Chapter 77

Despite her attempts to hide it, I sensed her unease and dissatisfaction with this place. I ate my meal silently. Just as I finished, my phone rang, attracting the attention of the others at the table.

“Hello?” I answered, though I didn’t recognize the number. After hanging up, Alex’s name lingered on my phone’s display.

“Who was that?” Mom asked, concerned. “I heard you talking about a housing agent on our last call.”

I nodded.

“What?” Mr. Hastings Senior exclaimed, turning to glare at Alex. “We have plenty of properties available. How could you let Serena rent an apartment? You’re supposed to be her brother!”

I quickly interjected, “It’s not Al’s fault, Mr. Hastings Senior. I want to find an apartment on my own. I can’t rely on Al for everything.”

“Why is that a problem?” Mr. Hastings Senior responded with dissatisfaction. “We’re family, after all.”

Mom chimed in, “Serena is right. Alex has already done so much by arranging a job for her. Serena can handle finding an apartment on her own.”

I nodded in agreement. “Mom is right. And the housing agent just called. He’s found a perfect apartment for me. It’s in Maplewoods, right next to the company, and the rent is affordable.”

“Maplewoods?” Mr. Hastings Senior looked confused, his brows furrowed, but then quickly agreed. “Okay, okay. Maplewoods is great. Serena, about the rent…” I held up two fingers. In Grandow, I was extremely lucky to find such a well-located apartment at this price.

Mr. Hastings Senior’s glare met Alex’s meaningful gaze. “That’s more like it,” Mr. Hastings Senior said.

I sensed tension between them. Could it be that Mr. Hastings Senior thought Alex should have provided me with a free apartment?

As we drove back to the city after dinner, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Mom had said in her room. She truly wanted me to live a good life, but it seemed like an impossible task. I couldn’t just leave her alone and live a carefree life of my own.

Leaning toward Alex, I agreed with what he and Mom had said earlier. He smiled slightly as he focused on driving. We took a sharp turn, and he said cheerfully, “The personnel appointment should be finalized by the beginning of next month.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. When I reopened them, determination shone through. If everyone was going to talk about me anyway, perhaps I should take advantage of it, as Lila had suggested. As for work, I would put in even more effort to impress others.

“Actually, this will benefit us both,” Alex explained abruptly. “When you and Nicole went upstairs earlier, my dad kept blaming me for not taking good care of you and only allowing you to be a regular employee. With this position, I can deal with him about it.”

“Can you answer my questions?” I looked at Alex.

I coughed before asking, “In the past, the assistant office only hired from within the company. Why did you suddenly decide to recruit externally this year?” I already had an answer in mind, but I didn’t fully trust my own thoughts. I needed to hear Alex say it aloud for it to feel true.

“Because it was time for it this year,” Alex replied slowly. “Did you think I opened up the recruitment specifically for you?”