Chapter 4

Aria's countenance changed abruptly. Grayson, on the other hand, had already slapped Serenity hard across her face.

"How dare you speak like that?!" Grayson berated. "You're the one who killed someone and got thrown into prison! Do you know how much trouble this family got into because of you?! You have no future left, so now you want to drag your sister down with you?!"

His eyes were filled with disgust for this daughter of his. He recalled how impressed his friends had been back when they had gained a connection with the Shaw family, and he was then reminded of how humiliated he had felt after that when Serenity had gotten into trouble!

One side of Serenity's face was burning with pain, yet her eyes remained perfectly still and unperturbed, almost as if none of what had just happened mattered to her.

"I only came here to pay my respects to my mother's ashes, but now I think I'd better get my mother's urn out of here. She doesn't have to be here anymore, and I will never set foot in this house ever again."

After finishing her sentence, Serenity turned and left the place she had once called home.

This ‘home’ no longer had a place for her.

***

When Serenity returned to her place, the whole room was completely dark, and none of the lights were on. She turned the light switch on, and the scene that greeted her was that of an empty room.

It was clear at a glance that there was no one inside the small hundred-square-foot room.

Where was Jack? Had he left? The thought made her feel a little empty. Was she really all alone, after all?

She smiled wryly. Just as she was about to turn around and close the door, she saw a tall figure slowly walking toward her, which made her freeze.

It was Jack! And he was still wearing the same shabby clothes, but he was holding a plastic bag in his hand. His thick bangs covered up almost half of his face, making it hard to see what he really looked like at a glance. But Serenity knew that beneath those bangs was a dashingly handsome face.

Could someone like that really be... a homeless wanderer?

Subsequently, she realized that in truth, she really did not know this man at all. She did not understand him one bit, yet she had brought him home just like that. She knew it was an impulsive move, and perhaps even dangerous, but... she just could not stop herself.

Perhaps it was because after all was said and done, humans were social animals at their core.

"I'm back," Jack spoke in a nonchalant voice, yet for some reason, to Serenity, it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

Her throat tightened, and her voice sounded stiff as she said, "I... I thought you were never coming back again."

He stared at her and replied, "I just went out to buy something."

She quickly turned sideways, pulled him into the room, and closed the door behind them. She then noticed that there were two big buns in the plastic bag that he was holding, and she smiled. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest.

"Let's eat those together later," she said. "Right now, I... I'm going to pay my respects to my mother's ashes. Today is the anniversary of my mother's death."

After that, Serenity pulled out some candles and incense sticks from her bag and placed a framed photo on the shelf. Within the frame was a black and white photo of a woman aged around 30 years old. She looked like a gentle and mild-natured woman.

Serenity then lit a candle and then incense sticks before respectfully bowing at the urn of ashes.

"I've begun my new life, Mom, and things are going really well. I now have a job to support myself, and I earn enough money to stand on my own two feet, so you don't have to worry about me anymore. In fact, I have a feeling that my life is going to get better from now on..."

Jackson stood aside, watching the woman who was smiling but with misty eyes. The light from the candle and the ceiling light danced on her face, speckling it with bands of light and shadow.

She had shapely eyebrows, a tiny pert nose, and moderately thick pink lips. She was a pretty woman indeed, but Jackson had seen too many gorgeous women in his life. In fact, Mira Hall, his former fiancee, was regarded as a rare beauty, so to Jackson, Serenity seemed just like an average-looking woman.

He had read through her background information before, so he knew that today was the anniversary of her mother's death. However, why would a woman fresh out of prison sweeping the streets for a living say that her life was going really well?

"Besides," she said in a gentle voice, "I have someone by my side now."

She then turned around, and her almond-shaped eyes focused on him. Under the flickering candlelight, she looked calm and composed, yet at the same time, perfectly happy and content. It was just as if his presence there completed her life.

The next moment, she turned back to the photo of the woman and added, "So, you see, my life really is going very well, so you don't have to worry about me, Mom."

After that, she bowed respectfully once again and burned an incense stick for her mother. She then stood there in respectful silence, looking at the woman in the framed photo.

After about fifteen minutes, the incense was all burnt out, so Serenity blew out the candle and told Jackson, "Let's go. I'll clean the place up a little and make us some soup, then we'll have dinner together."

"Okay," he replied.

She then quickly cleaned up the place and got an egg and a tomato from the fridge. Then, she quickly rustled up a pot of tomato egg drop soup, which was then paired with the bun Jackson had bought, and that was their dinner for the night.

"By the way," she started asking as they were eating, "What have you been doing for a living all this time, Jack?"

"Anything." He answered. "I'd take any job I could find. If I can't find anything to do, I'd find a spot to rest."

Rest? Was that what he was doing that night on the streets? Serenity figured he must have suffered a lot in the past. After all, no one who was not at their wit's end would sit by the roadside on a cold winter night.

"So, how old are you?" she asked.

"27," he replied.

"We're the same age!" she responded in surprise. "Which month were you born in?"

"November."

"I was born in July," she said. "That means that I'm older than you by a few months. Since neither you nor I have any family, why don't I be your big sister from now on? You can call me Sis. You'll be my little brother!"

"Big sister?" he chuckled. No one would ever dare to claim themselves as Jackson Valor's big sister, yet this woman just brazenly asked him to be her little brother?

If she knew who he really was, would she ever dare to say such things?

But it was precisely because she did not know who he was that made this so interesting.

"You don't agree to it?" Serenity asked, her eyes dull.

She was only three years old when her mother had died. All she knew was that her mother had had a miscarriage and had not survived. She overheard some relatives say that she was already six months pregnant at the time and that the baby was a boy, but he had only lived for ten minutes.

If that boy had lived, he would be her little brother, and perhaps, she would not end up so lonely if he was still here!

"Are you sure you want to be my big sister?" He suddenly asked.

She raised her head abruptly and looked into the eyes behind the thick bangs. They were crystal clear, yet at the same time, they were also foggy and mysterious.

"Yeah," she replied.

"But I'm homeless and jobless. I don't even have the basic needs of life! Why on earth would you want to be my sister?"