After taking a brisk shower, Violet ran downstairs to the dining room. She could already smell the savory aroma of Amah Ning's signature beef brisket noodle soup before she even stepped inside the room. Her stomach grumbled.

She hadn't gotten to eat Amah Ning's signature dish last night. Although Amah Ning was already in the middle of preparing the broth for the soup when she arrived home, the beef shank had taken two hours to tenderize. It had been quite an exhausting day for Violet, and she had fallen asleep in her room before the dish was ready.

She entered the breakfast room and saw her brother sitting at the breakfast table, reading a newspaper, enjoying his coffee, and conversing with Amah Ning, who was busy embroidering a handkerchief.

She greeted them. "Good morning, Amah. Good morning, Brother."

Amah Ning's toil-worn face lit up as soon as she saw Violet. She quickly put down her embroidery and got up from her seat. "Ah, here's my little fairy. You're finally up. Come, come... Have breakfast first," she said, her voice feeble.

Violet rushed up to her before she could even reach her.

"Don't get up, Amah. I'm here." She sat down next to Amah Ning and smiled brightly upon seeing the beef brisket noodles on the breakfast table. After thanking Amah Ning gracefully, Violet started to chow down the soup the old lady had just ladled for her.

"Eat slowly, child... This is because you ate nothing at all last night. Only miss Kiko ate this last night," Amah Ning chided her.

"Not only last night; she ate it for breakfast, too, and even asked to put some in a thermos so she could eat it again at the hospital for lunch," Jared laughed.

Watching his sister eat so heartily brought a smile to his face. He didn't buy Kiko's explanation when he called her last night to ask if she knew why Violet was at Kingsley when she was supposed to be somewhere else.

He called Julian Sato and found out about the scene that had transpired between Violet, Adam, and Kiko at Netherby. There were not a lot of guests at the restaurant at the time of the commotion, and having been informed of Violet's identity, the staff had, of course, paid close attention to her.

The news had worried him. Violet was technically an adult, but this was her first romantic relationship. Jared wasn't sure if she could take the breakup well, especially since she caught the other party being unfaithful to her.

If it were entirely up to him, he would have gone to Netherby to break the guy's legs himself. He couldn't believe the guts that the guy had, dallying with another woman when he was still romantically involved with his sister.

Jared knew perfectly well that he was biased, but he'd always thought his sister deserved better than the ninny who couldn't even look him in the eye when he talked to him. So, obviously, he was glad Violet broke off the relationship. Good riddance!

Other people might think he was overreacting, but he loved his sister dearly.

He was eight when Violet was born. He remembered little from the time when he was that age, but he still recalled the exact moment they introduced him to the tiny bundle they called his sister. He thought she was the most adorable thing he had ever laid eyes on.

He also remembered when his parents first informed him about his sister's illness. He was still a child, but he was old enough to understand how serious of an illness cancer was. He remembered not being able to see her often because she would usually stay at the hospital—and more often than not when he got to visit her, he would see her in agony and low spirits from all the treatments. He was always in constant worry that his parents would come home with the news that he would never see his little sister again.

As a child, Jared had always felt guilty and sorry for Violet. He'd not understood why he'd been perfectly healthy, while Violet hadn't. It was the first time he'd learned how unfair life could be. Ever since then, he'd always been very protective of her.

Jared shook his head as he watched Violet finish her bowl of soup. She was already asking for a second serving while simultaneously taking some dumplings from the server plate on the table. The sight put Jared's heart at ease. "You seem okay. Not heartbroken at all," he let out a teasing chuckle, shifting his gaze to the newspaper in his hand, and continued reading.

Violet ignored her brother's teasing and continued eating. "Amah, your cooking is really the best!" she praised and gave Amah Ning a kiss on her cheek as soon as she finished her first bowl of soup.

Amah Ning chuckled and pinched Violet's nose, "What a silver-tongued child. If you loved it that much, then why don't you come home more often?"

Violet giggled. "But it's true! Your cooking is the best!" she cheered, giving Amah Ning the thumbs up. "I'm sorry, Amah, I have been busy because everything is still new to me. I will come home more often to visit you once I'm settled," she said, giving Amah Ning a hug, and continued to wheedle. "And this week, I won't be going back to the dorm and stay here to spend more time with you!"

Marion's appearance in the room interrupted their lively chatter. She was holding her phone to her ear as she approached her daughter. "It's Auntie Yue. She's asking for you. Do you want to talk to her?" she whispered really softly while covering the phone's speaker, making sure that the person on the other end of the line wouldn't hear it.

Violet looked at her mom and nodded. Marion announced on the phone, "Yes, Yue Sis, she's here, I'll pass the phone to her."

Violet took the phone from her mom and greeted the woman on the other end of the line.

After an exchange of pleasantries, she apologized. "Aunt Yue, I'd like to apologize for not showing up yesterday. I just started my freshman year at the university, so things have been a little hectic. Something came up and—"

"Ah, no need, no need! Please don't apologize. This aunt understands. Why don't we schedule another dinner for next week instead? It's been a while since I've seen you, and I'd just love to see you again."

"That would be nice, Auntie. When would suit you best?"

Violet frowned and walked out of the room when she noticed her mom and brother's attention was on her.

Amah Ning saw that. "Aiya, both of you... Give the child a bit of privacy," she chided them. She then instructed one of the kitchen maids to take away the empty soup bowl from the table and to bring another bowl of soup from the kitchen for Violet.

Violet came back to the room a few minutes later and handed the phone back to her mom.

"Aunt Yue and I have agreed on next Wednesday for dinner if it's okay with you too," she informed her mom as she walked back to her seat to continue having her breakfast. Amah Ning gently patted her head and resumed her embroidery work.

"Excellent. Wednesday is fine," Marion nodded. "Wait... why don't we just host the dinner here at our place? There'd be less hassle."

"Okay, Mom. You can just arrange it as you see fit," Violet said, her voice bubbly. She was enjoying her second serving of soup to the fullest. "Oh, by the way, Aunt Yue said that her nephew might join too."

"Oh..." Marion feigned ignorance. "Yes, she told me the other day that she'd like to introduce you to her nephew." Marion smiled, carefully touching on the subject.

Violet was focused on finishing her soup, seemingly unconcerned, but she was tickled at how subtly her mother was trying to bring the matter up.

"Mhmm, I know," Violet nodded, lightly dabbing her lips with a cloth napkin as soon as she finished her soup.

"You knew? Did she tell you that?" Marion puzzled, her forehead creased.

Had Sis Yue divulged everything to her daughter? And here she thought they would approach the matter tactfully!

"No, Brother did," Violet said nonchalantly, which earned her a glare from Jared.

Receiving a disapproving look from his mother, Jared cleared his throat and clarified, "It's because I'm supporting the idea, Mother. Hence, I was trying to persuade her."

Marion sighed, but her mouth soon curved into a smile when she noticed that her daughter didn't seem opposed to the idea. "Well, I think there's nothing wrong to meet new people and make new friends. Don't you think so too, sweetheart?"

Truthfully, not that Violet resented the idea of meeting Aunt Yue's nephew. She trusted her family; a setup that came from her mother's and brother's vote of confidence couldn't be crappy. After all, they just wanted her to be happy. She had only voiced out her disagreement to her brother, and it was only in consideration of Adam.

But this time she decided not to dig in her heels anymore. She'd take the setup for what it was, just as her mother said—a chance to meet someone and make new friends.

So, she smiled back at her mom, nodding in agreement.

♡──── ❝ Author's Note ❞ ────♡

It would mean a lot to me if you could share your thoughts about this chapter in the comment section. And please consider voting if you liked it.

Thank you so much for reading!

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