I kept eating as Rachel sat quietly next to me. I figured everything that happened today must have scared her. I reached over and patted her head. “That was just a freak incident. There’s no need to be scared.”“I’m not scared. Cassia, thank you for saving me.” Rachel held my hand. “At kindergarten, I learned that what you did is called ‘self-sacrifice.’”I was surprised and kind of proud that she learned this in kindergarten. “You’re giving me too much credit.”“Credit? I’m not giving you money,” she said.I had just complimented her Sommersettese in my mind. “Ask your dad to find you a teacher so that you can learn more about Sommerset’s culture,” I said.Meanwhile, my phone kept buzzing. Sophie must have told everyone. People kept calling in a panic and asking if I was okay. I told them that I was fine and safe.Eloise and Mary knew about it too, and even Tyler gave me a call.His tone was serious. “If you need a break, I support that. Just be careful.”I was not taking a br
Cameron came back long after we had finished dinner. I was telling Rachel a story.She had become more dependent on me after what happened. She wrapped her arms around my neck while I spoke.When Cameron arrived, he picked Rachel up from my arms. “Cassia’s tired today. You need to let her rest.”“But I want Cassia to sleep with me.”“You move a lot in your sleep, and Cassia’s pregnant.”After some convincing, Rachel finally agreed to let me return to my room. Cameron said, “I’ve never seen her so attached to someone.”While it was nice, it was not entirely good for Rachel to rely on me so much. I was Cameron’s friend, and our relationship would not go further.“Rachel’s an insecure child. She tends to be hostile toward the women around me. She used to feel that way about you too, but her hostility faded over time. After what happened this morning, she sees you as someone who can protect her.”“I didn’t think much about this morning. Since Winter was after you, I was worried tha
“I passed it to the other doctors. I’m not the only doctor around, but I only have one girlfriend, which is you.” I really could not see Hayden’s face clearly through the white film, but he sounded like he had a stuffy nose. He seemed like a really emotional man. He cried the last time I fell, and he was crying over this small incident that had happened to me. However, apart from Oliver, no other men had cried for me before. I wiped his tears with my sleeve. “Don’t listen to Sophie. Winter was just acting crazy because of her unrequited love. She was only using me to threaten Cameron so that she could see him.” “Sorry, Cassia.” He pressed his face into my palm. Why did he apologize to me? “Why are you saying sorry? It’s not your fault.” “I should’ve accompanied you. Then, you would’ve been fine.” I saw his blurry figure crouch before me, and a weird feeling came over me. There was a man who cared only about me, and he was willing to travel to another country for me.
I was not going to try and reason with a child. I knew that Hayden would not be mad at her too.However, Rachel was furious at him. She ignored Hayden as she clung to me when she ate. It was as if he was a monster that would gobble me up at any time. However, Hayden was good at making sand castles and origami. For instance, he could make paper frogs and planes. He even knew how to fold a heart out of money. These crafts caught Rachel’s attention. When Hayden folded the heart, Rachel wanted to go over and have a look. But she was shy, so she kept hiding behind me. Nevertheless, Hayden folded a heart for Rachel. “Do you want to learn how to do this?” She wanted to take it, but she did not want to change her stance. So, I challenged her on purpose. “I bet Rachel wouldn’t be able to learn how to do it. It’s so hard that even I can’t do it.” That immediately activated her competitive side. She leaped out from behind me and said, “Who says I can’t do it? It’s so simple. I can do i
“I’ll try to get that for you.” Most people there preferred drinking cold drinks, so they might not serve warm water. So, I sat down on the bench. “Just sit here and don’t go anywhere else. I’ll be back soon,” Hayden reminded me repeatedly out of worry. “Alright, I know. It’s daytime. Besides, there are a lot of tourists here.” “Alright.” He squeezed my hand. “I’ll go. Wait for me here.” “Okay.” After Hayden left, I looked up at the sky and felt the gentle warmth of the sunlight on my face. Getting sunlight on a winter’s day was probably the most relaxing feeling in the entire world. The warmth almost lulled me to sleep. However, I felt thirstier after spending more time under the sun. It was as if my throat was on fire. I was certain that warm water was hard to find in the area. Hayden had yet to return. I should not have asked for warm water. Milk would have been alright too. We would return to Cameron’s place in a while anyway. I stretched my neck and lowered
“What?!” Hayden exclaimed. “You drank water from a stranger? How do you feel right now?”He was looking around for the cup, so I passed it to him. “Here you go.” He was probably examining it. He seemed very anxious as if I had drunk poison. Then, he helped me up. “Cassia, let’s go to the hospital.” “I feel fine,” I said. “Some poison and chemicals are colorless and tasteless. They might not trigger an immediate response.” I started to panic after that, even though I had a feeling that the person was not trying to harm me. He even wiped away my sweat and carefully helped me onto the bench. That was why I mistook him for Hayden at first. Hayden insisted on bringing me to the hospital. I looked around before I got into the car. I was trying to find that person in the crowd. However, I could not see anything. Hayden nervously brought me to the hospital. On the way there, he asked me about the person’s voice and appearance. I told Hayden that the person did not speak. H
“Do you want me to check if there are any records of Zach’s arrival at the immigration?” “No.” “It’s not a big deal.” Sophie walked aside to make a phone call. Hayden then came over. “What’s up with Sophie?” “Nothing. She’s dealing with something.” He squatted down before me and held my hands. “The report will be out in ten minutes. Don’t be nervous.” “You’re the one who’s nervous.” Hayden’s fingers were cold. I took his hands and blew on them. “Do they feel warm now?” “Yes.” He pressed my hand against his cheek, and it was also cold. “Cassia, I’m sorry.” “Why are you apologizing again?” “I didn’t take good care of you.” “Uh.” I was at a loss for words. “You blame yourself too much, I should’ve been more vigilant and not simply taken a stranger’s drink.” “You can’t see. It wasn’t your fault.” “Can we not blame ourselves, then? Let’s not make things harder for us.” At the same time, Cameron walked over and said, “The report is out. Cassia’s fine and healthy. They
The moment we touched down in West City, Sophie rushed to work on Austin’s case. I would not be of any help due to my vision, so Hayden sent me home.Sophie always acted rashly, so I was worried about her. Hayden said, “After I send you home, I’ll help Sophie out. Don’t worry!” “How do you know what I’m worried about?” I did not mention it at all. “I know your every look and move.” “Really? How magical!” I was a little touched. I knew that he paid close attention to me. Hence, he knew all of my micro-expressions. In the past, I had been the one studying Zach’s expressions. I would wonder whether he was happy or upset, whether he felt warm or cold, if he was hungry or full. How I had wished to be a tapeworm living in his body so that I could know all his thoughts. However, Hayden was willing to understand and study me. I suddenly hoped for my vision to recover soon so that I would be able to look at all of Hayden’s expressions. I was willing to study and understand him
It was late at night, and everyone was too tired to do anything. I was heavily pregnant, and Sophie had no energy left. So, she stopped fighting back. She just collapsed onto the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.Lucy had already fallen asleep. She was young, and she could sleep through anything, including all our talking.Austin was as cold as ice while he sat on the couch. Since I could not convince him to budge, I gave him some water and went back to sleep.He could do whatever he wanted.When I closed the door, I saw him staring at the bed. The look in his eyes was soft and almost dreamy. I could sense love from where I stood.Did he really love Lucy? I could not believe it because I never thought he felt that way about her.I was exhausted, and my mind was all over the place. I went to sleep and had no idea when Austin left.The next morning, Sophie appeared at my door with a pillow.“If you didn’t sleep well last night, you can sleep a little longer. You’re
“I’m not scared. With Austin to protect me, what do I have to worry about? But I think you’re pretty pathetic, Sophie. I show up, and you just give me your room. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Lucy shook her head. “So pathetic.”Sophie simply stared at her. Lucy was nervous, but she was trying to put on a tough front.Right after, Sophie wore an eerie and unsettling smile.“Fine. You want to sleep with me? Let’s do it. After all, I’m scared of you.” With that, she went back into the room. “It’s time for a shower. Who’s going first, you or me?”Since Lucy had won, she gave me a smug look. “Sophie’s so easy to deal with.”“I don’t think you’ll enjoy sleeping in the same room with her as much as you think,” I warned.The room next door became eerily quiet after I returned to my room.I knew that Sophie would not hurt Lucy. She was not one to go overboard.I texted her. [If you don’t want to share a room with her, come to mine.][It’s fine. The bed’s big enough,] Sophie replied.Alright, then.
As I approached Sophie’s room, the yelling got increasingly loud and made my ears hurt.I opened the door to see her dragging Lucy out by the ear. Lucy was screaming, “Sophie, let go! You’re a barbarian! Austin told me to stay here! Who are you to kick me out? This isn’t even your house!”“This is my house.” I stepped aside to avoid the chaos. “And I’m telling you to leave.”“Austin said I could stay!” “Austin isn’t the king of the world.” I sneered. “Why should I listen to him?”Before I could finish, Sophie had already dragged Lucy to the door. I opened it wide so that she could toss her out.Lucy clung to the doorframe like her life depended on it. “I’m not leaving! Sophie, if you kick me out, what will you do when Austin comes looking for me?”Sophie grabbed a feather duster that Mrs. Gibson had left behind and marched toward Lucy.She started screaming, “Sophie, what are you doing?! Don’t hit me! Sophie! Stop!”Sophie raised the feather duster up high. I knew that she wo
Sophie completely ruined a happy moment.I looked at her. “You’re not still hoping for something with Austin, are you?”“Of course not!” she raised her voice. “I’m not a masochist!”Just then, Mrs. Gibson knocked on the door. “Ms. Cassia Freeman, Ms. Sophie Freeman, someone’s here to see you.”Who could it be this late?We went downstairs and saw Lucy at the front door with a suitcase.She simply would not leave us alone.My head hurt when I saw her.Lucy saw us and walked right in without taking off her shoes. “I told you Cassia and Sophie know who I am! Cassia, your housekeeper’s so rude. She wouldn’t let me in.”“Hey, what are you doing?” Sophie blocked her path. “Take another step, and I’ll get security to throw you out.”“Starting today, I’ll be staying here.” Lucy sat on her suitcase and grinned.“What are you talking about? Are you sure you’re not crazy?”I did not want to argue with her. “Did Austin kick you out?”Lucy was like glue. Once she stuck to you, you coul
“Do you want to talk to Sophie?” I asked, even though I knew he would not say anything nice.As expected, he wore the usual mocking smile. “Talk to that idiot? No thanks.”He hung up, and the screen went black.I was so mad that I felt like my heart might stop. Austin never got angry or showed big emotions, but his calm sarcasm was enough to drive anyone crazy.Just then, Sophie ran over and held out her hand. She was sweating and out of breath. “Where’s Rachel’s water bottle? She’s thirsty.”I gave it to her, and she asked, “Who were you talking to?”“An idiot,” I replied.“Oh.” She ran off again without giving it a second thought.We ended up playing there until sundown. Rachel was all sweaty, so I helped her change in the car. Although it was already spring, it was still a little chilly without the sun.We headed home and invited Kingston to join us for dinner.He gave Sophie the mechanical kite. Our garden was big, so she could fly it anytime.We did not usually have gue
“Let Bob go. Tell Zach to hang the thermos on its neck.”“Isn’t that a bit much?”“He told me that if I didn’t drink his soup, Bob could have it. So, what’s the problem with letting Bob fetch it?”Mrs. Gibson walked away with a troubled expression, and I continued building the sandcastle.Rachel suddenly looked up and asked, “Cassia, don’t you like that guy anymore?”“I don’t like him anymore,” I said.“Is he bad?”“He’s not bad. I just don’t like him anymore.”“You can like my dad, then. He’s handsome, and he knows how to make cheese pizza.”Well, my standards were a little higher than someone who could make cheese pizza.I was not sure what happened to Zach’s soup because I never saw it. His cooking was not that great, and we already had good cooks at home. Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Ziegler, and Mrs. Harrison made amazing soups. They were from different places, so I got to try food from all over.As such, Zach’s soup was not needed.I never thought there would come a day when I
“When did your head get so square?” I looked at the metal block for a while, but I could not see how it resembled Sophie.“This robot doesn’t have to look like me. The important part is its core. It can follow my commands, and Kingston said he’ll add my voice to it later.”“What can it do? A two-hundred-dollar smart box can already do things like turn lights on and off or flush the toilet.”“Tch, this is different. Apart from following my commands, it can also read my emotions. It’ll then play the appropriate music to improve my mood.”That sounded interesting. “It should be a mood helper instead of a robot.”“Kingston also mentioned that it has a special function if I get really upset.”“Will it explode into fireworks?”“Tch.” She rolled her eyes and hugged the robot. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”Sophie seemed to like the gift.However, Kingston did not really give it to her because she was fond of it. He just happened to study this stuff.I was incredibly tired, so I turn
“I think it’s great that he has his own principles. A lot of people today don’t have any,” Sophie interjected.It was time to change the subject. Everyone had their own views on such things anyway.“Let’s toast to those with principles,” I said to Rachel.She raised her juice cup in response. “Cheers!”“Alright, cheers.” Oscar and Ellie smiled as they clinked glasses with us.We finished eating, and Sophie had two glasses of wine. I did not allow her to have more. Kingston finally returned as well.He was not full, so he ate the leftovers.Sophie asked him how things went, and he looked up in confusion. “The head of the company whose tech was stolen came too. He claimed that it wasn’t their tech, but they’re working on something similar. He kept promoting it.”“What happened after that?”“Nothing. The police just let those two individuals go.” Kingston shook his head and went back to eating.The whole thing seemed strange. I thought about it, but I could not put my finger on
After a while, Kingston came downstairs. He looked upset, so Sophie asked, “What’s wrong?”“Two people visited the company today to discuss a deal. They offered a high price,” Kingston said.“Isn’t that good?”“At first, I thought so too. But as we talked, something felt off. They brought some tech for the collaboration, but I realized that another company had just created it. They might have stolen it.”“How can they steal someone else’s stuff?”“There are lots of ways.” Kingston peeled an orange and gave half to Sophie before eating the rest himself. “I turned them down, but they kept trying to rope me in.”“Would that tech be useful to you?” I asked.“Of course. It would save us at least a month of work.”Sophie’s eyes lit up as she looked at him. Just then, Ellie brought over a plate of fruit and teased, “Kingston’s too stubborn. If he were a bit more flexible, he’d be super successful by now.”“A gentleman earns money the right way.” Kingston’s stubbornness was somehow