EuropeNovel“I'll go get your room ready. You can rest for a bit. Usually, we're not hmuch-most of the tit’s just Mom
and my little brother here. Save my number, and if you need anything, just givea call.”
“Okay.” After exchanging numbers, Ethan disappeared into one of the bedrooms.
Once everyone had scattered, the small living room suddenly felt spacious, filled with the lingering aroma of
dinner. Alessia glanced down at her phone, at a muted group chat named “Family,” and couldn't help but smile
faintly.
After a pause, she made her way to her new room. She'd expected it to be cramped and cluttered, but to her
surprise, it was spotless-there was even a large window that must let in plenty of sunlight during the day.
The care they showed Ileana was more than Alessia had imagined. She couldn't quite describe how she felt
about it, so instead, she watched Ethan as he
smoothed a fresh sheet across the bed.
“This is the master bedroom, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. The linens are all clean, and Mom tidies up the room every day, so everything's in order.” Ethan
straightened the mattress pad and dusted off his hands, though there was nothing there.
“There are only three bedrooms. Where does everyone sleep?”
“| stay at the dorms. Zachary, Liam, and Ivan share a room, and my parents have the other.”
“You all really go out of your way for Illeana.”
Alessia’s casual remark hung in the air, suddenly making the atmosphere a little
awkward.
“Don’t overthink it. Now that you've decided to stay here, whatever Illeana has, you'll have too. We don’t treat
anyone differently. If you need anything, just telland I'll
do what I can.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
“I'm fine, really. Everything's great.” Alessia could tell Ethan had misunderstood her, but she had no intention of
explaining.
To her, the Morton family was just a place to stay until she turned eighteen. If she was honest, her decision to
stay had as much to do with Ethan as with her own boredom-she just wanted a bit of excitement in her
otherwise uneventful life.
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She found herself wondering how these once-privileged people would handle their fall from grace.
“I'll head out, then. | left your suitcase by the bed.”
“Wait.” Alessia stopped him as he reached for the door.
“What's up?”
“I just want to be upfront-I mean no offense. But since I'll be living here for a while, there are things I'd like to
clear up.”
“You're part of the family now. Nothing's off-limits.” Ethan closed the door behind him.
“Before | chere, the Tate family gavea folder about you all. It said Ivan has autism. Is that true?”
“It is.” Ethan didn’t hesitate.
“But you don’t need to worry. lvan’s a sweet kid-he mostly keeps to himself in his room, drawing. He doesn’t hurt
anyone. It's partly our fault for missing the signs when times were good, and now, well, we can’t really afford the
right treatment.”
Ethan's expression softened as he gave a small smile. “But even so, lvan’s a great kid. | hope you won't see him
any differently.”
“You're all really close.”
Ethan stepped closer, and Alessia tensed as he reached out and gently ruffled her
hair.
“I can’t judge what happened with Ileana, but since you chose to stay, | promise I'll do my best to make sure
you're happy here.”
That steady look in his eyes—she'd
only seen it once before, In angther
ife. The kipg of@efriitation that
fieds down cliffs and fire, knowing
the only way is The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
forward.
They didn't say much more after that.
The meal that night was simple but
unexpectedly delicique The Tate
family hight Nave had a private chef
earning six figures, but Alessia
couldn't remember the last tfood
tasted this good. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“| wasn't sure what you'd like, so | just
made the usual. Is it okay? Karem
asked tentafively Wile Brendan
quickly slid the only plate of meat
closer to her. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“It’s wonderful. You're a great cook.”
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Chapter 7
Sensing Alessia’s sincerity, Karen finally let herself relax a little.
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