Meet the Vosbein Family
The sun was high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the Vosbein family's lush garden. Birds chirped from the tall trees, and the scent of blooming flowers filled the air. It was the kind of peaceful afternoon that would have been perfect....if not for the heated conversation taking place by the koi pond.
Kra, the sharp-tongued and no-nonsense aunt of the Vosbein siblings, sat on the stone bench, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her piercing gaze was locked onto AJ, who stood in front of her looking every bit like a scolded schoolboy.
Fae, their elegant yet overindulgent mother, stood nearby, one arm wrapped around AJ as if shielding him from his aunt’s words.
"I can’t believe you, AJ," Kra began, her voice firm.
"You had one job! To be a responsible adult. Instead, you went to that party, got yourself drugged, and lost the car. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’ve caused? You dragged your sister into this mess! Milk has enough on her plate without having to clean up after you."
AJ pouted, rubbing the back of his head. "It’s not like I meant for it to happen. Someone drugged my drink. I was just having fun."
Kra scoffed. "Having fun? That so-called fun nearly ruined everything! You’re lucky Milk is handling it, or you’d be in jail for negligence!"
Fae, who had been gently stroking AJ’s hair, shot her sister a disapproving look.
"Oh, P'Kra, stop being so harsh on my baby. He didn’t do it on purpose!"
"Baby?" Kra's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
"Fae, he’s twenty-five years old! Stop treating him like a child! Maybe if you stopped coddling him, he’d actually take responsibility for his actions."
AJ grinned, leaning into his mother’s embrace. "See, Mom? Aunt Kra’s always so mean to me."
Kra rolled her eyes. "Mean? AJ, I haven’t even started yet. If I thought knocking some sense into you would work, I’d have done it years ago."
Fae gasped dramatically. "You wouldn’t dare!"
AJ smirked. "Yeah, you wouldn’t dare, Aunt Kra! Mom would never let you lay a finger on me."
Kra gave a humorless laugh. "Oh really? Let’s test that theory."
Without another word, she reached forward and gave AJ a firm smack on the back of his head. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but it was enough to make him shout.
"Ow! Aunt Kra! What was that for?!"
"To knock some memories back into that empty head of yours," Kra retorted.
"Maybe you’ll remember something useful about that night instead of just how much fun you had."
AJ looked to his mother for help, but Fae was already fussing over him. "Oh, my poor baby! Did it hurt? Do you want me to get you some ice? Or a snack? P' Kra, that was uncalled for!"
Kra sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Unbelievable. This is why he acts like a clueless idiot half the time."
AJ stuck his tongue out at her, and Kra groaned. "I swear, if you weren’t my nephew..."
.
.
.
After much pouting and exaggerated nursing from Fae, AJ finally sat down with his aunt to discuss the incident in more detail. He leaned back on the garden bench, stretching his arms over his head, while Kra sat beside him, still looking as stern as ever.
"Alright, let’s get serious for a moment," Kra said, holding her head.
"Do you remember anything useful from that night? Anything at all?"
AJ hummed in thought before a slow, dreamy smile spread across his face. "Oh! There was this really pretty girl."
Kra’s patience was already wearing thin. "AJ, unless this pretty girl has a name or was holding a sign that said ‘I stole your car,’ I don’t care."
Fae, who had taken a seat beside them, perked up. "A girl? Oh, darling, tell me about her! What did she look like? Was she sweet? Did she seem like someone you could date?"
Kra shot her sister a deadpan look. "Fae. Focus."
AJ, however, was already lost in his memory. "She was amazing. Long hair, gorgeous eyes. She had this aura about her you know, the kind that makes everyone in the room stop and stare. She introduced herself to me, but I don’t remember her name. She was just... breathtaking."
Kra blinked slowly. "And?"
AJ blinked back. "And what?"
Kra groaned, resisting the urge to smack him again. "And what else? What was she wearing? Did she say anything suspicious? Did she leave with you?"
AJ shrugged. "I don’t know. I was just mesmerized by her."
Kra facepalmed. "So, what you’re telling me is that your only memory of the night is that you met a pretty girl and nothing else?"
"Basically, yeah."
Kra turned to Fae. "You see why I smacked him?"
Fae ignored her and turned back to AJ. "Sweetheart, are you sure you can’t remember anything else? Maybe where she went after you met her?"
AJ frowned, tapping his chin. "Actually...she was really interested in my car. She asked a lot of questions about it like what model it was, if I liked driving it, even where I parked."
Kra’s eyes narrowed. "That’s suspicious. And you didn’t think that was worth mentioning sooner?!"
AJ scratched his head sheepishly. "I mean...I thought she was just making conversation."
Kra let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, AJ, you are impossible."
AJ looked at his mother for backup, but even Fae seemed to be reconsidering how much she should baby him. "Darling, I love you, but...you really should have noticed something was off."
AJ slumped. "Great. Now even my mom is against me."
Kra stood up, hands on her hips. "Alright, we need to find this girl. She’s our best lead. But considering your ability to remember absolutely nothing important, I have no idea how we’re going to do that."
AJ perked up. "Maybe I can go back to the club and ask around!"
Kra gave him a pointed look. "Yeah, because you’re so reliable when it comes to keeping your wits about you in a club."
AJ pouted. "I can be responsible!"
Kra and Fae exchanged a look before Kra smacked him on the head again.
"Ow! What was that for this time?!" AJ whined.
"To make sure you actually do something useful for once," Kra said with a smirk.
"Now, stop whining and start thinking about how we’re going to track this mystery girl down."
AJ sighed, rubbing his head. "You know, Aunt Kra, one day, all this head-smacking is going to make me forget even more."
Kra raised an eyebrow. "Considering you barely remember anything as it is, I doubt that’s possible."
Dinner at the Vosbein household was always an event, and tonight was no different. Milk arrived with Freen and Love, ready to introduce Love to her family.
The grand dining table was set with an extravagant meal, courtesy of the household staff, and the warm glow of the chandelier above made everything feel cozy yet formal. The moment Milk stepped inside, she was immediately greeted by her mother, Fae, who greeted at her with joy.
“My darling daughter!” Fae gushed, embracing Milk tightly before pulling back to examine her.
“You’re working too much again, aren’t you? You need to rest more!”
Milk sighed, already knowing this was coming. “I’m fine, Mom.”
Kra, her sharp-tongued aunt, stood nearby, arms crossed as she looked over Milk and her guests. “Fine? You call dragging yourself into this mess of AJ’s fine? Your brother is a trouble magnet, and now you’re the one cleaning up after him.”
Before Milk could respond, AJ strolled into the room with his usual carefree attitude, stopping in his tracks the moment he saw Love. His eyes widened as he smirked, smoothing a hand through his hair in an attempt to look cool.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” he asked, stepping closer. “P' Milk, you didn’t tell me you were bringing an angel home for dinner.”
Love, who was used to handling flirtatious remarks from overconfident men, simply raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
“Nice try,” she said flatly.
Milk shot her brother a deadly glare, but before she could say anything, Kra smacked the back of AJ’s head with surprising force.
“Ow!” AJ yelped, rubbing the spot where he had been hit. “Aunt Kra, what was that for?!”
“To knock some sense into that empty head of yours,” Kra said, rolling her eyes.
“And maybe, just maybe, it will help you remember something useful about that night instead of acting like an idiot.”
Fae immediately pulled AJ into her arms, cradling his head like he was a wounded child. “My poor baby! Your aunt keeps smacking you. Are you okay, sweetheart?” she said, stroking his hair.
Love exchanged a glance with Freen, who was barely holding back her laughter. Milk, on the other hand, pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on.
“Mom, he’s a grown man,” Milk said, exasperated.
“He’s still my baby!” Fae protested, glaring at Kra.
Kra scoffed. “That’s the problem. If you keep coddling him, he’ll never learn. He’s already dragging Milk into his problems. Next thing you know, he’ll be bringing a whole mafia to our doorstep.”
AJ gasped dramatically. “Wow, Aunt Kra, no faith in me at all. I feel betrayed.”
“You should feel lucky I haven’t smacked you harder,” Kra retorted.
Dinner was served, and everyone settled around the table. The food was delicious as always, and the conversation was lively. Milk formally introduced Love to her mother and aunt, explaining that Love was now working as her cook and driver.
“A driver?” Fae repeated, looking at Love with interest. “That’s an interesting job choice.”
Love smiled politely. “It’s temporary, but I wanted to help out.”
Kra gave Milk a knowing smirk. “You never let just anyone work with you closely. This girl must be special.”
Milk felt her face warm slightly but maintained her usual composed expression. “She’s determined,” she simply said.
AJ, who had been silently stuffing his face, suddenly leaned forward again, flashing his best smile at Love.
“You know, if you ever get tired of driving my sister around, I could use a personal chauffeur too,” he joked. “I mean, imagine it...driving around a handsome guy all day?”
Without missing a beat, Love deadpanned, “You don’t have a car.”
AJ choked on his food while everyone burst into laughter. Even Kra smirked approvingly.
“Oh, I like this one,” she said.
AJ recovered, pouting. “No need to be so cruel, Love.”
“No need to be so flirty,” Milk countered, making AJ sulk further.
As the dinner went on, conversations shifted to lighter topics, and the atmosphere remained warm despite the occasional chaos that came with the Vosbein family. Milk found herself relaxing slightly, enjoying the rare time she got to spend with her family.
Love, too, found herself smiling more than she had expected. This family was loud, dramatic, and slightly ridiculous, but there was an undeniable warmth between them. She had spent so much time being serious, focused on her goals, and fighting her own battles that she almost forgot what it was like to sit at a table filled with laughter and teasing.
As the night wound down, Fae pulled Milk aside before she left. “Darling, I worry about you. I know you take on a lot, but remember that you’re not alone. If you ever need anything, we’re here.”
Milk gave a small smile. “I know, Mom.”
Fae hesitated, glancing toward Love, who was chatting with Freen and AJ. “And that girl...Love. She seems like someone important.”
Milk followed her gaze but said nothing. Instead, she just nodded. “She is.”
Fae smiled knowingly but didn’t press. “Then take care of each other.”
With that, Milk bid her family goodbye, leaving with Freen and Love. As they drove away, Love glanced at Milk from the passenger seat.
“Your family is...something else,” she said, shaking her head in amusement.
Milk sighed. “Tell me about it.”
Freen laughed from the back. “I think I just watched a whole soap opera unfold in one evening.”
Love grinned. “At least it was entertaining.”
Milk simply hummed in response, but a small smile played at her lips. As chaotic as her family was, there was no denying that they were her home.
And maybe, just maybe, Love was slowly becoming a part of that too.