Chapter 5 Parent's affection
The siblings decided to go home after they've finished eating their meal. Aiden informed her that he will meet with Sarah tomorrow, and asked if she wanted to accompany him and meet her brother's fiance.
Since she has nothing to do, she agreed. Alia had already finished her assignments,which is to read and reflect on a few pages of the textbook.
It's easy to do, so she had already read the passages on the pages given by their teacher before going home last friday.
Or should she say, the past her, before she came back.
After they finished eating, they went straight home. Alia went to her bedroom and took a bath. As she finished changing into comfortable clothes, she decided to go through her purchases and keep them in their designated storages, as she waited for her hair to dry. After she's done with it, and her hair has dried up already, she decides to take a nap.
Thirty minutes before six, she woke up from her nap as she heard a couple of knocks on her door.
Then, Aiden's voice was heard soon after, "Lia, wake up, it's time for dinner."
Alia ignored her brother's voice and rolled over on the other side of the bed, with her eyelids still tightly closed.
"Lia. Wake up." Her brother's voice continued to pester her eardrums, so she covered her ears tightly with a pillow.
But of course, how could her brother become a successful businessman if he doesn't know how to deal with people?
So he rummaged through his vague memory of their childhood. Aiden believed that some things may not have changed yet.
And….
"Lia, wake up! I'll eat your sundae and fries!"
Voila!
Lia, who was previously ignoring him, suddenly sat up and shouted, " No!! Those are mine! Don't touch it!"
She went down from her bed, grabbed a hair string, put her hair up in a ponytail and opened the door in a flash. Alia bypassed her brother and almost ran to the dining hall. She arrived towards her destination in just a minute, which greatly contrasted with three minutes of her normal pace of walking.
Aunt Fely, who was going back to the kitchen after placing the utensils on the table, jumped in fright upon seeing Alia as she turned around.
She held onto her chest with her eyes bulging with fear and shock.
After she calmed her heart, she half-heartedly scolded Alia, " Young Miss! Do you want me to die out of fright? You really scared me! I thought that there's a burglar!"
Ooops!
Alia scratched her head as she awkwardly apologized to Aunt Fely, "Sorry Aunt! I was just excited to eat my sundae and fries."
Seeing that Alia was really sorry and was also embarrassed, Aunt Fely didn't push the matter.
She smiled at the young miss and just advised, "Go ahead, there's sundae and fries later for you after dinner. Just be careful next time, okay?"
"Yes, Auntie, thank you!"
Alia proceeded to walk to the dining table, but then, her eyes widened. She looked down at her clothes. Oh, no! Did she just come out of her room without changing her clothes?!?
So embarrassing!
It's fine if she was going to eat alone, but her parents and her brother were going to dine with her too!
How can she face them wearing Hello Kitty pajamas?
Alia panicked. She debated in her mind whether to go back or not.
She paced back and forth for a while, then she finally decided to go back and change. She ran fast, as if her life depended on it.
This was her older brother's fault! How could he trick her like that?!
Just as was about to reach her bedroom door,she came face to face with her parents. Alia almost collided with her mother.
Mrs. Alicia held her daughter's shoulder to steady her.
Mr. Qin's brows furrowed while he asked, " Why are you running?"
The tip of Alia's ears, together with her face and neck turned bright red. This was the first time ever since she was a kid that she really felt such shame in front of her parents!
Yes, she was accused in her last life, but she felt utter sadness,not shame. She knew that she wasn't the thief. Her only fault was that she trusted the wrong set of people, who just wanted to use her as a scapegoat. That's why she was more indignant than ashamed.
But now….
She's hundred percent embarrassed!
'Big brother!~ I will make you pay! Grrr!'
"Alia?"
She was thinking about making her brother pay, that Alia didn't notice her parents' inquiries.
They've been calling her a few times already, but she gave no response nor reaction.
So, her mother lightly shook her shoulders to get her to respond.
"Ah? I-i f-fine moth-mom. Don't worry. I just ahm, forgot something. I'll go ahead."
Mrs. Qin looked at her pajamas and teased, "Oh… But I rather like your pajamas."
Alia's complexion turned even redder. Since when did her mother learn to tease her?
And, why of all times, she decided to tease her now?! Argh! Older brotherrrr!
Seeing Alia frown, Alicia half enquired, half teased her daughter a little bit more, "Why, you don't believe me?"
She even added a frown of her own afterwards.
"No! Ah, I m-mean it's not what I was thinking" Alia answered as she waved her two hands in front of her body, to back up her statement.
"Really? Okay, then. Let's go. You don't have to change your clothes." Alicia decided not to tease her daughter anymore.
She knows that Alia would be overwhelmed too much if she continued to do so. She and Alphonse had decided earlier to treat their daughter well from now on. They will give time to bond with her and really get to know her.
The both of them feared that their dreams were going to come true, if they didn't at least try to get close with their daughter. Alicia hoped that it was not too late. The husband and wife both realized that they had technically abandoned their youngest child as they focused more on their businesses, like their son.
While she was pondering on how to proceed with their plan to get close to Alia, their daughter was astonished. She never pegged her parents as the laidback type.
Well, they've ignored her 99 percent of the time but they were still strict with her when they paid attention. It's the first time that they did this kind of thing.
As they were all deep in thought, they never would've noticed that they had arrived at the dining hall already, if Aiden, who was already there, had not spoken.
"Good evening Mom, Dad, Lia."
The three of them snapped out of their own thoughts, and they all replied to Aiden in unison, "Good evening."
Though of course, our dear little Alia was still a bit angry at her brother. She just doesn't want to ruin the mood. She really wants to eat her yummy sundae and fries! She'll just enjoy it for now.
As the youngest Qin thought of tasting these foods, she had forgotten her embarrassment for the moment. We'll just have to wait how long she will forget it and how she will remember this incident.
They ate the main course of their dinner peacefully. And after they're all done, the maids brought the desserts out.
Alia restrained herself into snatching her designated desserts for the evening.
As she waited, she chanted in her mind, "Come on! Come, give me my food! Hurry up!"
She repeated it for five times until it was finally brought in front of her.
Alia started picking up a fries and delving it into her cup of sundae.
Hmmm! Yummy!
She's so into eating her desserts that she didn't notice that the maids are all gawking at her. Even her family are not any better.
They never had thought that she could eat that much!
You also could have never guessed that the youngest Qin can eat that fast, as if her life depended on it.
Alia finally noticed that the atmosphere inside the dining hall seemed to be off.
She looked up and saw everyone watching her eat. Her family even stopped eating at one point and just sat there watching her.
Alia blushed.
Why are they staring at her? Did she do something wrong?
She looked up to her older brother with a confused facial expression,"Brother? Did I do something wrong?"
"No. We're just happy to see you eat cheerfully."
Alia scrunched up her face. Why did she feel that her brother was blatantly lying to her face?
She looked down trying to stop the pout that was threatening to show up on her lips.
It seems that with her second chance, her calmness for almost every situation has been reduced to dust.
Upon noticing her downcast emotions, Aiden tried to change the topic.
"Don't eat too much, you're going to have a stomach ache if you eat more. You won't be able to accompany me tomorrow if that happens."
Their parents look at the both of them and Mrs. Alicia Qin asked, "Tomorrow? Where are you going?"
"To Sarah's bakeshop."
Mr. Alphonse nodded in response and then added, "Be careful."
Aiden nodded. He knew what was hidden in that message.
He should take care of Lia.
They'd already discussed the matters about their relationship with her earlier, so their father need not say any more words for now.
"Finish your food, your mother and I will go ahead to bed."
Alphonse stood up and then held his hand out for Alicia. Before they went out, they both bid goodnight to all the people present.
Lia was shocked when her parents stopped at either side of her. Her mother kissed Alia's left cheek while her father patted her head tenderly.
Her eyes widened. Then after two seconds, there's a tear threatening to fall down. Luckily, she stopped them in time.