In recent days, Arabella had been staying at home. It was said that something had happened in the GY Temple. She was afraid of being revenged on, so she chose to stay at home. Besides, there were many bodyguards patrolling in the house every day. However, after a few days, there was no danger, so Arabella went out again. Sometimes, she would go to the company or to a banquet.
Arabella wasn't an introvert girl, maybe due to her parents' sound protection. She had always been under her parents' protection, and she went abroad after she reached adulthood. Her parents would ensure all of her needs when she was abroad and also because of her optimistic character, she almost didn't experience any hardships over the past years.
The only obstacle in her life was her unrequited love for Vincent in the past fifteen years.
However, Jaquan, who was her protector, seemed to be indifferent to her at this moment. She was afraid of being snubbed, so, reasonably, she accepted Jaquan. Yet, surprisingly, Jaquan did not like her either.
A sense of failure attacked Arabella. She seated on the sofa and stared at somewhere absent-mindedly. On hearing her mother's words, Arabella began to cry.
"Mom, am I a loser?"
The Pecks had a tradition of female superiority, but in the Grandmother's generation, males gradually dominated. Men were included in the candidates for the successor of the Pecks. However, Arabella's mother Rachel was the one and the only female Peck, so beyond dispute, she became the successor of the Pecks.
The Pecks was different from the Scavos. The Pecks had less children than the Scavos, so there were less schemes or tricks in the Peck family. Rachel had a carefree childhood and she was gentle. In addition to her son's autism since childhood, her children were almost the apples of her eyes.
When she saw Arabella crying, Rachel got a heartache. She sat down with one hand around Arabella's shoulder. She asked, "What's wrong? What's the failure? What do you fail?"
Before getting Arabella's answer, she continued, "My daughter is the best."
Although the age of female superiority in her family had passed, but Rachel still thought that girls were supposed to be pampered. She believed that only by that, men were willing to show his love and loyalty by spending time with her girl.
Yet apparently, her thoughts didn't hold true to Arabella.
"Then why don't they like me?" Arabella looked up at her mother and asked, "Mom, why don't they like me?"
"Who are they?"
Rachel thought that Vincent who became the patriarch of the Scavos at a young age was Arabella's only love. Rachel and her husband also liked Vincent, but that kind of feeling didn't mean they would agree to marry their daughter into the Scavos.
Who were the Scavos?
How many men died to get the title of the patriarch? How could they marry their daughter into that family?
Back then, when Arabella pursued Vincent, the Pecks all objected to that, including Rachel, but she didn't have the heart to see her daughter crying. That was why she sent her daughter abroad because time could kill Arabella's feelings for Vincent.
Unexpectedly, after four years, Arabella still had a thing for Vincent when she came back. Rachel had no choice but to come terms with the fact.
However, before long, Arabella came back crying in a rainy night. Although she didn't tell anything, her families all guessed it out that she had been rejected by Vincent.
Actually, it took a load off Rachel's mind. As long as the Scavos didn't agree, Arabella had no way to be married into that family even if she wanted to.
As for those boys, Rachel and her husband were fond of Jaquan and Randy, especially Jaquan. Because Randy was obsessed with games, Arabella's parents were worried that he would lose himself in the games instead of caring about Arabella. Therefore, after several rounds of discussion, they paid their attention to Jaquan.
Jaquan was so good. He graduated from the Law school and became a lawyer at such a young age. Moreover, he was also good-looking. He and Arabella was a perfect match, in the view of Arabella's parents.
Arabella's parents did not expect that Arabella and Jaquan would be in a relationship, though that was what they wanted to see. When they heard from their servants that Jaquan waited downstairs for their daughter and even visited Trevor in the garret for several times, they were all the more pleased.
How long it was? Why things would come to this?
"Make it clear! Who don't like you?" Rachel asked in surprise, "Could it be Jaquan?"
Arabella sniffed, "I want to go back to my room."
"Hey, you, tell me that." Rachel didn't catch her daughter. Arabella went upstairs with her tear-tainted eyes, leaving her mother alone in the living room. Rachel muttered, "That's impossible! Doesn't Jaquan like Arabella?"
What was going on?
"Madam, the dumplings are ready." The servant brought in a tray of hot dumplings with two small leaf-shaped plates on it. One plate contained vinegar and the other soy sauce. There was a pair of silver chopsticks that had just been sterilized placed on a small china chopsticks rack.
Rachel hurriedly stood up and said, "Give it to me."
At every festival, she would visit her son. Even if she couldn't meet him face to face, she would stay in his room for a while. What if ... he, on the spur of the moment, wanted to see her?
It was a dry and cold day. Carp flag still stood there. Rachel paced herself to the door of the garret. She knocked on the door and asked, "Trevor, it is your Mom. May Mom come in?"
A soft sound came from inside.
Rachel was happy. She held the tray in one hand and gently pushed the door open with the other hand. The room was so warm that it was a little bit stuffy.
She didn't have the energy to complain. When she came in, she closed the door immediately in case that the cold wind would blow inside. Then she carefully placed the tray at the door, took off her shoes and sat down on the blanket.
"Did you have sound a sleep?" She asked.
There was a knock as an answer.
Rachel smiled and said, "Today is the New Year. I make some dumplings. Have some before they get cold."
There was no reply.
She wanted to see him, so she stood there and refused to leave. Many years had passed. Every New Year, she would stay there to beg to see her son. However, if she still stood there, the dumplings would get cold. Rachel was about to sob, "Trevor, don't you want to see Mom?"
The thick curtains covered the entire bed and hid the man from Rachel.
Whether her boy became taller or thinner? Did he feel sick because of some illness? Rachel could not tell, nor did she dare to intrude into the curtain-sealed bed. She stood on the carpet and looked at the canopy. She was so sad that tears began to streak down.
"Trevor, mom is leaving." She finally wiped tears off and got her shoes changed. Then, she went out and closed the door, afraid that a cold wind would come inside.
The sound of getting downstairs echoed in the garret. After a long time, a pale hand extended from the curtain. The hand was so pallid and even the blood vessels under his skin were visible.
With the cover of his black hood, he slowly got out of bed and stepped barefoot on the carpet. Then he took the tray by the door and put it on the bed.
There was a beautiful face on the computer screen. It was Christy who was laughing while having her dumplings. For Trevor, it was the first time he had seen someone who would have such happy laughs.
Robot Eleven sat beside Trevor and looked at Christy on the screen with him.
Trevor picked up a dumpling and put it in front of Eleven.. He seemed to be greeting it with Happy New Year in a soft voice, but he was more likely to tell it that another year had passed.