章 6: Can't you cut ties with him

Daniel dropped his act, practically pleading with his brother, as his eyes widened in fear.

"Brother, please don't tell dad about it. He is going to take my allowance away every month."

Even though Belle and Richard's family was well-known in Country S, they raised their sons with extreme strictness.

They were aware of the importance of perseverance and the years it took them to reach their current position.

Gabriel and Daniel never had an inflated sense of self-worth and instead showed respect for their parents. But the one thing that worries them is that their parents are picky about their academic performance.

Being one of the highest shareholders of Aspen College, Richard wanted both his sons to excel in their studies.

Despite not being careless with his studies, Daniel received a slightly lower score than anticipated, and Gabriel was now retaliating against him for his taunting.

Gabriel shot him a fierce look that made him immediately stop acting.

"Tell me now what brought you here." Gabriel changed the subject and walked back towards the couch before tossing his bag aside and taking the seat.

Daniel was suddenly struck with the thought, "Are you and Eveline not on good terms?" and he hurried to Gabriel's side. "I mean, there are so many comments about your apathy on the Aspen forum. Are they true? Did you really fight with her?"

Daniel, a first-year student at Aspen Colleges, became aware of the news that some other students had shared on the forum. Along with the remarks, there were a few images of Eveline and Gabriel exchanging glaring looks that circulated in the forum.

Gabriel grabbed the phone out of Daniel's grasp, erased the webpage, and then shoved it back in his hand.

"..."

"If you have nothing further to say, kindly depart. I do not feel like talking to anyone right now," Gabriel said, leaning back on the couch and shutting his eyes.

Daniel narrowed his eyes, studying every curve of Gabriel's face with suspicion. It was obvious that there was a problem between them based on his seeming irritation.

"Tch, tch, now I am confident that you both indeed fought. But why?" Daniel furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin.

Daniel gulped, dismissing the Sherlock Holmes look on his face as Gabriel shot him a glare.

"Haha, I was only worried about you, brother. Ultimately, we were raised essentially in the same household, so what if Mom and Dad discover? I am sure they will scold you for hurting their precious daughter, Eveline," Daniel stated, comfortably adjusting himself on the couch.

Eveline and Daniel had a strong friendship, and she also assisted Daniel in getting accepted into the course of his choice. With Eveline, he was able to fulfill his lifelong desire for a sister. However, he was concerned that this would not be the same after seeing the post uploaded on the forum.

"Why are you so worried about whether or not we get along?" Gabriel asked, suddenly becoming more interested in Daniel's explanation about Eveline than in himself.

"Because I know that if Eveline did not have a reason, she wouldn't get upset." Gabriel arched his brow in surprise at Daniel's response.

"And what makes you think that I am at fault?" This time he inquired getting up to sit.

Sensing the tension in his brother's demeanor, Daniel took a seat back slowly.

"That is because you always seem distant from her, and I fear that if you do not change, I will no longer have a sister like her."

Gabriel expressed his irritation with a twitch of his lips and a gritted "Daniel Winston, why would you want a sister when you have me? Do you not like me?"

Before, Gabriel would not have cared if Eveline was referred to as their sister by his brother or parents. But things changed when he found out that she was in love with him, and now he finds the word "sister" bothersome.

Daniel, on the other hand, winced at Gabriel's outburst and crept downstairs from the couch.

"I like you, brother, but my favorite person is my sister Eveline." claiming that he fled his room as if he were a mouse running for its life.

Gabriel snorted, disappointed that Daniel preferred Eveline to be his sister rather than his brother.

Gabriel took a moment to push aside his irksome attitude and focus on his studies.

As a final-year student, Gabriel had a ton of assignments and projects that required more of his time than teaching Eveline. Thus, he set everything aside, took a seat in front of the study table, and began working on his homework.

****

While Gabriel and Eveline were occupied with their respective studies, a certain someone was becoming agitated because the unexpected turn of events had caught her off guard.

Tiffany was unable to get Eveline's words out of her head, and they gave her some warning about why Eveline had said them.

"Did she get suspicious of me?" Tiffany muttered, contemplating Eveline's last impression of her before she drove off.

Tiffany became concerned that her plan might not succeed because it seemed more like a casual remark than a convincing one.

"Will you continue to stand there? Where is my food, goddamn it?" Tiffany's thoughts were interrupted by her father's drunken yelling, who was sitting behind her.

Rolling her eyes, she angrily slammed the cloth on the kitchen island before turning to confront Jacob, who was complaining incoherently on the couch

"Stop being such a whiner, you lousy drunk. I am not your mom to hear you bawl all the time. Just be quiet and wait for her to come make you dinner," Tiffany angrily yelled at her father, who was too far away to comprehend her.

She had lived her entire life in this manner since birth. Her father would gamble or drink himself to insanity using the money her mother earned from her job.

Not a single day went by that someone knocked on their door requesting money, which Jacob would take.

The only breadwinner in her household was her mother. However, she was baffled as to why she had let go of her pathetic husband, who served only as a burden for them.

Ignoring his tirade, Tiffany brought her food and proceeded to her room.

Their residence was a single-story home. While she occupied a room, her parents settled in the living hall.

Taking care of her drunken father every day was a drain. Tiffany, however, was aware that her mother would never want her to simply forget about him.

It was heartbreaking to watch her mother struggle, but as a result, she worked hard in school and was awarded a scholarship to attend Aspen.

She wanted to give them a better life, and for that, she had to make connections and her first and only victim was Eveline.

"Tiffany, I am back." Her reverie was broken by a voice, and she spun to see her run-down room's door open.

Tiffany gawked at her mother and said, "Mom, you are late."

Making an apologetic face, Susan came inside and hugged her.

"I am sorry. I had to make sure that the young lady had finished her dinner since she had been studying for hours," Susan reasoned before pulling away.

"Does your young miss require assurance regarding her errands?" Tiffany frowned in exasperation, recalling her mother's preference to gaze at her "young miss" instead of her own child.

"I am sorry; it will not happen again," Susan apologized once again before darting her gaze at the bowl of noodles Tiffany was eating.

"Why are you eating this? Didn't you read my note?" Susan asked with furrowed brows.

Susan would always make sure that Tiffany had something to eat when she got home from college. But it upset her to watch her consume these unhealthy noodles.

"I did read your note, but your useless husband finished the food you prepared." The emotionlessness in Tiffany's voice made Susan realize what had transpired.

Dropping her shoulders in defeat, Susan sighed.

"Let me make you something healthy to eat," Susan said, and she turned to go.

"Why are you putting up with him, Mom? Can't you just cut ties with him?" Susan was stopped by Tiffany's words and turned around, smiling sadly.

"Even though sharing your life with someone you love is unbearable, it is difficult to let them go."

Tiffany's eyes darkened as she watched her mother leave.

"Scoff, what good is all this love if he can not even make your life happy?" Tiffany muttered and resumed eating her food.

****

Eveline did indeed go asleep more quickly than she had anticipated after studying late into the evening, but those nightmares woke her up.

She has been tossing and turning ever since, unable to fall back asleep.

Eveline was staring at the ceiling without making any movement when her alarm went off. She flinched and slackly patted it shut before hauling her weary body up onto the bed.

Due to her insomnia, Eveline had trouble falling asleep. All thanks to her husband, who kept her awake till late at night that she forgot that there was a thing called sleep.

"Let us get ready, Eveline," With that chant, she pushed herself off the bed and made her way to the restroom.