My gaze shifted to the girl standing on the staircase.
She had her arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips as she watched us.
I looked quizzically at Derek beside me.
Didn’t he say I only had one brother?
Do I have a sister too?
Derek: “Uh… that’s… Rhea.”
As he said this, he carefully watched my reaction.
“She’s Mrs. Wallace’s daughter.” Mrs. Wallace was our family’s housekeeper.
“Her family’s place is being renovated, so Mom and Dad let her stay here on weekends.”
#
Mr. Evans had mentioned on the drive that we had a housekeeper who had been with us for over twenty years. That must be her.
Seeing no reaction from me, Derek whispered in my ear, “We don’t have to bother with her. Let’s go to your room and rest.”
“Don’t forget to take your medicine later.”
Rhea heard this and raised an eyebrow, but still nonchalantly stepped aside to let me pass.
Even after I was up the stairs, I saw Rhea still standing by the front door. Sensing my gaze, she glanced up at me.
Rhea was stunning. The kind of beautiful that would make you do a double–take on the street. Her almond–shaped eyes tilted up slightly, adding a touch of cool
aloofness.
I tilted my head and gave her a little wave and a smile.
Rhea looked momentarily stunned.
The next moming, I was bombarded with video calls from my parents. My mom was sobbing on the other end of the screen. It took a lot of coaxing and promising
en me before they finally calmed down
Chapter 2
09:10
The next morning, I was bombarded with video calls from my parents. My mom was sobbing on the other end of the screen. It took a lot of coaxing and promising
that the doctor would make house calls to check on me before they finally calmed down.
Just as I hung up, I heard shouting from downstairs.
I padded over in my slippers and peeked down.
Derek and Christian were both red in the face. And on the sofa, Rhea was calmly watching TV as if it were a spectator sport.
Derek’s jaw was clenched. “You actually told her you were her fiancé while she has amnesia?! Have you no shame?!”
Christian poured himself a glass of water, completely unfazed.
“I wasn’t wrong. We are engaged.”
Derek looked like he was about to punch him.
“You call that an engagement? Neither of you even showed up to the party! You two were like mortal enemies before, fighting every time you met!”
“And you hated how she always used her ‘fiancée‘ status to boss you around! Why don’t you mention that?”
Christian corrected him placidly. “That’s not entirely true. We got along fine before high school. You’re misremembering.”
“Is that the point?” Derek was about to lose it “I’ve never seen someone so shameless.”
Rhea, who had been watching for a while, finally spoke, her voice lazy.
“You’re one to talk. You’re pretty shameless yourself.”
Derek: “?”
Rhea yawned. “Insisting she call you ‘big brother.‘ At home, you don’t even have a name. Your designation has always been ‘Hey,’ hasn’t it?”
“And saying she’s the one who’s always clinging to you? Seems to me you were the one stuck to her like glue.”
Derek finally snapped back to reality, a furious smile on his face. “I was so busy dealing with Christian, I forgot about you.”
“Rhea, this is my house! What’s with your tone!”
Rhea looked up nonchalantly. “I know. You think I’d want to be here if your parents hadn’t asked me to stay?”
The tension between the three of them downstairs was thick enough to cut with a knife.
I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“What are you guys talking about?”
Three heads snapped up to look at me on the second floor.
Derek was the first to recover, forcing a smile. “Flora! We were just chatting.”
Me: “?”
Is your ‘chatting‘ always this… ferocious?
I tilted my head, my gaze skipping past him to Christian. “Christian, what are you doing here?”
Christian casually pushed Derek aside and walked toward me, his voice softening considerably. “I came to take you back to school.”
Derek grabbed his collar. “Take her? Over my dead body!”
They both looked at me. “Flora?”
Me: “…”
My eyes landed on Rhea, who was sipping her tea, completely detached from the drama.
“Rhea, are you a student at S University too?”
She seemed surprised that the topic had shifted to her. She choked on her tea.
After dabbing her mouth with a tissue, she looked up at me, her expression unreadable. “Yeah. Why?”
My eyes lit up. “Then I’ll go back with you.”
44
