Chapter 4

"These are delicious," I told Ms. Owens as I munched on her homemade cookie. "Caramel?"

"And lemon," she replied with a twinkle in her eye. "A new recipe I'm trying and you're the first taste-tester."

"Well, as your first taste-tester, I can tell you that it is an absolute success," I said grinning while throwing the last piece into my mouth and chewing it. After I swallowed it, the aftertaste lingered on the tip of my tongue and I took a sip of the hot cocoa to wash it down. 

"Thank goodness," Ms. Owens sighed, a smile plastered on her lips. "I was worried they would turn out tasting funny but I'm glad they're good."

I simply returned her smile before glancing down at the swirling dark liquid in my cup. Although this mansion was big and pretty, it felt rather cold and lonely with how spacious it all was and the lack of anything homely. It felt too unfriendly for my taste so Ms. Owens' bright presence here made me feel a lot better and comfortable. 

After I drowned the last bit of hot cocoa, I took my mug to the kitchen where Ms. Owens told me to leave it in the sink. I thought I'd just wash it to be polite and asked her if that was fine. She seemed surprised but replied, "Only if you want to. But it is my job as the housekeeper to take care of those things."

"It's nothing big so I can do it myself," I told her. "Thank you for the snack though. I think I needed that."

"And you'll have more of it from now on," she smirked raising a pair of tongs. Shaking, them, she said, "You'll be my official taste-tester from now on. How about that?"

"That sounds lovely," I giggled. 

Her lips widened and we continued chatting for a while until I decided to leave so she could do her work without distraction. When I left the kitchen, I decided to walk around for a bit and familiarise myself a bit more with the place. I wanted to check out the gardens as well and see the pretty flowers and plants that were there. 

As I walked out the back door that led out to the garden, I slid it open and walked outside, closing the door behind me. 

It was a sunny afternoon. Despite it nearing closer to evening, the sky was still rather bright out. There were no clouds which left a clear blue to gaze upon. It provided the perfect backdrop for the beautifully maintained garden. 

I walked along the grass, sniffing and taking in the scent of the flowers. Some smelt wonderful while others didn't have a scent. All of them were lovely to look at. Even the hedges were neatly trimmed and non-flowery plants were well-kept. The landscaping of the garden was certainly a sight to look at. I've always loved gardens and flowers and used to spend time admiring them whenever I came across them; a habit I picked up from my mom. 

Since we lived in an apartment, we couldn't keep a garden of our own but out on the balcony, we kept a couple of tiny pot plants and ones for growing herbs. 

It was my job to water them and I was very faithful to my duty. 

"Mom would've loved this," I couldn't help but think. 

I stood there, feeling the breeze on my face, and breathing in the scent of nature. How I wished that she was here with me. 

After some time, I finally went back inside and went up to my room where I lay on my bed and scrolled on my phone, just resting. There wasn't anything for me to do and I wasn't comfortable using the playroom or the television. It was better I just go on my phone rather than do something stupid like pressing the wrong button. I couldn't afford to do that. 

So I spent the rest of the time till dinner on my phone, alternating between holding it above my face lying on my back and turning on my side and resting one arm on the mattress while the other scrolled. Every time one way would get uncomfortable, I would change and that continued for an hour. 

Finally, it was dinner time and Ms. Owens called me downstairs to eat. 

——————[oo]——————

The menu was good ol' pasta. 

Chicken pesto pasta to be precise with buttery garlic bread on the side and a caesar salad. The dinner table was all set but I was the only one there. Ms. Owens said that my brothers should be home soon so I thought I should probably wait for them before digging in. It was only polite. 

After sitting there for a few minutes sipping on my glass of water, I finally heard the door open and my heart rate sped up in anticipation. 

I could hear mutterings and mumblings coming from the entrance and I waited patiently as the sound grew louder. The voices belonging to two boys made me freeze up and I stood up from my seat when I noticed the figures enter the room. 

And then, it was silent. 

I looked at the two boys, my supposed older brothers, and was slightly taken aback. 

They were tall. Very tall; possibly standing around 6'3 ft but one seemed a little taller. They were also very handsome and had facial features that stood out and knowing that they were twins, I guessed that they were fraternal since they didn't look quite identical. Both were also incredibly fit-looking with muscles hidden beneath loose t-shirts. 

Both boys kind of just stood there staring at me and I shifted awkwardly. 

"Um, I-I'm Lynette. Your...uh...sister? It's nice to meet you."

I looked at them, hoping for some kind of reply and somewhat expecting them to greet me back. However, I was shocked when both of them suddenly wore icy glares on their faces that were fully directed at me. Those glares were so sharp that I couldn't help but swallow and step back in fear. 

One of them, the taller one, sneered and said, "Sister? Ha! Don't get me wrong, just because dad allowed you to live here doesn't make you our sister. Get over yourself."

My eyes widened and I couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt. 

The other one only gave me a glare, rolled his eyes, and marched off with the one who spoke to me following not long after. 

After that, I stood there in a daze, completely taken aback. 

'That...was not how I was expecting our first meeting to go.'

It was official. 

They hated me.