CHAPTER 7

Verania's Point of View

Since I was pushed into the pool by Clara's sibling, I had no choice but to join that child in frolicking in the water. Fortunately, I had double cycling shorts on, or else I'd be splashing around in my jogging pants.

"It's good that you know how to swim," I complimented Sandra, who was expertly floating in the water.

"Ate Vera, do you live around here?" she asked me in a snarky tone.

"Yes, why?" I raised an eyebrow as I threw back my slightly annoyed response. Why is she acting so sassy...

"You're not going to steal a boyfriend, right?" she asked, dropping a bombshell.

Well, she's quite young to know about such things!

"No, of course not!" I quickly defended myself, making her gasp.

"Really? Are you sure? Ares is my sister’s boyfriend and you seem to be quite close. Are you really sure?" she added, causing my jaw to drop that a fly could enter my mouth freely. 

"Yes, of course, what would I want with Ares? I'm just working here, a nurse, driver, bodyguard..." I declared, announcing all of the jobs I am supposed to do, while her eyes widened. 

"Nurse? Do you have injections? Ones with needles as big as this?" she said, showing me her index finger.

I sighed, and bite my lower lip to prevent myself from laughing out loud, since she seemed to be afraid of needles. 

"Yes, you want me to give you a shot for pushing me earlier?" I teased with an arched eyebrow, while a grin was painted on my lips to annoy her even more. 

"No! I don't want that," she responded timidly, maybe a bit too forcefully, as Ares intervened.

"Are you frightening her?" Ares said from a distance, causing me to shift my sharp gaze to him and furrow my brow, why the heck is he intervening now? After he made me take care of this child? 

"Seriously, Ares?" I replied irritably, and I glared at him as I heard Sandra's faint giggles.

"Ares is always like that when someone's bothering me."

"I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Just leave it, Old Sister. Because you're cool, let's make up," she said, and I furrowed my eyebrow. 

We didn't even fight, so why do we need to make up?

"You're a bodyguard too, you said? So, have you held a shotgun, Old Sister?" she asked, making me laugh and causing her eyebrow to arch.

"A shotgun? Not yet, but I've held other guns," I said, and she grinned widely.

"Old Sister, I still have another question," she announced, so I shifted my gaze at her as I continued swimming.

When she reached the stairs, she sat down there.

"What is it?" I asked in a casual tone.

"Old Sister, do you have a crush on Ares? Because in the shows I watch on TV, the ones who start off arguing usually end up liking each other," she said, making me choke. 

Seriously? What is she watching that she's asking these kinds of questions?

"No, seriously, you're such a pest! That's impossible, okay? And can we keep our conversations just between us? Otherwise, I'll use that needle on you..." I threatened, but she just laughed and nodded, she even raised her thumb to approve what I asked. 

"Hehe, okay, Old Sister!" she cheerfully replied, and we both got out of the pool.

"Are we changing clothes now?" she asked, running towards a table not far from the pool.

"Why? Are you not planning to swim anymore?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Hmm..." she said, furrowing her brow as if pondering.

"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo... horse's butt, you look like so... back to your past you shall go...!" she sang while moving her index finger back and forth between the pool and her bag on the table.

Her finger stopped at the bag, and a wide grin ran across her lips. 

"Let's rinse off, Old Sister!" she exclaimed, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"Well, what about Ares? I'm keeping an eye on him..." I said, making her pout.

"Okay, you can rinse off later. But let's play first!" she enthusiastically suggested, and I blinked at her quick agreement.

"Change into your dry clothes first, you might catch a cold and then you'll wipe your runny nose on me," I teased, and she giggled while glancing at my clothes.

"Hehe, Old Sister Vera, your body looks so nice and sexy!" she said with a mischievous smile, then snatched her bag to grab some replacement clothes.

Goodness, I can’t really believe every word that this kid says. 

I scratched my head and shook it, unintentionally glancing at Ares' direction. He was looking at us, raising an eyebrow, but quickly averted his gaze when our eyes met. What's his problem?

Sandra finally got her clothes and handed them to me. I understood what she meant when I took them from her.

She raised both her hands, indicating that she wanted me to help her change. Once she was dressed, she sat on the chair next to the table, and I took a seat in front of her, with a clear view of Ares. Just because I'm looking after one doesn't mean I'm neglecting the other.

"So, what are we going to play?" I asked, noticing her rummaging through her bag again, struggling to retrieve something from what seemed like Doraemon's pocket, given how much she was digging.

"Wait a moment, Ate," she said, causing me to raise an eyebrow again and cross my arms while waiting for her.

I was surprised when Ares shouted not far from us.

"Vera!" he called out loudly, and within seconds, I was marching toward him.

"What is it that you want, Your Highness?" I said irritably because he was already talking to someone else and now he was bothering us.

I was taken aback when he handed me a towel... I felt a bit guilty for the irritation that I acted out earlier. 

"You might catch a cold," Ares casually said, and I glanced at Clara.

She just smiled, so I rubbed my forehead as I took the towel Ares was handing me.

"Thanks," I said shortly, then returned to my seat.

As soon as I sat down, Sandra had already found what she was looking for in her bag.

"Yay! I found it!" she exclaimed joyfully, and my eyes widened when I saw what she was holding. Playing cards! Yes, playing cards! Why on earth would this child choose playing cards out of all the toys she could bring?

"Is that what we're going to play?" I asked in surprise, and she nodded eagerly.

"Yes, of course!" she replied enthusiastically, leaving me blinking several times. This kid is really something else.

"It's fun, you know, like that game 'poker'?" she asked, with a wide grin on her lips.

"Yeah, sure, is that what we're playing?" I sighed, and painted a smile on my lips. 

"Yes, Old Sister! So… let's play?"

"Aren't you going to get scolded by Clara? She might get mad at us," I casually asked, and she shook her head.

"She won't be mad, I've played with her before!" she said, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Where did you learn this?"

"From the internet, I saw games that had cards and it taught me about it. I even downloaded it on my tablet, because they said I could earn money by playing, but I didn't get any, hmp! I was going to buy glue with it for making slime," she declared with her lips pouting. So I let out a chuckle. 

"Oh, you're so rich and you're just going to buy glue with your poker earnings? You could’ve asked your parents about it, then it will be over!" I said, and she scratched her head and pouted even more. 

"Mommy doesn't want me to. She said I'd end up sticking slime to my hair," she said, causing me to burst into laughter.

"She's worried my hair will get damaged from using various tricks to remove the stickiness," she explained as she handed me the cards.

"Don't do that again, okay?" I said, raising an eyebrow and giving her a stern look.

"What are you talking about, Old Sister? Sticking slime to my hair?" she asked, and I gasped.

"Yes, that, and playing games to make money, just because you see it on advertisements. Sometimes those are scams, and who knows what might happen to you. And never ever try to earn money from games. It's like gambling, you might get addicted," I explained at length, and she nodded while giving me a sheepish grin.

"Okay, Old Sister Vera," she said after she finished dealing the cards.

While we were playing, I noticed where Ares and Clara were sitting, happily engaged in conversation.

"Has Ares been courting your sister for a long time?" I asked while keeping my gaze on Ares, knowing that he wasn't aware I was observing him.

"For a while, Old Sister. Brother Ares has been coming to our house often, especially on Saturday nights, and he cooks for us. And I've also heard that during lunch, he brings food to Ate Clara at the hospital," she explained at length, making me furrow my brow before stealing a glance at Ares.

"Does he do that often?" I asked, and Sandra nodded, so I let out a sigh. 

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