Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

His oldest son Neville took over the family business, the middle son Gorman became a top-notch lawyer, and the youngest, Owen, dedicated his life to scientific research.

"Did anything happen when you visited Owen this afternoon?"

Silver frowned, speaking deliberately, "Something's off about him."

"What do you mean, 'off'?"

"When I went to drop off some food for him today, he actually asked for two portions! Two, can you believe it?!"

Uh...

Ferdinand didn't quite get it: "And? What's wrong with that?"

"My gut tells me our son might have a girlfriend!"

Why else would he ask for two portions?

Ferdinand thought it was going to be some earth-shattering news. "So, he asked for an extra meal. What's the big deal? Maybe he's planning to eat twice. Or maybe it's for a casual friend. You're overthinking it."NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

He got himself a cup of tea, savored the aroma before taking a sip, a picture of relaxation in stark contrast to Silver's anxious demeanor.

"You know Owen. All he does is bury himself in experiments and data. He hardly ever comes home for meals, let alone has time for dating. Besides, our son's at the age where having a girlfriend should be good news, right? You've been nagging about setting him up with someone from this family or that. Now it seems like he's taken matters into his own hands. What's there to worry about?"

Kids grow up; they're meant to spread their wings. You can't control them forever.

Not that you could if you tried.

Silver knew this to be true.

But the thought of her son dating some girl who just appeared out of nowhere filled her with mixed emotions.

"I'm off to bed!"

Ferdinand quipped, "Eh? You're done stepping on ants for the day?"

"Early to bed, early to rise."

She planned to head over to Owen's rented place first thing in the morning to see what was really going on.

...

September mornings dawn early.

Roseanne was awakened by sunlight piercing through the curtains before her alarm even rang.

She sat up, yawned, and began her morning routine.

After having breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen and seeing it was about time, she headed out to the university.

Passing by the fourth floor, she

suddenly heard a scream from below. Looking over the railing, she saw a woman in high heels and a long dress tripped by a pile of garbage.

The two apartments on the third floor had a habit of leaving their trash out overnight for the morning cleanup. Sometimes, it

up half the staircase lake

It was both unsightly and smelly.

The woman probably tripped because of her tall heels and unfamiliarity with the place.

"Are you alright?" Roseanne helped her up.

"Thank you" Silver started to say, then turned to see Roseanne's face.

Hiss...

Why did she look familiar?

It didn't take long for her to remember; this was the barista from the tea tasting event the other day.

Silver still remembered how the

other ladies snickered in the corneet Wmaking skills. she publicly criticized heee

tea

to

Silver didn't consider herself petty or unable to take criticism, but for some reason, she just didn't like this girl.

Perhaps it was the way she stood out in her tea-making apron. Or her close relationship with Nola.

Or maybe it was just her face.

Whatever it was, everything about her seemed wrong.

Clearly, Roseanne also recalled who Silver was, responding coolly, "No problem."

Then she let go, stepping back to put some distance between them.

Silver, noticing her eagerness to distance herself, frowned unconsciously.

She didn't want to engage but felt somewhat unwilling to let it go: "What are you doing here?"

Roseanne replied calmly, "I live here."