On their way to the dining hall, Hannah and Sheldon walk passed a long aisle filled with a wide range of antiquities that had either been bought or given to the Salvador family by earlier generations.
The residence of the Salvador family was formerly a beautiful palace owned by their ancestors, who were monarchs throughout the 17th century. It is situated in the center of the eleven hectares of land that make up the Salvador estate.
After that, it was inherited by subsequent generations, becoming one of the most magnificent palaces owned by the Salvador family.
Because of the excellent care that the Salvador family gives to its centuries-old home, the family mansion has managed to maintain its beauty and become even more majestic than it was before, despite numerous generations of restorations over the years.
Over time, it was eventually handed down as a family heirloom, taken by the heir of the clan.
When they finally made it to the dining hall, they found the table laden with a variety of delectable meals that were waiting for them.
Seeing her favorite dish on one of the many platters, Hannah excitedly sat in her seat, followed by Sheldon.
"It's a shame Shaine isn't feeling well. She loves this dish more than I do," Hannah said quietly, but Sheldon's hearing senses were sharp enough to hear her.
"Where is she, anyway? I haven't seen her ever since I got here," Sheldon wondered as he carefully sliced the steak on his plate into bite-size pieces, a habit he picked up from taking care of his kids.
"Arthur told me that she wasn't feeling well, so she locked herself in her room," Hannah explained.
Hearing this, Sheldon paused for a second, feeling slightly guilty for what he was about to say, before cautiously opening his mouth.
"Actually, I came back because I need to ask you for a favor," Sheldon started, making Hannah's eyebrows raise as if prompting her brother to continue.
The beautiful maiden savored the gigantic shrimp she was eating while waiting for her brother to continue speaking, but after over a minute, silence was all she could hear, causing the atmosphere around them to shift.
"Go on, Shelly. I think I can handle it as long as you don't say you got another woman pregnant," Hannah continued jokingly, but what her brother said next left her dumbfounded.
"I was hoping... that you could go and have lunch with the son of my business partner. Get to know him"
"..."
"..."
Sheldon dropped the bomb, and for a moment afterward, they just stared at each other, not breaking the silence.
Not even the maids, who were standing beside the wall, waiting to assist them if needed, dared to breathe loudly.
It was as if they are afraid that Hannah's impending anger would be vented out of them, not that it had ever happened before.
"By getting to know him, you mean something like a date?" Hannah inquired, unsure whether she understood what her brother meant.
With a sigh, Sheldon nodded before proceeding to explain further.
"You know I'd never do something like this against your will," he continued.
"But right now, that woman and I are trying to form a partnership that would bring forty-four billion dollars more each month to our company, and I can't just let it go," he added, but it didn't help in alleviating the scowl on Hannah's beautiful face.
The Salvador Enterprise is a parent company that originated in Spain and was passed down from one heir to another in the Salvador family, making the company flourish more and more than it had ever been before.
What began as a modest company back in 1976 has now become the largest technological company in the world, with more than fifteen subsidiaries housed under it.
"Sounds to me like I'm being being prepared to be sold by my own brother, Sheldon. Just for freaking forty-four more dollars," Hannah retorted angrily, now using her older brother's full name rather than his adorable nickname.
"It's forty-four billion dollars, Hanny-boo," Sheldon corrected her, calling her by her nickname, but that did not help in alleviating his sister's anger.
"I don't care, Sheldon!" Hannah snapped, her ears turning red from anger as the volume of her voice rose.
"It's not like we're short on money, so why would I have to do that? What's next, an arranged marriage if your future profit is higher?" the young maiden growled, losing all of the gentleness she had only a few minutes before.
The Salvador Enterprise is already making hundreds of billions of dollars each month, and Hannah believes that it's more than enough, so she couldn't understand her brother's point of view.
"Of course not! That's not what I meant, Hannah... Can you please just try? Get to know the boy. Consider this my first and last request," Sheldon pleaded while pitifully staring into his sister's eyes with his blue ones, making Hannah's anger fade a little.
Hannah could not bring herself to be selfish after remembering how her brothers practically reared her and Shaine since they were children, despite the fact that her brothers were young boys themselves, preventing them from participating in things that other kids their age would normally enjoy.
"Just a date, then. If I don't like him, you won't be able to force me no matter how much you beg," Hannah relented, despite knowing to herself how she would keep on falling into her brother's pitiful act just because she loves him so much.
"It's a date?" Sheldon asked as if to make sure that his sister really agreed before he continued.
Slowly, Hannah nodded her head.
"Yes! Thank you very much, Hanny-boo. Let's keep eating," Sheldon happily uttered with a wide grin on his face.
He looks just like a little boy who received his favorite truck, making Hannah smile as well.
Just then, the ringing of Sheldon's phone interrupted their meal once again.
Seeing that it was his wife who was calling him, Sheldon answered the call without leaving the table, a smile still plastered on his lips, while Hannah looked at him as she continued eating once again.
"Hello?... What? Who?... Calm down. Calm down. I'll be there as soon as I can" with a slightly panicked look, Sheldon ended the phone call before he stood up, giving Hannah an apologetic look.
"I'm so sorry, Hanny-boo. I know we haven't seen each other in a long time, but one of the twins was just rushed to the hospital, and I need to get back to Spain," Sheldon hurriedly apologized before he practically ran out of the dining hall to get into his car.
Hannah couldn't even say goodbye because he had his whole attention on his phone as he called his secretary to tell him to prepare the plane as quickly as possible.
"..."
Hannah's hunger vanished as she sat alone in front of a table large enough to seat twenty people. The dishes served in front of her were no longer as enticing as they had been a few moments before.
With a sigh, Hannah could only calm herself by casually looking up to find comfort in the mural made on the ceiling of the Salvador mansion by a famous artist.
"It's okay. I'm okay" Hannah told herself.
Hannah had always wanted to spend her time and go out with all of her siblings since she was a child, but accidents happened one after the other as if fate was playing a joke on her, and before she realized it, they had all grown up without even having a complete family picture.
As if to console herself, Hannah convinced herself that her twenty-five-year-old brother, Sheldon, who is the oldest of the four of them, was so busy because he had been handling most of their family's business since their parents died that he rarely had time to go home to them.
Aside from being busy with his work, Sheldon already has a family of his own, which he should prioritize. He has a loving wife and a beautiful pair of twins, so Hannah cannot keep on demanding her brother to see them whenever she likes.
Her twenty-four-year-old brother, Sean, though unlike Sheldon, who has a family of his own, also cannot go home to them as frequently as he wants to.
This is because he, as the founder of the country's best and most rapidly growing pharmaceutical company, has many obligations to fulfill, especially now that the government has invested in his team to continue the research for cancer treatment.
Unlike her older brothers, Hannah's twin sister, Shaine, is the closest to her, and they spend the most time together among the four of them.
However, even though neither of them is yet working, Shaine, who is always at the mansion, rarely leaves her room because she is too preoccupied with her studies.
Also, even if she does leave her room, Shaine would always go straight to the library in their mansion and spend hours reading more books about medicine.
Remembering her colleagues' offer to eat and play together a few hours earlier, Hannah suddenly regretted not going with them.
Now, she has to stay in the humongous palace, feeling lonely yet once again.
***🦋***
Author's Note
Gosh! Because of the soft spot she has for her brother, Hannah unwillingly agrees to go on a date with the son of Sheldon's business partner. Who is he, and how will their date turn out? Are you curious as well? To find out, slide to the next page and read more. I promise you will love it. Happy reading to you, cuties!