“Coming,” Rosalie said, getting up and heading to the door.
Rosalie opened the door to find Zaki standing there in casual clothes. Before Rosalie could say anything, Zaki spoke first. “So? Are you happy with the
room?”
“I am,” Rosalie replied casually.
The Zaki standing before her now seemed like a completely different person from the one who had picked her up. The scruffiness and exhaustion were gone; now, he had a clean and tidy look that made him look much more refreshed and good–looking.
“As long as you’re happy. You’ve just come back, and there must be a lot of things you need. Just let me know whatever you want,” Zaki said with a loving look in his eyes.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then, Zaki.” Since he offered, Rosalie didn’t bother to be polite.
“You know I am your big brother,” Zaki said earnestly.
“Okay,” Rosalie replied, feeling warm inside.
Zaki walked into the room and glanced around. “This is the sunniest room in the house,” he said. “Xyliana mentioned wanting to move in here once, but
she always intended to design it herself, so it stayed empty for a while.
“It’s great you’re back. Mom and Dad even hired a well–known interior designer; they put a lot of thought into this.”
Upon hearing Zaki’s words, Rosalie understood just how much Roxanne and Zachary had put into decorating this room. Luckily, she didn’t refuse their kindness; otherwise, they would have been really disappointed.
However, she quickly realized something and asked suspiciously, “Xyliana? Isn’t that a girl’s name? I thought I only had five brothers. Do I have a sister
too?”
Zaki raised an eyebrow and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Didn’t Mom and Dad mention it to you earlier?” He thought they would have told Rosalie about Xyliana.
“No,” Rosalie replied, noticing the serious expression on Zaki’s face. She couldn’t help but be curious about Xyliana.
Zaki realized that Rosalie knew nothing about Xyliana. He guessed that maybe it was because Roxanne and Zachary were too excited and hadn’t had the
chance to tell her yet.
But Rosalie should be informed beforehand to avoid any awkward moments when the sisters meet. Thinking of this, Zaki calmly sat down by the couch.
“Xyliana… is actually your sister.”
“I have a sister?” Rosalie looked at Zaki, surprised and unable to believe it.
Ever since they picked her up, she had thought she was the only girl in the family. Curtis had investigated the Yoder family before but he didn’t mention that there was a daughter.
Finding out she had five brothers, Rosalie had hoped for a sister too. And now she had one, which was a nice surprise. “So, what’s she like?” Rosalie asked casually.
“Trying to figure out her vibe?” Zaki got what Rosalie was driving at.
Rosalie nodded with a small smile.
“Don’t sweat it, Xyliana’s cool. But I’m not around much, so I hardly ever see her. You’ll get it when you meet her,” Zaki replied honestly, since he hardly ever saw Xyliana among his siblings and felt a bit out of the loop.
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Chapter 8
Rosalie felt better after hearing Zaki’s take.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Zaki responsed.
A servant poked his head in and said, “Mr. Zaki Yoder, Ms. Rosalie Yoder, the master and mistress invite you to dinner.”
Zaki said to Rosalie, “Let’s roll, it’s chow time.”
“Got it,” Rosalie replied, walking downstairs to the dining room with Zaki.
The table was piled high with food, almost to the point of overflowing, and yet more dishes kept coming out. Zachary and Roxanne were already seated at the table, waiting for Rosalie and Zaki.
Seeing them approach, Roxanne smiled and walked over to Rosalie, taking her hand and leading her to a seat. “Rosalie, sit next to me.” Roxanne guided
Rosalie to her side.
“I wasn’t sure what you’re into, food–wise, so I had the kitchen whip up a bunch. At home, just grab whatever you like,” Roxanne said softly, also serving some dishes onto Rosalie’s plate.
Seeing the food Roxanne put on her plate, Rosalie felt a warm feeling in her heart. In the Moreno family, she had never been treated this kindly by
relatives. Having someone suddenly be so nice to her was really touching.
“Thanks, Mom, it must have been a lot of work to get all these dishes ready. Don’t just serve me; you should dig in too,” Rosalie said, serving a dish onto
Roxanne’s plate as well.
Watching Rosalie appreciate Roxanne’s kindness, Zachary felt very pleased. He then turned to Zaki and said, “Zaki, go grab a nice bottle of wine. Let’s
have a drink today.” Zachary’s face was all smiles.
“Sure thing,” Zaki agreed, knowing Zachary, who hadn’t touched a drop in a while, was doing so out of happiness for Rosalie’s return.
Roxanne’s smile got even bigger when she heard Zachary wanted to have a drink. “Look at how happy he is with your return. I haven’t seen him this happy in forever.
“Usually, it’s only when he’s really stoked that he suggests popping a bottle,” Roxanne held Rosalie’s hand and smiled gently.
Just as they were chatting, a servant led in the people delivering the goods. “Sir, Madam, the clothes, shoes, and bags ordered for Miss have arrived.”
“Alright, send them to the Miss’s room,” Roxanne instructed casually. Turning to Rosalie, she added, “I’ll have them taken to your room for now. After dinner, you can check them out one by one. Keep what you like and send the rest back.”
“Okay, thanks, Mom and Dad,” Rosalie replied warmly. She thought to herself, ‘It’s great that I can return them; I just keep a few pieces here and there.’
But right after that, Rosalie watched as the servants carried items upstairs one after another. With so many things, it would take some time to move them, and she’d probably spend a long time choosing too.
Meanwhile, outside Skyline Castle, a black Maybach pulled up. The driver quickly got out and opened the door, revealing an elegant figure stepping out smoothly.
Xyliana Yoder looked at the several delivery trucks parked at the entrance. The servants were busy bringing in the clothes, shoes, bags, and even jewelry. Seeing the familiar packaging of her favorite brands, all in limited editions, a joyful smile appeared on her face.
Xyliana exclaimed, “I was only out of the country for a few days for a competition. I didn’t expect Mom and Dad to be so eager for me to get back and even to prepare so many gifts.”
Xyliana’s cousin, Sophia Yarwood, got out of the car from the other side, her eyes shining with envy at the sight of so many limited–edition pieces of jewelry.
Sophia couldn’t help but praise Xyliana, “Zachary and Roxanne really care about you. You’ve been gone for just a few days, and they’ve already prepared so many gifts for your return. Do you think they guessed you’d come back with first place?”
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Chapter 8
“It’s just a small competition. I didn’t expect my parents to go to such lengths, but they did,” Xyliana said, even though she felt quite pleased inside.