When Silence Met Madness

Chaos in the Next Room

"Sis, I'm your brother from different parents!"

I was speechless.

Edith pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

The live chat was blowing up faster than ever.

'I don't understand. In his past life, Elias was cold and distant. How did he turn into this in the next life?'

'And our female lead was a ray of sunshine before, but now she's this deadpan, gloomy type. I'm so sick of that lifeless expression on her face. And now Elias comes along and actually shakes her up!'

'Her emotions are about to go haywire. With Elias' chaotic energy, not even her posh houses will survive the storm he's about to unleash.'

Reading those comments, I pressed my lips together.

I wanted to stop my mother from bringing him home, but after years of selective mutism, I'd completely forgotten how to speak.

In the end, I ended up sitting in the backseat of the car with Elias.

Before we left, Edith patted the door anxiously, as if a thousand words were trapped in her chest. "Ms. Lane, this is my personal number. If anything comes up, contact me immediately. We'll surely take him back!"

Elias rolled his eyes in the seat.

I silently memorized Edith's number, ready to make him leave at a moment's notice.

No matter what happened in my past life, it had nothing to do with me now.

My mother put Elias in the room next to mine. Her reason was that he could spend more time with me.

Initially, I planned to keep to myself and avoid any conflict.

But the moment he stepped into the bedroom, he shouted with excitement, "Wow! Mom, we're rich!"

Then, he started dumping all the junk he'd brought from the orphanage into the room, marking his territory like a hyperactive dog.

I stared at the garish mess, feeling numb.

My mother covered her mouth and laughed quietly.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, irritation written all over my face.

He really did have a talent for putting himself on a pedestal. No matter what, I would never give someone like him a friendly smile.

…

Dinner came, and I ate my usual portion of vegetables.

After a few bites, I set down my spoon.

My mother looked worried.

"Sunny, you're eating less and less. This isn't healthy."

I lowered my eyes to the mostly untouched pasta on my plate, staying silent.

The next second, a peeled shrimp appeared on my plate.

I turned, puzzled, and saw Elias grinning at me, all smiles and charm.

"Sis, I noticed you looked at this plate of shrimp three times for a total of five seconds. I figured you wanted to eat them but didn't want to peel them, so I took the liberty. Hope you don't mind it."

Then, he blinked at me, practically begging for approval.

I looked away, tossed the shrimp back onto the plate, and stayed quiet.

Elias stared for a moment, then his expression shifted as if he'd had an epiphany. He went off to the kitchen, fiddled around, and returned holding a small dish of dipping sauce, setting it in front of me.

"Sis, maybe plain shrimp's a little boring? I made this sauce myself. If you don't mind..."

He blinked at me again.

My mother shook her head from the side. "Elias, your sister's been picky since she was little. I can't even figure out what she likes…"

Her voice trailed off, and soon she watched in disbelief as I finished an entire plate of shrimp.

Elias' plate, by contrast, was a tiny mountain of shells.

My mother's shock rendered her speechless. "How is this possible?"

A small smile tugged at my lips.

He wasn't exactly a servant, but having someone cater to me wasn't bad at all.

Still, I wouldn't give him a friendly response.

Elias's leaving was only a matter of time.

He was just too loud.

My room was always locked, but today, when I opened my eyes, I found Elias leaning over the head of my bed.

He blinked up at me.

Seeing me awake, he practically vibrated with excitement.

"Sis, I haven't asked your full name yet. Mom calls you Sunny. That's your nickname, right? What's your real name?

"Oh, and your door was really tricky to open! Luckily, I learned lockpicking from Mr. Warren at the orphanage. Today, it came in handy!

"Sis, why are you hiding from me?"

He jabbered on and on, and I reached my limit.