Although Scarlett had made a fortune, she still kept a low profile. There was only one person she wanted to share the news with her younger brother, Skyler. So, she gave Skyler a call and asked if they could get dinner in the coming week.
Scarlett arrived at Skyler’s lab 20 minutes earlier than their appointed time. She leaned against a tree and played some games on her phone to pass the time.
At a top science and engineering school like the one Skyler went to, there were usually many more male students than female. So, as one would expect, Scarlett drew a lot of attention on such a campus.
The school was always worried about the disastrous consequences of having such a hypermasculine institution– it further discouraged women from entering STEM fields when they saw how skewed in favor of women the demographics of most science schools were.
“Scarlett!” Skyler called out to her from a distance. It looked like he hadn’t had a haircut for quite a long time, so his hair flopped down his forehead and was long enough to cover his eyes.
When Scarlett heard the familiar voice, she immediately threw her phone into her bag. She walked towards Skyler and held his arm with a smile.
“How’s everything going?” Scarlett pulled his long bangs side and asked.
“Good. I mean… just as usual. You know, I’m one of the lab guys... or whatever.” Skyler smiled.
“I made a small fortune recently. So whatever you wanna buy and whatever you wanna eat, just let me know, and I got you!” Scarlett looked at Skyler, proud and excited.
She did not dare tell him that she had gone racing again. Although Skyler was always pretty relaxed, he was likely to get angry and start nagging her about it.
Scarlett took Skyler by his arm, and the two walked across campus. Innocent passers-by who knew nothing of them thought they looked like the perfect couple.
“Well, so, what do you wanna eat? Wanna get some Kung Pao Chicken at that little Chinese restaurant down the street?” Skyler was thinking of his favorite food and grew hungry at the thought alone.
Scarlett rolled her eyes at him, “Come on, you lab guys get Chinese takeout pretty much every day! I told you, I have money! Let me take you somewhere else. Where do you wanna go?”
But Skyler was obsessed with Chinese food. He tried to convince Scarlett of the genius of Chinese food, but she was not convinced.
Scarlett stopped him promptly and said, “Stop, stop. Alright, fine, I’ll just have to make the decision for us then.”
Finally, the Uber pulled up in the parking lot of Spring Mall.
“Wait, what? You wanna get dinner here?” Skyler was puzzled. “We need to dress up a little bit for the restaurant I wanna take you to, Skyler.” As they entered a luxury clothing store, the sales clerks were pleased.
Scarlett and Skyler were like models: tall, lean, and beautiful. The clothes looked even more luxurious when they wore them.
Scarlett finally decided on two dresses and a pair of high heels. Then, she chose a black suit and some casual clothes for Skyler.
She looked at Skyler in the black suit and said, “Look at you! What…a 20-something unmarried and super-rich prince?” She laughed. “Anyway, you’ll need to clean up and dress formally for those international academic conferences, won’t you?”
Skyler nodded; he was pleased with the clothes that Scarlett had chosen for him. Scarlett had always had good taste, and she was the one who took full charge of Skyler’s clothes, even though he was an adult. She chose simple, fitted garments that suited Skyler exceedingly well.
Scarlett then changed into the rose gold dress that Skyler had picked out for her. Both the color and cut suited Scarlett, and she felt beautiful wearing it. It was nipped in at the waist and cinched by an elegant belt. The thigh-high slits had a sexy and rebellious charm to them but still looked very classy and mature. She had to admit that her brother, Skyler, had good taste too. Both Scarlett and Skyler had gotten their sense of style and fashion sensibilities from their dear mother.
***
When Scarlett and Skyler stepped into the Michelin star restaurant, the usually haughty French hostess couldn’t discern that they were just poor college students and served them, instead, with above-average politeness.
Though it was the first time in an expensive restaurant like this one, their manner was natural and effortless. They remained calm and collected– Skyler because of his innocence and Scarlett because of her experience.
The waitress stood beside the table and waited for the siblings to order from the extensive menu. She suddenly realized that she had given the two guests the French menu, so she offered to change it out for an English version.
Scarlett waved her hand and said, “No need, thanks.” She asked the waitress a few questions in French and then ordered two chef’s specials and a whole bottle of Bordeaux white wine.
When the waitress walked away, Skyler lowered his voice and said, “Did you see her astonished face?” He chuckled.
Scarlett snorted, “Yeah… I didn’t even realize she had given us a French menu at first. I meant to speak to her in English, but once I saw the menu, I just started thinking in French too and… you know…”
Skyler giggled, “Hey…when in Rome, right?”
Scarlett looked out through the large bay windows; they offered great views of the city. Soon, she was lost in thought. After a while, she asked Skyler, in an unusually low voice, “Do you think I should pursue a postgraduate degree?”
This was the first time Scarlett had felt so uncertain about something. She felt hesitant about making such a big decision for herself.
This was also the first time Skyler had responded to Scarlett's question with unwavering positivity. He did not have any hesitation.
“Of course you should do it! You've been working so hard for many years, and now we have a better life, and we’re not short of money like we were before. I have a scholarship and a stipend too, and I can manage my life.
When Scarlett woke up, it was eight o’clock in the morning. She rolled around in bed for a few moments before sitting up. Her head felt heavy.“You’re awake!” Francis said as he walked into the bedroom from the balcony. He smiled at her. “I thought you’d be out for hours. Aren’t you jetlagged? How long was the flight from Lisbon to Irving anyway? And didn’t you have a stopover in Dallas?”Scarlett rested her head on Francis’s shoulder and said, “Well, I wanted to go to bed early last night. No thanks to you, we ended up staying up so late! I barely got enough sleep. You’re exhausting me, Francis!”“Oh? Am I? I’m so sorry, Scarlett.” Francis teased. He kissed her neck and tousled her hair.
“Don’t you miss me?” Scarlett laughed on the other side. Her hair was wet, and she was wearing a champagne-colored nightgown. She looked as pretty as ever.“Of course I miss you, but I can’t do anything about it, right? I can’t cry on daddy’s shoulder as Brittany did.” Francis said. He came to the balcony and lit up a cigarette and felt a little relaxed.“Brittany cried?” Scarlett asked in surprise.“Yep, she cried for over an hour,” he said as he breathed out a plume of thick smoke.Upon hearing that, Scarlett felt kind of guilty. Was she selfish? Was she a bad mother, a bad wife?“Francis, do you resent me?” Scarlett asked as she Skyped with
As Carlos grew up, he learned the fact that his father was very powerful. But he couldn’t tell his mother what to do.“I gotta fly to Portugal for business... I’ll be gone for a month,” Scarlett said one evening.“Why do you have to be gone for such a long time? Can’t you just get one of your associates to go instead? What’s going to happen to us while you’re gone? At least try to see if you can come back sooner….” Francis moaned unhappily. He hated being away from his wife.“Carlos will take care of his sisters, and besides, Brittany and Shannon are very good kids.” Scarlett comforted gently. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”“I’m not talking about them. I&rsqu
Francis suddenly grabbed Scarlett in the crowd, who walked next to Eve and then tightened his grip around her waist. He pinned her against the pillar and gazed at her without looking away.“What are you doing?” she blushed as she noticed that he was staring at her.Francis moved his hand from her hip to her waist. He was turned on by her sexy figure– as always.After that, he kissed her fiercely– just like he was kissing her for the very first time in his life.Scarlett was taken by surprise and kissed him back passionately as the fireworks blazed on.They parted breathlessly and stared at each other with lust in their eyes.“I hope you’re glad
Scarlett looked up at Skyler. He smiled at her and said, “I’m very relieved that you’re gonna get married to Francis. So now you don’t need to worry about anything in the world.”“You’d better be quick. I will open the door now!” Eve said with her hand on the handrail.Scarlett and Skyler smiled at each other and felt that there was indeed nothing to be scared of anymore. They had, after all, suffered deeply for two decades. Now that was all over. They couldn’t dwell on the past; it was time to step into the future and embrace happiness.“Go ahead, I’m ready!” she smiled, readying herself for the walk down the aisle.As the door opened, Scarlett walked out with Skyler gripping her arm. He was smiling
There was a minute of silence over the phone– Francis and Scarlett said nothing to one another. Scarlett pouted and asked, “Wait a minute… are you laughing at me? You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”“No, I’m the same as you. I feel nervous,” he said in a low voice.“What?” Scarlett asked curiously.Francis was standing in front of the window of his study room with his hands in his pocket, looking out at the vast, blue sea outside.He took a deep breath and smiled, “I said, I’m much more nervous than you are. I’m sure of it. You have no idea how nervous I’m feeling right now.”Scarlett laughed gleefully. Hearing that Francis was