Jul turned toward her.
She was sitting across from him, watching him carefully.
"Nothing."
Her eyes narrowed. "But you just frowned."
"I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing important."
Jada frowned deeply. This was a strange conversation for her too. In her entire life, she had never had to pester another person this much for answers. The weight of being among the most influential family came with many attributes, with pride being very crucial.
However, anytime it happened, she just admitted to herself that she wasn't speaking to just anyone. It was a family member, and not just any member; it was her direct sibling.
Her frown eased as she pressed, "You're lying"
Jul stared, stumped. 'She's already getting comfortable enough to say that to me? And why don't I feel annoyed at all?' He was aware of the reason, but experiencing it made it entirely different. Rather than annoyance, he felt something warmer.
Perhaps this was what having a sister felt like.
---
They had spent hours talking and getting to know each other.
At first, the conversations were awkward.
Jada asked questions, and Jul answered, with Katelyn occasionally chiming in.
Slowly, however, the distance between them began to shrink, and as they learned about him, he also learned things about them. A more detailed version of what he already knew.
Katelyn had married into the Mercer family when she was young. Her husband, Reagan Mercer, had been Jul's father. After Reagan's death, however, the privileges that came with being the wife of a Mercer had gradually disappeared.
Fortunately, Katelyn came from the Courer family, an influential middle-class family from a smaller region known for expertise in creating fashion jewelry and luxurious watches.
She had eventually returned to her family, and rather than allowing grief to consume her, she had thrown herself into her craft.
Watchmaking.
Over the years, she had not only perfected her skills but also helped elevate the Courer family into a high-class family within their region.
It had been a good distraction, but it had come at a cost. Her lack of sleep and years of stress had taken a toll on her appearance.
"You still make watches?" he asked.
Katelyn smiled. "Yes."
"And do you enjoy it?"
Her smile widened. "I do."
Then, Jul went silent, making Katelyn blink. "That's it?"
"What else should I say?"
Jada laughed. "Mom, he's really different."
Katelyn laughed as well. "Perhaps."
For some reason, Jul found himself smiling too before he turned to his twin sister, Jada.
Unlike her mother, she had remained closely connected to the Mercer family. Her position, wealth, and influence had remained intact after her father's death, as she was a direct descendant and potential successor of the family.
She had completed her university studies and obtained her master's degree at a relatively young age. Yet rather than immediately stepping into the family business, she had chosen a different path.
Biotechnology.
She was currently running a company focused on increasing human metabolism and accelerating the body's natural healing process.
"It's still in the experimental phase," Jada explained.
"And how is it coming along?"
She looked at him them sighed. "We still have issues with the cellular rejection and..." She stopped suddenly and stared. "...You know, just forget about it for now."
Jul's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Is she trying to achieve regeneration?'
'Interesting...' Jul mused. He found it interesting because, off the top of his head, just from her words, he knew exactly what could make her research progress several times faster.
'And it will be very crucial in my healing process.'
---
The conversation gradually moved away from work.
They talked about other mundane things like things they liked, things they hated, food, school, and places they had visited. It came as a surprise to them that Jul had, in fact, visited more places than them.
Jada also told him embarrassing stories from their childhood. Some of which triggered faint fragments of his memory.
A little girl chasing after a boy through a garden. A young Jul stealing sweets from the kitchen. Jada screaming because he had hidden her favorite doll. Katelyn laughing in the background.
They weren't complete memories, but they were enough.
For the first time in fifteen years, Jul experienced something he had never known, and he didn't know what to say.
So, he said nothing.
---
By evening, the three of them were still talking.
The gap of fifteen years hadn't completely disappeared. It couldn't. There were too many things they had missed and many moments that could never be recovered.
But perhaps they didn't need to recover them.
They could make new ones.
Jul stared at the two women sitting beside him.
His mother and his sister.
For fifteen years, he had lived without either of them. Now they were sitting beside him as though they had never left.
Little by little, the man who had spent several years surviving alone was beginning to understand something. He wasn't simply Jul Mercer because a dead child had given him the name anymore.
He was becoming him.
And perhaps that was the kid's final wish.