CHAPTER 1
"Mom! Why do you always let Emily choose first? She chose the best room in the house well apart from yours but it's still the best! It even has this window side view that I've always wanted my dream room to have," Lena complained, pouting at the older woman in front of her who apparently is her mother.
"Lena honey, how many times do I have to tell you that Emily is your elder sister so naturally she gets to choose first?" Her mother replied with a smile as she looked up from the phone she was holding.
"Mom... It's so unfair. I didn't choose to come to the world after her. Can't she just do this little thing for her younger sister for once?" Lena protested dramatically like she's been mistreated.
But before her mother could reply, the person they were talking about appeared in the doorway. Unlike Lena, she looked just like the younger version of their mother.
Though their mother appeared to be a sophisticated-looking lady, Emily is like the innocent version. She's got this beautiful, innocent appearance.
She walked into the room and said, "Lena, I let you pick a room first the last time we moved remember? So it's fair that I get to pick my room first this time."
Even her tone came out soft and gentle like she was choosing her words carefully, trying not to upset her younger sister.
Lena frowned when she heard this but as always, she still found something to say, "That's different... We are in New York now. Everything here is so different. Please sister, let me have that room."
She walked to Emily quickly and tried to give her that adorable puppy face she knows she won't be able to resist.
Their mother shook her head sideways when she noticed the unwilling look on Emily's face. She knows that even if Emily seems a little bit unwilling to let go of that room, she would still eventually give it to Lena like she always does.
She just wishes that Emily would have a little bit more courage in herself and take a stand on her words but clearly, her older daughter, despite having all her physical features behaves differently from her.
So just before Emily could change her mind, she stepped in, "No... Emily is going to have that room if she wants it. Lena, there are so many rooms in this house to choose from. Go and choose one now then let's start unpacking."
"But mother...," Lena tried to protest again but was cut off by a hard glare from their mother. Emily looked at the unhappy expression on Lena and felt uncomfortable.
She walked to Lena. Holding her hands, she said, "Lena, you can always have sleepovers in my room. The bed is big enough for us to share."
Lena's face brightened up immediately and she smiled at her sister. "Really?" She asked to confirm and Emily nodded. Lena squealed and hugged her.
"I'll put half of my clothes in your closet then... Mother, Emily said I can always sleep with her," Lena turned to their mother. She emphasized the word ALWAYS so their mother wouldn't have anything to protest against.
Then off she went, running out of the room to unpack. Their mother chuckled and mumbled to herself, "She's always acting like a child that sometimes I have to check her birth date again to confirm that she's really seventeen."
Emily laughed when she heard this. Then there was silence for a while before Emily asked, "Will you be going to Celene?"
"Yes, I have to go there this afternoon. I've heard there's a welcome party being held for my transfer to their branch. You still have a chance to change your mind and come with me," Her mother replied with a meaningful smile.
Emily immediately shook her head sideways at this to indicate 'No'. "Mom, I'll rather stay at home and unpack with Lena. Don't forget you have to go school shopping with me later," she tactfully changed the subject.
Her mother laughed at this. Even though she knows Emily is trying to change the subject, she played along, "Is there even a correct statement?"
"Yes... We have to choose a school for Lena later."
"What about you?" Emily turned silent when she heard her mother's question. She didn't have an answer to that so she just stood there and stared at her mother who stared right back.
The woman wants to know if her daughter has finally decided on what to do. But she never got a chance to hear her reply cause her phone rang right then and she excused herself to answer the call.
"The ceremony is starting so soon! I'll be there shortly," She replied and walked away not before giving Emily a meaningful glance that clearly stated,' This conversation isn't over yet.'
Emily on the other hand heaved a sigh of relief watching her mother walk away. Soon after came the loud shouts of Lena, "Emily! Emily! Could you please come to help me out!? I think I'm stuck again."
Emily chuckled. "She's always getting stuck," She soliloquized and walked out of the room.
A sultry-looking woman walked to a door, her high heels making sounds against the beautifully polished tiles. She was holding a bundle of arranged files in her hands. Trying to balance them in her hands made the unbuttoned part of her shirt obvious.
One could even see the lacy underwear she was wearing and you could already envision what was on her mind. Before she even raised her hands to knock, a faint 'Come in' resounded in the room.
She looked flustered as she walked in thinking as always how the boss always seem to know there was someone at the door.
"Sir, these are the files you asked for. Your brother...," She trailed off when the boss turned his swivelling chair around and glared at her. "I mean Mr Scott has also added the ones you gave to him."
"Drop them on the table," He answered lowly and she nodded. She walked forward to drop the bundle of files and accidentally looked into his eyes.
That was when she noticed what his eyes were staring at.