CHAPTER 124: OPERATION: WIN SYLVIA BACK

The night wore on, and the air inside the bar grew heavier. The clinking of glasses and faint laughter from other tables did little to drown out the tension surrounding Rome and his group.

Calyx, who was never good at handling silence, leaned back and sighed softly.

"So... what now, man?" he asked carefully, watching Rome’s expression for any sign of reaction. "You gonna tell Sylvia you know?"

Rome didn’t answer. His gaze stayed fixed on the drink in his glass, as if the answer might appear there if he stared long enough.

"I don’t know," he finally muttered, his voice low and rough. "I don’t even know where to start."

Alfonso frowned. "So you came here after getting the result, and now you’re asking us for advice on what to do next?"

Rome didn’t respond.

"How about you confront Sylvia and show her the result?" Alfonso suggested. "That way, she won’t be able to deny anything. You can even use it against her—blackmail her, if you have to so you can get the kids back, and—"

"Hey, hey, man, that’s not how you do things, bro..." Alpheus interrupted quickly, raising both hands to stop Alfonso from saying more.

"You’re getting way too tense all of a sudden. Don’t rush Rome into making a decision, okay? Ha... ha..." he added awkwardly, forcing a small laugh to ease the tension.

Rome’s jaw tightened sharply.

"You think I don’t know that?" His tone came out sharper than intended, making Alfonso fall silent. "You think I haven’t been replaying it in my head since I saw that result? That’s one of the things I’ve been thinking about doing—but..."

Rome exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "I don’t want Sylvia to push me away even more. As much as possible, I want to resolve this peacefully... without us hurting each other again."

He set the glass down, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His mind was a blur of anger, confusion, and pain. But deep down, he didn’t want his anger to take over.

Not this time. He wanted to take things slow—to think clearly, to handle it right but he didn’t know how.

Dave, the calmest among them, finally spoke. "Did you talk to her yet?"

Rome shook his head. "Not yet. I went straight to Dr. Felize this morning to get the result. After that..." he trailed off, exhaling shakily.

"....I didn’t have the guts to face her. I just... drove. Ended up here."

Calyx leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "You think she did it because she wanted to protect the twins?"

Rome’s lips twitched into a humorless smirk. "Protect them from me?" He let out a bitter chuckle. "Or protect herself from me? I wouldn’t even know which one."

Alpheus spoke, his tone gentler this time. "Maybe she had her reasons, Rome. You know most women wouldn’t do something like that without one."

Rome’s expression softened slightly at the mention of Sylvia’s name, but the bitterness lingered in his eyes. "Maybe," he said quietly. "But that doesn’t make it hurt any less."

He poured himself another drink—slower this time, as if trying to control the tremor in his hand.

Calyx reached out, stopping him before he could take another sip. "Bro, enough. You’ve had enough for tonight."

Rome’s gaze lifted to meet his, and for a brief second, his face showed exhaustion before he looked away again, gently pushing Calyx’s hand aside.

"I’m fine." he said, though his voice cracked at the end.

"You’re not, Rome," Dave said firmly. "I think that’s enough drinking for you tonight. Maybe it’s better if you talk to us again tomorrow."

Rome’s fingers tightened around the glass, his knuckles pale. The alcohol burned down his throat, but it couldn’t numb the ache in his chest.

"I don’t even know how to face them," he whispered, almost to himself. "The twins... what do I even say? That I’m their father, and I was too blind to see it until now?"

The pain in his voice silenced them all. For a moment, even Calyx couldn’t find the right words.

Alpheus sighed and placed a hand on Rome’s shoulder. "You start by seeing them," he said softly. "You don’t have to say anything yet. Just... see them. That’s all."

Rome didn’t reply, but for the first time that night, his grip on the glass loosened. The faintest flicker of resolve crossed his expression.

"See them, huh..." he repeated under his breath, almost as if testing the weight of those words.

The others exchanged quiet glances. They all knew what that meant, for someone like Rome, who carried too much pride and too much regret, facing the truth wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

"Then what should I do after I see them?" Rome slurred, his eyes half-lidded as he leaned forward on the table. "Do I have to beg on my knees... or maybe ask forgiveness from Sylvia... hikk..."

The four exchanged looks. They could already sense that the alcohol was taking over Rome’s system.

Alfonso cleared his throat, trying to sound logical despite the grin tugging at his lips.

"You don’t have to ask for forgiveness right away, especially if you’re just forcing yourself. Maybe... take things slow first, you know? Show some effort. Visit her outside her house, maybe bring her flowers or something. Most girls, no matter how cold they seem, eventually melt if you’re patient enough. Who knows? Maybe Sylvia will soften too."

"Pffft—what are you even saying, Alfonso?" Calyx said, unable to hold back his laughter. "That’s like something straight out of an old-school drama! ’Bring her flowers,’ seriously? What’s next? Serenade her under the moonlight with a guitar?" He chuckled harder, shaking his head. "Rome’s situation is way different. Sylvia’s not the type to fall for cliché stuff like that."

"Hey, you never know!" Alfonso shot back, grinning. "Maybe she’s still got a soft side! How would you know if you never even tried? How about you—got a better idea on how to win over a woman’s heart?"

Calyx leaned back with a smug smirk.

"Easy. One wink from me and they’re already falling." He even winked dramatically, making everyone groan. "But yeah, in Rome’s case, I know he’s not gonna do that. That man’s allergic to flirting."

Alpheus sighed heavily, massaging his temple.

"You two are hopeless. Do you really think any of that nonsense would work? Rome isn’t like you idiots. Let’s be serious for once, okay?"

"Old-school romance still works, you know!" Alfonso argued proudly while raising his glass.

Calyx snorted. "Yeah, maybe in your mom’s era."

Meanwhile, Rome was already halfway gone. His head drooping as he mumbled under his breath.

Court her? Give her flowers? Wink at her?

He frowned, trying to imagine himself doing any of that. The image of him standing in front of Sylvia’s house, holding flowers while trying to smile, flashed in his mind. It was so ridiculous he let out a faint, drunken chuckle.

Would that even work on her? he thought hazily before his eyelids grew heavy.

Seconds later, he was out cold head resting on his folded arms, snoring softly.

Alpheus sighed while looking at Rome. "Great. He’s out. We’ll have to carry him home."

Calyx groaned dramatically, slumping back in his chair. "Ugh, again? Why is it always us who end up dragging his drunk ass home?"

Alfonso snorted. "Because you’re the strongest, bro. Look at those arms—built for lifting regrets and bad decisions."

"Built for what?!" Calyx shot him a glare, but Alfonso was already laughing.

Dave shook his head, standing up and stretching his shoulders. "Stop complaining and help me carry him. You two clowns can argue later."

Calyx leaned forward and poked Rome’s cheek. "Hey, lover boy. Wake up. We’re not done with your operation: Make Sylvia Fall in Love with You Again yet."

Rome only grumbled incoherently, still half-asleep. "...flowers... wink... Sylvia..."

"Pffffftttt!--"

That made Alfonso burst into laughter again.

"Oh my god! Did you hear that? He’s dreaming about it already!"

Even Alpheus and Dave couldn’t help but chuckle. "At least he’s thinking about it," Alpheus said with a faint smile. "That’s progress, I guess."

They each took a side, hoisting Rome up by the arms.

"Man, he’s dead weight," Calyx complained as they staggered toward the door. "Next time, we’re making him drink light beer only. I’m not breaking my back for his heartbreak again."

"Shut up and lift." Dave muttered, trying not to trip over Rome’s dangling legs.

"Hey, careful with his head!" Alfonso warned. "That’s where all his bad decisions come from!"

"Exactly," Calyx said dryly. "Maybe if we bump it on something, he’ll finally stop thinking about Sylvia for five minutes."

"Don’t you dare," Alpheus warned. "You’ll just make things worse."

As they finally stepped outside, the cold night air hit them, and Rome groaned faintly, half-conscious. "...Sylvia... wait... don’t go..."

The group exchanged quiet, knowing glances.

For all their teasing, seeing their friend like that broken and still hopelessly in love made their laughter fade a little.

Alpheus exhaled softly. "Let’s just get him home. He’s got a long day waiting for him tomorrow."

"Yeah," Alfonso murmured, adjusting his grip on Rome’s arm. "And I hope he doesn’t actually show up at Sylvia’s house with flowers... or worse, with a wink."

Calyx smirked. "Oh, I hope he does. I’d pay to see that."

---

The next morning...

"What are you doing here, mister?"

Paris asked, brows furrowed as she peeked through the door. Her expression was puzzled and almost suspicious as she eyed Rome, who was awkwardly standing outside their house... holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand.