Chapter 10 "I'm hungry. I'm going to get something to eat." I kept walking toward a small diner nearby. Their hotdog bun was just two dollars, and the grilled chicken with vegetables was three. They were my favorite dishes. Normally, I'd pick one and stretch it out over a meal. But today, I decided to splurge and ordered both. Just as I started eating, Shane walked in. The strong aroma hit him hard, making him cough uncontrollably. He covered his mouth and nose before sitting down beside me. "You're eating this?" He looked shocked. I nodded. "It's good." He frowned deeply, speechless for a moment. After a sigh, he said, "Leila's life abroad is miles better than yours. Her monthly allowance is over forty thousand dollars. From what I hear, she's partying every day." I kept eating my hotdog bun, clearly unbothered. Seeing that I didn't respond, Shane suddenly pulled out a card and handed it to me. "You're the top scorer in the city. That's a big deal. As your brother, I'll reward you with twenty thousand dollars. Use it for college." How generous. He was offering me half a month of Leila's allowance as a reward. I didn't take it. He placed the card on the table, looked at me for a long moment, and left silently. I took Shane's card back to the villa and left it on the coffee table in the living room. Afterward, I finished packing my things. I was ready to head north, to the capital, a place of open skies and endless possibilities. 1/3 +25 Bonus As I was leaving, my parents came home. Their faces were sour, and the moment they saw me, they held back their anger and questioned me sharply. "Carol, why didn't you stay for the group photo? The school officials were looking for you everywhere! Do you know how embarrassing this is for us?" "I didn't know about the photo," I explained briefly, then walked out the door. My dad took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on me. My mom suddenly grabbed my hand, her eyes glistening with tears. "Carol, do you hate us? It's been three years, and you've never smiled at us. "Even now that you've gotten into Crownridge University, you didn't share the joy with us. We're your biological parents!" Biological parents? I stopped and looked at her, my gaze calm and distant, as if I were looking at a stranger. Memories swirled in my mind before settling into a still, emotionless pool of water, unbroken by even the faintest ripple. "I think you misunderstand," I replied. "Smiling just doesn't come naturally to me." "Ridiculous!" My dad's face flushed with anger as he straightened up, his tone heavy with the authority of a patriarch. "Carol Lowe, from the day you came back, your heart hasn't been with us! We waited ten years for you, hoping every day to bring you home and grow closer to you. "But what did you do? You've been cold to us from the start, constantly clashing with Leila. What, do you think we owe you something?" "Yes, you do owe me," I thought. For the first time, my heart stirred-a faint ripple, like a single drop of water spreading across a still surface. The ripples grew larger and larger until they surged into towering waves. I stared at my furious dad and at my tearful mom. Then I asked them, "If, on the day I came home, I'd chosen Leila's room, would you have let me stay there?" They froze for a moment before nodding quickly. "Of course! You can stay wherever you want!" "Then call Leila right now and tell her I want to move into her room." I set my luggage down. 2/3 Csapte E +25 Bonus Their expressions stiffened, their eyes darting nervously. "It's... the middle of the night in Westin. Leila's probably sleeping. What a convenient excuse. I pressed on. "And when you went to the beach, if I'd asked you to wait for me, would you have waited?" "Of course, we would! Didn't I say we'd wait for you? Your dad messed up the tickets-that really upset me!" My mom quickly chimed in. I chuckled softly. "That day, I came home. But you left the day before." My mom's face turned pale, her throat tightening as if someone were choking her. I didn't stop. "On my eighteenth birthday, if I'd insisted on going abroad to study, would I have gotten the same forty-thousand- a-month allowance as Leila, living the good life overseas?"