"So you guys are finally moving out, huh?" Rudy asked with a smile on his face.
"Yeah. Everything is finally sorted out, and we are ready to move," Joe answered.
Rudy glanced at Lucy and gently smiled at her, but Lucy turned her face to the side and glanced around the living room.
"...."
'Well, that's exactly how she was in my previous life too. At first, I thought she wasn't okay with the marriage. But when I found her getting along with mom and helping her out with everything, I thought maybe she was just treating me coldly.
I even thought she was an arrogant, spoiled brat, but it turned out she was just shy. It took her a few weeks to start talking to me. However, once we began to talk regularly, we became close like a real brother and sister; well, sometimes, at least.'
Rudy suddenly remembered something and couldn't hide his smirk. He took a deep breath and asked:
"By the way, where is… umm, Paul? He was looking forward to moving in here," Rudy asked with an innocent face.
Angelica shot a soft glare at him and squinted her eyes.
"You have gotten better in acting."
"Who knows…" Joe shrugged his shoulders with a sigh and said, "We haven't seen her since then. Most likely, he is hanging out with his friends and destroying his life."
"Hah! Sucks to be you, Paul. Even your father doesn't give a shit about you!" Angelica scoffed out loud.
"You are not worried about him?" Rudy asked.
"This is not his first time. He was once away for a month, and then one day, I got a call from the cops saying they had arrested him because someone filed charges against him for assaulting a middle school girl.
I regret having a son like him. If only you were my son," Joe said with a sigh and shaking his head in disappointment for Paul.
'He turned out to be a bigger asshole than I thought he would be. Now I am more than glad that I gave that piece of shit the suffering he deserved. Maybe I will visit him and curse him even more.'
"Don't worry, Joe." Rudy gave a thumbs-up sign and said, "You can think of me as your son."
"You bet. Rebecca talks a lot about you and can't stop praising you. I know you are a good son who wants to take care of family," he said while glancing at Rebecca. He then turned to Lucy and patted her head before saying, "And I hope you can get along with Lucy too and give her the brotherly love she never got."
"Yeah, don't worry about it. I always wanted a sister too."
Angelica hugged Rudy and said, "That's news to me. If you had told me before, I would have become your sister."
She licked her lips seductively and added, "A sister who would do anything for her brother."
Rudy ignored Angelica like a professional and said, "Have you guys eaten yet?"
"Oh, no. Lucy and I actually already ate out on our way here."
Rebecca noticed Rudy staring at Lucy, so she came in between and said, "Lucy, you should sleep in my room, okay? I will always be out at night for work, so my room will be empty."
"Okay…" Lucy nodded meekly.
'In my previous life, Lucy and I shared a room, and we took turns sleeping on the bed— although we got a bunk bed later on. But I am glad mom offered her room to Lucy.
I don't think I can share my room with her now. Angelica does night activities for me, and I don't think she will stop even when someone is in the room. Not to mention, I occasionally sneak out of the house, and if Lucy stayed in my room, she would catch me.'
Lucy opened her bag and took out a pair of clothes. But while doing that, her underwear fell down.
"..."
Her face flushed, and she quickly picked them up. He hid them between her clothes and said, "I will take a bath."
"Oh." Rebecca pointed her finger at the bathroom and said, "The bathroom is at—"
"I know."
"..."
Lucy entered the bathroom and locked the door from the inside.
"Please don't think of her as rude. She is just shy. Give her some time," Joe said apologetically.
"I know. It's always weird when you get a new family," Rebecca said while glancing at Rudy.
"Okay. I need to leave soon," he said while looking at the watch on his wrist.
"Hmm? Are you going somewhere?"
"I am going on a business trip, and I have to rush to the next city to go to the airport to catch the flight."
"Oh…"
Deep down, Rudy felt happy and relieved that Joe won't be around.
"When will you come back?"
"Maybe a week. We were going to move in after that, but Lucy insisted on coming here, and I thought it wouldn't be a great idea to leave her alone in an empty apartment. She usually goes to her friend's house when I am away."
He got up from the couch and said, "But this place is now her home, so I guess it's the best choice."
"Obviously," Rebecca nodded.
"Alright. I will take my leave now. I don't know if I will get a taxi here at this hour."
Joe grabbed his suitcase and left after bidding farewell to everyone. Now, only Rudy and Rebecca were in the living room.
"..."
"..."
They both stared at each other, but Rebecca was constantly averting her gaze to avoid eye contact with Rudy.
"Uhh… mom. I wanted—"
Rebecca turned around and said, "Oh my, I am getting late for work. I must leave."
Rudy glanced past Rebecca's shoulder and looked at the uneaten food served on the table.
"But you haven't even eaten yet," he said.
"I will eat something at the store. Goodbye."
Rebecca grabbed her purse and ran out of the house.
"..."
SIGH!
"Mommy's boy is getting avoided by mommy," Angelica commented.
