The next morning, after Luke had made breakfast and sat down to eat with a newly-awake Noel and a ready-to-go Ava, Luke kept his eye on his younger brother.
"Noel, you're close with Amanda, right?" Luke asked bluntly while stabbing a sausage on his plate.
Clack.
Noel, who had been mid-bite with a piece of bacon on his fork, stopped dead, letting the utensil slip and fall back onto the plate. Ava immediately whipped her head toward Luke as if he'd suddenly grown a second head.
"Why are you asking that, Luke? Don't tell me you have a crush on Vanessa's sister?" Noel asked, instantly turning defensive as he studied Luke's face.
"Get real. No. I just want to know what kind of person she is," Luke answered casually.
"Well, that's the problem, Luke. Why would you even want to know?" Ava scolded.
"Yeah. Look, we definitely want you to get a girlfriend or maybe a wife as soon as possible, but not Vanessa's sister of all people," Noel added.
"That's exactly why I'm asking. I heard some unpleasant things about her from Alex last night. Then there's this. Just look," Luke said, sliding his smartphone into the middle of the table.
Noel and Ava leaned their heads in to see Luke's screen, which displayed an unanswered chat history with Amanda where she had invited him to dinner. After seeing it, Noel and Ava shared a look before both turning back to Luke.
"Amanda asked you out for dinner?" Noel asked, sounding like he couldn't believe it.
"Yep... that's why I'm asking. You get what I'm getting at, right?" Luke replied calmly, folding his arms across his chest and looking at his two siblings.
"Wow... the second she stepped out of the cafe and hit the road, she sent a message? Incredible," Ava muttered, still reading the texts.
"I'll talk to Vanessa at school about this, Luke. You didn't reply?" Noel asked.
"Nope. I'm well aware she's your girl's sister. There's no way I'd just start replying and act on my own without letting you know," Luke answered.
"Okay... thank you, Luke," Noel replied, his expression shifting as he became fully alert.
They went back to eating quietly and quickly, but suddenly Ava stopped. She just toyed with a sausage on her plate using her fork before finally speaking up.
"Can I be honest? To be blunt, I didn't like your girl's sister, Noel. Her eyes were wandering all over the place outside the cafe yesterday, checking out the guys out front, and she kept staring at Luke... it felt like she was planning something because her gaze was so calculating. I know because I'm a girl too and I think Lorna knew it too, which is why she went after her. Besides, she's arrogant. I was making fun of Alex and Devon about her last night, remember?" Ava said.
"Then why are you only saying this now, Ava?" Luke asked, looking at his sister.
"I didn't feel like it. What if I was wrong? I didn't want to start trouble," Ava answered while stabbing her sausage.
"Yeah, but if something's bothering you, just speak up," Luke said while eating.
"Fine, next time," Ava replied, returning to her usual indifferent self and eating again.
"I'm not really that close with Amanda anyway. I only know her because she's Vanessa's sister. Before last night, I'd only met her three times. From what I've heard from Vanessa, she wants to be an influencer or something. Right now, she's working as a social media coordinator, or whatever—I don't really get it," Noel said.
"Alright then... hurry up and eat, or you two will be late again," Luke said, continuing his meal.
"You don't have any intention of accepting her offer, right, Luke?" Noel asked, making sure one last time.
"No. I'll just reply and say I can't, I have to open the cafe," Luke answered.
"Okay, I get it," Noel replied, going back to his food.
"By the way, Luke, why don't you just go out with Lorna? She's pretty, right? Plus, we've known her forever," Ava asked.
"Lorna? She's basically like a sister. Besides, we've been friends since we were kids, so that's not happening. Just drop it and finish your food," Luke said, sounding annoyed.
"Ugh... I give you a solid choice and you snap at me. You're hopeless," Ava shot back, frustrated.
After they finished eating, Ava left first, followed by Noel. Luke started getting ready for campus, but first, he sat down on the sofa to pay the mortgage. He opened his spreadsheet and immediately transferred a sum of money to the bank using his smartphone. He also moved funds into the accounts for his two siblings' tuition, which would be withdrawn automatically every month. Then, he checked the balance in his cafe account and froze.
"Huh... why hasn't the number changed?" Luke wondered in his heart.
He looked back at the payment report, and his face went pale as he read the receipt. He had paid off the remaining mortgage of $135,200 in full using his new account. He immediately checked the balance of that new account, and only $58,300 remained, because it turned out he had also transferred the tuition funds using that same account balance. He stood up abruptly and let go of his phone, both of his hands shaking violently.
"Good grief... how could I mess up like this... on one hand, the mortgage is paid off... but that money I still don't understand is being used... what do I do now," Luke muttered in his heart, panicking.
Luke, consumed by panic, paced back and forth across his apartment, his mind racing as he occasionally smacked his head in frustration. Suddenly, "ding," a notification popped up on his smartphone. He scrambled to the table, snatched the phone, and checked the alert. It was a follow-up message from Amanda.
"Morning! Why didn't you reply to my message last night? Are we still on for tonight? I won't make other plans if we are," Amanda's message read.
"Ugh... not now. I've got enough of a headache as it is," Luke muttered to himself.
He tossed his smartphone back onto the table and resumed his pacing until he finally calmed down, sitting back with his hands clenched in front of his face. He glanced at the clock on the wall; his class was about to start.
"Aaah... whatever, just go to class," Luke said to himself, slapping his cheeks.
He quickly changed into his father's old, worn-out clothes that he usually wore, making him look like a perpetual student who could never graduate. But as he pulled on his long-sleeved plaid shirt, "crinkle," something was in his pocket. He reached inside and pulled out a slip of paper, then unfolded it and read.
"The money I transferred to you yesterday is yours. Just use it. Don't hesitate because it belongs to you... MS."
"Huh... MS? Wait... how did they put this paper in my pocket? Crap... I'm already late. Well, thanks anyway, my mortgage is paid off. Gotta move now, I'll figure this out in class," Luke said in a panic, stuffing the paper back into his pocket.
Luke grabbed his bag and his smartphone from the table and sprinted downstairs, heading for the campus nearby since his class was starting any second.