Hayley and Teddy were like two sides of the sa coin. The only difference was that Hayley had a strange side to her. While Teddy seed perpetually unhappy with everything in the world, Hayley could light up just by catching a glimpse of Slater—her so-called male god.
To Patricia, it was strange. She had known Slater since they were kids. Sure, he had always had that angelic face, but Patricia knew too much about him to understand the girls who were willing to carry his children just for a smile.
But who would’ve thought Hayley wasn’t just like that with Slater?
Was she like this with every prospective love interest?
"Co on, Patricia\~" Hayley clung to her arm, letting herself get dragged toward their office. "Just once. I swear it won’t affect our friendship. Don’t you want to beco your sister?"
Patricia’s expression remained deadpan as she kept her eyes on the hallway ahead.
*I don’t think my brother is ugly,* she thought. *But at the sa ti, I’ve never understood the girls who dated him.*
Maybe it was just a sibling thing. In her eyes, Theo looked average. Very average.
She glanced at Hayley, who was still practically begging.
"I’ll think about it, okay?" Patricia relented as they reached the departnt entrance. "But let warn you—my brother is busy, so don’t play with his heart. He’s kind, and people sotis take advantage of that. And he’s very important to . So, if you break his heart, I’ll break you."
Hayley straightened up and nodded enthusiastically.
"I promise," she said, raising a hand in a mock oath. "If I play gas, you may break as many tis as you want."
Patricia scrunched up her nose and shrugged, choosing not to dwell on it. It was just a casual date. Nothing to worry about. Besides, she liked Hayley—though she wasn’t sure if she and Theo would even click.
Her thoughts halted as they arrived at the departnt entrance, and Patricia’s eyes imdiately landed on Teddy and Shawn.
Both n were standing beside a massive stack of delivery boxes that took up nearly an entire wall.
Hayley turned her head, and her face twitched at the sight. This was exactly why she always ca in last minute—she didn’t want to get roped into singing for deliveries or carrying heavy packages. So of hers were quite heavy, after all.
Patricia walked over and stopped beside Teddy.
"You guys..." she whispered, staring at the towering stack of packages. "I thought I was a shopaholic, but don’t tell you’re getting ten tis more than I do! How can you even afford all of this?!"
Her eyes scanned the two n, landing on the watch wrapped around Shawn’s wrist.
She scoffed, grabbing his hand for a better look. Suspicion flashed in her eyes.
"Is it rude to ask how much you’re getting paid?" she asked. "Because this is *very* expensive."
Unless Shawn had major savings, that watch alone would cost a year’s salary. And Patricia knew that brand didn’t allow installnt paynts—it was a limited-edition luxury model.
Shawn gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, it’s not real. I got it in one of the deliveries. It’s a counterfeit."
"A counterfeit?" Patricia narrowed her eyes, inspecting the watch again. She wasn’t a watch expert—she preferred luxury bags and shoes—but her brother Theo collected watches. His newest favorite was the exact sa model.
So, she was sure.
"No, it’s not," she replied, snapping her eyes to Shawn. "You don’t have to lie if you don’t want to tell how much you earn."
"But I *am* telling the truth!" Shawn said, raising his hands. "I received it a few days ago. It ca in one of the mystery packages."
"I can vouch for that," Hayley added, arms crossed. "He got it the other day. Along with *a lot* of other things. It’s not real."
"Why would you wear sothing when you don’t even know where it ca from?" Teddy chid in, as flat and distant as ever.
Shawn scratched the back of his neck. "I had it checked to make sure it wasn’t bugged or anything. They said it was clean."
"Are you *sure* it’s counterfeit?" Patricia asked again. "It looks exactly like my brother’s. I’d know—he wears it all the ti."
"Patricia, sis," Hayley said knowingly, "who would gift a real watch worth our entire salary?"
"If that thing is real," she continued, "then that ans all the other stuff we’ve gotten is legit too, right?"
She eyed the packages. "Who in their right mind would send out random luxury goods for free? Either they’re insane, or they’re filthy rich."
"Either way," Teddy cut in, "we should report this now. We gave this ’Father’ a few days to stop. He hasn’t. I’m seriously concerned."
Shawn and Hayley nodded. As much as they liked receiving gifts, the sheer number of deliveries was starting to beco unsettling.
Patricia blinked at them, innocent and confused. "Wait—what do you an, it’s getting out of hand?"
All three turned to her with furrowed brows.
"Don’t tell ..." she trailed off, eyes widening. "All *these* are from Father?"
"Why do you sound surprised? Haven’t you been getting them too?" Teddy asked coldly.
Patricia shook her head. "I only received two packages from Father. I thought *you* guys were online shopping."
Teddy: "..."
Shawn: "..."
Hayley: "We seriously need to work on our communication. Otherwise, this team is dood."
***
Still in the Pri Group building, Yugi heard a knock on the door. Furrowing his brows, he said, "Co in," and watched the door open.
When he saw the people coming into his office, his face contorted. Yugi, for so reason, already guessed what Penny’s assistant’s concerns were.
He forced a smile as the four stood before his desk.
"Let guess," he humd. "It’s about the influx of deliveries, isn’t it?"
Teddy, Shawn, and Hayley nodded in unison. Patricia, on the other hand, frowned.
"I have a different concern!" Patricia huffed. "Why am I the only one who received two gifts from Father?"
Yugi let out a weak laugh. "Well, maybe because you’re the least favorite child?"
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