DING DONG
Alex's doorbell rang as he sat in front of his desk, his eyes flickering towards the direction of the door, the blue screen in front full of numbers. Alex ran a business, managing a chain of hotels that he built from the ground up, spending all of his twenties on the company and earning millions.
He then turned back to the screen, his gaze travelling towards the bottom right, checking the date and time with a frown. He wasn't expecting anyone today; who would it be? He wondered inwardly.
DING DONG
The doorbell rang once more, making him stand up from his seat as he yelled, "Coming!" He lived alone in a large mansion in a secluded place, away from all the chaos of the city. The mansion was big, but moderately decorated; he wasn't keen on decorating it since he lived alone.
It took him a moment to reach the door, and as soon as he did, he saw a woman standing in front of him, her fingers fiddling with each other.
She seemed to be in her early forties, her black hair cascading down to her waist while her plump body was tightly hugged by a t-shirt that definitely wasn't her size, emphasising the two curvy mountains on her chest, "Alex…"
Alex looked at the woman for a moment, his frown creasing, and his green eyes scanning her in surprise, "Big sis?" That's right, the woman was Alex's big sister, Rachel.
Rachel looked at her little brother, her eyes glancing up and down his body. He was wearing a white sweatshirt over his fit body and black joggers, a sly smile blooming on her face as a glint of mischief passed through her eyes. "Wow! You've become more handsome, little brother!"
"It's not going to work on me anymore, big sis!" Alex was quick to respond, his eyes squinting at her, causing Rachel to click her tongue with a small pout on her lips, "Still worth a try!"
CHUCKLE
Alex chuckled at her reaction, a little happy that his sister had come to visit him. "Come in," he said, opening the door wide and inviting her inside.
Rachel too smiled back at her brother; walking inside the house, she immediately hugged him tightly and pressed her body against him. "It's been too long, little brother," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulders.
Alex's smile widened as he hugged her back, responding, "Yes, it has…"
The siblings hugged each other for a few moments before Alex brought her to the living room; he then went to the kitchen to bring some drinks while Rachel sat on the sofa, looking around the room.
But then a frown creased her brows; almost every object in the room was riddled with dust, the table in front was almost drowning in it. She shook her head in disappointment, questioning her little brother's living conditions in her mind.
Soon, Alex returned with two glasses of juice in his hands, handing one over to Rachel. He sat beside her since it was the only sofa that he cared to clean once a month or two.
Rachel took a sip of the juice before setting it on the table and turned to her brother, "Alex, aren't you a millionaire? Why are you living like this?" she asked, a genuine concern taking root on her face as she pointed at all the dust on the table.
And Alex dismissed it quickly, "I live alone, and I don't like strangers coming to my house. But the house is too big and I'm too busy to clean it myself."
"But still, you can't live like this; at least hire a part-time maid or something. You might get ill in the future if you don't!"
"Haha," Alex laughed as he listened to her words, "I missed your nagging, sis." He replied, flicking her forehead, causing her to flinch as she covered her forehead, pouting, "meanie!" which only made Alex laugh even harder as he said, "Alright, sis, I'll listen to you; I'll hire a maid," making his sister smile in reaction.
He then looked at his sister in her eyes, a small smile lingering on his face as he asked, "But forget about me; how are you, Rach?"
Rachel froze at his words for a moment, her cheeks reddening with shame while her gaze fell down to the floor. Watching this, Alex frowned as he took his sister's hand in his, "What happened, sis? Did something happen with your brother-in-law? Is he drinking again?!"
"No! It's not him!" Rachel quickly clarified, "he is now sober and is working a full-time job, i-it's just…." Rachel hesitated, biting her lip as she darted her gaze around, unsure of how to tell her little brother.
Alex, noticing his sister's hesitation, moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "Tell me, sis. Didn't we promise each other? No secrets!"
Rachel turned to her brother, a small smile blooming on his face for a moment, "... Yes, no secrets."
Alex too smiled in return; he then began to rub her back, waiting for her to speak.
"Although Henry is now sober and is working along with me at the gas station, t-the money isn't enough ... so we took on debt; Lily and Maddie were growing up fast. To meet their needs and school fees, we took debt from a loan shark…"
Rachel paused for a moment and looked at her brother, who was now looking at her with narrowed eyes, definitely pissed. She bit her inner cheeks before she continued, "Lily and Maddie have got into Harvard. Haha, sometimes I wonder if they are truly my kids; they are so smart, unlike their mother…"
Alex watched his sister, anger and pity simmering in his heart, with the only question in his head being, why didn't she come to him? Did she forget that she had a little brother who loved his sister and would definitely help? But he kept his questions to himself and listened to her as she continued.
"Their college fee is too much. All the savings we had were spent on paying the interest and keeping the sharks off our backs—"
"How much do you need?" Alex cut her off, not able to listen to her hardships anymore. His heart banged against his chest, anger taking over as he clenched his jaw, his eyes glinting. His anger wasn't just at his sister, but also at himself. He should have checked on her once in a while, making sure that she was okay, her children were doing okay, but he didn't.
Rachel, observing Alex, knew exactly what he was thinking; she flicked his forehead this time, snapping him out of his daze. "It's not your fault, Alex!" she said, causing Alex's green eyes to flicker in reaction.
She then raised her hands, cupping his face and with a big proud smile on her face, she continued, "You know your big sister, right? I'm proud; I would rather live on the streets than live off my little brother, who has worked so hard to earn his money!"
Alex's heart thumped, his eyes widening as he looked at his sister. Yes, that was the Rachel he knew; that was the woman he grew up with. He smiled at her, "...Yes, that is my sister," he replied.
Rachel's smile widened as she added, "And that's why, even now, I don't want you to just give me your money for free! No! I won't accept it; give me a job, I'll work until I clear it."
Alex frowned at her words, "But, there's—"
"Nope! I won't take it like that!"
"But, sis—"
"No, Alex!"
Alex watched his sister's face; her face was red with determination while her green eyes glared at him in resolve. He understood that she wouldn't give up on this. Sighing, he agreed, "....alright."
Rachel's eyes widened as she immediately hugged Alex tightly, her hands wrapping around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder, "Thank you, Alex. You don't know how much this means to me!"
Alex smiled softly, hugging her back. The two siblings hugged each other for a few minutes before Rachel pulled away, wiping off her tears. "So, do you have a job for me in mind? How about I become your assistant? I don't know a lot, but I managed a drunkard of a husband, two kids and a gas station; although it's in the middle of nowhere, I think I can manage it!"
Alex thought about it for a moment, considering her proposal, but then he shook his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, Rach, but your pea brains would fry before the first hour!"
"Hey!" Rachel yelled, hitting her brother on his chest while Alex chuckled and Rachel cursed, "Bastard!"
Alex chuckled for a few more moments under the death glares of his sister; he then shook his head, calming himself down. "Sis, you've worked hard enough, I'm on vacation now; it ends in a week. After that, let me tell you, it will be hectic. I don't want you to feel that stress."
Rachel's expression softened at his explanation, nodding her head reluctantly. Alex, watching this, thought about what his sister was good at: cooking, cleaning, taking care of the house, and that was when it hit him.
He turned to her, his eyes glinting as he asked, "Sis, how about you become my housemaid?"