TimeNovelMagnus bobbed his head so fast it blurred. "All right, | understand. | won't ask Cecilia for a cent."
Denise studied him, worry clouding her fever-dulled eyes.
"You don't have to follow my compass," she murmured. "Speople think leaning on family is natural. If the
strain is too much, do what feels right. Just don't blme later."
"No, you're right," he insisted. "I'm a grown man. Running to my sister every tI'm short looks pathetic. |
promised I'd get my act together. Besides, I've already saved more than thirty thousand, haven't I?"
Those savings were the harvest of brutal weeks, involving nights of being drowned in liquor with clients and
mornings woken by headaches that hammered like drums.
Only after joining the workforce did he grasp how merciless money could be.
He still couldn't fathom how he had squandered fortunes before. That sum he could never replicate across
several lifetimes.
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Denise curved her lips into a small, genuine smile.
"Good."
Conversation ebbed. She lay back, still weak.
The fever had broken, yet dizziness clung to her like fog after rain.
"Are you hungry?" Magnus asked, soft with concern. "I can run out and fetch food."
Guilt pinched Denise's heart. Moments ago, she'd threatened to cut him off like a sulking child.
"A little," she admitted.
"Then I'm on it. Tellwhat you're craving, and it's yours."
"Anything at all," Denise said.
Denise had never been fussy about food. Filling her stomach ranked higher than flavor, so long as the meal put
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtstrength back into her slender frame.
With that small permission, Magnus practically skipped toward the cafeteria line, eager to earn her approving
smile.
What he failed to notice were the searching eyes hidden behind pillars, glass panels, and idle phones, eyes hired
to track his every step.
Before long, those watchers had already phoned Cecilia, reporting in hushed detail where Magnus stood and
what he was doing.
The moment Cecilia confirmed the caller's description, she knew beyond doubt that the mystery number from
earlier belonged to her brother.
Has he really fallen back into the sold habits? The thought pressed against Cecilia's ribs like a stone she
could neither swallow nor spit out.
Unease tugged at her. After a lingering breath, she dialed him back, determined to hear the truth from his own
mouth.
The ringtone stretched before the call finally clicked alive.
"H-hello..." Magnus' greeting drifted through bursts of clattering plates and overlapping chatter, the
unmistakable din of a cafeteria. Cecilia figured he must have balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear
while scooping rice
onto a metal tray.
tos
"Why did you callearlier, Magnus?" Cecilia asked, her tone steady but edged with suspicion.
Hearing his sister's voice, Magnus' fingers tightened around the lunchbox until the thin plastic creaked.
The days of failed attempts had finally broken. He was talking to her at last.
He was about to seek Cecilia's help when Denise's gentle warning echoed in his head. He slipped away from the
crowd, seeking a quieter corner before speaking. "Cecilia," he began, voice soft, "it's been a while. | just wanted
to check how you've been holding up."
"Sas always," she answered, neither cold nor warm, offering no more than necessary.
I" : [1 .
Oh, right. Good." The single word
landed flat, and his gogrpge om
hN S
eya pordte@like steam off hot broth.
At a loss, he muttered, "I've got something to finish here, so we'll talk later."
He ended the call quickly, terrified that Denise might still be waiting on an empty stomach.
Cecilia stared at her darkened screen, stunned that the line had gone dead.
Magnus usually phoned only when he needed money, yet he had asked for nothing.
She waited, certain he would ring
again, but minutes stretphed ban
houpand kerphone stayed silent.
"Lottie, do you think he's truly changed?" Cecilia asked, her brows knitting with cautious hope.
Charlotte could only shrug. "Sven
toldMagnus met and
woman with a remarkably kind spirit.
It seems her influence is steering him onto steadier ground." s
Cecilia knew exactly whom Charlotte meant. The girl was Denise Laney.
Denise had left school early, sold the
Sp
family's house and van to payjen
| f . 5
parents; megieat Bills Gen juggled
sbvdtal part-tjobs to stay afloat,
Herresilience bordered on heroic. s
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