As soon as Amber finished her long, emotional lecture…
Justin's POV
Man… she's right.
Why am I stressing about what happens ten years later?
I should just chill until the day actually comes.
She told me to live happily?
Then I'll do EXACTLY that.
School, friends, memories… bring it on!
Justin suddenly puffed out his chest with renewed determination.
Justin:
"Okay, Sis! I'll go to school. Let's see who can stop me!" 😎
Amber smirked.
Amber:
"Good." 😊
Jonathan stood near the doorway, silently watching the sudden transformation.
Jonathan: 😶
Jonathan (thinking):
(What universe did I wake up in today?)
(Five minutes ago, this boy was negotiating against school like his life depended on it. Now he's ready to conquer the world.)
(What exactly did she say to him?)
Amber picked up Justin's schoolbag and handed it to him.
Amber:
"Come on, little champ. Let's go."
Justin:
"YES, MA'AM!" 😎
And just like that, the two walked out.
Jonathan watched them disappear.
He quietly exhaled and leaned back against the sofa.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Jonathan's POV
Jonathan:
"You're really a cunning fox, darling." 😎
He loosened his tie slightly.
Jonathan:
"That's why I fell for you."
He stared at the doorway through which Amber had disappeared.
His smile softened.
Jonathan:
"If you hadn't left me back then…"
He sighed dramatically.
Jonathan:
"Justin would've already had four or five siblings. Poor kid. Truly unlucky." 😤
He nodded to himself as if mourning a great tragedy.
Jonathan (thinking):
(Imagine having five little Ambers running around the mansion.)
(Actually… that sounds wonderful.)
A small smile spread across his face.
Just then—
Amber:
"Come out of your fantasy world."
Jonathan nearly jumped.
He turned around.
Amber was standing at the doorway with a cold expression.
Amber: 😐
"We need to drop the kids at school."
Jonathan blinked.
Jonathan:
"K–kids?" 😶
Amber:
"Yes. Megan's children, Lussy… and Justin."
She said it in a tone that clearly meant Don't question me.
Jonathan's eyes brightened.
Jonathan:
"Are… we taking them?" 😊
Amber slowly turned her head towards him.
Her eyes said everything.
Say another word, and I'll bury you in the backyard.
Jonathan immediately straightened his posture.
Jonathan:
"O-Of course! I'm coming right now!" 😱
He grabbed his car keys.
Jonathan (thinking):
(I should stop dreaming and start obeying.)
Amber walked past him.
Amber:
"Good decision."
Jonathan: 😶
Downstairs — Devis Mansion Breakfast Hall
Everyone was still calmly enjoying breakfast.
Mr. Devis was reading the newspaper.
Mrs. Devis was checking her phone.
Stephen and Joseph were discussing something.
Megan and Lauren were helping the children finish breakfast.
Thomas was complaining about something on his plate, while Emily was completely ignoring him.
And Justin?
He was ready to conquer the world.
Everything was peaceful.
Until—
Amber and Jonathan walked into the breakfast hall together.
Every head turned.
Forks froze.
Spoons stopped halfway to mouths.
Even the newspaper stopped moving.
The atmosphere became strangely silent.
Everyone: 😶
Jonathan tried to act as naturally as possible.
He cleared his throat.
Jonathan:
"We'll wait near the car. Megan, send the children out when they're ready." 😊
Megan looked up.
She smiled nervously.
Megan:
"Okay, brother." 😊
Silence.
Complete silence.
Everyone else: 😱😨🤯😵
Stephen slowly lowered his coffee cup.
Joseph stared at Jonathan.
Lauren looked at Megan.
Thomas looked at Emily.
Emily looked back at Thomas.
Stephen (thinking):
(Brother? Since when did Jonathan brother become this friendly in the morning?)
Joseph (thinking):
(And why is Amber sister standing beside him like they just returned from a honeymoon?)
Lauren (thinking):
(Did I miss something?)
Meanwhile
Amber: 😐
She simply stood beside Jonathan, completely unaffected by the chaos she had created.
Justin: 😎
He adjusted his schoolbag.
Justin (thinking):
(New life. New memories. New friends.)
(School, prepare yourself. Justin Devis is coming!)
And somewhere in the breakfast hall, Thomas was already wondering whether Justin had finally lost his mind.
Thomas (thinking):
(Why does he look like he's going to war? It's just school!)
Emily:
"Idiot." 😑
Justin:
"I HEARD THAT!"
For the first time that morning, the breakfast hall returned to its usual noise.
But one thing was certain…
Jonathan and Amber going to school together was going to become the family's biggest topic of discussion.
To be continued…