Irene.

That was his sister-in-law’s sister’s name. She didn’t try anything funny after tickling Adam. So, he was able to simply take her out and escort her to her room, which she very much liked.

“Short, orange-haired, and has a bright smile. She’s like a little sun,” Adam was thinking about her after returning to his room.

He received a call. The screen displayed the name Sasha. He answered, “Hello, who’s this?”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve been through an accident, sir,” an angry voice blasted through the phone. “Your body must be in dire need of a full-body massage. Pick a date and time as soon as possible.”

She must be the masseuse, he thought. Adam was told that this woman used to massage tennis professionals back in her late twenties. Now she was almost the same age as him. “How much?”

“What?”

“I’m asking how much will you take per massage? A full-body massage.”

“You know I don’t do full-body massages to just about anyone, but you’re a regular customer, so the charge is a thousand dollars per session.

“WHAT?” Adam’s jaw dropped.

“Did something happen?” Sasha sounded concerned. She thought something bad happened on the other side of the screen.

“A-Ahem, nothing. I don’t think I have the time for a massage this week.”

“Is that so? Then how about next monday.”

“Uh… I have an appointment that day until evening.”

“We stay open until 10, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

“No. I have a dinner appointment.”

“Okay. Tuesday, then?”

“Tuesday isn’t a good day to spend money, so…”

“Alright, Wednesday it shall be then. You better not make any appointments, or I’ll break your bones when you show up! Good bye.”

“Wait!” he tried to speak, but she hung up. “What’s up with this woman? She’s so forceful. How does she expect me to waste a thousand dollars on a massage per session? I’m not using my own money, but I’m not a fool. I can buy a massage machine for a much cheaper price and do it myself as long as I want for as many times as I want.”

He went back to his bed and rested.

His phone rang again. It was Leher, so he had to pick it up. “What is it, sir?” he sat on the bed and asked rather politely.

“Hoho, even your voice sounds almost the same, though the tone needs some working,” Leher sounded proud. “Anyway, how are you doing?”

“I’m doing okay, except that my wrist hurts from putting so many signatures.”

“Haha, you must be feeling like a celebrity now.”

“I wish, sir. What did you call me for?”

“Ah, I’ll come straight to the point then. One of Adam’s close friends died two weeks back. Before he died, he gave Adam 2 million dollars. If at all his father or anyone from his family approaches you and asks about it, just deny.”

“What?” Adam’s heart shook.

“There’s no proof for that, so all you need to do is deny.”

“B-But, sir…”

The call ended.

“Did he just hang up on me?” Adam put the mobile away. “These bastards… they want me to lie about such a large amount of money?” he remembered his aunt who did the same thing. She took money from him and then acted like she didn’t. “If I do what they say, will I be any different from my aunt?” he tried to clench his fists, but he found himself unable to do so. “Give me a freaking break. I’m not afraid of these guys. I’ll hold my ground no matter what!” The way he felt right now, he believed he could even walk through a storm. “There are some lines that one must never cross in life.”

Later that night.

At Conreid mansion, an impressive residence spanning 2600 acres, the black limousine stopped.

Adam got out of the car, expecting someone from the family to receive him, but only the maids were waiting. They escorted him to the main hall, which was fully decorated with ribbons and balloons. His brothers, sister, their kids and other relatives were waiting by the vast glass dining table.

A seven-layered cake was up for view.

His younger sister, Diane, the one with the curly hair and intense green eyes, began clapping. “Welcome to your second life, Brother.”

“Yeah, welcome home.” Everyone clapped. Some of the children ran over and gave him hugs. “Don’t drive cars again, Uncle.” They innocently said.

Adam’s eyes already teared up. He wasn’t related to these people, yet the warmth these children showed was pure, and even his heart hardened by his beggar’s life felt squeezed straight away. He picked up the little girl, his sister’s daughter, into his arms after she raised her arms, and then planted a kiss on her cheek. She, too, kissed him in return.

“What about me?” the little girl’s little brother raised his arms.

Adam picked him up and gave him a kiss as well. He gave two kisses in return.

“C’mon,” Diane gestured with her hand. “Don’t keep the children waiting too long for the cake.”

“Y-Yeah,” he walked over to the dining table and put the kids on either side of the cake, and they began to dig their fingers into the cake before he even cut it. Their mother tried to stop them, but he said it’s alright. A beautiful melody began to play in the background. Without wasting time, he blew the candle lights off and cut the cool cake and put the first piece in the kids’ mouths and then fed a piece each to his sister and brothers, then they exchanged hugs. The cakey grins on children and the unrestrained smiles on everybody’s faces seemed so genuine. For a few moments, he forgot that some of these same people were probably behind Adam’s accident.

The family bonds and moments he never thought he would experience were now filling his heart, and his world felt so beautiful and perfect at the moment. How wonderful would it be if these exquisite moments lasted forever?