Chapter 14
Samuel was stunned at first, but when he saw Nicole only then he realized he had said the wrong thing again. He looked embarrassed and changed the subject bluntly. “Nicole is beautiful. I can see how popular you will become in school.”
What Samuel said aroused jealousy in Norah. She looked at Nicole but could not deny that Nicole was blessed with beauty and a good figure, while she herself looked a lot more ordinary.
Daniel noticed Norah’s melancholy and pondered for a moment before saying to Samuel with a frown, “You should keep your mouth shut if you don’t know what to say.”
Getting reprimanded, Samuel quickly lowered his head and continued his breakfast.
Daniel then turned to Norah. “Since you are not blood-related to your brothers, keep your distance from them, and you can no longer be so willful like last time.”
Norah’s face turned pale after getting reprimanded. Feeling hurt, she bowed her head. “Understood. I will not be willful next time.”
But it hurt Samuel to see that. “Dad, even if Norah is not our biological sister, we have lived together for so long. To me, as long as Norah treats me as her brother, I will always be his brother.”
Samuel spoke with principle, startling both Daniel and Gloria.
Spencer could not help but face-palm when Samuel said something stupid again.
“Samuel…” Norah looked at him, feeling touched. He was probably the only one who still cared about her.
Just when Daniel was about to speak, Gloria shook her head at him, then looked at Samuel. “You are right. Norah has lived with us for so long. Even though she is not blood-related to us, she is still your sister.”
“Mom…” Norah’s eyes were welling up. Even Spencer’s heart had somewhat softened.
After all, what did Norah do wrong?
Not that she deliberately impersonated Nicole. It was the birthmark behind her ear that was too similar to that of Nicole.
“Dad, Mom, I am full.” Nicole was not interested in things about Norah. After taking a few bites, she planned to leave.
“Spencer, Samuel, I will wait for you in the living room. Call me when you guys finish your breakfast.” With that, she turned and left.
Samuel could not help but look back at Spencer and gave him a look that said, “I can’t believe she is so calm.”
Spencer also felt that Nicole was too calm to be an eighteen-year-old. She did not show any emotion facing Norah.
Norah at first wanted to make Nicole jealous, not expecting that Samuel would shift his attention to Nicole. A hint of indignation flashed in her eyes.
Nicole did not look back, but her hands had clenched together, and she pretended to be calm. “Got it.”
No one had ever cared too much about her, so she did not know how to respond to Samuel. But deep down inside, she felt a touch of closeness to this innocent brother of hers.
Spencer was relieved after Samuel had explained himself. “Look, Nicole is not a petty person, so you and Norah shouldn’t assume too much.”
Norah felt depressed after being accused of assuming too much. Looking back at the quiet Nicole, Norah could only feel that what she had just done was a joke—Nicole was not jealous of her, yet she was jealous of Nicole to the bone.
There was a moment of silence, and then Samuel suddenly said, “Nicole, I heard Mom say that you have already met Sean and Steve, but not Stanley.”
Nicole nodded without thinking, “Yeah.”
Knowing that Nicole really had not met Stanley, Samuel became enthusiastic. “Stanley is the president of the student union of the university and a top student. He is a badass.”
Samuel chattered about Stanley along the way, and Nicole listened to it and became curious about these three brothers.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: My Wife is a Hacker (Nicole Riddle and Jared)