Silent Night

Not long after Cathy calmed herself, the door to her room opened, and her three younger siblings entered the room with cheerful smiles.

Cathy tried not to think about the problem for the next few hours. She didn't want to make her sisters worry about her and tried to put them to sleep right away.

After many stories, the twins started to feel sleepy and fell asleep. Likewise, Anna could barely hold her drowsiness and sound asleep like the twins.

Seeing that her three younger siblings were fast asleep, Cathy got up and was about to get out of bed. Suddenly her hand was held back by something.

Cathy turned to Anna's hand, which was now holding her hand.

"Sister Cathy. Please, don't push yourself too much. It's not good if you keep it hidden." muttered Anna, still with her eyes closed.

Cathy smiled warmly at her sister's words. Cathy slowly let go of her sister's grip and kissed her siblings on the forehead one by one before walking out of the room with her phone.

Cathy walked across the third-floor corridor to the elevator and down to the main lobby. Then she walked into a courtyard filled with flowers.

Cathy decided to sit on a long chair made of teak wood in the middle of the garden. Not long after, someone approached her and asked her.

"Can't sleep?"

"Apparently so. You?"

"I rarely sleep early."

Vincent sat next to her without asking permission, making Cathy shift a little so that their shoulders did not touch.

Vincent was also aware of her slight movements, but he let it go and did not take it personally.

"How did it go? Will tomorrow's event go smoothly? I heard that some guests have arrived at this hotel this afternoon."

"..." Initially, Cathy was very confident that tomorrow's event would run smoothly and perfectly.

But now... she's not sure. Cathy felt there was some irregularity in this incident. She felt like someone was deliberately trying to ruin tomorrow's event.

If that was the case, Cathy wasn't prepared for it. This was the first time she faced a situation like this. This was the first time being given such a huge responsibility. This was the first time she felt helpless and wanted to scream out loud from the bottom of her heart.

Should she report this situation to her uncle? Will her uncle scold her and hate her? Or... will she and her sister be kicked out of their home?

Somehow she felt afraid to think of the possibilities she thought of.

Previously she didn't care if her uncle hated them. Cathy didn't care if her uncle would throw them out at any time. She even thought about going and getting away from her uncle's protection.

Then now... why is she feeling scared? No. Cathy wasn't afraid that she would be kicked out. She was not worried that she would be scolded or punished.

But she's afraid... that Benjamin would hate her and her siblings. She was scared of losing a father figure for the second time.

Unconsciously Cathy bit her lip once more until the previous wound, which had not dried, opened again.

"Hey, you will get hurt if you bite your lip like that."

Cathy had just remembered that she wasn't alone. She turned to the young man and immediately looked away. She closed her eyes to prevent tears from falling out of place.

Meanwhile, Vincent felt speechless seeing the teary eyes on the girl. Is the girl crying? Is she in pain?

Of course, she would feel pain if she bit her lower lip hard like that. Vincent just shook his head, not understanding the thoughts of the girl sitting next to him.

There weren't many stars above the dark sky, but there were still a few stars visible. The atmosphere was also tranquil as if it were uninhabited. Both Vincent and Cathy decided to stay silent, enjoying the evening breeze that was not too cold.

No. It was actually freezing for them, but because they were both already wearing thick jackets, they could still survive.

Surprisingly, the two of them didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable at all. On the contrary... they felt strangely comfortable in each other's accompaniment.

They might not know each other and have only met a few times. But at that time... they didn't want to be alone and didn't mind having someone beside them.

The next morning, the sun rose confidently and did not hesitate to radiate its warmth and shine. The sun is not ashamed to show itself to be proud of itself.

The same goes for someone. A beautiful girl does not feel ashamed or care about the look of the people who see her in amazement.

Cathy was standing right in front of the hotel kitchen's back door with her mouth wide open, eyes wide in disbelief. She even pinched herself repeatedly to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

"Chef, tell me this isn't a dream."

"Ah? I thought you sent them."

What the chef meant was... a large truck with three wheels on each side had arrived with a wide variety of vegetables, hundreds of kilos of fresh beef; dozens of skinned chickens and ducks; along with dozens of live fish that were placed in a large aquarium which is closed securely so that no water or fish is out of place during the trip.

Not only that, the ingredients for the spices were so various, more than what they ask for.

"Chef... all the quality of the ingredients is excellent, and the quantity is more than sufficient. We don't even need to change the original dish menu." exclaimed the assistant chef excitedly.

"Really? Then what are you waiting for? We only have less than twelve hours to present it all."

Together, the kitchen employees and receptionists helped to carry food ingredients from the truck to the kitchen. All the employees who were present that morning, without exception, helped move everything in the container truck to the kitchen.