Laced With Havoc

Episode-11

The mansion buzzed with energy, a strange mix of chaos and determination. Zion stood in the midst of it, his arms crossed over his chest, watching as his family, along with some hired help, scrambled to decorate the large living room. The plan was simple: get everything ready for Aunt Camila’s surprise birthday party. But, as was usually the case when Zion’s family came together, nothing was simple.

Luca, Zion’s younger brother, stood on a ladder, hanging oversized balloons in what was supposed to be a neat arrangement, but the result looked more like a random explosion of colors.

Bianca, his other sister-in-law, was organizing flowers into vases, but some of them were falling over, creating more mess. She was muttering under her breath about “petal placement,” and no one was quite sure what that meant. Lola, Zion’s most chaotic sister-in-law, was busy bouncing around with a large spool of glittery ribbon, tying it to everything she could find, from the chandelier to the furniture. “It’s gotta pop, you know?” she said with a grin, as the glitter trailed in her wake. Amidst everything Nico and Elara were running happily.

And despite the chaos , everyone's heart felt at ease after a long time.

“I swear, we should’ve just ordered everything pre-decorated,” Zion muttered, pacing in circles as he tried to get some sense of order. The family was trying their best, but it was... a lot.

“Lighten up, Zion,” Luca called from his ladder, “it’s gonna be fun!” He leaned over too far, almost losing his balance, but Zion reached up and steadied him.

Zion glanced over at his cousin Victor, who was standing with arms folded, observing the madness with a raised brow. “Victor, don’t just stand there,” Zion barked, “do something!”

“Like what?” Victor asked, clearly unimpressed.

“Pick a corner. Pretend to be useful,” Zion muttered before turning to Selene, who was quietly assembling a table with candles. She looked up at him and gave a small smirk.

“We might just need to tell Aunt Camila to lower her expectations,” Selene teased. “Or, you know, don’t look too closely at any of this,” she said, gesturing to the confusion around them.

Zion exhaled sharply and rubbed his temple. “I don’t think she’s going to care. She’s just going to be happy we remembered it was her birthday.”

Marisol, Zion’s eldest sister-in-law, entered the room with a tray of drinks, offering them around. She was more composed than the rest, clearly in her element, though even she couldn’t help but laugh at the antics of the younger members of the family. “Everything’s going to be fine, Zion,” she reassured him. “Just enjoy the moment.”

“Enjoy?” Zion said, half-laughing, half-sighing. “I’m about to lose my mind, and you’re telling me to enjoy it?”

“Well, it’s only going to get worse before it gets better,” she pointed out with a grin, clearly loving the mess.

As Zion ran a hand through his hair, he glanced over at the clock. The night was getting later, and his mother had already been called in to keep Aunt Camila occupied. Zion had no intention of letting Aunt Camila find out about the surprise until it was too late. Mrs. Havoc had taken the responsibility of getting Aunt Camila out of the house, and Zion had no doubt it was going to be quite the challenge to stall her until everything was ready.

Zion tried to think about what needed to be done next, but the scene before him wasn’t helping. Marisol was debating with Bianca over the best flower arrangement, Bianca had flowers in one hand and was holding a vase upside down, while Luca and Lola were now locked in some sort of ridiculous tug-of-war with a banner. Zion’s eyes narrowed.

Luca managed to pull the banner free from Lola’s hands, only to have it unravel completely. “I’m not sure this is what ‘elegant’ means, Luca,” Lola teased as she threw the loose ends of the banner toward him.

“Well, it’s better than whatever you were trying to do,” Luca shot back, clearly not amused.

Lola stuck her tongue out at him. “Well, if you just let me do things my way, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

Zion sighed. “Guys, focus!”

“Okay, okay, but listen,” Lola said with a mischievous grin, “have you seen the way this place is gonna look when Aunt Camila walks in? She’s gonna love it, trust me!”

Zion wasn’t so sure, but he knew arguing at this point would only lead to more chaos. “Alright, fine. Just get it together.”

As the madness continued, Zion’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Freyda.

“How’s the party prep going?”

Zion’s fingers hovered over the keys for a moment. He hadn’t even thought about the dress she’d been working on for Aunt Camila. He should probably check in with her, but at the same time, there were more pressing matters. He couldn’t stop himself from typing a quick reply.

“It’s going... fine.”

Then, as if it was some divine intervention to add to his already mounting stress, Zion heard a loud crash from the kitchen.

“No! Not again!” Marisol shouted. “Who broke the mixer this time?”

“It wasn’t me!” Bianca quickly responded.

“Not me either,” Luca chimed in, clearly trying to pretend like he had nothing to do with it.

Zion, now thoroughly fed up, stormed into the kitchen to find his family standing around a smashed mixer on the floor. Lola was holding her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, this is bad, but at least it’s funny?”

Zion groaned, rubbed his face, and muttered to himself. “What am I going to do with you guys?”

---

The baking scene was an absolute disaster. They had, of course, completely ruined whatever they’d tried to bake, and the smell of burnt cookies still lingered in the air, only adding to the atmosphere of impending doom. But Zion, in all his brilliance (or perhaps desperation), had already made arrangements. While the chaos continued in the kitchen, Zion snuck out for a quick trip to buy a cake for tomorrow.

It was 7:00 pm when Zion pulled into the parking lot of the local bakery. As he stood in front of the counter, waiting for the cake to be boxed up, a strange feeling nagged at him. He glanced down at his phone again, reading Freyda’s text once more. For a second, he hesitated, wondering if he should finally extend the invitation he’d been pondering all evening.

Freyda had been at the center of his thoughts, whether he liked it or not. The chaos, the mess, the drama—it had all been exhausting, but her presence, in some strange way, had made it all bearable. Zion stared at his phone for a moment longer.

“You know what, I’ll ask her later,” he thought, shaking his head and closing the text.

The bakery attendant returned with the cake, and Zion paid before making his way back to the mansion.

---

The sun had dipped low in the sky, casting an orange glow over the street as Zion pulled into the small alleyway next to Freyda's shop. It was 7 PM, and the soft twilight gave everything an almost nostalgic feel. He exhaled slowly, his thoughts briefly straying from the chaos of the mansion to the task at hand. The birthday party was just around the corner, and Aunt Camila’s expectations of him to handle things were always high. But today, there was an added weight on his shoulders. A weight he didn’t know how to handle just yet.

He stepped out of his car, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the shop. He knew it was Freyda’s work that was going to make or break Aunt Camila’s birthday. The dress he was supposed to pick up—well, it had to be perfect.

As he approached the door, a small bell chimed overhead. He walked in, his eyes immediately locking onto the scene before him.

Freyda was hunched over a mannequin, her fingers carefully adjusting the folds of the midnight blue dress. The light overhead cast shadows on her features, but she didn’t seem to notice. Sera, who was sitting cross-legged in a corner, was scrolling through her phone, probably looking at some social media account Zion didn’t care to know about.

“Freyda,” Zion said, his tone firm but neutral.

She glanced over her shoulder, her expression unreadable. “You’re late,” she muttered, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall. “I thought you’d be here earlier.”

“I’m here now,” he replied, his voice thick with an almost imperceptible hint of tension. He wasn't one to usually second-guess himself, but something about the situation felt... off.

He turned his gaze to the dress, noting how the colors seemed to shimmer under the warm light. It was beautiful, no doubt, but something inside him told him to take a step back. Not to get too involved in all of this.

“I assume you’re happy with the design?” Freyda asked, though there was an edge to her voice. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, but the atmosphere between them was always tense. It would always be like that.

Zion nodded, running a hand through his hair. "It’s perfect. Aunt Camila will love it.”

Freyda’s eyes flicked to Sera, who had perked up at Zion's words, then to him again. "Then why are you still standing there?" she said with a dry smile. “The dress is ready. Take it.”

Zion stepped forward, reluctantly reaching for the garment bag. As he touched it, his hesitation grew. There was a fleeting moment where he felt like he should say something more, something deeper, but the words never came.

“Alright and make the decision about joining. I'll explain the details to you later. I'm one hundred percent sure this will go right .” he said, his tone final.

Freyda didn’t respond immediately, her fingers brushing over the fabric one last time before she let out a quiet, almost inaudible sigh. “Yeah, sure. .”

Zion’s jaw tightened at the words, but he didn’t let them get to him. "I’ll handle the rest. See you around."

With that, he turned on his heel and left, the door’s bell chiming once more behind him.

---

Back at Freyda's shop, Sera had been busy, as usual, scrolling through her phone when she accidentally stumbled upon Aunt Camila’s social media account. She leaned forward, squinting at the screen in disbelief.

"Aunt Camila?" Sera murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "What... she has an i********:?"

She clicked through, and within seconds, the feed was full of pictures of Aunt Camila in various events, wearing some of the most extravagant dresses Sera had ever seen.

" Hey frey didn't you say that the aunt's name is Camila? ."

"Yeah , what about it?"

" I've found her acount look , she is the perfect person for that dress." Freyda agreed with Sera upon seeing the posts.

----

Around 9 pm Mrs. Havoc and Aunt Camila had arrived at Freyda’s shop. Zion’s mother, ever the mastermind, had promised to keep Aunt Camila occupied while everyone at the mansion finished preparing.

“Freyda Liselle is it? ” Mrs. Havoc greeted warmly, taking a seat at the table. “Zion told us about you , the designer. Dear, I'm Zion's mother and this is his aunt Camila.”

Freyda blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected a visit from Mrs. Havoc, especially not with Aunt Camila in tow. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, Aunt Camila spoke.

“I’ve seen your designs, and they are absolutely stunning,” Aunt Camila said, a warm smile on her face. “ And I heard that you prepared a dress for me . I just wanted to thank you for your hard work. It’s such a beautiful gift you’ve made for me.”

Freyda’s expression softened. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

Zion’s mother then added with a sly grin, “And of course, we’d love for you to join us at the party tomorrow night. I’ll be honest, Zion wasn’t the best at asking you, but I thought it’d be a nice gesture.”

Freyda smiled, but she couldn’t help the slight tension in her chest. Zion’s sudden need to invite her to the party was unexpected, but she pushed aside any confusion. For now, all that mattered was Aunt Camila’s happiness.

" Tadaaa ladies have some deserts!" Came Sera with the infamous desert Freyda stocked in the fridge the day before.

Aunt Camila and Mrs. Havoc were surprised at it's taste and gave her a plenty of compliments and also got to know Sera. And chatted for a long time . When it was almost 11.30, Mrs. Havoc said they should go back . They said their goodbyes and the two old women went back to the chaotic mansion.

---