But no one ever told Gianna that having a brother would always feel different, for the young man clung to her like bubble gum. "Be serious with me, Ann," he said, adopting a firm expression, his black eyes filled with seriousness as he demanded, "Are you okay?"
Gianna wasn't used to such expressions, as if her opinion mattered. No one—nobody—had ever asked her, even once: 'Are you okay?' And she couldn't deny the warm feeling that washed over her heart, making her feel alive for a moment.
"Gianna?"
That was all she needed to snap out of it.
Oh yeah, it was for Gianna, not for Brianne.
"I'm fine, Andrea."
"Ahhhh... Why don't you take a leave from school for me? I think I need to stay with you so you won't do anything stupid," Andrea suggested.
"Oh, so you could play Minecraft?" Gianna raised an eyebrow, looking at her younger brother. The young man blushed lightly at being found out but still puffed out his chest. "Wh–why would you put it that way...?" He then walked out of the kitchen, leaving behind, "Let me know when you change your mind, though."
Gianna shook her head, turning her complete attention to the meal she was cooking.
Once done, she set everything on the dining table. Her youngest sibling was already awake. She was a young girl, around twelve, with curly brown hair and big, beautiful eyes that made her resemble a delicate doll. Gianna instantly took a liking to her.
"Good morning, big sister," the girl greeted shyly; even her voice was tiny.
Andrea trudged into the room, sat on the chair, and started eating. He chewed so loudly that both Aurora and Gianna frowned.
"Chew silently," Gianna commented, settling down her cutlery elegantly, even the way she chewed was so proper that Andrea couldn't help but frowned.
He glanced at her as he stretched his hand to pick up a piece of bread. "Why are you acting so strange today? When did you become so prim and proper...?" He put the bread into his mouth, and his expression turned even more puzzled. "Wait, this even tastes..." He made a disgusted expression. "Did you put your tears of sorrow inside?"
Shaking his head, he spat out the bread into a tissue. "It tastes sooo bitter."
Gianna froze for a moment, but choose not to say anything. Her cooking skill seemed to have digressed after a long time of not practicing.
"You are being impolite, brother." Aurora pointed out accusingly.
It was then that Andrea finally looked at Gianna's face, and seeing her eyelashes lowered, he couldn't help but scratch his head, realizing he had gone overboard. "I am just joking, okay?" When he felt Gianna's gaze on him, he immediately added with a sweet smile. "I mean, this tasted better today."
Gianna hummed silently and continued to eat.
Thus, the table became silent. Seeing this, Aurora voiced out shyly yet firmly.
"Big Sister, to me, you will always the best cook."
Gianna met the girl's sparkling eyes and her lips also curled up into the tiniest smile. "Mmm, to me, Aurora will always be the best girl."
Aurora's cheek flushed, her eyes filled with happiness, finally, the table wasn't so silent anymore. Andrea also heaved a sigh of relief.
After breakfast, the kids carried the dishes to the kitchen, and Gianna also prepared to go to the store, which was located just a short distance away in their neighborhood.
But as Andrea was about to leave, he specifically said, "And Ann, don't you dare let your audacious fiancé touch any of my gaming console or Imma wish you both a sad... Ugh, I'm late! Bye!!!"
Gianna was about to clean the table when she heard that, and her brows slowly knitted into a frown. "Fiancé? Why don't I have any recollection of such a person?" She pondered for a while but was suddenly struck by a headache that almost brought tears to her eyes, and she couldn't help but groan as she sat on the chair weakly.
"What's wrong with me?"
She immediately stopped trying to remember anything.
After cleaning the dishes mechanically, Gianna tidied up and prepared to go to the store.
According to the memory she has inherited, the original Gianna had finished high school this year, and her grades were good enough for an average college, but Sofia had said she had no money to sponsor her. More importantly, the original Gianna had also refused to go.
"Wait... Why would she, though?" Gianna muttered thoughtfully, feeling that so many things weren't making sense.
"Well, only time will tell," she thought to herself. She might need to continue her education after gathering some funds, as her mother couldn't be relied on. She would be in real trouble if she couldn't earn some basic income for herself in the future.
When she arrived at the store, Gianna parked her bicycle at the bike rack and made her way inside.
The store was quite small, about 500 square feet, and there weren't many customers daily, so it was easy to clean. Moreover, the original Gianna had been competent and cleaned every day and before leaving at night, so Gianna only needed to do a quick wipe-down.
When she was done, she collapsed into the chair.
"Uh, when was the last time I did this?" she murmured, looking at her handiwork with a deep breath. She could remember that it was a few years ago, almost five years now, when she was 17 and working part-time. She had done various part-time jobs that year until she turned 18. Life had been particularly hard for her then, and her current situation felt like the cherry on top.
By the time she turned 19, she had started to gain a foothold in the industry and was living in luxury. At least she didn't need to clean or cook for herself. The least she had to do was practice every day to perfection, which was difficult, but not to this extent.
She grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf; she had to take care of her throat, after all.
She blinked and suddenly hesitated.
She had already left the industry, so why care about her voice? Why drink room temperature water?
Still, she was used to it and couldn't allow herself to stray.
She unscrewed the cap and took a few sips when she heard some movement behind her. The next thing she heard was:
"Ahhh, this is all I need." A man had approached the refrigerator, taken out a chilled soda, unscrewed it, and taken several sips, droplets spilling in the process.
Once done, he crushed the bottle and flashed her a wide smile. "My love, your store's drinks always hit different!"