THE TWELVE YEAR PLAN (MAKING HIM MINE).

Mom and Dad were at it again, fighting like cats and dogs.

Little Starr quietly slipped out as their shouting echoed through the house, completely unaware of her movements.

Just last week, she had made a new friend and promised to visit his home today.

As carefully as she could, Starr opened the door, making sure to avoid any noise that might draw her parents' attention.

Despite their belief that she was oblivious, Starr could see their animosity.

She noticed it in the way their eyes sparked with anger when they thought she was asleep or out of sight.

The moment she left the room, their voices would rise with insults and accusations about each other's shortcomings.

They always argued about what the other had done or failed to do.

Starr understood they stayed together for her sake. They reminded her of that every time they fought, but deep down, she wished it weren't so.

That wasn't what love was meant to be. Love should resemble the fairy tales in storybooks, with princes, magical kisses, and happily-ever-afters. Shaking her head slightly to shake off those thoughts, she focused on the task at hand.

She was almost there.

Starr tiptoed onto the front porch, sighing in relief as she stepped over the threshold.

Just a few more steps.

She clicked her little pink tongue in triumph as she reached the last step.

A smile broke across her face as she hopped off the porch, almost stumbling but managing to steady herself just in time.

With a sigh of relief, she patted her chest and caught her breath, her mind envisioning a comical scenario of crashing to the floor.

Broken teeth wouldn't look good on her.

Then, she heard a small whistle and lifted her gaze, pleasantly surprised to see Charles waiting for her.

He waved excitedly, his wide smile lighting up his face.

Starr waved back, a smile forming involuntarily on her lips.

She dashed over to him, and he immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders, grinning from ear to ear as he led her toward a car parked along the road.

A man in a dark suit and sunglasses opened the door for them. Starr hesitated for just a heartbeat, but then climbed inside with Charles.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked, eager to know.

Charles shook his head, his smile still bright. "Not long! I can't wait to show you my home! You'll love it. It has tons of toys, a gaming arena, and so much fun stuff." He animatedly described, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He didn't have many friends, so he treasured the few he had.

Starr's thoughts drifted back to her own home.

Toys and games didn't interest her, she had only accepted Charles' invitation to escape the suffocating atmosphere at home.

She wondered if her parents would end up divorced like Sam's mom and dad, who now lived separately.

Sam was caught between them, spending weekdays with his mom and weekends with his dad.

Although he pretended to be fine, he had become more withdrawn, his cheerful demeanor giving way to silence and moodiness.

Starr herself couldn't help but think that a separation would be better than the tense standoff at home.

Her parents clearly couldn't stand each other but put on a show for her, something she found rather foolish.

Why stay together if both were just going to hurt each other?

It was a thought she carried with a wisdom beyond her years.

Noticing her distraction, Charles gently nudged her shoulder, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"Huh? Yeah! Are we close?" she replied half-heartedly, expertly steering the conversation away.

"Almost there!" he answered, successfully sidetracked.

Just then, they arrived at a large gate. The driver pressed a button on the remote, and the gate slowly swung open, as if welcoming them.

Starr's eyes widened in amazement as an endless paved road framed by greenery came into view.

Wow! It was a mansion!

When Charles invited her over, she hadn't expected it to actually be a mansion.

He was rich!

Charles chuckled at her astonished expression, clearly enjoying her surprise.

"Told you you'd like it," he remarked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Starr could only nod, still in awe of her surroundings. It all looked too good to be true.

As she tried to process the grandeur before her, they finally approached the mansion itself—a colossal building reminiscent of castles from movies.

"Is your dad the president or something?" she blurted, taken aback by the beauty. Stepping out of the car after Charles.

Charles laughed, finding her question funny, but Starr was completely serious. "No, he just wears suits for work," he replied.

“That sounds more boring than being a president.” She mumbled dismissively, suddenly loosing interest, instead her eyes took in the sights before her greedily as they walked through the entranceway.

The grand decor, high ceilings, humongous chandelier. She nodded wordlessly to a middle aged man she guessed was the butler. Her eyes alight with wonder.

She just couldn’t get enough no matter how much she looked. It was all so beautiful.

“Your dad must be super rich!” She couldn’t help but gasp out aloud.

Charles giggled with amusement. “I guess so. Come on, let me show you my playroom.”Charles reached out for her hand, after a few seconds without any movement from her, he shook his head and grabbed her hand, pulling her arm and led her towards his prided playroom.

Starr followed but her gaze still lingered on the decor and sight as she followed behind.

After a few turns, Charles came to a complete halt, releasing her hands in fright, like he was caught doing something bad, but the oblivious Starr kept on walking.

She was so engrossed in the environment before her and her thoughts that she didn’t have enough time to come to a halt.

Unprepared, she bumped the side of her head against a hard object, “Woah!” She exclaimed in surprise as she lost her balance.

She bit her lip in fear as she stumbled back, but before she could even process everything properly, a hand suddenly descended, grabbing her head as if she were a little puppy, steadying her.

She sighed in relief as her racing heart slowly settled into a normal rhythm. That was close!

“Are you okay?” Charles exclaimed in surprise.

Start nodded in response, giving him a smile to reassure him. But then again, the hand on her head remained, she froze, her eyes widening in realization as she lifted her head to stare at the towering giant of a man before her.

He was so tall! She noted absentmindedly, immediately following that, another thought intruded. How can someone be so beautiful!

Starr eyes sparkled in wonder as she took in the beautiful male before her.

He was so beautiful, he looked like an angel!

“Are you an angel?” She spoke out her thoughts aloud much to the amusement of the man.

The man chuckled in response to that. “No, but you, my little one, definitely are.” He remarked kindly, his eyes twinkling in a good natured manner.