Sister's?
1321 Words
"Elena," Shaun Hayes said, his voice tinged with annoyance.
"Uncle Shaun!" Elena retorted, not backing down an inch. "What's more important, your health or coffee? You're a grown man; you should know better."
You're a grown man… You should know better…
Shaun's eyebrows twitched uncontrollably.
Uncle Fox looked up, a hint of fear in his eyes, bracing himself for the storm that was about to break.
Shaun stared intently at her.
Elena met his gaze without flinching.
One second, two seconds.
A reluctant resignation slowly crept into his cold eyes.
He sighed and said, "How about every other day?"
"No way," Elena replied firmly. "You have to quit completely."
Caffeine was no good for his condition. In fact, it would only make things worse.
"Once a week?" Shaun tried to bargain.
Her expression remained icy.
"Once a month. That's my final offer."
Shaun: "…Alright."
Uncle Fox, standing nearby, was utterly stunned.
What... what was happening here?
The issue of not drinking coffee had been brought up by previous doctors, but the Young Master never listened to them.
Yet, when Miss Miller mentioned it, he actually agreed?
Uncle Fox looked at Elena with even more admiration in his eyes.
He had a feeling that she might just be the savior of the Hayes Family.
Only then did Elena smile.
"So, it's settled about the coffee. Since it's raining today, we'll skip it, but starting tomorrow morning, you'll go jogging with me."
Shaun: "…I'd rather read the newspaper."
"You can read it after the jog, but you'll only have ten minutes," Elena said firmly.
Then she turned to Uncle Fox and added,
"Uncle Fox, I'll make a list of ingredients. Please get everything on the list. From now on, I'll be in charge of his meals. I'll prepare some nutritious herbal dishes."
Uncle Fox smiled flatteringly.
"Miss, there are some foods that the Young Master doesn't like. Would you like me to tell you about them first?"
"Doesn't like?" Elena frowned. "Is he allergic to certain foods?"
"No, not at all," Uncle Fox replied.
"So, he just doesn't like them?"
Elena glanced at Shaun and said seriously,
"Uncle Shaun, at your age, you shouldn't be picky about food."
Shaun: "..."
At my age?
What age does she think I am?
He felt like flipping the table in frustration.
But seeing her earnest expression, he could only sigh and say,
"Just make whatever you want."
"That's the spirit," Elena said with a bright smile, her tone sounding as though she were coaxing a child.
It wasn't that she wanted to force him.
But his condition was quite serious.
If she wasn't strict, he wouldn't get better.
Shaun couldn't help but clear his throat.
He glanced at Elena and changed the subject.
"I remember I had some well-fitted clothes prepared in your wardrobe. Why aren't you wearing them?"
Her clothes looked quite cheap at first glance.
However, they fit her well and had a simple elegance that suited her even better than the clothes from the Miller Family.
"Uncle Shaun, people should wear clothes that match their status," Elena said calmly. "Those clothes aren't meant for me now."
No one dislikes good things.
But they should be earned by one's own efforts.
Otherwise, it would be no different from the Miller Family's charity, given and taken away whenever they pleased.
Shaun was taken aback for a moment.
He seemed to want to say something, but seeing the clarity in her eyes, he simply smiled.
"As you wish."
After breakfast,
Elena handed the list to Uncle Fox and then turned to Shaun.
"Uncle Shaun, work is never-ending. You can't come home as late as you did yesterday. You need to be back by six o'clock. I'll make sure you take your medicine."
Shaun had always been a man who did things his own way.
But under Elena's gaze, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
He could only nod helplessly.
Elena hurried out the door to catch the bus.
Shaun wanted his driver to take her, but she declined, and he didn't insist.
Brightsun Elite High School.
Elena jogged all the way to her classroom.
As soon as she stepped inside, she noticed some unusual glances.
When she looked over, her classmates quickly lowered their heads, as if trying to hide something.
Elena didn't pay much attention.
She calmly walked to her seat and sat down.
Her classmates couldn't help whispering among themselves.
"Wow. Elena looks like a completely different person with her bangs gone."
"Yeah, she actually looks really pretty."
"She should have done this a long time ago. That old hairstyle was terrible."
Sunlight shone across half of her face, making her skin appear almost translucent.
Without the heavy bangs, her simple ponytail revealed her smooth forehead and delicate features.
For the first time, everyone realized just how beautiful she was.
As the atmosphere in the classroom became increasingly strange, their class teacher, Mr. Ibarra, entered with someone else.
He introduced her.
"This is our new classmate, Rosalie Miller. From now on, she will be studying with us. Let's give her a warm welcome."
The class applauded.
Those who knew the story exchanged meaningful glances between Rosalie and Elena.
Those who didn't know the story simply found Rosalie a bit strange.
Rosalie's outfit looked remarkably similar to how Elena used to dress.
Of course, Elena had completely changed her appearance today.
So the resemblance was gone.
"Rosalie, please introduce yourself," Mr. Ibarra said.
Rosalie glanced at Elena before stepping onto the podium with a sweet smile.
"Hello everyone. I'm Rosalie Miller. I enjoy drawing and reading. I hope we can all get along well this year."
The class applauded again.
Rosalie's eyes wandered around the room before she pointed toward Elena.
"Teacher, I want to sit with my sister."
Elena rubbed her temples.
Maybe she had been spending too much time around Shaun.
Otherwise, why was she suddenly getting a headache?
"Sister?" Mr. Ibarra asked in surprise. "You two are sisters?"
Rosalie replied sweetly,
"I went missing for several years, and during that time, my parents adopted my sister. Although they've now ended the adoption because of some things she did, I'm still used to calling her my sister."
As Rosalie explained, the expressions around them became increasingly complicated.
The Miller Family held considerable influence in Melbourne.
Previously, Elena had been regarded as the Miller Family's precious daughter.
Now it seemed she had merely been a substitute.
With the real daughter back, she had been cast aside.
For a moment, the crowd looked at Elena with a mixture of pity and contempt.
Mr. Ibarra was confused by the complicated family history, but he wasn't the sort of person who judged students based on status.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
"Elena already has a desk partner. Besides, you're not tall enough to sit there and still see the blackboard. You should sit closer to the front."
He pointed out a seat for Rosalie.
Although she was disappointed that she couldn't sit beside Elena and provoke her whenever she wanted, she still nodded obediently.
As soon as Rosalie sat down, several students eagerly gathered around her.
After all, Williams also attended this school.
Although he was in a different class, he knew Rosalie was coming and had already hinted to several students that they should take good care of her.
As a member of the Hayes Family's circle, his influence carried considerable weight.
Soon, Rosalie was surrounded by admirers.
Elena glanced over indifferently before returning to her work.
"Wow, I didn't expect you to be a fake heiress."
The sharp voice came from her deskmate, Helen Norris.
Elena pretended not to hear and continued solving her exercises.
"What's the point of pretending? With grades as bad as yours, it's already too late to start trying," Helen mocked.
Elena still ignored her.
Helen became furious.
She slammed her hand onto the desk.
"I'm talking to you!"
- Writer
