Chapter-31

"And what about me?"

Sarah asked looking at him with an expectant gaze.

"Well Sarah has been on the naughty list"

"So, she will only get this"

He said as he gave her a small present but when opened, a clown sprang out from the box. 

"Ahh"

Sarah screamed as she threw the box away but Rex was able to catch it before it caused harm to anyone. Sarah looked back at Rex to see the teasing smirk on his face and instantly knew that she had been tricked. 

"Brother, I will bite you to death"

She lunged at him but Rex held her at bay by pressing her head with his hand. Laughter filled the room from both Rex and the others. 

"Alright, alright, I am just kidding"

"Here is your real present"

He gave her a small present box which made her look at him suspiciously at him again due to the size of the present before opening it. She saw the item inside and had a bright smile on her face.

She screamed like a little girl and had stars in her eyes as she hugged Rex.

"I love you so much, brother"

Moments later, she released the hug and realized that everyone was watching and her face turned red as a tomato. Sarah tried to escape but similar to her previous attempt, her waist was hugged by Rex not letting her go.

"Where do you think you're going" Rex asked with a teasing expression on his face.

"I..I need to check if this gift card is real" Sarah stuttered, a blush still present.

"It's real alright, if it's a scam, I will buy you a new one double the expense"

"It's real"

"Even if it's not, I'll get you another one, double the value."

Hearing the word double, she instantly looked between the gift card and Rex before going back to her seat. As she sat back down, clutching her gift, Sarah avoided eye contact with the others who were looking at her with a giggle, her cheeks still pink. 

__ __ __

The day before Rex had arrived,

The soft glow of the morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a golden hue down the long hallway of the mansion. A door creaked open quietly, and from it emerged a girl with silver hair that shimmered like moonlight. Her light blue eyes, soft and gentle, carried a sleepy look as if she hadn't quite shaken off her sleepiness. She had an aura of cuteness that would make people want to protect her.

Alisia was dressed in an oversized pyjama coloured pale pink with small white dots. The sleeves were too long for her short hands but it didn't deter from making her look even cuter. Her petite and small figure was what she inherited from her mother. As she rubbed her eyes sleepily, she walked barefoot down the hallway, her steps soft on the polished wooden floor. Reaching the window at the end of the corridor, she stopped and took a look outside.

The road beyond stretched into the horizon, bathed in the soft light of dawn. Alisia's gaze lingered, her small hands pressed against the glass. Her expression looked as if she was waiting for someone to appear, a carriage or a familiar figure. But the road remained empty, and her shoulders drooped slightly.

A faint creak broke the silence as another door opened behind her. From it stepped out a beauty similar to Alisia. It was Sarah, her long dark brown hair flowed down her back. Her features bore a resemblance to their mother, Madeleine. Unlike Alisia, she didn't inherit the sense of cuteness which could arise the desire of someone's want to protect them. 

Unlike Alisia who was in her pyjamas, Sarah was already dressed for the day in her maid uniform. Her sleepy expression quickly shifted to a small smile when she noticed Alisia staring out the window.

"Alisia, don't worry" Sarah said, walking over to her.

"He'll be back soon"

Alisia turned her head and looked at Sarah but before she could respond, Sarah pulled out her phone with a proud grin. She tapped the screen to display a messaging app.

"See! I asked him myself when he's coming back"

"He said tomorrow"

The faint sound of footsteps echoed down the hall from the direction of the stairs. Laura, their eldest sister, appeared from the opposite end of the hall.

"What's going on here?"

Laura asked, her voice curious as she glanced at her younger sisters. Sarah, still smug, waved her phone.

"Alisia was worried about Brother, so I told her not to be"

"He already told me he's coming back tomorrow"

Laura's eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned closer to glance at the messages. An expression of surprise crossed her face, followed by a small hint of jealousy. 

'I forgot to exchange contacts with him' Laura thought while maintaining her neutral expression.

"That's good to know"

Alisia, observing this exchange, silently decided that she would make sure to get Rex's contact as soon as he returned. Sarah, oblivious to the silent plans forming between her sisters, puffed out her chest with pride.

"Alisia" Laura said, her gaze shifting to her youngest sister,

"Why are you still in your pyjamas go and change into your uniform"

"We still have chores to finish"

__ __ __

Later, at the dining table, Madeleine was seated at the head, enjoying her breakfast. Despite her petite stature and short frame, the aura she gave out was undeniably motherly. Her soft, warm demeanour contrasted with her unintentionally distracting knockers swaying as she reached for her cup of tea which was a bit far from her reach. She didn't know how much destruction it brought as it moved around. 

Sarah, sitting nearby, glanced down at herself and frowned slightly. Though she had also inherited some of her mother's genes in this regard but her own compared to her sisters especially Laura were not comparable. If ranked it would be Laura, Alisia and her at dead last. Her thoughts wandered briefly,

'I need to drink more papaya milk'

"Mom, is something wrong?" Laura asked, noticing a sigh escape from Madeleine's mouth. 

"It's nothing"

Madeleine said, a soft smile on her lips. 

"I was just wondering when Rex will be back"

"The house feels empty with one less person"

The three sisters glanced at the empty seat beside Madeleine. Realization dawned on them, and Sarah quickly spoke up.

"Don't worry, Mom, brother already told me he'll be back tomorrow"

Sarah said which answered the doubts and worries Madeleine had and Madeleine's face lit up as she spoke softly,

"Oh, that's wonderful! How did you know, Sarah?"

"Brother gave me his contact before he left" Sarah replied,

"Contact, huh"

"I'll have to add him too once he's back" Madeleine said as she hugged her heavy weight balloons.

Unlike the other technologies which she had difficulty with, Laura had not that much trouble teaching Madeleine how to use a phone, at least how to message, call, scroll through the media. 

Sarah upon hearing that her mother would also add her brother felt that it was not something special that was only between her brother and her. But she instantly cheered up since she was the first one who had exchanged contacts with him after he had came back.

"How about throw a party for his return"

"We couldn't do it last time because he arrived in a surprise"

The other three who heard the suggestion, their eyes turned bright and agreed to the suggestion. 

"I'll also invite Clarissa, is that fine, Mom"

"Yes, yes of course" Madeleine replied.