In her dream…
Sebastian Lockwood was in a white shirt, tugging his tie loose with one hand. He undid the top two buttons, revealing his elegant collarbones as he leaned in close.
She was sitting on the sofa with nowhere to retreat. As she leaned back, he pinned her against it.
"Still think of me as your uncle?" His voice was husky, each word a slow seduction.
"I…"
"Or do you prefer to call me Daddy?"
The rest of the dream grew more and more outrageous, and more and more mortifying. Sydney Sawyer was jolted awake by the ringing of her phone.
It was late May, and the temperature in Keston had already climbed to 30 degrees Celsius. Sydney Sawyer, drenched in a hot sweat, glanced at her phone. It was a call from Edwin Sawyer. She called back. "Dad?"
"You weren't still sleeping, were you?" Edwin Sawyer chuckled.
"I went to bed late last night."
"When are you free to come home for dinner?"
Edwin Sawyer actually contacted her often, but she hadn't gone out recently because of her allergies. Still, she couldn't keep refusing. "I'm free anytime."
"Tonight, then? I'll come pick you up."
"It's fine, I can get there myself."
...
After hanging up, Sydney Sawyer quickly got out of bed and took a shower. The memory of last night's shameful dream made her face flush bright red.
'What was wrong with me lately? The night before, I'd dreamed Sebastian Lockwood wanted to be my boyfriend. Last night, he wanted to be my dad? The dreams were getting more scandalous by the day.'
'So wicked!'
After showering and eating breakfast, she prepared to go out and buy a few things. Even though she was going to "her own home" for dinner, Edwin Sawyer had long since started a new family, complete with two children. It wouldn't be right to show up empty-handed.
But as soon as she stepped out the door, she ran into Sebastian Lockwood at the elevators...
Her mouth was still half-open in a yawn, and she froze for a moment.
'How could I yawn in front of him?'
In an instant, Sydney Sawyer's face turned beet red. "Un-Uncle, good morning."
"Morning." Sebastian Lockwood glanced at her.
Her hair was up in a bun. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt, loose light-gray pants, and a pair of sneakers, exuding the raw, innocent air of a student.
After they both entered the elevator, Sydney Sawyer secretly sized him up.
He was dressed in a simple, off-white thin shirt and black trousers. His hair looked like it hadn't been styled, falling casually to slightly obscure his eyebrows and eyes. He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses, looking both scholarly and ascetic.
"You didn't go to work today?"
Sydney Sawyer asked, feigning casual small talk. She remembered from the dinner party that they were only supposed to have one day off.
She never expected Sebastian Lockwood to be home. Otherwise, she would have dolled herself up a bit before daring to step out the door.
"I took the day off."
"The day off?"
"I have to go back to Aethelgard tomorrow." Sebastian Lockwood said, glancing at her. "There's something I was hoping you could help me with."
"What is it?"
"I might be gone for a few days, and I'd like to ask you to help me look after Timmy Lockwood."
"Okay," Sydney Sawyer readily agreed. 'Forget taking care of the cat, I wouldn't mind taking care of him, either.'
"You know where the cat food and litter are. You can either go to my place to feed him at regular times or take him back to your apartment. Whichever is more convenient for you."
Sydney Sawyer nodded in agreement.
"The code to my door is six ones."
"Are you serious about that passcode? Isn't that a little too simple?"
But Sebastian Lockwood just smiled. "Yeah, all ones. I prefer simple things. At least I won't forget it."
Sydney Sawyer's face instantly turned crimson. 'Isn't he talking about the time I got drunk and keyed in the wrong code?'
After leaving the building, the two went their separate ways. While Sydney Sawyer was at the supermarket picking out gifts, her friend called. "...This is the first time you're meeting this auntie your father remarried, right?"
"Yeah. I've only ever seen photos of her before. I have no idea what to buy."
"I think you'd better be careful."
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen plenty of situations like yours in novels. Usually, the stepmom is a real piece of work, super manipulative. She has her own kids, so she probably thinks you're coming home to fight for the inheritance. She'll definitely try to make things difficult for you."
Sydney Sawyer laughed sheepishly. "It can't be that bad."
"Anyway, you need to pull yourself together, get dressed up, and put on an air of confidence. That's your home too. You can't just let her push you around, can you?"
"I know."
"You don't have a malicious bone in your body, but she might try to put you in your place right off the bat. I bet her two kids aren't easy to deal with either. You be careful."
...
Sydney Sawyer had her reasons for not wanting to stay with the Sawyer family. She hadn't been back to Keston in a long time. Her father had his own little family now, and after so many years, returning would make her feel like an outsider who didn't belong. Living under the same roof would be awkward for everyone.
That was why, after returning to Keston, she stayed in a hotel for two nights before moving into The Emperian.
Other than Edwin Sawyer, she had never met the wife he'd remarried or her children.
The daughter was a year older than Sydney Sawyer, born from the "auntie's" previous marriage. The only one biologically related to Sydney was her half-brother, who was supposedly seventeen and taking his college entrance exams this year.
**
「Evening」
Sydney Sawyer took a taxi to the villa complex where the Sawyer family lived, carrying her gifts. She hadn't expected the taxi to be denied entry; it turned out you needed a resident's permission to get in and out.
She hadn't wanted to bother Edwin Sawyer and had planned to go straight there, but now she had no choice but to call him.
"You didn't even give me a heads-up that you were coming," Edwin Sawyer said with a hint of playful reproach. "Just wait there, I'll come get you."
Sydney Sawyer waited a few minutes at the gatehouse. She thought Edwin Sawyer would be the one to come, but instead, she saw a teenager on an electric scooter, wearing a helmet, speeding toward her.
The scooter stopped at the security booth. He looked at Sydney Sawyer but didn't say a word.
His gaze was rather fierce.
White T-shirt, jeans. When he took off his helmet, his hair was revealed to be a bit fluffy and slightly curly, catching the sunlight with a lazy, soft glow. He was very tall, which looked completely out of place on the small electric scooter.
'Is this my half-brother?'
The Sawyer family was quite well-off. He was a second-generation rich kid, by all accounts. 'So why is he riding an electric scooter?'
'Something's not right with this picture.'
"Oh, it's Chester. Is this a relative of yours?" The security guard recognized him.
"Yeah." Chester Sawyer parked the scooter, walked up to Sydney Sawyer, and said awkwardly, "My dad sent me."
It was written all over his face:
I WAS FORCED TO DO THIS!
"Sorry to trouble you." Sydney Sawyer glanced at her pile of gifts, then at his little scooter. "I don't think this will all fit."
"It should be fine."
Chester Sawyer hung the gifts on the handlebars and placed the rest on the footboard.
They were all gift boxes. While not heavy, they were bulky. After loading everything, there was no way to ride the scooter.
Sydney Sawyer pursed her lips. "Why don't we just walk back?"
Chester Sawyer nodded sullenly.
They walked the whole way without saying a word. However, Sydney Sawyer keenly noticed that the boy kept stealing glances at her—only his "stealing" was rather blatant.
Sydney Sawyer suddenly looked at him. Their eyes met. She gave a small smile, and the boy coolly turned his head away.
Pushing the little scooter, Chester Sawyer took a deep breath:
'What should I do?'
He usually considered himself quite talkative—able to run his mouth all the way to the top of Mount Everest—but right now, he was so nervous he couldn't get a single word out!
Sydney Sawyer, on the other hand, pursed her lips. 'Looks like my half-brother doesn't like me very much.'
Little did she know, he was freaking out on the inside!
「Meanwhile, at the Sawyer residence」
Edwin Sawyer was standing at the door, looking out. "That kid volunteered to go pick her up. What's taking him so long?"