Byran crossed his arms and grumbled in a huff, âIâm an adult now, Iâm not a kid anymore! This is clearly a double standard!â
Patriciaâs face reddened even more. Byranâs sarcastic comment made her uncomfortable, but there was a hint of sweetness in her eyes, suggesting that she didnât actually mind the teasing However, Theo, who stood next to them, showed no reaction, as if Byranâs comments had nothing to do with him.
Patricia lifted her head again to look at his expressionless face and asked, âTheo, are you ready to go shopping for clothes with me now?â
Theo took a couple of seconds before responding in a detached tone, âLetâs go.â
Patricia nodded cheerfully. âGreat, let me take you there, itâs just around the corner!â
Theo, with his hands in his pockets, followed her without ever glancing back at Ellinor, who was hiding behind him.
Patricia, trailing Theo, suddenly turned back to flash a triumphant smile at Ellinor. Her smile overflowed with the pride of a victor.
Feeling relieved to be free of Patriciaâs pestering, Ellinor didnât care about Patriciaâs smug smile.
Byran pouted and said, âHey! Ellinor, my sister just asked you to help her check out the gifts. Why didnât you go? You really missed an opportunity! I told her I wanted to look, but Patricia wouldnât let me.
Ellinor glanced at Byran, âWhy should I go? The gift is from Patricia to your grandfather, not me. Whatâs the point of me looking? Besides, it seems like Patriciaâs gift is quite extravagant. Everyone will see it sooner or later; why should I bother looking now?â
âHmph, youâve got a point!â
Not only was Ellinor uninterested in Patriciaâs gift, but most importantly, she was afraid Patricia would create more trouble for her.
Todayâs situation was different, she was at her motherâs house for her grandfatherâs birthday party.
Though she didnât come to see her relatives, she also didnât want to cause trouble and ruin her grandfatherâs party because of her presence.
She had experienced Patriciaâs tricks too many times. That woman was like an angel on the outside but a demon on the inside, and she had no boundaries.
Just now, Patricia insisted on dragging her to help with the gift because she probably had another trap waiting for her.
Thankfully. Theo helped her Even though heâd thrown a few insults her way, he had indeed gotten her out of a sticky situation.
Suddenly, Byranâs face changed, âCrap! Balfourâs coming, Iâve gotta hide or Iâll be sent home to do homework again! Ellinor, remember, donât let him know I brought you here!â
Ellinor nodded, made an âOKâ hand gesture, then watched as Byran scurried off.
Geez, this didnât look like a reunion of brothers; it looked more like a scared animal running from a predator