♬ ✥*

Serenity.

I parked in front of my parent's house, my knees bouncing from excitement as I grabbed my purse from the passenger's seat. It was another rainy day in the city, but nothing could rain on my parade today.

Glancing around at the landscaping, I could tell that my mom was keeping up with her gardening and yard work. She loved anything that had to deal with the outdoors. Whether it was hiking up the mountains, swimming in the ocean, or camping deep into the forests, all of it was up her alley.

Another thing that caught my eye was Milo's car parked on the side of the road. It's been a while since him and I have seen each other. He's been busy since the beginning of time, but always makes time for me — except when I avoid him. However, now, there's no need to do that anymore.

It wasn't one of the best things to do, but whenever my parents had company over, they kept their door unlocked. I mean, don't get me wrong, I get that there'd be more people in the house, but it still wasn't something I'd do.

Walking into the front door, I heard my voice being called from a manly voice — one that I knew was my younger brother. He always had some sort of sixth sense when it came to me. Charlie was three years younger than me, and a polar opposite of how Milo and I looked. He was the only blonde in the family, and he had green eyes.

Milo and I definitely looked like a set of twins, but he was two years older. Sure we both had dark brown hair, close in height, and our skin-tone was almost the same — the only significant difference between us was that my eyes were stark blue, whilst his were brown.

"Rini!"

"Choco!"

While Milo went in a completely different field of work than his life that was a hobby, Charlie was the one who kept in check with it. Through high school, he gained a full-ride scholarship to UBC, obviously landing a place on the team. He started out as defence, but the coach repositioned him as centre-forward.

He was sponsored all throughout his university career, finalizing a spot with the Boston Bruins, then managed to play with the Edmonton Oilers; easily, he took that opportunity, wanting to stick to his Canadian roots. It was from Gretzky to Crosby to Hayes.

With his standings, he played for Team Canada in the 2018 Winter Olympics and brought it to gold. He definitely made the family, and the country, proud.

As of now, it was playoff season, but he finally had some time off and was crashing at the Hayes' residence. My parents would kick him out, but they miss him terribly when he's away. Let's also face it, he's the baby of the family.

Nonetheless of his standing, mine, or Milo's, we all remained humble and a close-knit family. We loved one another, as did our parents. Their love story was one that I always dreamed of having. I just hoped that I'll fall in love-at-first-sight like they did.

It was a long-shot, but still a dream of mine — one among many.

Without a doubt, we still had a healthy rivalry between us and bickered whenever we got the chance — because that's what siblings are for.

"How's my baby sis doing?" he asked, pulling me into a side hug — which also meant crushing me as much as he possibly could.

"You know that got old ages ago, right? I'm your older sister, and I have your birth certificate to prove it." I grinned, but just as he was going to reply, I continued, "And embarrassing home videos. So don't push it."

"Ugh, fine," he said with a sigh.

"Hey, Rin's. How're you, lil' sis?"

"See, now that's the right context," I called out to him, and Milo just let out a laugh when Charlie huffed.

"Twenty-two and he still acts like a child," he said, and I smiled.

"He's got medals of honour, many Olympic golds, yet, I still don't think he'll ever stop being that way."

"Damn straight!" Charlie exclaimed a distance away, causing me and Milo to laugh as we hugged.

"I'm doing alright — better than alright, actually. You?"

"Same old, same old. Nothing new." He replied with a content smile with a shrug of his shoulders. His eyes twinkled, and his lips held a tight grin, "Someone has something to say."

"I do, yeah. I have some big news. Where's mom and dad?"

"They're in the yard. Mom's trying to work the BBQ, but failed again."

"I think it's the only outdoor thing she can't accomplish," I commented.

"Hey, I heard that. Charlie, go take out the trash, and clean these," she said with a pleased grin. "Sweet girl, you're home! You didn't say you're dropping by."

"She doesn't need a pass or a head's up, Gennie," my father's voice spoke loudly, a laugh tagging along.

"Oh, hush up. I know that, husband." Her hands waved him off, lightly hitting his arm. She handed off empty pans to my younger brother and came to give me a hug.

"You doing good?" My father asked warmly after placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Rini, here, says she has some big new. Spill the beans," Charlie exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen. Mom flashed him a glare since she knew he didn't actually do the dishes. He shrugged, mentioning that he'd clean them later. That word did not exist in his vocabulary — it always meant never. I snickered to myself, knowing he was going to be put on dish duty for the rest of the night because I knew mom would not have it.

"So..." My dad gestured for me to continue.

"I got an investment! I get to keep Starlight!" I beamed with joy and excitement. My mother's hands cupped over her mouth in happiness, while my father wore a proud, ear-to-ear smile. Charlie was clapping his hands, cheering as if we were in a stadium and his favourite hockey team was playing. As for Milo, he simply pulled me into the biggest hug known to mankind.

"I knew you could do it, Rin's," he whispered in my ear, and his tone warmed up my entire heart.

I loved my entire family, but the bond that I shared with Milo was unexplainable. Having his approval, blessing, or pride towards me, was something that meant the world to me. There were — and still are — countless of times where Charlie has mentioned how 'unfair' it was. We just laughed it off, knowing that he wouldn't get offended. Even our younger brother understood he couldn't break what Milo and I had.

And Milo couldn't break what I had with Charlie.

He was the funnier one out of the two. The one who did pranks and got his older brother to get him out of problems he'd get himself into. There were multiple times where he got both me and Milo to cover for him. The amount of times he snuck out, were too many to count.

My dad was the one who finished off cooking our meal on the BBQ, while we all teased mom with her lack of ability to do it. It ended off with Charlie being smacked across the head by Milo. The two then had a strength match by doing an arm wrestle. Mom was against it since she hated all forms of violence, which was ironic considering one of her sons was in hockey — and that always ends up with some sort of kind of it.

Charlie came up and asked me how I got the investment, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of pride with the honest truth. "Let's just say something happened and it worked out."

His reply was attached with narrowed eyes, "Not the answer I was looking for, but I'll bite."

We had a short conversation, mainly with him filling me in about everything going on in his life. He always came to me when he wanted advice when it came to girls, but as of now, there wasn't one in his life. I knew it was hard for him since he's well-known, and only want to date him for that reason alone and not his personality. It came up a lot that all he wanted to find was 'the one', but I told him that he was still 22 and he's got a lifetime for her to come in his life.

"You always know how to make me feel better, Rini. Thanks, lil' sis," he said with a smile, before squeezing my knee and leaving me alone.

Hugging my knees to my chest, I looked up at the night sky, seeing the faint sparkle of the stars in the black abyss. Light pollution blocked the illuminating shine of millions more, hiding countless constellations. The moon was new, keeping its spherical glow concealed from the eyes of the world below it.

Glancing up at the atmosphere, all I wanted to do was to see Scorpius. It was one known to be the showstopper of the starry sky. I tried tracking down the red star Antares, its heart, but I could never see it. Years I've been searching for it, but it still hasn't been reflected in my blue gems. It was a dream — one that I hoped I would see it soon.

"Hey, Rin's," Milo's voice was heard softly, handing me a cup of Earl Grey as he took a seat next to me on the patio swing. We sat a little while in silence, his legs pushing us slightly. "Talk to me. Something happened and it didn't seem entirely that 'great.'"

I held a tight grin shaking my head lightly. A small smile tugged at his lips, knowing he figured me out.

"A lot did. You talked to Destiny about a company called Urban Corp., yeah?" I asked him softly, and he nodded. "Well, Mars told me about it. It was my last hope, so I kind of went the extra mile — or three — to meet the CEO."

"Harry Styles? Heard that man is tough but great."

The hold of the mug between my hands tightened, as I heard the sound of that man's name. I tilted my head, furrowing my brows slightly, with a faint bite of my bottom lip. "You met him?"

"Not exactly. When I did the internship at Pemberton in TO, I heard quite a bit about him. I wasn't too far below the CEO with the position I got. They offered me that spot full-time if I wanted it, but you know me, I can't stay away from the family," he explained.

"You mean, can't stay away from Destiny," I teased with a grin.

"Shut up." He chuckled, pushing my shoulder lightly. "I only mentioned it to her because she was asking about you. She asked if there were any other options you had left."

"I know she cares about us — if she didn't, do you think I'd let you date her?"

"I know."

"You know, it's why I chased off the girl who wanted to date you before her. She wasn't Hayes family approved." I let out a small laugh, elbowing him lightly.

"Anyway, Styles came a few times to see Pemberton, but I didn't get a chance to actually meet him," he continued, then turned his body a bit more to face me. "At the time he travelled with Mateo. He was the CEO at the time. This guy took over a couple years ago."

"I see."

"Why do I get the feeling you already know most of this information?" His eyes narrowed slightly, studying my expression to figure out the answer — which I knew he already knew.

"Because I do. I did my research," I spoke with great pride.

"Of course, you did. You wouldn't be my sister if you didn't."

"That is true." I pointed an amused finger at him, as I grinned in agreement.

"So, I'm guessing you got the investment from Styles, himself? I mean, the guy is my age and is more successful," he said after taking a sip from his tea.

"Yeah — and well, he surely isn't the friendliest, but definitely runs a tight ship."

"Baby sister got a meeting with the CEO of Urban Corp. I'm impressed."

"Well, not exactly..." An embarrassed laugh escaped my lips. "...I sort of snuck into his office."

"And here I thought you were more mature than Charlie," he said, raising a brow. "Fuck, more than once?"

"Language, Milo!" Our mom's voice was heard loudly from inside the house.

"Unbelievable. She's got to have superpowers or something," he muttered with a shake of his head.

"You say it like you're surprised," I spoke with a tight grin, then brought the rim of my mug up to my lips, speaking against it, "Anyway, it was twice."

"Great." His sarcasm was on point. "So let me guess, he kicked you out both times, you refused, then he finally gave in because of your persistence."

"Again, not exactly. It was only because, um —" I said, after taking a sip. I bit my bottom lip, quivering slightly. "— Because we got stuck in an elevator."

His demeanour changed entirely, his hand wrapping around my forearm in protection. "Shit, Rin's. You okay?"

"I am. I don't know. He was so mad and frustrated, but when I got a panic attack, he somehow knew what to do. He calmed me down. It was the strangest thing," I explained and his expression went from concerned to puzzled. "Do you have a clue why he did that?"

"I've heard stories around the office, but apparently he's the most private person. No one knows a thing about his personal life. The only guy was the previous CEO — or at least, that's what I think."

"You've known about this company for a while now. How come you didn't mention it before?" I questioned him

"Well, to be honest, I kind of forgot about it for a while. I read about it somewhere recently that they started doing small businesses. I don't think it's been too long, though, maybe three months or so."

"Okay."

"So everything else is good?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to stop avoiding me now?" he teased.

My eyes widened at his claim, even though we both knew it was true. "Hey, I wasn't avoiding you."

"Serenity..." His eyes narrowed slightly at me, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Shut up. It's not my fault that I know you'll be up to my ear with wanting to help. I know you care, but sometimes it can get a bit much."

"I know. I'll try to ease up on that. It's hard shit, though."

"Language, Milo!" Our mom's voice was heard once more, Charlie's deep voice tagging along.

It wasn't long until he was seen coming through the back door with a grin on his face.

He heard everything.

"You sly devil. You learned from the master," he spoke with a smirk, a fist raised to his chest in pride.

"Get outta town," I spoke with a laugh.

His reply was to squeeze in between Milo and me, placing his arms around our shoulders, saying that he'd rather stay here.

It only caused me and my older brother to push him off the swing.

"Ouch, my legs are important, you know."

"Sure, sure," I answered his comment with a chuckle.

This was our family, and I loved it.

♬ ✥*

Two days later, I received a phone call from Iris. Apparently, everything was scheduled, and she wanted me to, "Meet with Mr Styles to finalize the agreement." The second I hung up the phone, I squealed loudly. Half expecting Luna to hide from my sudden outburst, but she laid next to me, deciding to curl up in my lap moments after. It was her way of celebrating with me.

Of course, I picked up my phone and called Amara, who came over after she closed up the shop bringing a bottle of red with her — and more ice cream.

In all honesty, you can never have enough ice cream.

I was a foodie, all being healthy, and on a personally strict lifestyle. However, once in a while — a lot — one just needed to break that habit with something our souls truly desire.

For me, that was chocolate chip cookie dough.

"Good morning, Iris," I greeted Harry's PA.

I was thankfully cleared through security when I passed through. Security did mention that what I did was, "Immature," but then carried on with saying how amusing it was for something like that to ever happen under Styles' control. It only put a smile on my face knowing that I was the cause for someone else's happiness.

"Morning, Serenity."

"You can call me Ren or Rennie. I mean, Serenity's fine, it's just more formal."

"I like Ren," she replied with a smile.

"Maybe one day we can actually go out for coffee — for real this time."

"I'd like that." She smiled, then checked her computer. "Mr Styles will see you now."

"Thank you," I replied with the same expression.

For the first time, I entered his office without having to worry about being kicked out. Straightening out my shoulders, I made my way inside.

Similar to our second counter, his focus was down onto whatever was on his desk. I noticed my proposal on the top of a stack of papers — and at that sight, it only put a small smile on my face.

Staying by the doors, I cleared my throat, grabbing his attention. Flashing a warm smile, he nodded before standing up. I noticed that his suit was not much different than the previous two I'd seen him in. A black button-down shirt, black trousers, and a black suit jacket. It was dashing but very dark — it was cold.

"Serenity," he spoke, with a lack of any expression — or emotion. He did, however, hold a longer glance over my face, studying me carefully.

Without a comment towards it, I perched the bridge of my glasses a bit higher up my nose, and said, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Harry."

"Please, have a seat." His gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, so I obliged. Both of us took a seat, him leaning slightly forward, with his hands clasped. It was intimidating, but I wasn't going to let it shake me up.

"So I've gone through your proposal thoroughly, and I must say, I had a lot of thoughts about it."

"I hope they were good."

"I'd prefer not to answer that," he said, the words seeming to have a meaning behind them. "I think we should discuss the terms instead."

"Sure."

"You requested $300K for 35 per cent. Am I correct?"

"Yes." I gave a firm nod.

He tilted his head at my confident choice. "I need to change that. I want 45."

"May I ask why?"

"I agreed to invest, but nonetheless, I own a corporation, it still has to be worth it," he explained, "I'm not saying I don't trust that eventually you won't succeed and I'll get it back, but there's no guarantee."

"But why 45?"

"I need more equity. I don't want to be a true partner at fifty-fifty, because I don't know the business at all. Like I said, it's the first time this company is investing in something like this. I just need that extra assurance."

"I'd like to counter that."

"To what?"

"I obviously have no other choice whether or not to sign this deal, because I requested it, but I don't want the 45 permanently. Could we have it, so it remains like so for two years, then let it go down to the 35?"

"I'll do you one better, I'll let it down to 30," he countered once more.

"Okay."

"So are we in agreement, Miss Hayes? Do we have a deal?" A tiny grin tugged at his lips.

"We have a deal, Mr Styles."

"Perfect, give me a moment so I can send these changes to my lawyer."

"You have a lawyer on standby?" I raised a brow, and he looked at me like I was mental. Of course, he does, Serenity. He's a multimillionaire. "Sorry, stupid question."

"That's alright."

It didn't take longer than ten minutes for the contract to be adjusted and sent back. In that little while, he offered if I wanted a coffee to drink — of course, I declined.

"You don't like coffee?" He commented rudely.

"No. I'm a tea drinker," I countered.

"Tea? You're fucking serious?"

"You swear a lot." My comment seemed to have struck a nerve since he looked at me, once more, like I was insane — or surprised on how I noticed.

Then again, anyone could notice the sailor's mouth this man had.

Him and Milo could be best friends.

Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen.

"And you don't," he pointed out, saying it in a way that seemed almost degrading.

"Isn't it not professional?" I questioned.

"I think with what I own, I have full right to act and say what I choose — to a limit, of course. I'm not a certain crude, objectifying man with a loose toupee," he said with a wide smirk. 

"That's putting it lightly." I chuckled at his truthful remark.

And to my surprise, he also let a small laugh escape his petal lips.

Quickly, his expression changed again, clearing his throat. It was almost as if he was forbidding himself from doing anything remotely positive — or happy.

"Do you want to take a look at the contract before you sign?" He nodded towards the folder on his desk. My blue eyes flickered between it and then back up to him.

"I know 'words' probably mean nothing in the business world, and to you, but they do for me. Will you break anything regarding it or interfere with our deal?" I asked, looking deeply into his emerald eyes.

"No."

With that simple two-letter word, I showed a smile before reaching over to grab the pen he was using off his desk. His focus tracked my every action as I moved in front of him.

With the black-ink ballpoint pen, grasped between my fingers, I felt like I held all of the control in the world — the control of my life. The chance was finally being given to me, and I was going to take it with open arms. Dark letters were cursively drawn on the paper ahead of me, signing over my life to him. I wasn't just signing my business to him, but a part of me.

And just like that, we were co-owners to the love of my life — the starlight of my life.

...

A/N:

A day late on the update. I normally update on Saturday's, but my life's been crazy. Trying to get it back on schedule. 

She signed the papers! I'm mentally jumping with joy for Serenity, honest.

The family has been introduced! Goals, I swear. How do we like Milo and Charlie?

And oh, Milo worked in Pemberton. That's just wonderful. He doesn't know Harry, though. 

What are your opinions and thoughts about the chapter? Thoughts about what's yet to come?

Please press on that little star on the chapter, I mean, it only takes a millisecond. They're nice gifts.

Kissy, stay golden, and TPWK!

S x

P.S. Also working on a little something, keep your eyes posted if this gets updated during the week. I seriously hope it works out well. It's something I've literally never done before.