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"Let's go eat." Andy pulled Anna to the dining table, which was already filled with delicious dishes.
Anna sat there, looking around the lavish room and the attentive servants, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy.
"What's wrong?" Andy asked.
"Nothing," Anna replied with a smile.
Andy seemed to understand her discomfort and said to the servants standing nearby, "You can go back now; come tomorrow to clean up."
The servants bowed and took their leave.
As the door closed, the large room became even quieter, with only the occasional sound of chopsticks lightly tapping against the bowl.
Although Anna had fantasized like countless girls about living a princess-like life one day, now that it had suddenly come true, she felt out of place. She remembered the past when she and Andy squeezed together at a small dining table, cooking two servings of ramen, fighting over a single egg, and arguing over what to watch on TV until she eventually subdued Andy by force. Back then, they would only use the money they earned from their jobs to treat themselves to a barbecue on special occasions. Despite being tired and somewhat poor, they laughed and bickered, feeling fulfilled in their closeness.
"Andy, I still prefer our old way of life," Anna said.
Andy smiled slightly and replied, "The old life? Silly Miss Anna, what was good about that poor life? We couldn't buy new clothes for half a year; having a barbecue was an enormous luxury."
Anna thought for a moment and said, "I just feel that even though it was tiring back then, it was very happy."
"It’s just that you haven’t adapted yet. Now that we have money, we will be happier than before. I want to have everything we didn’t have before," Andy said with a smile.
Anna looked at him and nodded with a smile, thinking that everything would surely get better.
"We’ll have dinner soon, and then I’ll take you back to your room. There’s a bathroom in your room where you can take a nice bath and relax," Andy said.
Suddenly, Anna remembered Andy's old habit of taking long baths and smiled lightly.
"What’s up? You’re smiling so sneakily," Andy said, raising the corners of his mouth as he looked at Anna.
"I was just thinking about your old habit of taking long baths, always over an hour, singing and dancing in there..." As she said this, Anna immediately regretted it, her smile freezing on her face.
She saw Andy’s smile vanish instantly. He stopped using his chopsticks, slowly lowered his head, making it hard to see his expression.
A deathly silence and pressure filled the air, leaving Anna at a loss.
Andy slowly stood up, turning his back to Anna, and calmly said, "I’ll arrange for a driver to take you to work tomorrow morning."
"No need..."
"If you don’t want that, it’s fine. I’ve already arranged for someone to book a car for you. It will be delivered tomorrow, so you can drive yourself to work. Don’t refuse; if you don’t drive it, it means you don’t like it, and I’ll get you another one. I don’t want to see you getting up early to squeeze into the subway like before."
Anna knew her earlier words had upset Andy and felt a pang of guilt. Although she was somewhat anxious about Andy's actions, she nodded in agreement, realizing he was only looking out for her. In that moment, she found Andy frightening but quickly dismissed that thought. He was her brother, her closest kin; how could he possibly harbor such emotions?
"Okay, thank you, Andy," Anna said.
"You're welcome. Your room is the third one on the left at the top of the stairs on the second floor. I have a few things to take care of, so I'll step out for a bit."
"Alright."
The sound of the door closing echoed, leaving Anna alone in front of a table full of food, her appetite completely gone. Andy's emotional turmoil had not eased with time; he always remembered the moment his dreams shattered. He buried that pain deep inside, with no outlet for release. Over time, the scars became more pronounced, turning into festering wounds that throbbed painfully at the slightest touch.
Anna sighed and got up to head to the second floor.
At the end of the second-floor hallway was a door leading to the attic, tightly locked with a large padlock. Anna glanced at it but didn't think much of it and returned to her room.
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