The winning lottery ticket

"Oh, my dear baby! Why did you discharge yourself from the hospital? Do you feel better now?"

"Princess, are you okay now? Your mother and I rushed home when we heard that you left the hospital!"

Gigi forced a smile as her mother and father sandwiched her on the couch. The couple bore looks of concern, eyeing her as if she had just survived a terrible illness.

'It's kinda weird… to have parents,' she thought, smacking her lips as she forced a big smile. "Mom, Dad, I'm fine! Although there were many things that I don't remember, the doctor said it's much better if I surround myself with the people I love and care about and places I'm familiar with."

Her brows rose. "That way, it might help me remember faster."

The couple looked at each other, having heard that from the other doctors they went to. They then set their eyes on their daughter, sighing heavily.

"My poor baby." Mrs. Valentine stroked her daughter's hair pitifully before her sharp eyes landed on her husband.

"Gigi, my daughter." Mr. Valentine, on the other hand, tugged Gigi's hand slightly to get her attention. "I heard that you also dropped charges against Aqua —"

"Why would you mention that girl's name again!?" As if Aqua's name was taboo, Mrs. Valentine yelled at her husband. "This is what I kept telling you about!"

"Honey—"

"You're traumatizing our daughter just for mentioning her name. Aren't you ashamed!?"

'You two are traumatizing me,' Gigi pressed her lips into a thin line as her parents started arguing. 'I don't know if this is normal here, but by the looks of it, it is normal for them to argue.'

A shallow breath slipped past her lips, and she leaned back a little as it was awkward sitting between a couple who were arguing. After a moment, when she sensed that the argument was escalating, Gigi clapped and moved forward.

"Mom," she called and faced her before turning to her father. "Dad. Please, let's not get angry at Aqua anymore, alright? Although I don't remember anything before the incident, I'm sure it was an accident."

Bubbles, who was seated in the other chair, frowned. 'That's not true. It was intentional.'

"And since I don't remember, I choose to forgive!" Gigi intoned. "Aqua is family! She's like a sister since we grew up together, right?!"

Her father smiled at Gigi and nodded in relief. Her mother, on the other hand, couldn't help but frown. Not surprising since Mrs. Valentine disliked Aqua.

"Gigi." Mr. Valentine clasped her hand approvingly. "Yes, you and Aqua are like sisters. I'm glad that you chose to forgive her."

Mrs. Valentine ground her teeth but suppressed whatever she wanted to say.

"And I want to move forward, so since I don't have my memories from the past, I want to have a fresh start!" Gigi announced, planting the seed of reasoning so no one would question her in the future.

"Yes, let's do that," her father willingly participated in the conversation while her mother went quiet.

Gigi turned to her mother and adjusted her seat. "Mom."

"Fine," Mrs. Valentine huffed in defeat. "If that is what my daughter wants, then fine."

"Hehe." Gigi giggled, still finding it weird to address them as such. After all, she grew up without parents. But in this world, to survive, her parents would come in handy.

As that was settled, Bubbles cleared her throat to get the attention of the family of three.

"Auntie, Uncle, do you know my young miss got her driver's license today?" Bubbles announced with pride. "And she drove a car for the first time with me as her first passenger!"

Surprise quickly took over the couple's faces, and they looked at Gigi with surprise.

"Gigi, you know how to drive?" Mrs. Valentine gasped. "Isn't that a little dangerous? You just got your driver's license."

"Auntie, my young miss is a genius! She's gifted and talented in every area! Even if it's her first time, of course she knows how to drive!" Bubbles chimed in, making Gigi's face twitch a bit.

At this point, Gigi might duct tape Bubbles' mouth just to stop her from spewing a bunch of nonsense. Getting praised wasn't so bad, but with it also came unrealistic expectations!

"My daughter, that is dangerous," said Mr. Valentine. "However, it seems you truly are maturing."

As Gigi forced a smile while listening to her parents and Bubbles bragging, she caught a figure from the corner of her eye. Turning her head, her eyes landed on a silver-haired young lady tied into a ponytail, paired with gray eyes.

Aqua had a small face and delicate facial features, and even when she looked sad and hesitant, she looked mesmerizing. Gigi's mouth fell open slightly, momentarily surprised at the petite woman approaching.

'She really is the female lead,' Gigi thought. 'I didn't see her properly last night, but damn, she's like an angel.'

Catching Gigi looking in a direction, her parents and Bubbles followed her line of sight. The second their gaze fell on Aqua, Mrs. Valentine and Bubbles frowned. Mr. Valentine, on the other hand, smiled softly at her.

Aqua clutched her shoulder, stopping a few steps from where they were. Her head was slightly low, looking at them with hesitation.

"Auntie, Uncle…" Aqua's quiet voice echoed; it was soft and soothing to the ear and could lull someone to sleep. She then gazed at Gigi. "Gigi. About what happened… I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to, and — and thank you for dropping the charges."

Bubbles and Mrs. Valentine quickly felt a strong bitterness in their hearts. If it were up to them, Aqua would be behind bars.

"Aqua, you don't have to worry about that," Mr. Valentine offered her a reassuring smile, but Aqua just pressed her lips into a thin line.

Much to her surprise, Gigi suddenly jumped from her spot and walked toward her. Seeing her approach, Aqua couldn't help but take a step back. Her entire body tensed up, scared of what Gigi would do to her.

But alas —

Gigi suddenly reached out and hooked her arm around her, smiling brightly. That smile was enough to make Aqua flinch.

"Aqua, don't apologize anymore, and you don't have to thank me!" Gigi, who was not going to waste her time dilly-dallying, smiled so widely her eyes were squinting. "I'm sure you didn't mean whatever happened because… we're sisters, aren't we?"

Aqua's brows slowly rose in surprise, while Gigi beamed, her eyes glinting behind her squinted eyes.

For Gigi, this beautiful heroine was akin to a winning lottery ticket. No way in hell she was going to let this girl go.