"Emily!"
Ethan had a huge grin on his face as he walked forward quickly.
He naturally grabbed the heavy suitcase from her hand, voice bright:
"Long trip, huh?"
"Ethan."
When Emily saw her little brother, her usually cold expression melted like spring snow, and the corners of her eyes and mouth instantly warmed up with a genuine smile that somehow softened the entire chaotic arrivals area.
She looked Ethan up and down and gave a small nod:
"You look good. Healthy."
Her eyes immediately shifted to Jack, who was standing ramrod straight behind Ethan wearing his best "well-behaved good boy" expression.
"Hey, Emily!"
Jack's voice was way too loud, his attitude basically on autopilot:
"Welcome home!"
A barely detectable smile flickered in Emily's eyes.
She knew this neighborhood kid well—he'd grown up around them, scared of absolutely nothing, except her.
"Jack, you came too. Thanks for helping pick me up."
Her voice was clear and gentle, but it had this quality that made people instinctively behave themselves.
"No problem! Of course!"
Jack quickly waved his hands, then rushed to grab the suitcase from Ethan:
"Dude, I got it, I got it! You talk to Emily!"
Ethan smiled, didn't argue, handed over the suitcase, then turned to his sister with a grin:
"Em, this thing weighs a ton. What'd you bring back, rocks?"
Emily casually adjusted her crossbody bag, tone matter-of-fact:
"Brought some local stuff for Mom and Dad, plus a bunch of my undergrad bio notes and research materials I compiled. Thought they might be useful for you later, so I packed them."
Ethan's heart warmed.
See, that was his sister. Never made a big deal about it, but always thinking about family and her little brother's future.
"Oh, by the way."
Emily's footsteps suddenly stopped, she turned around smoothly, and when her eyes landed on Ethan, there was this subtle investigative quality to her gaze:
"Mom mentioned you went to New York by yourself after the SATs? Solo trip? That's... surprisingly brave for you. Different from before."
Ethan's heart sank. Of course Mom had "snitched."
His brain went into overdrive trying to figure out a good explanation.
Jack beside him basically had a panic reflex, blurting out:
"Emily! Ethan actually didn't just go to New York, he also—"
He caught Ethan's death glare mid-sentence and immediately course-corrected:
"—he, uh, he had a GREAT time! Super safe the whole trip, no problems at all! Really, Emily, I was texting with him constantly, I can vouch for him!"
Emily was way too sharp. Her suspicious gaze swept back and forth between Ethan's slightly guilty expression and Jack's nervous "nothing to see here" energy, and her eyes behind her glasses became extremely meaningful.
Ethan quickly tried to deflect:
"Haha, yeah, Em, just walked around, checked out the campus vibe! Jack was worried so he—"
Before he could finish, Emily's hand shot out and grabbed his ear with surgical precision. Not hard, but the sibling hierarchy was IMMEDIATELY established.
"E-than."
Emily narrowed her eyes slightly, her cool voice carrying a hint of danger:
"Are you... hiding something from me?"
She knew her little brother way too well. Jack's hesitation, Ethan's forced casual act—completely transparent!
"OW! Em! Easy! We're in PUBLIC... gimme some face here..."
Ethan immediately "wailed," and just like that, the reborn business genius and soccer field warrior was reduced to a pathetic little brother being expertly controlled by his big sister.
Jack watched from the sidelines, scalp tingling, silently taking half a step back while clutching the suitcase, thinking: Oh SHIT! Emily's aura is still TERRIFYING! Ethan, bro, I can only help you this much, you're on your own!
.....
Just stepped inside the house.
Emily's phone buzzed.
She glanced down at a message from their dad:
[Emily, 6:30 PM, Ocean View Restaurant, Peony Room. With the Thompsons. Welcome home dinner, your mom and Jack's parents coming straight from work.]
Emily's lips curved slightly as her fingers tapped out a reply:
[Sounds good, Dad.]
She set down her bag and turned her attention to Ethan, who was wheeling her suitcase toward her room.
"Ethan!"
She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, resuming her usual cool, analytical demeanor:
"Come here. Sit. Talk to me."
She jerked her chin toward the living room couch.
Ethan's heart dropped. Crap, here comes the real interrogation.
He reluctantly walked over and sat down.
Jack, showing excellent survival instincts, immediately slithered to the dining table as far from the couch as possible, pretending to be deeply interested in the fruit bowl while his ears were basically satellite dishes.
Ethan cursed internally: This traitor moves faster than anyone when there's danger.
"Explain."
Emily sat down across from Ethan, crossed her long legs, eyes laser-focused:
"State valedictorian. Perfect scores. Every top school in the country wants you. But you turned down Harvard AND Yale to go to NYU?"
She paused slightly, her tone getting sharper:
"Don't give me that 'it's closer to home' BS. New York isn't exactly a quick drive from here. And let's be real about the programs—Harvard and Yale's resources, platforms, and international prestige are still in a different league than NYU, at least in the short term."
She leaned forward slightly, voice not loud but crystal clear:
"I want your REAL reasons."
Ethan's brain was spinning at maximum RPM, but his face was trying to look all "thoughtfully contemplative."
"Em, I get what you're saying. Harvard and Yale's reputation and resources are absolutely top-tier."
He nodded sincerely first, then shifted gears:
"But choosing NYU wasn't just some random impulse. I had some deeper reasons."
Ethan kept his tone steady, eyes focused:
"First, environment and vibe. NYU's campus right in the middle of Manhattan, that whole energy of being in the cultural capital, the mix of academic and real-world stuff happening right there—it just felt right for what I want to study and how I learn. Harvard's great, but it's more... traditional? Insulated? I wanted to be somewhere that has both serious academics AND immediate connection to what's happening NOW in tech and business."
He paused, his gaze getting more "serious":
"Second, future opportunities. New York has been EXPLODING these past few years, especially in tech, startups, fintech, AI development. Massive investment flowing in, incredible potential. I want to be closer to that emerging ecosystem, maybe connect with cutting-edge stuff earlier, build networks and perspectives. Harvard kills it in pure academics, but when it comes to being plugged into emerging industries and real-time innovation, I think NYC has unique advantages."
He was skillfully packaging his rebirth knowledge as "strategic foresight."
"Third..."
He was running out of bullshit! But he had to keep going:
"Maybe this is me being a little rebellious? I didn't want to just automatically follow the path everyone thinks is 'correct' and 'mainstream.' I wanted to try something different, see if I could create my own possibilities on an equally strong but less conventional platform."
This reason had a bit of that young contrarian energy, which actually made it feel more believable.
There are 70 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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