Nael was lost in thought and did not hear Roger's chatter until they finally arrived at the Panda ice cream stand.
Meanwhile, Nathan went straight into his room as soon as he arrived at the mansion. He still felt sad about leaving the children at the orphanage. He never imagined he would feel sad when leaving that place. Who would have thought his heart was this soft?
He lay down on the soft, comfortable bed, smelling the sweet scent of the pillows and looking around. Should he be grateful for all this? Then why did he feel so angry when he remembered the reason they had thrown him out?
Nathan groaned, trying to clear his mind and fall asleep. But he could not. It felt like an hour had passed when he heard a knock on the door. He sat up right away, alert.
Who was that? He groaned in annoyance.
He was about to run to the door and lock it, but it was too late. Roger had already entered. A wide smile was on the man's face.
Nathan frowned, but Roger did not notice at all. Instead, he showed him a green and white ice cream cup in his hand.
"I bought you some ice cream," he said cheerfully, handing him the cup.
Nathan just stared without moving. He wanted the man to leave more than he wanted ice cream.
"Don't be shy, take it. Nael likes it. I am sure you like it too," Roger said, making Nathan's face turn even angrier.
"Don't mention his name! I hate it!" Nathan said.
Roger sighed. "Hey, don't be so cruel. He loves you. You know—"
"No! I don't know and I don't want to know! Now get out. Please..." Nathan cut him off.
Roger looked at Nathan for a moment before sighing again. "Fine, but I bought this for you. If you don't like it, throw it away yourself," he said, walking to the nightstand next to the bed and putting the ice cream there.
Then he walked out, but when he passed Nathan, he still rubbed his brother's head and chuckled when Nathan hissed in annoyance.
Nathan kept a fierce expression on his face until the man was completely gone. He walked to the bed in a bad mood.
But he could not ignore the tempting cup of ice cream on the nightstand. For a moment he clicked his tongue. Who buys ice cream in winter like this? Are they really normal? And who sells ice cream in a season like this? Seriously!
Even so, he still reached for the cup and stared at the circular waffle on top of the ice cream. It had two flavors. After trying it, Nathan was sure it was pistachio and vanilla.
Not bad, actually. The warm room allowed him to enjoy the ice cream. The warm clothes he was wearing also made him comfortable.
He had almost finished the ice cream when the door suddenly opened. His eyes widened in panic, as if he had been caught stealing.
He turned quickly. Roger was peeking through the doorway.
"If you don't like the ice cream now, you can put it in the—" His words stopped when he saw that the cup in Nathan's hand was almost empty.
Nathan quickly threw the cup on the table, his face burning with embarrassment. Roger's sudden silence made the atmosphere even more awkward.
Damn!
"Ah... never mind." The man quickly closed the door, smiling briefly.
Nathan held his breath, closed his eyes and cursed silently. "Aarrrghhh! Damn it!" His face was as red as a boiled shrimp.
He had resisted so hard, but he was caught red handed enjoying it. Oh, his pride~
Nathan groaned and buried his face in the pillow. He was too ashamed. Why did you fall for ice cream, Nathan?!
An ice cream! Damn!
He had been cursing himself for a while when he heard another knock on the door.
Please no more. Not Roger! he thought.
He did not turn around, still burying his face in the pillow, his chest pounding. He was ready to hear Roger's teasing, but it turned out to be Alexander.
"Sleeping?" the man asked.
Nathan looked up right away.
Alexander was standing in the middle of the room with a calm and intimidating gaze. Then he walked closer.
Nathan tensed up, remembering the incident with the gun that morning.
"You have not eaten yet. Come down, let's eat together," Alexander said.
Nathan sat up. He was hungry, but he did not want to see them, let alone eat with them. He refused immediately. "I am not hungry."
"You have not eaten anything. Come down. I do not want you to get sick."
"No. I am not hungry. Can you get out?"
"I will not go without you. Come with me."
"No. Do not force me!"
"I have to. You are so childish. I do not want you to get sick here."
"Why do you need to care?"
"Of course I have to care about you. You are my brother. I promise I will make up for our absence."
"Well, you know what? I do not care! I do not need you to keep your promises!"
Alexander stood still for a while before taking a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Do you want me to bring your food here?"
Nathan looked annoyed. "Didn't you hear me? I am not hungry!"
"Even to yell, you need energy. You can yell louder after you eat."
Nathan held his breath, so angry at Alexander's words. His face turned red. "No."
"You want me to feed you?"
Nathan's eyes widened. "You are not serious, right? Can you get out?"
"I am serious. So you want me to feed you here?"
Nathan clenched his fists. Was the man not listening to him? Before he could speak, Alexander had already walked out.
But before he left, he looked at Nathan. "If you lock the door, I swear I will break it down."
"What?" Nathan realized that the man was completely insane. Totally insane. Maybe even a psychopath. But he did not dare to test it. He was already traumatized enough from being held at gunpoint.
And what would the man do? Bring food here? Come on.
Nathan stomped his foot in annoyance. He was really upset. He did not want to eat at all, he just wanted to rest. Couldn't they leave him in peace?