Chapter 392
Sophia Sullivan gripped her phone, her fingertips tightening slightly.
A soft chuckle came from the other end of the line. "What's wrong? You called me 'brother' so easily, but now you hesitate to meet? Or... you never really wanted to acknowledge me as your brother? Were all those words before just lies?"
"I'll be right down," Sophia replied decisively.
Sebastian Evans was right. Given their current relationship, there shouldn't be any barriers between them.
Her quick agreement actually caused a brief silence on the other end.
The man's deep voice returned. "Grandpa and Grandma are back from their trip. They heard your project just wrapped up and asked me to pick you up for dinner at the old house."
The elderly couple had been staying in the neighboring city for a while, enjoying it so much they were reluctant to leave.
Seeing their daughter every day, with David Sullivan, their son-in-law, attentively caring for them, their days were utterly comfortable.
That was until Isabella received an invitation from her publisher to do a book signing in G City, followed by a reader meet-and-greet in Shanghai.
David, of course, planned to go with her.
The publisher generously covered all expenses, practically begging her to participate in more events.
They had pulled out all the stops to get Isabella to agree to these in-person activities.
The grandparents initially wanted to tag along, but Isabella was the first to object, concerned about the long journey's effect on Grandma's health.
She suggested flying to G City alone, leaving David home to care for his parents.
David had no objections.
But Grandpa and Grandma insisted that David accompany Isabella, so they could look after each other.
Everyone was thinking of the others' well-being.
David became the prized commodity, grinning from ear to ear. Besides teaching, he'd never felt so indispensable in his life.
Finally, Isabella gave in to her parents' wishes and brought David along.
Once their daughter and son-in-law left, the grandparents simply returned to Kyoto.
Their home was still here, and they had been away for some time.
Even if they planned to move to the neighboring city permanently someday, that required careful long-term planning.
Their granddaughter was still here. Having her over for meals sometimes to make sure she ate well was a good thing too.
Sophia said, "I'm coming down now."
"Wait..." Sebastian suddenly spoke.
"What is it?"
"Ahem... Would it be okay if I came up? I need to use your restroom."
Sophia replied, "Okay, come on up."
…
This was Sebastian's first time visiting Sophia's apartment.
He glanced around. A vase sat on the coffee table, the flowers inside gone, only a lone leaf pressed at the bottom.
The fish tank was spotless, a few goldfish swimming leisurely inside.
This was her private space. Not large, but warm, tidy, and full of traces of life.
Sophia invited him in and turned to make tea. "The restroom is over there... The slippers on the floor are new, you can change into them…"
Sebastian looked down and saw a pair of clearly worn men's slippers placed next to the new ones.
His eyes darkened. It took him a few seconds to suppress the surge of emotion before he walked straight to the restroom.
There were no men's toiletries inside.
"The Maojian tea was bought by my dad last time he visited. It's quite good, try it." Sophia placed the teacup on the coffee table and looked up at Sebastian emerging from the restroom.
She paused slightly.
The man wore a well-tailored black overcoat that emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his figure excellent.
But his cheeks seemed thinner, slightly hollowed, making his eyes appear even deeper.
Sebastian gave a slight smile, picked up the teacup. The warmth seeped through the porcelain into his palm. "I'm not picky about tea. Thank you."
Sophia said, "Have a seat for a moment. I'll just grab a few things, then we can go?"
"Okay."
Sebastian watched her retreating back, then looked down at the clear tea in his cup.
He had asked her half-jokingly many times before if he could come up for a cup of tea. Each time, Sophia had refused.
Now he was here openly. She made tea for him, even handed it to him.
Sebastian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This change was something he had hoped for countless times. Now it had happened, but because their relationship had changed—
Not into lovers, but into siblings?
How ironic!
A bitter taste spread on his tongue. He couldn't spit it out, could only swallow.
It was minus three degrees today. Sophia, afraid of the cold, wore a light pink mid-length down jacket over a light camel cashmere sweater and a wool skirt that ended just where the coat did.
Paired with knee-high boots, she looked youthful and vibrant.
Her delicate features were clear, her complexion rosy from a good rest yesterday, her eyes bright. "Alright, brother, let's go."
Her voice was like a feather lightly brushing over his heart.
Itchy and tingling.
"...Brother?"
Sebastian snapped back to reality, standing up a bit abruptly. "Yeah, let's go."
He turned and headed for the entryway first.
As he turned, his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably. He felt parched, his hands at his sides slowly clenching into fists.
Restrained and suppressed.
Sophia followed behind him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two extra sandwiches on the dining table and picked them up to put in the refrigerator.
Sebastian said, "Give them to me."
"?"
"The sandwiches. I haven't had lunch."
"One or both?"
Sebastian cleared his throat lightly. "One is enough. Thank you."
As she opened the door, the apartment opposite also opened.
Alexander Laurent stood there holding a trash bag, apparently about to take it out.
Both parties paused in surprise.
Sebastian's lips curved into a sudden smile. "Professor Laurent, not at the lab today? What a coincidence, running into you here."
Alexander looked him up and down, frowning slightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Is it strange that I'm here? Of course, Sophia invited me up."
As he spoke, he even reached up to adjust his collar.
"Professor, heading out? Perfect, we were just leaving."
Alexander's dark gaze swept over the sandwich in Sebastian's hand.
Beneath the calm, a sharp intensity flashed.
Others might not notice, but Sebastian saw it clearly. He didn't avoid it but met it head-on with a smile, explaining unprompted,
"Oh, this is a sandwich Sophia made. She saw I hadn't eaten lunch and was worried I'd be hungry."
"First time having one?"
Sebastian: "?"
"Bacon or pork floss?"
"??"
Alexander said, "I still prefer ham. Cheese and corn is pretty good too."
The smile on Sebastian's lips slowly faded, eventually pressing into a tight line.
Hehe?
No hehe.