Sparks Fly (An Aleheather Story/AU)

Chapter 18

Heather tightly clutched onto the present she had selected for Alejandro's father as she walked with Alejandro towards the Burromuerto family home.

"You all good, mi amor?" Alejandro gave Heather's hand a tight squeeze once they arrived at the door. She let out a tiny nod. Alejandro smiled and then rang the doorbell.

"¡Feliz cumpleaños (happy birthday), Papá!" Alejandro grinned once Javier opened the door. He then lovingly put an arm around Heather. "Ésta es mi novia (this is my girlfriend), Heather."

"Happy birthday, Mr Burromuerto," Heather politely added as she held up her gift for him.

Javier took a glance at the present and then at Heather. Heather bit her lip. What would his reaction be?

"Thank you," he eventually said.

He then called for Maria, the Burromuerto family maid. "Maria, can you take this?"

Maria gently grabbed the present from Heather's hands and made her way towards the hallway.

"Please come in," Javier then mumbled to Heather and Alejandro as he took a step back and gestured inside the house.

Heather gave a tiny smile and held onto Alejandro's hand as they walked inside together.

She then curiously glanced around at the decor and furniture in the house like a kid wandering through a museum for the first time. The first thing she noticed was a grand marble staircase in the foyer and a fancy chandelier hanging on the ceiling. The house seemed even bigger from the inside compared to the outside.

"Wow, your house is huge," Heather breathed.

Alejandro let out a chuckle. "It's not technically my house."

Heather didn't say anything else but only turned to look at Alejandro. She found herself wondering whether he'd grown up in a rich household.

"Papá built his company from the ground up when we first moved to Canada," Alejandro suddenly said, as if reading Heather's mind. "It took years to get to where he is now."

Heather simply nodded and let out a smile.

Alejandro then introduced her to some of the other guests at the party, and told her some stories about his childhood and memories growing up, such as the time he had accidentally broken a vase and managed to successfully frame it on José instead.

He then led her to where his older brother, Carlos was standing.

"Carlos, this is my girlfriend, Heather. Heather, this is my older brother Carlos," Alejandro beamed as he introduced the two.

"Alejandro has told me a lot about you," Carlos warmly smiled. "He gets so excited every time he mentions your name. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Heather."

"Likewise, Carlos," Heather replied. "You don't work at your dad's company, right?"

Carlos let out a light chuckle. "Correct, I'm a professional soccer player. I'd much rather be out on the field than sitting at an office desk."

"That's right, I do remember Alejandro mentioning that," Heather nodded. She then curiously turned her head as a tall, brunette woman suddenly walked towards them and stood next to Carlos.

"Heather, this is my wife, Elena," Carlos said. "She works as a teacher."

"Hi Heather, it's such a delight to meet you!" Elena chirped as she leaned over to pull Heather into an embrace. "I love your necklace by the way."

Heather wasn't particularly fond of hugs, unless it was in relation to Alejandro or Courtney, but Elena had a warm and friendly vibe. She smiled and hugged Elena back. "It's nice to meet you too, Elena. The necklace is the Red Velvet necklace from my business's latest jewellery collection."