"Yes," Reyona answered with a roll of her eyes. "Many times already that I lost count."
Toria stifled her smile as she scrunched up her nose and said, "That is because I am right. I am going to sit Dad and Mom down one day and make them tell me the truth." She declared with her fist thrown in the air.
Reyona laughed as she said, "Good luck on that."
Toria laughed as well while settling across from Reyona.
She rested her hands beneath her chin and said, "What do you want to know?"
Reyona smiled as she thought of how intelligent her sister was. For all her goofy side, Toria was a very sensitive person.
She reached out to pat Toria's hand as she said, "Everything."
When the smile on Toria's face dimmed, Reyona said, "No, not about that. Even if I never regain my memory. I have enough information about that already. My marriage failed. He cheated on me. I ended it. I get it. I mean every other thing."
"Oh, good," Toria said with a sigh of relief and a grin.
"First, tell me this. Is my company doing fine or did I manage to tank it somehow?" Reyona asked in anticipation.
"Tank it? Hell no!" Toria said as she rose to her knees in excitement. "Boy, it is so good that recently, you even got a deal with..."
As Reyona reached out to absentmindedly ruffle Toria's hair, she guessed she must have slept off soon after that.
She was so relieved that her company was doing well after all.
Though she felt Toria kept something from her when she merely said, "Though it was rough going for a little while, things are better now,"
When Reyona asked what the rough going was, she merely said, "You know, just the normal business problem in the corporate world. Thank God, I can't relate. You are the one with the brains."
"Rey?" Toria's sleepy voice interrupted Reyona's thought.
She looked at her sister and realised that she had been trailing her hand through Toria's hair.
"Hello, sleeping beauty, she said. "Did I wake you?"
"Na," Toria said with a yawn. She looked towards Reyona's legs and asked her, "Please tell me I didn't touch those in my sleep."
"Not at all," Reyona answered as her smile widened. "You were perfectly civil. Almost like a lady."
Toria wrinkled her nose at her, then asked, "How are you feeling this morning, Rey?"
"Quite better, actually," Reyona said in all honesty.
"No headaches?"
"Not a bit."
"Uhn," Toria said as she flipped over, facing the ceiling. "That is great. Maybe your memory will come back soon too."
"Maybe," Reyona answered before she looked back at Toria. "I want to see it."
"See what?" Toria asked in confusion as she looked at Reyona upside-down. "Your memory?"
Reyona shook her head in amusement before she said, "My place."
"Which…?" Toria rolled over again so she was facing Reyona. "Your house?"
"Yes," Reyona said simply, already awaiting the protest.
"No, Rey. I don't think it is a good idea. Maxwell said…"
"Maxwell said this. Maxwell said that. When did he even begin to have anything to say about me? I don't even remember knowing this guy, yet here I am in his house, using his doctor, eating his food, and I was even told he was my friend when I can't ever remember making a male friend before in my life," Reyona said heatedly.
"Ah…uhm," Toria said to Reyona's sudden outburst.
The issue of how she had gotten to know Maxwell had been kept from her because, knowing her sister, Toria was sure she wouldn't mind hopping out of the house if it came to that.
It was the same reason why Toria had told Maxwell not to tell their parents either.
If Maxwell had told her before she got to know him a bit, she was sure she would have carried her sister on her back out of the house if she had to, but then she only got to learn about it after.
So, to her, Maxwell was not a bad guy.
He was just Maxwell, with a bad stepsister.
And there was Celia, too.
Celia and her husband adore Maxwell.
A sweetheart like Celia wouldn't be that close to a bad person, right?
So, she was sure she was right about him.
She only hoped Reyona would forgive her when she finally found out.
Because she was going to tell her.
She would just do it later.
Much later.
Oblivious to the guilty thoughts of her sister, Reyona said, "I am sorry for snapping at you. I am grateful to him. I just... I just need to start getting my life back, okay? I need to see it. I need to see how bad it is, and I need to get to the company too. I can't just keep..." She threw her hands around the room as she said, "I can't just keep lying down here forever, can I? I need to…"
"Rest. That is what you need to do. Can you hear yourself? You still have splints on your legs, for God's sake. You can't even walk to the bathroom, and now you want to do what? Go to the company. To do what? Give them a show?"
Reyona gave her a stern look but Toria didn't back down.
Finally, Reyona sighed and said, "Back me up here, okay? I need to see the house at least."
"Okay, I will back you up," Toria said simply.
"Thank you. What are you doing?" Reyona asked when she saw Toria dialling a number.
"Backing you up," Toria said with a sweet smile.
"What happened, Toria? Is she fine?" Carlisle asked anxiously from the other side.
"Daddy, Rey wants to go see the house and yes, she wants to go to work too," Toria said emphatically.
Reyona smacked her hand against her face in exasperation.
"I can't believe this," Carlisle said in disbelief. "We are coming."
Reyona raised her head to look at Toria as the latter disconnected the call and said, "You were saying?"
"Traitor," Reyona said in mock anger.
"You are welcome," Toria said with a grin.
Then she cocked her head aside as she counted "I…2…"
The sound of rushing footsteps could be heard in the hallway.
"And here they come," Toria sinsonged.
Reyona closed her eyes in resignation.