In the room upstairs, the sun casts its light through the open curtains of the window. Ryan sits on the bed, while his phone now rests beside him.
The call is over, but he still waits to stabilise himself from the conversation.
Finally, he shifts and moves to the edge of the bed before standing up. He picks up his phone and starts walking toward the door, then heads downstairs.
On the ground floor, the silence is still the same, with no creak from the main door yet.
He takes his seat on the couch in the living room, the T.V. remote clutched in his hand. But he doesn't press the button yet. Instead, he just stares at the blank screen as his thoughts take over his mind.
I want to talk more to her, but she starts connecting dots too quickly…
He furrows his eyebrows for a moment as the conversation replays in his mind.
Firstly, she had simply asked about his health and eating habits. He had also been quite emotional in that moment, so he answered her questions honestly. But, for some reason, she directly made the guess that he was keeping someone else in the house.
According to her, he was attentive but definitely not good at keeping himself in check and, in terms of running the house properly, wasn't doing very well.
Ha… how can she insult me like that? I have taken care of this house alone for such a long time… I am definitely not bad at it.
But it was her second assessment which almost made him babble on the call. When she had pushed further by asking about his housemate despite his repetitive denials, he had tried to make up something about how he had been keeping his friend with him. But, unfortunately, he hesitated for exactly two or three seconds while saying that.
And, according to her, only liars hesitate for that much longer. So, she directly made the point that either he was doing something bad in the house, or there was a girl living together with him. She had even said teasingly that he might be doing both of these things together.
At that point, he finally ended the call before she could continue her psychological assessment on him any longer.
I shouldn't have told her about the state of the house. That was the bad play from my side…
He finally presses the remote button, and the T.V. starts. He shifts on the couch to get a more comfortable position. His gaze flickers once to the clock before he looks back at the screen.
Noon… It will take time for Sylvia to come home. Well… one day of peace isn't that bad too, I guess.
Ryan's prediction isn't wrong about her getting late, since Sylvia really doesn't look in the mood to go back home early today.
In the Vance family house, the living area is a source of continuous chatter-chatter, murmurs, and whispers.
Today, it's not just Sylvia and Marian, but also several other women occupying the couch and sofa. Two of these women are around the same age as Marian, while the other two are the daughters of these two women who appear as young as Sylvia.
One of the older women named Margot fidgets with the sleeve of her dress and glances at Marian.
"I heard that you have started going on dates nowadays, Marian? You should call me sometimes too… It gets really boring nowadays."
The other similarly aged woman, Camilla, lets out a quiet chuckle at that. She swirls the glass of her drink in her hand while moving her gaze between the women.
"Quite right. You are looking quite lively too lately. I can probably learn a few things from you."
Her gaze lingers on Sylvia for a moment curiously before she looks back at her glass.
From the larger couch, three young women just listen silently to the older women. Sylvia sits between Chloe, who is Margot's daughter, and Blair, who is Camilla's daughter.
Marian finally speaks up while wearing a small smile, though her gaze remains sharp as she addresses the two women.
"You two are thinking too much of it. Yes, I have been doing some new things, and you are free to come along if you want to."
At her words, Blair perks up in her seat and smiles wide.
"Can I also come along then!? I am sure you three would have some interesting things to do together."
"Uh..? But, what would you do between us oldies, Blair?" Camilla shakes her head while sipping on the drink and glances toward Marian. "Right, Marian? We three friends can go together only."
Marian opens her mouth to reply, but Blair growls first in frustration before she slumps back in her seat and glances at Sylvia beside her. Her eyes narrow.
"But what about Sylvia then? You have accompanied her to the dates, right, Sylvia?"
Sylvia raises her eyebrow at being mentioned suddenly, but after processing her words, she just nods once with a quiet hum.
"Hm. That is right. It has been quite fun."
Blair snaps her gaze to the three women and then pouts.
"See!? It has been fun for her, I also want FUN!"
The third girl, Chloe, who has been sitting innocently until now on the other side of Sylvia, simply lets out a weary sigh after hearing Blair's tone. She already seems tired from her tantrum.
Marian looks between the three girls with a troubled expression, then she turns slightly toward her friends.
"It doesn't feel good to leave Blair when she is pleading so much…"
"Oh… Ignore her, Marian. She is just trying to bother us. Blair… be silent, okay?" Camilla glares at Blair briefly, but Blair just pouts harder.
At this point, Margot laughs, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. She shifts on her chair like she's about to issue the verdict. Her hand rises as she points at the three girls on the couch.
Sylvia, Chloe, and Blair look at her hand confusedly before Margot finally announces.
"Why are you all worrying over such a trivial thing? Haha… If Blair is so eager to go on a date, then she can just take these girls together with her! Then we friends can enjoy ourselves too! How about it?"
"Eh? But, I don't wanna go with Blair, Mom…" Chloe murmurs from her seat as she stares at them reluctantly.
"Woah! What the hell do you say, Chloe!?" Blair snaps at Chloe, but one warning glance from Camilla makes her hesitate.
Sylvia herself doesn't look quite pleased with the offer, though her expression is different from Chloe's.
It will be a waste of time to do this… Not to mention, Blair looks like someone who will stay bored even after a full day of roaming around.
After thinking of this, she prepares to reject the idea too, but as her gaze falls on Marian, she stops. Marian's eyes are on Sylvia, and she looks almost apologetic. Sylvia understands the reason immediately.
Hm, so Marian wants to go with them, but these three don't want to bring the daughters along too. God… I shouldn't have come today.
She glances sideways at Blair, hoping that she might look bored with the idea, but Blair already looks ready. As she tries to think of something, a thought suddenly enters her mind, and the corner of her mouth lifts up slightly.
Bored, huh. I might have a good sacrifice to relieve her boredom.
Sylvia sits up straighter suddenly, bringing the attention to her. She smiles while looking at them and nods.
"Actually, I think it's a good idea. I can also get along with someone of my age that way."
Blair's eyes widen at that as she turns toward Sylvia. Marian and Margot look surprised too after hearing those words. Camilla watches her for a few moments before she lets out a sigh.
"Oh dear, really? She might be troublesome for you though… but this will give us three friends some time too…"
Chloe assesses the expression on Sylvia's face, the previous reluctance vanishing from it. She looks almost curious now. After a moment, she lets out a soft hum.
"I guess… I can agree to this too then."
The anticipation suddenly fills the room as the older women turn to each other immediately and start their planning already. Sylvia also settles back on the couch and wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead as she smirks slightly.
I wonder what my sacrifice is doing right now… maybe watching some movie?