Chapter 2

Rafael was even more excited than I was. “Elena, see? I told you your luck was good today.”

He smiled and gently ruffled my hair. “First prize. Your reward is a brand-new dress.”

I was startled for a moment. “A dress?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you like that white dress you saw before? It wasn’t in stock back then, but I asked about it a few days ago, and it’s finally here.”

I remembered the day after our SATs ended. Rafael and I had walked past a mall display window. I only glanced at the white dress inside for a few seconds. I never expected him to remember.

Ever since we were kids, whenever I drew something bad from the blind boxes, Rafael would secretly make it up to me. When I drew 'Eat Chicken Wing Tips' while Avery drew 'Eat Fried Chicken', he showed up at my door with an entire roasted chicken that same night.

“Congratulations, Elena! You’ve drawn the secret edition!”

When I drew 'Use Your Old Backpack for Another Year' while Avery drew 'New Princess Backpack', he handed me a luxury fountain pen the next day.

“You might have to keep using your old backpack, but a top student like you deserves the best pen.”

Those little gestures were the only thing that helped me survive all those years. At least there was someone who knew I had been hurt.

A sudden sound at the door pulled me back to reality. My sister and my parents had returned.

The moment Avery stepped inside, she raised her phone excitedly. “Elena! Look at the king crab we ate! I watched the chef prepare it right in front of me!”

Mom followed behind her, her voice full of affection.

“She’s the only one who knows how to enjoy good food. She thought the 1,688-dollar option wasn’t good enough, so your dad upgraded it to the 2,888-dollar package for her.”

Dad laughed. “You only turn 18 once. As long as Avery is happy.”

That was when Avery finally noticed Rafael. Her eyes lit up as she ran over, shouting, “Rafael, you’re here! What did you bring us?”

Rafael pushed the gift box toward her. “Graduation gifts. Elena already opened hers.”

Avery immediately looked at me. “What did you get, Elena?”

Rafael answered, “First prize.”

For a split second, the smile on her lips froze, but she quickly recovered. “Wow, Elena is really lucky.”

Rafael smiled and patted my head. “Of course, she is. Elena has always been lucky.”

Then he lifted his head and looked at Mom. “Mrs. Hale, would it be okay if I took her to buy her new dress later?”

Before Mom could answer, Avery immediately hooked her arm around Rafael’s. “Rafael, can I come too? I can help Elena pick one.”

Mom instantly agreed. “Of course. Avery has great taste.”

Only then did Rafael look at me. “Elena, is that okay?”

Avery was still holding onto his arm as she said, “Elena wouldn’t mind, right?”

I nodded slightly. “Whatever.”

That afternoon, we went to the mall together. Rafael took me to the store, where the shop assistant brought out the white dress.

“This is our latest design. It only arrived last week. Sir, you have great taste!”

Rafael handed the dress to me. “Go try it on.”

Avery sat on the couch, resting her chin in her hand. “Elena will definitely look beautiful in white.”

Inside the fitting room, I was halfway through pulling up the zipper when it got stuck. I looked down at the tag and saw that it was one size too small. With the dress in hand, I stepped outside to call over the shop assistant, but that was when I heard Avery's voice.

“Rafael, you know the rules. I cooperated with you just now and let Elena believe she drew the first prize. I even praised her for being lucky. Now that she’s happy, shouldn’t you make it up to me?”

My footsteps stopped. I heard Rafael’s voice, gentle and indulgent. “Tell me. What do you want?”

Avery immediately smiled. “Earlier, when we passed the first floor, I saw a diamond necklace.”

His voice was full of affection. “Sure.”

Avery hesitated for a moment before asking, “What are you gonna do later?”

He replied, “Same thing I've always done. When Elena drew chicken wing tips, I brought her a roasted chicken and then took you out for a private dinner. When she had to keep using her old backpack, I bought her a fountain pen and bought you a whole set of imported stationery.

“She takes things too seriously. She needs to enjoy herself sometimes. Otherwise, if she makes a big deal out of it, your parents won’t know how to handle things.”

Avery hummed in satisfaction.

I stood outside the fitting room door, still holding the dress in my hands.

The shop assistant walked over. “Miss, would you like to try on another size?"