"Mom… Mom?"
Aaron spoke into the phone.
There was silence on the other end.
For a moment, a frightening thought crossed his mind.
Did she faint from shock?
Then suddenly—loud laughter echoed through the speaker.
Aaron frowned in confusion.
"Mom… why are you laughing?"
Aria laughed even harder.
"Because that was a very funny joke, dear."
Then she added teasingly,
"Congratulations. From today onward, you're Mom's favorite son."
Aaron blinked.
"Favorite?"
"Of course," Aria said lightly.
"Tell me, what do you want? I'll ask your second brother to get it for you."
Aaron rubbed his forehead, completely helpless.
"Mom, you don't believe me at all, do you?"
Aria smiled.
"Dear, I believe you—that's exactly why I'm laughing."
Her tone softened.
"You're the only one among all my children who still calls his mother just to talk… just to tell jokes."
"The rest of them feel like children I gave names to and nothing more."
Aaron sighed.
"Mom, please believe me. Second brother really has a girlfriend."
He paused before adding,
"Her name is Elena."
Aria burst into laughter again.
"Oh my… you've made your joke even more creative."
"You even gave the girlfriend a name."
Listening to her, Aaron thought to himself—
I always believed I was the only one who suspected my second brother would stay single his entire life.
Turns out, everyone in this family thought the same.
He took a deep breath and said firmly,
"Mom, believe me. I met his girlfriend just now."
"Oh dear," Aria sighed dramatically, leaning back as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders.
"If your second brother actually had a girlfriend, I wouldn't be carrying this lifelong stress of him remaining single forever."
Aaron closed his eyes for a second.
Here we go again.
"That boy," Aria continued, clearly offended on a genetic level,
"is completely wasting the genes I and your father gave him."
She paused, then added proudly,
"Such a handsome face. Perfect features. And what does he do with it?"
She didn't wait for an answer.
"Nothing."
"Absolutely nothing."
"If that blockhead had a girlfriend," she said firmly,
"I would pray to God every single day—morning and night."
Aaron could almost imagine her joining her hands dramatically.
"But I'm telling you," Aria concluded,
"I'm very sure of one thing. In this lifetime, your second brother is destined to remain single."
Aaron rubbed his temple.
"His life runs on only two things," she went on seriously.
"First—the army."
"Second—work."
"That's it. No emotions. No romance. No humanity."
Then she laughed lightly.
"And you're telling me he has a girlfriend?"
"These kinds of jokes, Aaron," she added,
"are only funny once."
Aaron stared at the floor, listening silently.
Mom… you're underestimating him badly, he thought.
It's not just that he has a girlfriend.
They're already far past that stage.
He opened his mouth, ready to finally drop the truth—
"Aaron," Aria interrupted smoothly,
"we'll talk properly when you come home."
"Then you can tell me everything."
Aaron relaxed—until she added,
"Especially about your girlfriend."
Aaron froze.
Wait.
How did the spotlight suddenly move to me?
"Mom," he said quickly,
"I don't have a girlfriend."
There was not even a second of hesitation.
"That," Aria replied confidently,
"is the one thing I absolutely refuse to believe."
Aaron blinked.
"When you come home," she continued happily,
"bring your girlfriend with you."
"The family would love to meet her."
Aaron stared at his phone.
Mom… to bring a girlfriend,
I'd need to actually have one.
And I'm still in the 'searching' phase.
He inhaled, about to explain—
"Okay, bye, son," Aria said cheerfully.
Click.
The call ended.
Aria lowered her phone and walked into her room, her steps slow and thoughtful.
Daniel was sitting on the sofa, newspaper open in his hands.
He glanced up, immediately noticing her distracted expression.
"Aria," he asked,
"what happened?"
She sat beside him and waved her hand dismissively.
"Nothing serious."
"Aaron called."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"He cracked a joke," she continued.
"Says Robin has a girlfriend."
Daniel burst out laughing instantly.
"Girlfriend?"
"Robin's?"
He shook his head, amused.
"Exactly," Aria said.
"Such a joke that you can't believe it even for a second."
"And Aaron kept saying, 'Believe me, Mom.'"
She turned toward Daniel.
"Tell me honestly—does that sound believable to you?"
Daniel folded his newspaper, reached out, and gently held her hand.
"Just ignore him," he said calmly.
Aria looked at him for a long moment, then asked suddenly,
"They are our children… right?"
Daniel smiled softly and stood beside her.
"No doubt about that."
Aria smiled in return.
Then she stood up and said,
"I'll go check on dinner."
With that, she walked away.
Miles away, Aaron stared at his disconnected phone.
He sighed deeply.
What a strange family, he thought.
They want to meet the one who doesn't have a girlfriend…
and refuse to believe the one who actually does.
He shook his head.
Second brother,
you have no idea what kind of chaos is waiting for you at home.
Aaron stood there for a long moment, staring blankly at his phone.
How am I supposed to make everyone believe that my second brother actually has a girlfriend?
he thought.
I'll need proof. Solid proof.
His eyes suddenly lit up.
A picture.
If I can show them a picture of Elena and my second brother together, no one will be able to deny it.
Without wasting another second, he decided,
I'll just ask Elena. She must have at least one photo with him.
Aaron reached for his phone, already unlocking the screen—
And then he froze.
Slowly, painfully, reality hit him.
Wait.
I don't even have Elena's number.
He stared at the screen as if it had personally betrayed him.
After hearing today's news, he thought bitterly,
I was so shocked that I forgot to take her number.
Aaron let out a helpless laugh.
Great.
I've met my brother's girlfriend…
but I don't even have her contact.
He shook his head.
At this point, even I wouldn't believe my own story.
Then suddenly, a name flashed through Aaron's mind.
Emma.
Elena's agent.
A slow smile spread across his face.
I may not have Elena's number…
but Emma definitely does.
Aaron straightened up, clearly pleased with himself.
Aaron, he told himself proudly,
you're a genius.
With that thought, he stepped out of his cabin and walked down the corridor toward Emma's office.
Inside, Emma was busy working, her eyes focused on the open file in front of her. She was deeply concentrated, flipping through pages and making notes.
The door opened softly.
Sensing someone's presence, Emma looked up.
The moment she recognized who it was, her eyes widened slightly.
It was Aaron—
the CEO of Starlight Entertainment.
She immediately stood up from her chair.
"Aaron sir?" she said quickly.
"You're here?"
Aaron nodded calmly and walked in, closing the door behind him. He took the seat across from her desk as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Yes," he replied casually.
Then, without any dramatic buildup, he went straight to the point.
"Can I get the phone number of your artist—Elena?"
For a second, Emma simply stared at him.
Her expression froze—somewhere between shock and disbelief.
"E–excuse me?" she asked, sure she must have heard him wrong.
Aaron noticed the way her fingers tightened around the file she was holding.
"Elena's… number?" Emma repeated slowly, her eyes widening.
"You want Elena's personal phone number?"
She blinked twice, clearly trying to process the situation.
Inside her head, alarms were already going off.
Why would the CEO suddenly ask for my artist's number?
Did something happen?
Did Elena mess up?
Or… wait—don't tell me—
Emma straightened unconsciously, her professional instincts kicking in.
"I mean—of course, sir," she said carefully,
"but may I ask… why?"
Her tone was polite, but the surprise hadn't faded.
Aaron, on the other hand, remained completely calm—
almost too calm.
And that only made Emma more confused.