Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Three weeks passed, and I’d almost forgotten about him—until fate threw us together again. Now, we sat across from each other in a friend’s vacant apartment, staring at one another.

An hour earlier, I’d been lying in bed, fuming at the construction noise upstairs. “Lila, my upstairs neighbor’s renovating—It’s impossible to focus on my designs!”

“What? I have a vacant apartment! It’s a bit far, but fully furnished. Just move in—think of it as warming the place up for me!” Lila’s voice crackled over the phone. It sounded perfect, so I agreed.

I packed my bags, drove over, and stood at the door of Unit 1603, Building 7—Lila’s address. I bent down to enter the passcode, but the door swung open from the inside.

And there stood the guy I’d met three weeks ago—my crush.

“Y-you live here?” I asked, sure I hadn’t gotten the wrong place.

“Where else?” He leaned lazily against the doorframe.

“Isn’t this Lila Carter’s place?”

“Yep. You gonna stand there all night getting eaten by mosquitoes?”

Once inside, he retreated to his room. I immediately blew up Lila’s WeChat: You said it was vacant! Why’s there a guy here?! I typed furiously. When did you get an older brother?!

Her reply came quickly: It is vacant! I don’t have an older brother—only a wild, flirty little brother!

Instead of calming me down, her words made my heart race. If Lila knew I had a crush on her brother, she’d kill me. I’m doomed, I thought.

“Sister, you’re gonna break your phone if you squeeze it that hard.” The guy had emerged from his room and was sitting across from me, grinning.

Back to the present—I was so embarrassed I wanted to disappear. His handsome face, his enchanting voice, and his identity—I squeezed my eyes shut. This is a disaster. I didn’t want to go from “best friend” to “sister-in-law”—it felt demeaning.

I sat there, scrolling through my phone, waiting anxiously for Lila. I stole glances at him every few seconds—until he spoke without looking up.

“Sister, like what you see?”

I froze, my face burning red like a blooming firecloud. I stared at my phone, too flustered to meet his eyes.

Twenty minutes later, Lila burst in with Elias, looking frantic. I instantly switched from “slob mode” to “ladylike posture.”

“Babe, I’m so sorry! I had no idea that brat came back! I swear!” Lila shook my hand, pouting. Normally, I’d pinch her cute, plump cheeks, but with her full makeup, I held back.

I nodded, accepting her apology. Lila turned on her brother, growling, “Why’re you back? And why’re you staying here? Answer me!”

“I went home—you weren’t there. I like it here. Problem?” He lifted his eyes, calm as ever.

Lila’s temper flared—until Elias spoke up. “Calm down. Watch the baby.”

My jaw dropped. “You’re pregnant?!” I teared up, feeling like a proud mom.

“Yep! Found out today! So hurry up and find someone—we can go through this together!”

“Forget dating—you need to rest! No more drinking with me—it’s bad for the baby.” I dodged her question. I want to date your brother, I thought. But I can’t say that. I just sat there, sweating nervously.

We eventually agreed to be roommates. After Lila and Elias left, the two of us stared at each other in silence.

He broke it first, sitting beside me. “I’m Owen Carter. What’s your name, Sister?” His clear eyes locked onto mine.

I straightened up, forcing a mature tone. “Clara Bennett.”

“What do you want for lunch? I’ll cook. You can unpack while I do—your room’s the one left of the bathroom.”

I mumbled my favorite dishes, then watched him head to the kitchen. I grabbed my suitcase and went to unpack. The room was spotless—he’d obviously cleaned it. Nice, I thought. He’s tidy.

Once I’d settled in, I pulled out my sketchbook to work on new jewelry designs. Our quarterly launch had underperformed, and my boss wanted revisions. I sighed, picking up a pencil. Design after design—they were all pretty, but none felt “right.” I leaned back, frowning. This is frustrating. But if I didn’t deliver, I’d lose my job.

I decided to check on Owen. As soon as I opened the door, the aroma of braised pork hit me. My eyes lit up—I was from Jiangbei, and braised pork was my weakness.

We ate in silence, but the empty plates said everything about how good his cooking was. As I put down my chopsticks, Owen’s voice came from beside me.

“You liked it? I’ll make it again.” He cleaned up the dishes and headed to the kitchen.

Since we were roommates, I figured we should get along. One cooks, one washes—fair. I followed him in.

“Owen, let me do the dishes. It’s the least I can do.” I grabbed the bowl from his hand before he could object and started scrubbing.