“Priscilla, you-“
“Layla.” Jason looked at her. “Compose yourself.”
“Argh! What was that supposed to mean?” Layla became more agitated. “Can’t you see that she’s purposely looking for my trouble? Brother, you’re not dumb to not tell that she’s pretending.”
“I told you to watch what you’re saying.” Jason’s expression darkened. “Since when did you become mannerless? Didn’t I tell you to stop troubling her?”
“Who is troubling who? She’s obviously the culprit, Brother.” Layla felt deeply offended. Damn! If only she could drag the bitch by her hair and toss her out.
“You are too stubborn, Layla. I won’t beg you to be friends with Priscilla. However, I won’t take it lightly if you disrespect her. She didn’t say anything wrong, why are you mad?”
Layla shook her head at her brother’s words. She so much wanted to clap for Priscilla. “You are really changing a lot, Brother. This girl is not even as good as Annie, what did you see in her?”
“I told you to be quiet.”
“Is it true that you have been secretly dating her while you were engaged with Annie? Why are you treating her like some treasure? Don’t tell me you love her.”
“Ah! What is going on here?” Mrs. Ju’an rushed out of the kitchen. She looked at the teary-eyed Priscilla, then her son who was angry, before her eyes settled on her daughter.
“What happened this time, Layla? Did my daughter-in-law offend you?”
“She’s not your daughter-in-law, Mum. She’s two-faced. Please warn her, all of you. I don’t want to hear her calling me her Little Sister. I don’t even know her!” Layla’s fists were shaking and she fought to keep them in place.
“Ah! Layla!” Mrs. Ju’an looked exasperated. “What is wrong with you? Did she do anything wrong? Didn’t I tell you to treat her nicely?”
“Mum, please let her be. I understand it is hard for her to accept me. But could she stop calling me names?” Priscilla sniffed. “She keeps saying I’m two-faced, when have I ever treated her wrongly? Layla, I only want us to be friends.”
“To hell with your friendship.” Layla couldn’t take it anymore. “Urgh! I’m out of here. And no one should even call me for dinner!” She went inside her room and shut the door with a bang.
“Please relax, Dear.” Mrs. Ju’an sat beside Priscilla and held her shoulders. “Don’t mind Layla, she’s just acting like a kid. She will come around soon, okay?”
Priscilla nodded. “I’m not mad at her, Mum. I’m just aggrieved.” She looked at Jason who looked angry. “Honey, seriously, I don’t have any hidden intention. I just want to be friends with her.”
Jason didn’t answer her and both ladies were surprised when he suddenly stood up. Mrs. Ju’an was too late to stop him, because he had already made his way to Layla’s room.
The house shook with their loud voices as the siblings yelled at each other. In the end, one could hear Layla’s sobs coming from the room.
…
H District Apartment building stood in the middle of the city, glowing with lights.
As Annie came out of the taxi and entered the building, she kept glancing behind her to see if someone was following her.
As the days went by, the feeling that someone was always watching her, especially when she was outside, got stronger.
When she entered her apartment, The first thing she did was to go inside the kitchen and put some ingredients together before placing the pot on the stove.
While the food was cooking, she went into the bedroom to freshen up and change into something more comfortable. On her way out of the closet, her phone rang and she picked it up from the bed.
“Ma.” She sat down and answered the call.
“Annie, I thought you must have left work by now so I decided to call you,” Mrs. Lin said from the other end.
“Sure, Ma. I’m home. How are you doing?”
“Hmmm, I’m managing. Your stupid brother is missing again, Annie. Honestly, I think something is wrong with that boy.”
Annie put on a frown. “Dylan ran away again?”
“What I regret is not breaking his legs that day. At least, he would take some weeks recovering and wouldn’t think of running away. I want to inform the police, Annie. What do you think?”
Annie’s frown deepened. “The police can be complicated sometimes. If they suspect him as a criminal, they’re going to investigate him.”
And the police investigation didn’t always end well. The guy would sustain some injuries if care wasn’t taken.
“What choice do I have, Annie?” Mrs. Lin sighed heavily. “It seems Dylan has begun to underestimate us. Even my beatings wouldn’t hold him back. Isn’t the best thing to do is letting the authority take care of him?”
“Mum, I don’t think we should do that yet,” Annie suggested. “Chen seems to know something about Dylan’s strange behavior. Maybe we should investigate him, first.”
“Eh? You mean Mrs. Ming’s Little Chen?” Mrs. Lin sounded confused. “That boy is too troublesome, I’m sure he won’t be quiet about something like that.”
“Who knows if Dylan is bribing him?”
“Then I’ll make sure I deal with them both. I didn’t expect Little Chen to hide something so crucial from us. Mrs. Ming is going to answer to me.”
“Take it easy, Ma. Chen is a handful, Mrs. Ming won’t convince him to do something like that.”
“Hmmm, we single mothers are suffering a lot.” Mrs. Lin’s voice softened. “If only there was a strong man that can speak some sense into these useless boys.”
“You’re doing your best, Ma. Please don’t be disheartened.”
“How can I not be disheartened?” Mrs. Lin said in a sharp tone. “Tell me, Annie, when will you finally bring out someone to marry!?”
Annie distanced the phone from her ear. Mrs. Lin’s voice was too loud.
“Ma-“
“You’re not a small girl, Annie. At least, you’re more sensible than your brother. Do something to make me happy. Bring out a husband already.”
“Do you plan to feed me burnt food, Annie?” Suddenly, a male voice came from the door and Annie looked up.
At the other end of the phone, Mrs. Lin strained her ears to make sure she wasn’t hearing wrong.