Beverley fell silent, simply uninterested in meddling with the trivial matters. She craved nothing more than to be left alone, to bask
in the freedom of her leisure.
Aurelia laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, her eyes conveying an unspoken depth of understanding.
Then the night sky burst into a spectacle of fireworks. Children clapped their hands with glee, their cheers echoing in the crisp air.
Skyler was especially thrilled. Although he was the proverbial outsider, he never felt ignored.
He adored spending holidays with the Stirlings.
The fireworks were mesmerizing.
William gave Skyler a gentle pat on the back, and Skyler grinned from ear to ear.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
After the fireworks, Aurelia, as the matriarch, began handing out gifts to the kids and her unmarried cousins.
"Kane, Nina, Mira, William, Skyler..."
Skyler was over the moon, and even he got a gift, a joy reserved for the big kids.
Then, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Geoffrey, [Dear Skyler, you're a miserable man. You're obviously the big brother of The
Stirling Family yet you can only spend the holiday as an outsider in the Stirling Family.]
What a buzzkill! Skyler bristled, [You can't even make it past the Stirling's front gate, and you're givinggrief? | just watched the
fireworks, had a blast, and even got a gift from Angel. You're just jealous.]
[An inept fool, sulking in the corner, that's all you are. Jealous of what? I've got grand plans, and what do you have? Spending your
days playing games with toddlers.]
Skyler puffed his cheeks, [I am a kid, and everyone thinks I'm adorable. They all like me.]
[They treat you like a simpleton, like you? My foot. You're a disgrace, only caring about your own fun, abandoning your own mother
to fend for herself on sforsaken island. She's probably miserable, sick, and won't last long. And you won't even be there to see
her off.]
Skyler was speechless.
Tanya had always said that when kids grow up, they leave their parents to live on their own. His siblings had done the same.
Having grown from a boy to a young man, it was his turn to venture out and live a life he loved.
And he was doing just that, happily.
[Tanya's living the life, with five servants and a doctor at her beck and call. She's enjoying her days in the land of idyllic beauty,
free from worry. At her age, she should be enjoying her twilight years, not getting into trouble, lest she faces divine retribution.]
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmGeoffrey's response was a string of furious emojis.
[True joy in later life is being with family, not dying alone on an island without a soul around.]
[Tanya broke the law, and she's a fugitive. If she returns, she'll end up behind bars for good. She's free on that island, and at least
she’s not stuck in a sweatshop. If she’s really ill and on her last leg, Leopold will take us to see her. You don't have to worry.]
[How would Leopold know if she's sick on an isolated island?[
Skyler smirked, [Leopold just knows things. He's pretty much omniscient.]
The island wasn't entirely cut off, and there was satellite communication that kept them in touch with Leopold.
[Thanks for lettingknow there's a communication setup on the island, dear Skyler.]
Skyler's heart skipped a beat. Had he spoken out of turn? Would Geoffrey track the signal?
[I've got the location down. But you wouldn't dare come, would you, scaredy-cat?]