Chapter 2

The next morning, at 10:00 am, Aurora called.

I glanced at my phone and ignored it. The call ended, only for her to try again. This happened three more times. She was essentially blowing up my phone.

I was in Mom's hospital room, peeling an apple for her. She lay in bed, her face pale, but still managed to smile. "That was Aurora, wasn't it? Go on. Take care of your business. I'll be fine here."

I shook my head. "No rush. She can wait."

By the fifth call, I finally answered.

"Samuel!" she practically screamed into the phone. "What were you doing? Why haven't you been answering my calls? Did you forget you were supposed to take Joe shopping today?"

"I didn't," I replied calmly.

Aurora paused. "Then where the hell are you?"

"At the hospital, keeping my mom company."

"Your mom?" she snapped, her voice even shriller. "Samuel, I told you yesterday to take Joe shopping! You agreed!"

My hand stopped mid-peel. "I did, but I never said I'd go for sure."

A three-second silence settled on the other end. Then came her incredulous voice. "What do you mean by that? You always used to do whatever I asked!"

I laughed. "That was then. I don't feel like going anymore."

"You…"

Aurora was so furious she could barely speak. "What the hell is wrong with you, Samuel? Joe's waiting for you at the mall right now, standing out in the blazing sun! Get your ass over there now!"

I glanced out the window. It was scorching outside—but what did that have to do with me?

"Then let him stand in the sun. I'm busy."

With that, I hung up.

Mom looked worried. "Aurora will get mad if you keep this up."

I handed her the peeled apple. "What do her emotions have to do with me, Mom? Your health is what matters."

She sighed and said nothing more.

The system's voice rang out in my head.

"1% drop in Aurora's Affection Level. Conquest progress: 29%. Countdown: 29 days."

A wave of satisfaction washed over me. Good. Keep it dropping.

About two hours later, the hospital room door flung open.

Aurora stormed in with Joe. Her face was livid. He stood behind her, his face sunburned and red, and his eyes rimmed with tears, looking like he had suffered some terrible injustice.

"Samuel!"

She pointed at me, her voice quivering with rage. "How many times do I have to tell you? Joe waited for you at the mall for three whole hours! Three hours! He collapsed from heatstroke—do you know that?"

I glanced up at Aurora, then lowered my head and continued peeling the apple. "Oh."

That was my response.

She froze, visibly taken aback by my indifference. "That's all you have to say?"

She walked up to me and reached for my collar, but I nudged backward and dodged her hand. "What else do you want me to say? I never asked him to wait. You were the one who told him to."

By then, Aurora was shaking with anger. She sucked in a deep breath, then turned to look at Mom in the bed.

"Mrs. Cooper, have I indulged your son so much that he's become completely out of control? He doesn't even listen to me anymore."

"Aurora, maybe Samuel was just tired…" Mom said weakly.

"Tired?"

Aurora snorted coldly. "And what about Joe? He waited under the blazing sun for three hours and collapsed, while your son sat here leisurely peeling apples! Is this how your son treats my friend?"

Mom's face grew paler. She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but merely sighed in the end.

I looked at Aurora and warned her, "Watch your mouth."

She froze, staring at me as if she had never known me. "What did you just say?"

"I said, watch your mouth," I enunciated. "That's my mom, not someone you can take your anger out on. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me. Leave my mom out of it."

Aurora's face flushed red. The last thing she expected was me talking back to her. After all, I had never spoken to her like that in the past three years.

"Fine. Very well," she said with a bitter smile. "You've got some nerve, Samuel. I'll remember this."

She turned and walked out. Joe followed close behind. Before leaving, he shot me a smug look, as if saying, "You're done for."

The hospital room door slammed shut.

Mom looked at me anxiously. "Don't do this, Samuel. She'll be really upset."

I shook my head. "Don't worry, Mom. She'll get over it in a few days."

Mom didn't understand what I meant, but she didn't press me either.

I sat back in my chair, and the system notification sounded again. "2% drop in Aurora's Affection Level. Conquest progress: 27%. Countdown: 27 days."

I smiled. Great.

A little after 3:00 pm, someone knocked on the door again. This time, it wasn't Aurora. It was Nancy Sawyer.

She carried an insulated food container and a bag of medicine. "Mrs. Cooper, I came to visit you."

Her voice was gentle, and she wore a warm smile.

When Mom saw her, her eyes lit up. "Nance, you're here. Come in. Have a seat."

Nancy set the insulated container on the table and opened the lid. Inside was a pot of chicken and vegetable soup, still steaming. Its rich aroma soon filled the room.

"I made this soup early this morning. Have some while it's still hot."

Mom's eyes grew misty with emotion. "You're such a wonderful lady, Nance. You're always thinking of me."