Bailey barely looking at the camera but glowing with quiet joy—and me, in the middle, grinning like a fool.
Click.
And just like that, I remembered why these days mattered.
We spilled out of the photo booth, laughter trailing behind us as we huddled around the glossy strip.
"Look at Paicey's face in the third one," Ophira cackled. "What even is that expression?"
"A masterpiece," Valerie giggled, holding up the strip like art. "I'm framing this."
"It's giving chaos," Gaia commented, squinting at Yasha's impromptu hair adjustment in frame four. "And Yasha, seriously? Did you have to fix your bangs mid-shot?"
"I looked windswept, Gaia," Yasha retorted, tossing her hair dramatically. "There's a difference between candid and catastrophe."
Bailey passed the photo to me with a tiny smile. "You look happy in this one."
I glanced at the strip—cheeks slightly pink, lips curved in a smile I didn't realize I'd worn. "We all do," I murmured.
Then—
"Yasha!"
A familiar voice rang out like a record scratch in a movie.
We all turned to see Yuan jogging toward us, waving like he wasn't crashing sister day. Yasha blinked, startled. "Yuan?"
Without hesitation, she ran straight into his arms and hugged him tightly. "What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"
Yuan chuckled, brushing her hair back. "Babe, we've been together for years—you think I don't know your Saturday mall routes?" He paused and added, "But no, I didn't know you were here. I came with the boys."
He gestured behind him, and like some coordinated boy band, they appeared.
Raiden. Ozaire. Gared. Beck. Vayden. Percy.
Each one strolled in like they owned the place, a mix of smugness, nonchalance, and chaos.
"Oh hell no," I muttered, eyes landing on Raiden, who winked the moment our gazes met.
Paicey gasped, "You brought the boyfriends on Sister Day?"
"It's betrayal," Gaia added solemnly.
"Scandalous," Ophira grinned. "I like it."
Yasha turned red, pulling away from Yuan. "I didn't call him, I swear! He just—appeared!"
Valerie grinned, sliding her phone out. "Well, it is Sister Day… but maybe a little chaos won't hurt."
I rolled my eyes as Raiden approached. "Fancy seeing you here, Kitten. You stalking me now?"
I groaned. "Shut up, Raiden. Don't make Sister Day worse."
He laughed. "Worse? I'm the highlight."
Bailey whispered near my ear, "This is going to be interesting."
And it definitely was.
Yasha clasped her hands together, absolutely glowing. "Oh, how about you boys come with us?" she beamed. "The more the merrier, right?"
I opened my mouth, already forming a solid protest. Sister Day is for sisters. That's literally in the name.
But of course, Raiden, the King of Interruption, beat me to it.
"Yeah, sure. If the other guys are okay with that?" He turned his head to the other five.
Ozaire, Gared, Beck, Vayden, and Percy all either shrugged or nodded, the universal guy-language for 'cool, whatever'.
I groaned under my breath and threw Raiden a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
He smirked. Of course.
"Great then…" Yasha clapped again, already in coordinator mode. "It's a 14th date!"
"Don't lump in Ozaire with that," Raiden added casually. "He's got a girl now."
The air shifted.
Ophira went quiet beside me, her smile dimming for just a split second. None of the others noticed, but I did.
Yasha, in her usual bubbly way, clapped her hands. "Great! Then it's a—uh, 13th and 1 supportive gay friend group hangout!"
"Correction," Gaia said, pushing her glasses up with a deadpan expression. "It's a Sister Day invasion disguised as a group date."
Valerie leaned into Paicey, whispering (loudly), "Does this mean we're not doing the face mask challenge later?"
"We are," Paicey declared. "With or without male interference."
The boys gathered around. Gared gave Beck a piggyback ride for some reason, and Percy already had three bags from some music disk shop. Vayden was munching cooly on a pretzel like nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Should we vote on this?" I asked dryly. "Y'know, democratically."
"You're already outnumbered, Reese," Raiden said, brushing past me with that smirk of his. "Besides, you've had one-on-one time with me last night. Consider this group enrichment."
I turned red immediately, praying none of my sisters caught that.
Too late.
"Oh?" Yasha arched a brow. "And what happened last night, Reese?"
"Nothing," I said too fast.
"Nothing doesn't last an hour and twenty-four minutes," Gaia muttered under her breath.
Ophira, still quiet, finally spoke, her voice light. "Should we head to the next store?"
I nodded quickly, eager for a distraction. But Raiden leaned in closer to me, voice low, only for me to hear.
"Nice lingerie again, by the way."
I elbowed him hard in the ribs. He laughed.
"Note to self: next Sister Day, install a strict 'No Boyfriends Allowed' policy… and maybe a metal detector for Raiden's ego."