Because it was almost dark and many cars were passing on the street flashing their headlights ahead, Mrs. Lin and Dylan didn’t notice Annie walking up to them.
Quickly, the girl stood behind one of the street lights, concealing her presence.
Annie brought out her phone and scrolled through her contacts list. She sent a text:
[Mr. Lim, could you go back to your own house? I can’t let you stay in my apartment today.]
No reply came from the other end.
Annie sent another text:
[Mr. Lim, I won’t be around. Can you not sleep in my apartment today?]
Still, there was no reply.
[Let’s make a deal, Mr. Lim. Don’t come to my apartment today and for the next three days, I’ll do whatever you ask.]
After getting no reply from the man, Annie sighed and was about to send another text. But Dylan’s voice stopped her.
“Hey, Big Sis. What a lucky coincidence. We’re just about to give you a call.” Dylan approached her as he spoke. He was oblivious to the tense atmosphere around the girl.
“Eh? Annie, you’re just coming from work.” Mrs. Lim came forward. “Why are you standing there instead of going inside?”
Mrs. Lin was the only person who sensed something off about the girl. Yet, before she could raise a scrutinizing brow, the girl retained a calm expression and smiled softly. “Ma, It’s good to see you again. Have you been watching after your health?”
“She is as fit as a fiddle, Big Sis. Don’t worry about Mum. She’s doing well,” Dylan answered her instead, earning a glare from the woman.
“You are such a blabbermouth. Quick, take this upstairs while your sister and I catch up.” Mrs. Lin pointed at the luggage.
Dylan feared for his poor hands but he couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t even ask for the driver’s help because the taxi had already left.
As the guy dragged the luggage upstairs, Mrs. Lin held Annie’s hands and began questioning the girl. “This environment seems to treat you not too well, Annie. I hope no one is giving you trouble, Annie. You don’t look very good.”
She checked the girl’s body and even touched her arms. “See, in just a few days, you have begun losing weight. Mr. Su no longer gives us trouble and the Apartment Building is being renovated. How about you go back with us?”
“Eh, I think Big Sis loves this place, Mum.” Dylan overheard Mrs. Lin’s suggestion and the guy looked flabbergasted. “I don’t see anything wrong with her. Big Sis might just be adapting to this place. Isn’t it closer to work? She doesn’t have to spend too much money on transport.”
For a long time now, Dylan had been eyeing that room with the open window. If his sister moved back in with them, he would be kicked back into his former room.
“You, mind your business, Brat. How I wish you were as competent as your sister. Then you can get your own apartment.”
“Ah, Mum! Stop saying such things. Didn’t I pay for the rent when the evil Mr. Su requested more money?”
Mrs. Lin ignored him and looked at Annie who looked distracted. The girl would glance at her phone every few seconds and she wondered what she was checking inside.
“Annie, are you sure you’re alright?” Mrs. Lin asked.
Annie dropped her phone, forcing a smile. “I’m good, Ma. You must be tired. Let me cook something for you-“
Annie wasn’t done speaking when Dylan emerged from the guest room. Because the woman’s back was to him, Annie was the first to notice the expression on his face. The guy looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
He opened his mouth and was about to talk, but Annie quickly gestured to him to keep quiet.
“On second thought, I wonder if Ma could do the honor. I miss your cooking, sorry for troubling you.” After saying that, she hurried to where Dylan stood, looking shocked.
Annie covered his mouth and dragged him into the guest room.
Mrs. Lin frowned. She didn’t even know what to ask. She only stared at her daughter in confusion. The woman shook her head and then found her way to the kitchen.
Inside the guest room, Dylan’s eyes and mouth were wide open. “B-Big Sis, what is this?”Why were there male things in his sister’s house?
Annie locked the door, looking helpless. “Hey, it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Haha, what do you think I’m thinking, Big Sis?” Dylan laughed. “I never knew Big Sis can be mischievous. When did you find a new boyfriend? Who is that man? And why is he staying at your place? Big Sis, don’t you dislike living with suitors?”
Dylan could remember correctly when his sister turned down her previous fiancee when he proposed she lived with him. Even their Mum tried to convince her, but she wouldn’t yield.
More than anything, Dylan was curious to know what kind of man his Big Sister was living with. It must be someone extraordinary. Even the tuxedos he found in the closet screamed of money.
Dylan bombarded Annie with questions and she didn’t know which one to answer first. With a sigh, she stood up and quickly cleared up the closet.
“Could you do me a favor, Dylan?” She turned to the guy, giving him a serious look.
“Sure, Sis.” Dylan shrugged. Seeing his Sister a bit apprehensive, he could already guess what she wanted to ask. “You don’t want Mum to know, right?”
“You’re a good boy.” Annie patted him on the shoulder, nodding. She picked up the luggage which contained the man’s clothes and pulled it out of the guest room.
“Hey, I’m not a boy, Big Sis,” Dylan called out. “I’m a man for goodness sake!”
However, Annie was already out of the room. Dylan looked at the now-empty room and started unloading his and his mother’s luggage.
He suddenly paused and frowned. ‘Why is Big Sis trying to hide that man’s things, though?’
When he was done, he decided to take a shower. Even the soap and toiletries were luxurious and expensive.
Dylan felt refreshed. He came out to the living room and met his sister and mother eating at the dining table.
“Why do you smell like wildflowers?” Was the first question Mrs. Lin asked.
Dylan sat down and flashed her a smile. “Thank you for the compliment, Mum.” How could he tell her anything when he’d made a deal with his Big Sis?
Mrs. Lin glared at him. She wasn’t praising him. The boy just smelled different.
Annie gave Dylan a look while eating silently, and the guy made a gesture of sealing his lips.
Annie sighed inside. Even as Mrs. Lin commanded Dylan to sleep on the couch, she was checking out her phone, distracted.
In the end, her anxiety turned out fruitless. Although the man didn’t reply to her text, he didn’t come to the apartment that night.
Yet, for the next few days, she didn’t hear from him, as if he had suddenly vanished into thin air.