Chapter 5
That colleague was actually Ethan's grandfather.
He answered right away.
"Emma and Ethan used to play together all the time.
"Maybe Ethan should spend more time with her.
"That's way better than letting some kid nobody really knows move in from outside."
Grandpa let out a soft sigh.
"Ethan is such a troublemaker," he said.
"Emma always says he drives her crazy.
"Ah, whatever, let's just let him stay for now."
After that, Andrew was always the one sticking by my side.
He was grateful to me and did everything he could to make me smile.
Whenever I missed my parents at night, I'd sit up on the rooftop, just watching the moon.
He'd bring over a lounge chair and a blanket, and keep me company till late.
He told me, "People still have souls after they die. Your parents are definitely watching over you.
"When you look at the moon, it's looking right back at you."
My parents' passing was a heartbreak for me, and for Grandpa too.
I never dared to tell Grandpa how much it hurt.
Back then, the only one I could talk to was Ethan.
He was just seven, three years younger than me.
He was a total troublemaker, always living in his own world.
So after Andrew moved in with us, he became the only one I could really talk to about my pain.
After that night, Andrew told me my parents' souls were still watching over me, and his words stuck with me.
With him always there, comforting me, I finally started to open up.
I stopped shutting myself off and slowly began to come out of my shell.
I was grateful to him, and I was never any good at saying so.
Later, I accidentally saw him heading to the orphanage.
He would quietly visit the orphanage to bring clothes and food to Sophie, his childhood friend.
I found out that he and Sophie were not just neighbors, but really close growing up.
After both their families had accidents, they ended up in the orphanage together.
To thank Andrew, I decided to help Sophie out.
I used my pocket money to pay her way.
Back then, Sophie had been so moved that she knelt down in front of me.
"I'll never forget what you did for me, Emma!"
As the years went by, we all grew up.
It just felt like the natural next step.
On my eighteenth birthday, Andrew confessed his feelings to me.
With Grandpa watching me with a proud smile, I blushed and said yes.
We were inseparable for two years.
When I turned twenty, Andrew graduated from college and headed to Northbridge to start his own business.
Not long after, Sophie moved to Northbridge for college.
She was six years younger than Andrew, and they weren't even at the same university.
But since they studied the same major, she started calling him her mentor.
For five years, I never gave it much thought.
Until last night, when I saw it for myself, I never even imagined they'd gotten so close.
I forced myself to snap out of it.
Andrew carefully wiped Grandpa's hands.
Grandpa, ever the softie, let out a sigh.
"You better not have bullied Emma.
"Your engagement party with Emma is next month, no more excuses this time.
"You need to relocate your company to Riverdale before the party.
"If you run into cash flow trouble with the move, I can help you out.
"But this is the only time."
Sophie was standing nearby, her sweet expression suddenly frozen.
Andrew dropped his gaze, looking torn.
After a while, with Grandpa staring him down, he finally gave in and nodded.
He said, "I will. Emma needs someone around. I should've been back ages ago."
Grandpa's expression finally softened.
He said, "I'm already putting all my shares in the Institute of Advanced Studies under Emma's name.
"Once you move back to Riverdale and get engaged to Emma, I want you to help her run things and support her more.
"Don't let me down after all I've done for you."
He never got to finish.
Sophie's emotions finally boiled over, and she cut him off with a shrill shout.
"Why does it have to be this way?"
Grandpa shot her a look, completely taken aback.
He was a highly respected senior professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies.
Even though he'd retired years ago, everyone still treated him with the utmost respect.
It had been ages since anyone had dared to interrupt him so rudely.
After a long pause, Grandpa finally spoke, his tone colder than ice as he fixed his gaze on Sophie.
"What did you just say?"