Chapter 101 — A Warm Dinner

"Simple, Lyyana, try talking to Petra about this. Even though it’s a small issue, we need to prepare for it now. Otherwise, you two might end up confused and it could cause other problems," she said. Lyyana sighed, nodded, and went back to finishing her drink.

After finishing the dinner preparations, Olive asked Lyyana to get Petra and Robert for dinner. Lyyana nodded and walked toward the living room where Petra and Robert were. From a distance, she could see the three men of different ages happily chatting while playing with a puzzle.

"Looks like you’re having fun," Lyyana said as she sat next to Petra.

They turned and smiled at Lyyana. Garret immediately jumped up when he saw her. "Mom! Can we stay here tonight? I want to sleep over with Grandpa," he asked with an adorable, pleading face.

Lyyana looked at Petra and Robert, who both nodded in agreement. "Alright, we can stay here tonight."

"Yay! Thanks, Mom!" Garret cheered, giving Lyyana a quick hug. "Grandpa! I'm staying over tonight!" he told Robert excitedly.

Garret raised his hand for a high five, and Robert obliged. "Dinner is ready. Shall we go eat?" Lyyana suggested after Robert and Garret finished their high five.

Robert walked hand in hand with Garret, while Lyyana followed behind with Petra. As they headed to the dining room, Lyyana heard a noise from Laura’s room. She remembered that she hadn’t seen Laura since she arrived.

"Um, Uncle, I’m going to check on Laura first," Lyyana said, stopping Robert.

"Sure, Lyyana. Also, remind Laura not to overwork herself. She’s been skipping meals lately because of her school project and online business. If I say something, she might feel bad," Robert replied.

Lyyana nodded and Robert continued walking. "I’ll go inside first, Petra."

"Is something on your mind?" Petra asked suddenly. He seemed to have a strong intuition just by looking at Lyyana’s face.

Lyyana nodded. "We can talk later tonight or tomorrow morning. There’s something I need to discuss." Petra nodded, kissed her forehead, and opened Laura’s bedroom door for her.

Lyyana smiled at him and walked into Laura’s room. The scent of lavender mixed with cinnamon immediately filled her senses. She saw Laura sitting at her desk, with several boxes of beads and wrapped phone straps on her bed. "How’s your business, Laura?" she asked, walking over and standing next to her desk.

"Oh my gosh! Sis! When did you get here?"

"Um, a few minutes ago. What are you working on? I’ve been here since this afternoon."

Laura took a deep breath and exhaled harshly, then turned her chair to face Lyyana, who was sitting on the edge of her bed. "Orders for phone straps and other accessories have been increasing lately, Sis. Plus, I have a lot of school assignments because exams are coming up."

"Working and studying are two things that often can’t be combined, Laura. Both require concentration and strong commitment. If I may suggest, you should finish school first, then focus on your business."

Laura leaned back in her chair and looked straight at Lyyana. "Or if you’re really worried about the orders that have already come in, how about making an announcement on social media that you’ll stop taking orders for the next few months? Or you could accept only a limited number of orders."

"What if I lose customers?" she asked innocently.

Lyyana smiled, her fingers touching the phone straps and bead necklaces Laura had made. "Fortune is already arranged. Even if your portion is just one bowl, you won’t get more no matter how far you search." Lyyana vividly remembered how their parents had struggled to earn extra money, only to have it spent on unexpected things like Laura getting sick, their father's motorcycle breaking down, or repairs needed for the house.

Lyyana took Laura’s hand and held it tightly. "Laura, you can work and run a business. But you also need to remember that you’re still in school, and a student’s main task is to study, not to earn money. Is there something you want to buy?" Lyyana asked, looking deeply at her sister, who shook her head. "Do you want to prove that you can do it?"

"I just don’t want to burden Aunt and Uncle, Sis."

Lyyana took a deep breath. "But if you work like this, staying up late and often skipping meals, don’t you think that’s burdensome? What if you get sick? That would be even more troublesome, Laura. You know your limits better than anyone. I hope you can manage your time well between studying, school, work, and rest."

Laura nodded and hugged Lyyana tightly, as if unwilling to let go. "Alright, let’s have dinner. Uncle and the others are probably waiting." Laura nodded, and they walked together to the dining room.

When they arrived, Robert and the others were already waiting for Lyyana. After sitting in their seats, Olive handed out plates, first serving Robert, Laura, and herself. Then Lyyana served Petra, Garret, and herself. The dinner was filled with laughter, making the atmosphere warm and friendly.

After finishing their meals, Laura helped Olive clean the dining table, while Lyyana was pulled by Garret to the guest room to change clothes. Meanwhile, Petra was on the phone with a colleague. "Grandpa!" Garret exclaimed, coming out of the guest room wearing blue pajamas with a cartoon cat, running towards Robert who was sitting in the upstairs living room.

"Wow, my little hero is ready for bed. Where do you want to sleep?" Robert asked, sitting Garret on his lap.

"Over there, Grandpa," he pointed to the guest room he had just used to change clothes.

Robert nodded, stood up, and carried Garret in front of him. "Mom, we’re going first!" Garret said, waving. Lyyana smiled, waved back, and watched until he disappeared into the room. She turned to help Olive tidy up the kitchen but stopped when Petra approached her with an unreadable expression.

"What’s wrong?" Lyyana asked, rubbing Petra's arm.

He just stayed silent and exhaled harshly, repeating it several times. "Let’s talk over there," Lyyana suggested, pointing to the balcony at the end of the room.

Petra followed her. They sat in the chairs, gazing at the night sky and enjoying the breeze on their faces. "So, is there something you want to tell me?"

Petra took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "There’s an issue with my new project. It’s not a big problem, but it might take a long time to resolve. After we get married, I don’t think I’ll be able to take you on a vacation abroad."

Lyyana smiled, reaching for Petra’s hand and gently massaging the back of it. "A honeymoon isn’t mandatory for newlyweds. We can go on vacation anytime. We have plenty of time."

"Thank you for understanding, dear." Petra gave a small smile, kissed Lyyana's hand, and looked at her deeply. "Oh, earlier you said there was something you wanted to discuss. How about we talk about it tonight?"