Chương 15: So... They Are Brothers?

It was getting dark. Elena was still walking in an uncertain direction after having been worried about a sudden proposal by a man she barely knew. After she calmed down, Elena decided to go home.

The house key Xavier gave was her hope today. She didn't need to sleep on the street. There was a comfortable bed waiting for her in the house on the hilltop. She just needed to get there.

Elena walked to the nearest bus stop and got on the bus to Xavier's house. On the journey, she saw several lovers who were joking around, sometimes the couple kissed passionately while whispering.

Elena cast her gaze out the bus window. She preferred to look at the street at night rather than at a busy couple making out like that.

Elena was 19 years old but she had never had a boyfriend, let alone kiss any man. She was always busy working to earn money and had no time for the opposite sex.

Instantly Elena's thoughts drifted to Elleard. The disabled man looked sincere to her. However, Elena still couldn't understand how a man like Elleard proposed to her to be his wife. Even though he couldn't walk, he was wealthy and surely he could get other women who were more beautiful and well educated than Elena?

Elena sunk deeper into her thoughts. Was it because Elleard couldn't get a wife that he finally gave up and asked Elena to be his wife?

Elena then asked herself if she could accept Elleard. The woman dismissed all her crazy thoughts, maybe Elleard was wrong and would regret his proposal earlier.

As the sun went down, Elena arrived at Xavier's house. She opened the door using the key Xavier had given her this morning. When she entered, Elena was still mesmerized by the beauty of the house.

Where is the man? Elena thought.

***

That night Xavier really didn't come home and Elena was able to enjoy his big house alone. Elena didn't want to break the man's trust. Therefore she kept Xavier's house clean and tidy up all the things or rooms she used.

Elena was really happy to be able to feel the pleasure of sleeping on a soft and comfortable bed again. She woke up the next day and went back to work at the convenience store. She was currently looking for some new job vacancies because she had to earn more money to find a place to live.

Elena realized she couldn't stay at the man's house forever. She must be ready if at any time she had to go and find her own place.

***

After Elena left the apartment because Aunt Ursula kicked her out a few days ago, only then did Elena's cousins and aunt feel how precious the girl's existence had been.

It is she who cleaned the house, washed dishes and clothes, and occasionally cooked for them. Maria and Laura didn't want to clean up let alone wash the dishes.

Since they didn't have a dishwasher, the work had to be done manually and their nails would break if they had to keep washing dishes that way.

"You girls have to clean up the house! It's so disgusting!" said Ursula irritably as she came out of her room and saw a pile of things in the living room and dirty plates and glasses in the sink.

"Mom, just call Elena home so she can clean it up," said Maria.

Ursula also couldn't stand all the housework. Yesterday she also tried to open the flower shop. She had not done the work for a long time her skills had become rusty. She tried to arrange the flowers herself, but the results were weird and no one wanted to buy the flowers.

Finally, Ursula took out her cell phone and called Elena. "Hey! Where are you?"

DING!

She frowned when she heard Elena's cell phone ringing in the living room. Ursula just realized that Elena had dropped her cellphone in the apartment when Ursula kicked her out.

Ugh! Now how could she contact Elena and tell her to go home?

Maria and Laura looked at each other. They didn't want to be constantly told to wash dishes and clean the house.

"She goes to her parents' grave almost every day," said Laura. "Just look for her there. You'll find her."

Aunt Ursula snorted. "You're right."

***

Laura's guess was right. After she was done with work at the shop, Elena took the time to visit her parents' grave. She just sat there and contemplated. Sometimes she would complain to her father and mother as if they were still alive.

Aunt Ursula found her sitting pensively on the edge of the tomb. Immediately the middle-aged woman patted Elena's shoulder.

"Hey! Here you are," said Aunt Ursula curtly. "Where have you been staying these few days? Did you use my money to rent a hotel room?"

Elena was surprised to see her aunt's sudden presence. She looked up and stared at Aunt Ursula in astonishment. "N-no. I don't have the money to rent a hotel."

"Then where did you sleep?" asked Aunt Ursula again.

"I…" Elena gulped. "I have a friend who took me in."

Aunt Ursula raised an eyebrow with a condescending expression. "You are really good at giving people trouble. Always bringing shame to the family."

Elena was shocked to hear her aunt's sarcastic words. Wasn't it Ursula's own lips that drove her away?

"I forgive you because you are my niece," said Aunt Ursula curtly. "You can go home. Don't embarrass your family by staying at other people's house."

"Oh…" Elena remembered the soft bed in the hilltop house that she loved so much. Ah, she really liked her room at Xavier's house, but she soon realized that she was just staying there temporarily. Xavier could throw her away anytime.

Or, even if Xavier had no intention of kicking her out, what if his family came? Or if Xavier had a girlfriend and she wasn't happy to see her man hosting another woman in the house?

Ah… Elena knew she had no choice but to return to her family's apartment, and live with Aunt Ursula and her two cousins, until she could have enough money to rent her own place.

"O-okay, Auntie..." Elena said half-heartedly.

"You should go back to work at the flower shop and make up for the money you stole," said Aunt Ursula, satisfied that Elena had no choice but to return to her house.

Soon their apartment will be clean again. She and her daughters would no longer have to work so hard to clean the house.

Elena was shocked when she heard Aunt Ursula still thought of her as a thief.

"I didn't steal anything," she protested.

"Shut up, you," said Aunt Ursula. "You are rude. Don't talk back when your elders are speaking."

Aunt Ursula grabbed Elena's hand and forced her to come to the flower shop. "Come on, don't complain too much. There are a lot of shop customer orders to complete."

With a heavy heart, Elena walked after her aunt. There, Laura was sitting on the chair, waiting for her. She smirked when she saw her mother arrive with Elena. She knew that her guess was right. They could definitely find Elena if her mother looked for the girl in the cemetery.

"This morning the fresh flowers came in. You should start arranging new bouquets to sell," said Aunt Ursula. She then went inside and sat down to rest.

Elena could only nod. She started cleaning up the remnants of Aunt Ursula's work yesterday that had made the flower shop a mess. Then she continued displaying the beautiful flowers that Aunt Ursula had cut yesterday.

After that, Elena then cleaned the window. Soon, the flower shop looked clean and tidy. As she was cleaning the storefront window, Elena saw from the reflection of the glass Elleard had just arrived with his people. Elena ignored his presence and continued to wipe the window.

"Please make me a bouquet of flowers!"

Elena was shocked to hear that deep voice from behind her suddenly. It was the voice of the man who owned the house at the top of the hill. She turned around and found Xavier standing at the door.

"You startled me," Elena muttered.

Xavier saw a pair of Elena's eyes gleaming at his brother's entourage. "Are you surprised because you're stealing glances at my brother? Do you like Elleard?"

"Brother? Is Sir Elleard your brother?" Elena was surprised to hear this. She remembered seeing Xavier for the first time at the cemetery when Elleard was buying all her flowers. At the time, she thought the two were friends or Xavier was working for Elleard.

Turned out they were brothers!

She looked at Xavier carefully and then stole a glance toward Elleard. The two men did have some similarities, but if Xavier didn't tell her that he was Elleard's brother, Elena would never suspect they were siblings.

Xavier had jet black hair with deep brown eyes that always had this cold gaze. Elleard had ash hair with hazel eyes that looked almost grey. He was just as handsome as Xavier, if not more, but he looked more approachable and warm, unlike the icy Xavier.

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