The night was vast and boundless. The sky looked as if it were swathed in thick, dark ink, so deep and heavy that not a single star could be seen.
In the courtyard, under the dim light of a carved wooden lamp post, Sebastian Lockwood leaned half his body against a pillar. He tore open a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and gently tapped it against the box.
He placed the cigarette between his lips and tilted his head slightly. CLICK—the lighter's flame illuminated one side of his face, making it startlingly clear.
He took only one drag before raising his hand to extinguish it.
A two-year-old cigarette had long since gone stale.
'Just like the years that have passed between him and Sydney Sawyer. Perhaps their feelings have gone stale, too.'
"Craving a smoke?"
Sebastian Lockwood looked toward the voice. "Grandpa."
The old man was in his pajamas with a jacket thrown over them against the cool night air. "Trouble at work?"
"No."
Having lived a long life, Mr. Lockwood was incredibly sharp. He sized up his grandson. "Don't tell me... you have a love life now?"
His expression was one of someone who had just seen a ghost.
"..."
Mr. Lockwood pulled his jacket tighter. "Well, love is always a mix of bitter and sweet."
"I'm not in a relationship yet."
"Oh—" The old man's tone was full of meaning. "So it's unrequited love?"
Sebastian Lockwood fell silent.
The old man fumbled in his pocket, pulled out half a pack of cigarettes, and stuffed them into his grandson's hand. He patted Sebastian on the shoulder and turned to leave. Sebastian stared down at the cigarettes, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. 'What is this old man trying to say?'
**
「Meanwhile」
Sydney Sawyer had finished eating long ago and was now watching Chester Sawyer still battling the crayfish in front of him.
As he ate, he was also ranting about their father's "abuse and tyranny" over the years, and his own acts of rebellion.
"Did he really hit you when you were growing up?" Sydney Sawyer asked, peeling a crayfish for him as she lowered her head.
"Of course he did! The first time was in elementary school... You know how teachers always assigned essays about our moms and dads? Well, I vented about my dad in my essay."
"And he saw it?"
"I guess I described it so miserably that my teacher thought I was being abused. She made a special house call and indirectly gave my dad a lecture on parenting."
"What happened then?"
"My butt hurt for half a month, and he forced me to write an essay on a specific topic."
"The title was 'I Have a Great Dad,' and the whole thing was just a stream of flowery compliments about him."
Chester Sawyer recounted this experience with a look of utter despair.
"And then there was the time in high school when I snuck into an unlicensed internet cafe. Other parents would just drag their kids out and take them home. He went straight to the police station and reported the place for giving minors access, getting the whole internet cafe shut down."
"He really ripped it out by the roots. So ruthless."
"PFFT—" Sydney Sawyer just couldn't hold it in.
She was peeling another crayfish, and when she applied a bit of force, juice from the head squirted out, landing on her clothes. "I need to go to the restroom."
There was oil in the broth, and she was worried that if it sat on her clothes for too long, it wouldn't wash out.
"I'll go with you. I'm full, and I need to wash my hands anyway."
It was almost midnight, but the crayfish restaurant was getting even busier. People were pouring in for a late-night snack. The two had just stepped out of their private room when they ran into a group of people.
There were about seven or eight of them, men and women.
Sydney Sawyer only glanced at the oncoming group, paying them no mind, but one of them spoke first.
"Chester Sawyer?"
"Isn't this our little goody-two-shoes? Good students should be home this late. The college entrance exams are just around the corner, how do you have time to be out? Go home, drink your milk, and go to bed."
"Are you guys stupid? He was recommended for early admission, he's that good!"
...
The group broke into laughter, but Chester Sawyer ignored them.
Their words were unpleasant, especially the next line. "Yo, looks like our good student brought a girl with him. She's really pretty."
Chester Sawyer frowned, his eyes turning cold.
Just then, a girl walked out from behind the group, smiling. "What nonsense are you all talking about? They're brother and sister."
Sydney Sawyer's gaze fell on her. It was a familiar face: Mindy Caldwell.
Their eyes met. Mindy's lips curled into a smile. "What a coincidence, Miss Sawyer. We meet again."
"It is a coincidence."
"We'll get going then. We never did get to have that meal last time. Let's get together again when we have the chance."
Sydney Sawyer just smiled.
After the group left, Chester Sawyer leaned in close to her. "Sis, how do you know that bunch of idiots?"
"..."
"We can fight against heaven and earth, but we can't fight with idiots."
Sydney Sawyer cleared her throat. "Do you know them well?"
"Not really. Keston is only so big. A few of them come from well-off families, so I've seen them when I've gone out to eat with my dad. The rest are just hangers-on who tag along for free food and drinks."
"From the way they were talking, it sounds like there's bad blood between you?"
"Look at me—I'm smart, handsome, and my family is well-off. I'm basically the standard protagonist from a TV show or a novel. Who wouldn't be jealous of me?"
Sydney Sawyer gave a weak smile. She had truly underestimated the extent of his narcissism.
Sydney Sawyer didn't give the encounter much thought and went to sleep as soon as she got home. Chester, on the other hand, was full of energy, staying up late into the night to play King of Glory with his friends.
——
Sometime in the dead of night, Sydney Sawyer was woken by a sudden knocking. She scrambled out of bed to see Chester Sawyer clutching his stomach, his back hunched over, crying out in pain.
"What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" Sydney Sawyer was instantly wide awake.
"I don't know."
Chester Sawyer couldn't explain it clearly. His face was exceptionally pale, and his lips were colorless.
"We're going to the hospital," Sydney Sawyer decided instantly.
It was past three in the morning, and it was hard to get a taxi after leaving their residential complex. Fortunately, the security guard on duty had a small van and helped drive them to the nearest hospital, where they checked into the emergency room.
In the ER, the on-duty doctor gently pressed on his abdomen, and he howled in pain.
When the doctor asked what he had eaten recently, Sydney Sawyer finally learned that after finishing the crayfish, he had gone home and secretly chugged two bottles of ice-cold coke.
"Acute gastroenteritis. I'll get him some medicine. Have him take it and stay for observation for a while. If necessary, he might have to stay in the hospital for a few days."
The moment Chester Sawyer heard "stay in the hospital," his whole spirit deflated.
As Sydney Sawyer hurried to get the medicine, she unexpectedly ran into a familiar face.
"Little niece? What are you doing at the hospital at this hour?"
"Donovan... Uncle?" Sydney Sawyer looked at Donovan Sheridan. "Are you on duty tonight?"
"No, I had a surgery that ran past two in the morning. I just grabbed a bite and was about to head home. Are you not feeling well?"
"It's not me, it's my brother."
'Her brother?'
Although Donovan Sheridan was often lonely and forlorn, tending his vast field of gossip all by himself, nothing could stop his passion for juicy stories. Using the excuse of helping, he accompanied Sydney Sawyer to get the medicine and then went to check on Chester Sawyer.
Chester's condition improved after taking the medicine, but the doctor still recommended he be hospitalized for observation.
**
「Meanwhile」
Sebastian Lockwood was already tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He had just closed his eyes for a moment when a phone call jolted him awake.
A chill flashed in his eyes when he saw the caller ID.
Still, he pressed the answer button. "It's late. You'd better have something important to say."
Donovan Sheridan chuckled mischievously. "Didn't you swear up and down that your little miss likes you? You even emphasized that she *really* likes you. Well, did you know she's got a pretty boy by her side?"
"The young man is quite handsome, sunny and good-looking."
"So young and full of life. It's an enviable age, really."
"..."
The more Sebastian Lockwood listened, the darker his expression became.
Little did he know that the "young and full of life" boy Donovan Sheridan was talking about was currently lying in a hospital bed, pale, half-dead, and utterly lifeless.