Never Judge

"What's with the commotion outside?" Adrianna asked as she walked up to Ray and Cedric who were standing by the entrance to the hotel.

Adrianna had been pestering them for the past ten minutes, asking why they hadn't entered the main event hall.

Ray smiled at Adrianna and shook his head.

"Good luck, Ced. You'll need it." He said with a chuckle as he moved away from the couple that he knew was about to fight.

"What's going on?" Ayann asked her husband as soon as Ray moved to stand next to her as she eagerly waited for their son.

"Cedric didn't tell Adrianna, right?" Ray asked as he laughed and shook his head.

Ayanna smiled and glanced at Adrianna and Cedric. It was clear based on her expression that Adrianna was not happy with Cedric's decision.

Standing on each of her sides were Christopher and Christina, the twins were trying to calm their mother down while Daniel, stood to the side with Andres.

"Should we help them?" Ayanna asked with a look of concern on her face as she noticed the members of the media swarming both Yoyo and Aldrich.

"The security team can handle it, plus it would be good to discourage the boys from seeking fame." Ray grinned as he watched the look of horror on Tristan's and Dominic's faces as the four young men tried to walk down the red carpet.

"Yoyo and Aldrich don't seem to be bothered by the media, that's interesting." Ayanna commented as she continued to observe the group.

"Why don't we greet them?" Ray grabbed Ayanna's wrist and pulled his wife with him.

"Wait for us!" Cedric called out as he found a quick solution to the argument that they were having.

"Cedric!" Ayanna shouted, the twins smiled as they watched their mother get dragged away.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked his older brother and sister as he followed them.

"Dad didn't tell anyone that Emilio and Aldrich would be here." Christina laughed as she watched her mother try to regain her composure as they stepped out of the hotel lobby.

"Mother, Father." Emilio said as he nodded at Cedric and Adrianna.

"Brother!" Christina shouted as she flung her arms and hugged Emilio, making him smile a little.

Being the aloof and cold son was all part of his act. He knew it was one way of pushing some of the people away.

"You didn't tell us you were joining us. I would have ridden with you in your car rather than with mom and dad." Christopher said with a grin.

The reporters were quick to snap photos of the rare interaction between the siblings.

Aldrich, who was standing to the side, greeted his parents and his younger brother Andres as well. He was well aware of how much the media wanted to create an issue between him and his brother as well as one between Emilio and his siblings.

The thing was, there was nothing wrong.

They had their squabbles, but nothing out of the ordinary. Siblings that did not fight were suspicious in Aldrich's opinon.

"Let's go in." Ray said with a nod as he offered his arm to his wife, who gladly took it and led their group inside.

"You and Emilio are causing quite a stir." Andres teased as he nudged his brother before glancing back to the reporters and giving them a charming smile. "Someone has to charm them, and I know it's not going to be you. At least not right now."

"In time, Andres, after the trials." Aldrich said with a grin as he walked in with his younger brother.

Behind them, Dominic and Tristan also followed, greeting Cedric and Adrianna as they passed.

"Let's go in, darling." Cedric said as he guided Adrianna inside.

She kept her smile until the doors shut behind them, then they all saw how mad she truly was.

"How dare you pull something like this?!" She shouted at Cedric. "You said no more secrets!"

"Mom, aren't you glad that I'm here?" Emilio asked his mother as he frowned, doing his best to help his dad escape his mom's wrath. 𝑓𝔯𝑒e𝘸e𝘣𝓷𝘰ѵe𝚕.c૦𝙢

"Of course I'm happy that you and Aldrich could join us." Adrianna's expression quickly shifted, making the twins laugh. "You two are grounded." Adrianna coldly told them.

"But mom. . . " Christopher tried to complain but Emilio shook his head.

"Mom, dad did this to surprise you. Plus it was fun making everyone think we weren't coming as always." Emilio grinned at his mother, softening her heart.

"Thanks." Cedric whispered to his son as he led their group towards the main hall. Luckily Adrianna was putty in her children's hands, especially her eldest, Emilio.

"Sir." Dave said with a bow as he greeted Cedric and his family.

"Hey uncle Dave." Emilio said with a grin as he greeted his usual guardian.

"You're here legally this time." Dave gave Emilio a knowing smile.

"I told my friends and officemates that I had the bug. My phone will be ringing non-stop the moment I enter. Maybe I can join them later on." Emilio said with a playful smile.

"Can I come?" Aldrich asked excitedly.

All of Emilio's friends knew Aldrich as the cousin that always tagged along wherever they went, so it would be no surprise if he showed up to this event.

Every employee was allowed a plus one.

"Fine, but do you have a change of clothes?" Emilio asked, knowing that Aldrich didn't have any.

"Uncle Dave." Aldrich said as he smiled at Cedric's assistant.

Ray laughed and shook his head at how silly his son was acting. f𝑟𝑒ewe𝚋𝚗૦𝐯e𝘭.c𝗼𝓂

"I'll ask my assistant to get you clothes, Aldrich." Ray told his son, knowing that the boy would still like to see the festivities from the other side.

"Thanks dad!" Aldrich grinned as Cedric nodded for the guards to open the doors so they may enter.

At first, the crowds clapped as the Reyes family entered. It took them a while to realize that there were two figures that were normally absent that were present today.