A Sweet Taste of First Love

Chapter 13：Expectations and Dynamics

Nina: Your brother is so hard to chase; you have to give me some benefits, right? Please![Attached is a pitiful emoji]

Sienna: I'm begging you, please spare me, I have a terrible relationship with him. Don't you have his WeChat? Go bother him instead.[Attached is an emoji of someone bowing repeatedly]

Don't bother her; her little heart can't take it.

Nina replied: Okay.

After that, she didn’t send any more messages, so she probably really went to bother Liam.

Sienna glanced at the third floor of the villa, hoping he would take care of himself.

At ten o'clock at night, the old house was quiet, everyone had returned to their rooms to rest.

Sienna came out of her room with an empty cup and almost bumped into Liam, who was also heading out at the same time.

Her heart skipped a beat.

He was wearing a deep gray silk pajama set, his hair slightly damp and naturally falling over his forehead—he had just showered.

Suddenly, Sienna's mind was flooded with Nina's message, and she couldn’t help but glance at him again.

Liam's features were sharply defined and exquisite; at that moment, his half-dry hair hung softly over his forehead, losing its usual sharpness and gaining a touch of gentleness. The short hair obscured part of his eyes, revealing only a pink mole, and the shadows concealed his eyebrows and eyes, making him look incredibly alluring.

He truly looked captivating.

Later, Nina told her she would find a way; Sienna didn’t know if she eventually video-called Liam.

With her eyes downcast, she pondered silently.

Liam glanced at her empty cup.

Her room door wasn't fully closed, and a cool draft wafted from inside, brushing against both of them. He didn’t say anything, but his gaze lingered on her for a moment.

In an instant, she understood what he meant.

He was commenting on how she had set the air conditioning temperature so low again.

She froze for a moment.

Realizing this, he quickly averted his gaze.

Sienna had a bad habit of keeping the air conditioning at an extremely low temperature whenever she rested; as soon as she entered her room, the first thing she did was turn it on.

Liam had always tried to change this habit when they were together.

First, because she often got sick from it, and second, the wind would make her feel drowsy too quickly, which was inconvenient for him.

In the past, whenever he caught her doing this, she would sweet-talk him into letting her off the hook.

Now, however, there was only a heavy silence between them.

They almost forgot that they were now in a broken relationship; that line could not be crossed.

Actually, Sienna didn't think much of anything; she just didn't know what to say.

This atmosphere made Liam feel uncomfortable, and he turned to walk downstairs.

Sienna looked down at her empty cup, stood for a moment, and followed him down the stairs.

The staircase was long and winding.

It felt like a long way down, and they were moving slowly.

When they reached the first floor, the housemaid heard the noise and hurried over to ask if they needed any help.

Liam said, “It’s okay, Auntie. We’re just getting some water. You can go back to rest.”

The housemaid agreed and headed upstairs.

Liam grabbed an empty cup from the living room table and then turned to the kitchen in the back hall.

Sienna walked over to the coffee table to get some water. She was about to head upstairs but glanced at the brightly lit kitchen, feeling conflicted for a few seconds. She picked up a new cup and filled it with juice.

Liam took some ice from the fridge, and hearing the noise, he turned to see someone sneakily pulling the kitchen door.

He leaned against the fridge and watched her.

Sienna struggled to close the kitchen door, exhaling a breath of relief as she turned around, only to meet Liam's composed gaze. The kitchen spanned nearly sixty square meters, spacious enough for two people without feeling cramped, yet Sienna felt as though his penetrating eyes were pinning her down.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his tone casual.

Sienna wordlessly approached him, stopping just half a meter away. She placed a glass of water on the table behind him, then reached for the cup in his hand, which contained half a cup of ice. Liam didn’t resist; he loosened his grip, and the cup came easily into her possession.

It was slightly cold to the touch.

Sienna poured the water she had just fetched into the cup filled with ice, merging the two liquids together. Liam's eyes were fixed on her hands as she performed the simple task, until she finally extended the glass of ice water toward him.

Having lived together for eighteen years and been in a relationship for two, she knew he had a habit of drinking ice water.

He glanced at it but didn’t take it, instead looking back at her, his expression questioning: What’s this about?

Gathering her courage, Sienna finally spoke, her voice steady but soft, "Can we discuss something?"

It was a surprisingly submissive tone, offering to fetch him water while trying to keep the conversation cordial.

For a brief moment, Liam thought she might be hinting at reconciliation, but he quickly dismissed the notion as impossible.

"Can we start treating each other like a normal brother and sister?" she continued, her determination evident.

Liam’s expression instantly hardened. "What kind of nonsense is this?"

"I'm trying to have a serious discussion," Sienna replied, a hint of urgency creeping into her voice as her cheeks flushed. "Look, we’re going to continue living under the same roof. We can't remain at odds forever, not saying a word to each other, can we?"

She paused, collecting her thoughts. "This afternoon, we actually managed to get along a bit, and it made our parents really happy. What I’m saying is, even if we have our issues, can we at least pretend to be friendly in front of family? Just act like a normal brother and sister."

Her tone was serious, but with each word, Liam's expression grew colder. Perhaps to quell the tension, he accepted the glass of ice water and took a long drink.

Sienna continued to watch him, her eyes filled with hope, eagerly awaiting his response. After a moment, he simply said, "No."

He had consumed her "peace offering" but refused to entertain her suggestion.

"Why not?" Sienna felt increasingly frustrated by their inability to communicate.

"Kissing, sleeping together—what haven’t we done? Tell me how we’re supposed to act like siblings in this situation. Which siblings kiss, share a bed, and fall in love? Would you kiss your real brother or date him?"

His blunt words made her cheeks flush crimson. "That’s why I’m saying, aren’t you willing to put on a façade?"

Sienna's voice was firm; perhaps because of her tumultuous childhood, maintaining family harmony mattered more to her than anything. Liam was part of that family.

"I’m not willing," he replied tersely.

"I’m petty and hold grudges, so forget about this idea," he added, turning to leave.

Sienna immediately regretted her impulsive decision to confront him tonight. Had she known he despised her to this extent, she would have kept her distance, avoiding the trouble of fetching him water.

" Liam, is that you inside?" came Vivian’s voice from outside the door. Sienna felt her heart stop at the sound.