Chapter 16

"I said stop wiggling," he muttered as he shifted my position on his shoulder and touched my thighs to perhaps stop me from moving any further. Because I was wearing short shorts, I almost passed out. I was taken aback and could not respond right away. He kept walking, his hands on my thighs. When I moved, he would slap me in the ass. Is he kidding me, or what? He treats me like a child! "Take me down, brother," I said softly. My entire face is flushed. My entire attention was drawn to his warm hand, which was grasping my exposed leg. "I can walk by myself again," I added, embarrassed. He sarcastically responded, "Oh yeah? That is how you were limping while walking when I noticed you." He shivered as he slapped my ass again. I did not respond to him and simply let him nag at me. To begin with, he was correct in his assertions. When we reached my room without being seen, I exhaled a sigh of relief. If they saw us in that situation, they could get the incorrect idea. "So? Would you mind telling me what idiocy you did this time that caused you to injure yourself?" He murmured, his brow furrowed at me. I was still a little taken aback by his presence. He looks great with his brow elevated, though I don"t think he is much less gorgeous when he is not. "I was just laying on my bed, then I rolled, and then I fell," I said, mortified. He gives me a shake of his head. He walked out of my room without saying anything. I was perplexed as I stared at the door he exited. What went wrong with him? He even outperformed the woman in terms of how frequently he changes his mood. I just shook my head in disbelief at his perplexing demeanor. He was harsh to me at times, but he also seemed to be taunting me at other moments. What is it that he truly desires? Regardless, it would be preferable if he left my room. I am starting to feel like my room is getting smaller with him in it. I guess it is because he is so tall, and I feel like I am out of breath when he glances at me. It is enough for me to lose my mind just being in his presence. I have just gotten into bed. Maybe I will just rest my hip; the discomfort should be gone by tomorrow. Maybe it was only because my hip hurt from falling on the floor earlier. When my bedroom door unexpectedly opens, I am going through my phone, watching some odd videos. Alessandre, the older brother, entered with a cold compress in his hand. I was taken aback and gave him a surprised expression. Since my brother here seems to make a habit of barging into my room without warning, I made a mental note to always lock my door. "What brought you back? Is there anything you left in my room?" I inquire, perplexed. Instead of responding to my question, he simply stared at me, emotionless. My brow was furrowed. "Brother?" I said to pique his attention. He was deafeningly silent when I asked him a question. He sighed and shook his head before walking up to me. He just instructed, "Lay down on your stomach." I stare at him, perplexed once more. Why would he request that I lie on my stomach? I did not move and just stared at him, perplexed by what he had said. "Did not you hear what I said, Anna?" He said, "I ordered you to lay down in your tummy." When he stated it, his brows drew together. He is irritated because I did not follow his instructions. "Huh?" I was perplexed and asked him a question. Instead of being irritated with me because I didn"t comprehend what he was saying, he should have clarified what he was saying. He stated hurriedly, "I need to put this cold compress on your hip so it does not swell." I nodded in agreement with what he stated. I assume he just clarified, right? That is what he intended to do. I extended my hand to him. He scowled and diverted his sight to my outstretched palm before returning his gaze to my face. "Please give me the cold compress you brought with you. I will put it on myself," I said, a smile on my face. His brows drew closer together. His jaw is even clenched, which I notice. "Are you pondering something? How are you going to get that on your hip?" he added cynically, with a grin to go along with it. I cannot help but roll my eyes in his general direction. Is he putting me to the test? Did he worry I wouldn"t be able to do it? Tsk. "Do not be so obstinate, Anna." He responded, "Just lay down so I can finish and go to sleep," before rolling his eyes at me. Wow, he has the audacity to roll his eyes at me, that is for sure. I urged him to just pass me the cold compress he obtained when he left my room so that I would not have to disturb him anymore, but he refused. "Are you going to lie down on your stomach? Or perhaps you would like me to personally put you to bed?" He cautioned me as he stated. As he stated those remarks, his tone was solemn. I swiftly followed him, fearful that he was telling the truth. Joking was not a popular pastime for him, and it was certainly not in his vocabulary. He seems to take things quite seriously. He might actually follow through on his threat. My older brother seemed to be approaching me. Because of him sitting, I could feel the bed sag. Out of embarrassment, I immediately hid my face in my pillow. I never imagined this would happen, not even in my wildest dreams. Yes, I had hoped for a long time that my older brother Alessandre would look after me in the same manner that an older brother would look after his younger sibling, but that was before it became very embarrassing. The fact that we are not close adds to the embarrassment I am experiencing right now. To rescue myself from embarrassment, I wish my bed would just swallow me right now. "Did you experience any discomfort?" I overheard big brother inquire. He placed a gentle finger on my hip. I groaned in agony. He was terrible at putting his hands into my skin. He even got his hands on the most painful place. "Could you please take it easy, brother. It hurts so badly," I replied, my eyes almost welling up with tears. I believe he means to aggravate the pain rather than alleviate it, and I am concerned that the agony will worsen tomorrow as a result of his actions. By the way he touch my damaged hip, he has a secret anger towards me. He gently applied the cold compress to the painful area. I was completely unaware that I had dozed off. Drowsiness immediately overtook me, most likely owing to exhaustion. When my phone rang, I was startled awake. I was astonished to discover that the entire room was dark, with only the beam from the turned-on bulb providing illumination. The air conditioning temperature has also been reduced; it was set to the maximum cold setting last night, but it is no longer. It is just enough to keep me from shivering in the cold. Even though it is already dawn and the sun is up, the thick curtain on my window is covered to keep the light from outside out. I would not get out of bed if I had nothing to do today. It is really relaxing to sleep. When I stood up, I let go of the cold compress. My brow furrowed in concentration. "Can you tell me what time my older brother left my room last night?" as I stated it, I was scratching my head. He seemed to be the one who closed my room"s curtain and regulated my air conditioning so that I could sleep easily. I grinned. I did not realize my older brother had caring stored in his physique as well. I assumed he could just yell at me and annoy me. He constantly had a scowl on his face whenever he looked at me. Consider this: he has sweetness in his body. The trouble is that you"ll only see it once. Otherwise, it is like a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, a very rare one indeed. As I made my way into my bathroom to wash up, I was shaking my head. I will shower later because the water is still too cold for me. The party organizer, whom Aunt Lila has entrusted with my birthday preparations, will arrive at 8:00 p.m., so I still have time. Tsk, if I were to be asked, I would not want a big party. For me, a simple dinner is sufficient. Aunt Lila is the only one who insists on a lavish birthday celebration for me. She claimed that she had given it to me on past birthdays and that she would not allow me to have a modest celebration. I have not been able to do anything since Aunt Lila insisted. I am just going to close my eyes and take the money they are going to spend on my birthday. First, I had breakfast with Auntie in the dining room. After our breakfast, I returned to my room to take a shower. By the way, our oldest brother was unable to join us for breakfast. Aunt Lila claimed that when she went to his room to rouse him up, older brother, Alessandre, was still sleeping. After breakfast, Uncle Sandro left for the company. He stated that he has a lot of work to accomplish in the company today. I get guilty from time to time. I know he wants to retire from running the business that Daddy left behind, but he cannot since no one else is willing to take over. Brother Alessandre is already in charge of the family business, leaving only me to run it. Leya knocked on my door after I had showered and dressed. Aunt Lila had hired a coordinator to prepare my celebration, and she had already arrived and was waiting for me downstairs, she said. When I hear Aunt Lila"s pleasant voice talking to her workers, I have not been able to go downstairs completely. She greeted me with a smile as she noticed me arriving. As we got closer to her staff, I approached her and held her waist. I gave them a small grin and greeted them. We discussed what I wanted for my party. We decided to keep the venue basic but elegant. My birthday party will be held in a large hotel owned by Uncle Sandro. They presented me with various options for birthday venues, and I made my decision. I went with the easiest option. That is why I prefer not to be too embellished. When we finish discussing and planning, it"s already afternoon. They have already fixed the majority of them. They merely came to present me their concept and see if I agreed with their conclusions or if I wanted to add any elements to their design. Aunt Lila"s coordinator did a fantastic job. They already know what I want, even if I do not think I can say it. They are really good. I went up to my room after we were finished and the organizers had departed. When I awoke earlier and my hip was less uncomfortable, I exhaled a sigh of relief. My older brother"s application of a cold compress seemed to be successful. In comparison to last night, it isn"t nearly as painful. Speaking of which, I have not yet to see my older brother emerge from his room. He did not come down for lunch earlier. Perhaps he is still sleeping today. Aunt Lila had just sent meals to his room earlier. The weekend went by in a flash. I had completely forgotten that it was Monday and that I had to return to University. I feel as if I closed my eyes and immediately awoke on Monday. How quickly the days pass. On weekends, the day seems to fly by, yet on weekdays, it seems to drag on forever. When I walked down to eat breakfast, I was already dressed in my uniform. As I walked down the steps, my eyes were virtually closed. I was on the verge of tripping due to an incorrect foot step. I was afraid I was going to fall, but I did not. I am kept from falling by a strong pair of hands. My eyes opened with surprise. My brother"s steely blue eyes entranced me as I raised my face. His brows collided once more. After turning his back on me to walk first, he shouted harshly, "Watch where you are walking, moron." I was able to get to my feet. Ah, I am almost there. My bones would have been broken by now if my older brother had not caught me in time. Tsk, Annalise, it is way too early and you are already making yourself foolish. Because of what transpired, my sleeping spirit awoke. I made my way to the dining room. When I arrived, Aunt Lila and Uncle Sandro were already there. I sat down to dine after greeting them both. After we finish eating breakfast, I exited after saying my goodbyes and entering. When I walked out the door, I noticed my older brother getting into his car and opening the passenger seat. He is motioning for me to get into his car. I just followed him, perplexed. It ia difficult; he could be assailed once more by the evil of his habit. He went for a ride and soon found himself driving it. While he was driving, we were both speechless. My tiredness returned as a result of the tranquil surroundings. I struggle with my tiredness. I could not stop yawning. Because of my yawning, I became teary-eyed. I am still in the mood for a nap! I would cheerfully skip school and spend the rest of my day in bed if I could. My older brother patted my forehead after noticing my yawning. I was in charge of the section he would flipped. I sulked. "Hey, why did you do that?" I enquire, my pout still visible. He has a nasty habit of hurting me, huh? He raises his brow at me and asks, "Because you have been yawning, what time did you go to bed last night?" I gave him a sidelong glance. He sounded eerily similar to Aunt Lila. "I went to bed early last night," I lied. The fact is that I did not fall asleep until after midnight since I was still watching my favorite Korean drama. I promised myself that I would only watch one episode, but I ended up watching all of them till the drama ended. Because I was unaware of the time, I slept extremely late. I am sorry, but I cannot help myself. I should not have turned off the television. I am nearing the end of the story, eh? So that is it; I just kept going till I got to the end. He gave me a sidelong glance and remarked, "Tsk, do not fool me, child." "If you do not stop watching those dramas, I will report you to Mom," he threatens. I simply smirked. The older brother is a true joy killer. I simply stopped speaking. What else could he possibly do? We arrived at the university, and all I could hear was his sermon. I did not think he would be able to talk for so long. He could only say a number, I assumed. As if there is a limit to the number of words that can be written. He should only talk one hundred words every day, for example. That is it. I instantly went down when we arrived at my university. I gave him a friendly wave before turning away. I winced as soon as I got out of his car. It is strange to be nagged by someone who doesn"t speak much. I simply shake my head in astonishment. For him to act like that, perhaps he gets enough sleep or was able to rest. I"m also curious as to why my older brother returns home rather than to his condo. At home, he has always been dependable. I am not sure if he wants to come home with us or not. Anyway, approaching the gate, I spotted Lyka waiting for me. I waved back at her, and she waved back at me. She appeared to be ecstatic. She had even teased me about what time it was going to be at school earlier. She is ecstatic because I told her about my upcoming birthday celebration. She stated that she will finally see me in a gown, as she has never seen me in one before. She appears to be much more ecstatic than I am. By what Lyka was saying, I shook my head. Is celebrating your 18th birthday really so essential to you? Tsk, I am not sure what they are talking about. Instead of responding to Lyka"s taunts, I took a step forward. She walked behind me, leaping up and down like a child, and she was even singing softly. She is beaming from ear to ear, as if she had just won the lottery. The students are all looking at her with admiration. Why does she appear to be losing herself all over again? I am not sure how I ended up with this strange girl as a buddy. We are so dissimilar to one another. She is vivacious, but I am drab. While I only have her and A, she is friendly. She is she, and I am just me.