On the morning of her birthday, Ximena was woken up unceremoniously by her family who all but shouted HAPPY BIRTHDAY in her face. Her eyes snapped open in shock, as her upper body shot up. She was greeted by her mother, sister and brother all still clad in their nightwear and the first two with weird grins on their faces. Salvador actually looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but there and Ximena returned the sentiment.

Dolores came forward and gave her eldest daughter a bone crushing embrace which Ximena couldn't quite return because that's how strong it was."Feliz cumpleaños, mi amor!" she cooed as she continued her vice like hug.

"C-cant...b-breathe," Ximena wheezed and her mother let her go, chuckling. Next, Andrea descended on her with all her weight in a assault of affection, it that's what you can call it. They both fell back onto Ximena's bed with a creak, both in a fit of giggles.

"Happy birthday, hermana!" she yelled in an eardrum bursting pitch, causing everyone to cringe.

Ximena rose once again into a sitting position, brushing her unruly black hair black. She had recently dyed it back to its original color and it had grown past her shoulders over the past few weeks. "You know, for someone as slim as you are...you weigh a ton!" she laughed, and Andrea graced her with a glare. Salvador snorted, making everyone remember he was still in their midst.

Dolores gave him a pointed look, one that was urging him to at least say happy birthday. Salvador complied grudgingly and shuffled forward to his sister's bed side, one hand behind his back.

"Happy birthday Ximena," he croaked awkwardly and gave her a small navy-blue box. Ximena took it slowly, stunned that he had even bothered to get her anything. Other presents he'd given her were not so pleasant so she wasn't quite sure what to expect. Imagine her bewildered expression when she opened it and found a pair of diamond earrings sitting in it.

Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. Setting the small box down, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him by his side towards her in a hug. "Thank you, Chava," she voiced with a slight tremble. Hesitantly he returned the gesture, well as best as he could given their different angles of elevation.

"You're welcome," he whispered and she let him go. Her eyes still brimmed with unshed tears she looked up at him. Surprisingly, his face wasn't it's usual stoic expression, but a slight quirk was at the corner of his lips. A smile perhaps or was his mouth have a seizure? With that, he twisted around and left the room without a single word.

"Me next!" Andrea cried and leapt out of the bed. She pulled a large box with the words Louis Vuitton on it from the foot of the bed. She dropped it on her sister's lap. "Open it!" she urged, a crazed glint in her eyes. Ximena followed suit and found a pair of golden six-inch strappy stilettos shimmering in the morning light. Her eyes bulged.

"Wow," was all she could say. They were so dazzling. "These are beautiful!" she managed to say next and then gave her sister a hug.

"They will go perfectly with this," Dolores said returning from Ximena's walk-in closet with a long golden dress which she had never seen before in there. When had it...?

Ximena threw the comforter from her body after setting aside the shiny shoes and made her way over to her mother. This was no ordinary piece of fabric, no, it was a dress which clearly fit for a goddess. Looking at it made her eyes hurt. Could she pull it off?

She eyed it warily. "That's for me?" she asked her voice coming out breathless. Everybody was intent on giving her such expensive and glittery gifts.

Dolores sidled in front of her and placed her before her body. "Si. Why not? It's your birthday today and also your engagement party. We want you to stand out in the crowd, turn a few heads and impress a certain hombre," she replied, winking at her daughter whose face immediately rouged. "Which reminds me," she went on and pulled a set of keys from her sleeve miraculously. "Your father wishes you a happy birthday but unfortunately he had to run off to work earlier than usual in order to leave early for the festivities," she finished off and then handed the keys.

Ximena looked at them and instantly recognized the Lamborghini logo on it. At first, she thought they were the keys to her old car but these were new, and totally different. Her eyebrows furrowed. "These aren't my keys," she said in puzzlement.

Andrea appeared beside her and held Ximena's hand in hers. "Obviously. Let's go!" she beamed and then dragged out of her room, down the grand staircase and out of the front door. Under the large canopy that protruded from their house was stationed the newest Lamborghini Aventador convertible, in the color lime. Her jaw slackened.

"I know it's great but we can't just stand here and stare at it all morning. It's almost nine in the morning. We need to get you ready for the party," Andrea said and began to drag her back towards the house. Ximena refused to move.

"Can I at least see the interior?" she voiced, pained. The car was just so lovely and she really, really wanted to explore it, sit in it, drive it...

"Well, you'll get to do that when we drive to the different locations we have to go to for your preparations," she reasoned and Ximena gave in, letting herself be pulled back into the house. First the earrings, then the shoes and dress and now a brand-new car? It was too much to take in. She just knew deep down that this definitely counted as being spoiled.

Was Adriano right about her? Was she just another spoiled brat?

***

Ximena glanced one more time at her phone. The time read 7.37 PM, she heaved another sigh in frustration. Her parents and her siblings had left for the venue of her party well over an hour ago. She had wanted to have left with their them in their family limousine but Andrea had told her that she had hired her a designated driver for the night. Ximena, despite her vehement refusal, finally succumbed and stayed behind. As it was, she was quite late to her own party.

A knock to her door came and she told whoever was behind it to enter. It was one of the maids, Maria, who had come to announce that she had a guest downstairs. Without waiting for a response, Maria scurried out and left Ximena in a confused state. She rose from her loveseat by the window, placing her phone in her gold clutch, and paced over to the mirror to give herself a quick once over. The reflection that met her seemed like a menagerie. She couldn't quite believe it was really her, looking like royalty.

With a shrug, she proceeded to exit her room and past the hallway to the grand staircase. From her angle high up, all she could see where shiny expensive looking dress shoes and the bottom of black trousers but as she made her descent, the whole body of the individual came to view. She paused on the last step, frozen and eyes wide in surprise.

It was Adriano, looking more handsome that she could have possibly imagined he could pull off...which really was something since he always seemed so effortlessly dashing. But tonight, he was a sight for sore eyes. Donned in a tailored white tuxedo with a black bow-tie, his hair was parted to the side and sleeked back to perfection. His green eyes, electric as usual, also seemed to have widened but only for a second before they darkened and began to rack all over her form. Her heart beat sped up.

"I wasn't expecting you to escort me," Ximena managed to say without stuttering but her voice came out breathless. He had indeed taken her breath away. She should have known her cunning younger sister would pull off something like this.

Once his eyes had finally settled on her face, his mouth twitched into a smirk. "I should have known that text wasn't from you," he mused and her face rouged. What message was he talking about? "You know, a million adjectives come to my mind when think of how you're looking tonight but none of them would do any justice. You look like-," he continued as he took a couple of steps forward and stopped right in front of her. "Una reina," he pronounced in his deep voice and took her free hand then placed a lingering kiss on the back of it.

To her surprise, her heart started to beat even faster than before that it threatened to leap out of her chest. Why was it that, even though she'd dated quite a number of guys, only Adriano could make her feel so...weak, special, puzzled and jittery? Just the way he was looking at her at that precise moment made her knees feel like Jell-O. She hated that she responded so easily to his touch, to pretty much everything that he did. Shouldn't she hate him for the way he treated her back in Paris?

He helped her down the last step. Even in six-inch heels she was barely past his shoulders. Being so close to him, she could smell his rich cologne which had decided to invade her nostrils. How besotting it was...

"But," he spoke once again and brought his hand which had been behind his back the whole time to reveal a rectangular black box. "This will definitely complete the look," he said and then opened it to reveal the most exquisite and definitely expensive looking diamond necklace she'd laid her eyes on.

"Adriano-" she wanted to speak but he cut her off.

"Happy birthday my spoiled brat," he offered with a lopsided grin. Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes as she eyed the piece of jewelry.

Maybe, just maybe, what she felt for this man was not just a simple crush.

______________________

The party has arrived...and this is only the first part. The next one might or might not have something special 🙈

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~Deetronite