Violet walked into the house with her phone in her hand. Her smile became wider as she looked at Ryan's smiling face that she had managed to capture earlier.
Ryan looked quite good.
When he smiled, he no longer looked like the annoying guy she met at the cafe a few weeks ago.
The first time they met, Violet did not have a good impression of Ryan. He was a terrible person. Violet remembered the urge to punch Ryan in the face after he said a few words to her.
But after she was forced to spend some time with him, Violet realized that Ryan might not be as bad as she thought he was.
He was still annoying.
But talking to him was no longer as hard.
Violet thought that Ryan was quite caring and attentive.
She still remembered observing his interaction with his co-workers and patients while she was hospitalized not too long ago. She managed to see the other side of him and realized that the only reason he was being a jerk during their first meeting was because he wanted her to back off from the arrangement.
Perhaps he had never thought that she too did not want an arranged marriage.
A scene appeared in her mind.
Violet's heart was pounding as she recalled how Ryan pulled her away to avoid those drunkards earlier.
The small move made her heart flutter.
It was at this time that Violet remembered something that Sarah had mentioned to her previously.
Sarah was always worried about her arrangement with Ryan.
Ryan agreed that they should pretend to go along with their parent's wishes and spend their time together. Once the time was up, they were going to tell the elders that they were not suitable as a couple.
Meanwhile, Sarah was worried that her heart would change.
According to Sarah, even a small gesture could touch one's heart.
The person she hates might be the one she likes in the future.
Violet paused as the thought came to her mind.
Her heart skipped a beat upon realizing that her feelings for Ryan had gradually changed.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Ah!" The voice, coming from her side, made Violet jump. As she looked up, Violet saw her elder brother staring back at her. "You! What are you doing? You scared me."
Jace scoffed. "I called your name a few times but you were too busy staring at your phone." He leaned forward, wanting to peek at Violet's screen. Unfortunately, Violet was fast enough to avoid him.
Jace straightened up his posture again and scoffed. His eyes narrowed as he recalled how Violet had left with Ryan after sending him home. "How is it going with you and that idiot? I can see that your relationship with him is better than what you tell me."
Violet rolled her eyes. "It's not what you think. We both came to realize that we wanted the same thing. Currently, we are both cooperating to get what we want. It's better than to be hostile towards each other."
"A few weeks ago, you would look at Ryan as if you wanted him dead soon," Jace commented.
Violet laughed. "He's still a prick. But now, he's a tolerable prick." A faint sigh escaped her lips. "Well, Dad told me to treat him like a friend. So, that's exactly what I did. After spending some time with him, I found that he's not that bad."
"You need to stop listening to Dad sometimes," Jace said.
"Most brothers would advise her sister to listen to their parents," Violet said and giggled. "What you do is quite the opposite."
"Right," Jace scoffed. Then, he looked up at her sister. "Violet, I don't care if he's a nice guy or whatever. Even though I strongly oppose the idea of this arranged marriage, I know that Dad will not set you up with any lunatic." He stood up straight as he kept his eyes on his younger sister. "I'm just curious…. Do you like him? Do you have any feelings towards him?"
Violet froze before she started to laugh out loud. "Don't be ridiculous. How can I like him? Jace." A faint sigh escaped him. "I'm telling you that you are worrying too much. Ryan and I… We are just being civil to each other. At most, I can think of him as a good friend. That's all."
"Alright then." Jace nodded. "If you say so." His lips pursed as he considered Violet's words.
Somehow, Jace had a feeling that things between Ryan and his younger sister wouldn't be that simple.
…
That morning, Evan was frosting a few cupcakes when Sarah walked into the room.
Sarah walked over and stared at the cupcake on Evan's tray hungrily.
"Don't just stare at them," Evan said with a chuckle. "You can grab one if you want to. Or else, you're making me feel as if I am trying to starve you."
Sarah looked reluctant. "I shouldn't… I'm watching my weight. You know that I will be debuting soon."
"Just one bite of cupcake won't hurt you," Evan said.
"You're tempting me."
Evan laughed as he saw the frustrated look on Sarah's face. Then, he lowered his head again to concentrate on his work.
Sarah continued to watch as Evan worked. In the end, the sweet scent of the cupcake was too tempting. "Just one, alright."
Evan nodded. "Go on."
Taking a deep breath, Sarah grabbed a cupcake and took a small bite. A moan escaped her lips as the taste of the chocolate melted into her mouth. The sweetness and the slight bitterness completed each other.
The cupcake was too heavenly.
"God, Evan. You're going to make me fat."
Evan rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic."
Sarah took another bite from the cupcake and smiled. She swept her gaze around the place and finally realized that her cousin, Violet, was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Violet? Is she not around?"
Evan gestured towards the back. "She should be back there."