Roger took the dicine with a sip of water. As he handed the glass back to Varya, the phone on the table buzzed, its screen lighting up with an incoming call.
Varya glanced at it and said, "It’s Demitri," before picking up the phone and passing it to him.
Roger accepted it and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"
Demitri’s voice ca through imdiately, laced with concern. "Roger, what happened? Lucius told you were stabbed. Are you alright? I’m sorry I couldn’t co... I’ve been away."
"It wasn’t anything too serious," Roger replied calmly. "I’m ho now, recovering."
There was a pause before Demitri spoke again, his tone softer. "That’s a relief. And Varya? She must’ve been out of her mind with worry."
Roger glanced at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "She was... a little," he admitted.
"I’m currently not in Ro," Demitri explained. " I had to leave on short notice for my grandmother’s place. But once I’m back, I’ll co see you."
"It’s alright. Is your grandmother doing okay?" Roger asked with concern.
"She is now," Demitri replied. "She caught a bad cold and a fever. With her age, recovery’s slow, so I thought it best to stay by her side for a few days."
Roger nodded. "That does sound worriso."
He leaned back against the headboard and added thoughtfully, "Why don’t you ask her to move to Ro? It’d be easier to take care of her here."
"I’ve tried," Demitri said with a soft chuckle. "But you know how stubborn she is. Grandma says the city is too loud, too fast. She prefers the quiet pace of the village, says the soil here rembers her footsteps."
Roger smiled faintly. "It’s understandable. Ask Grandma to take care of herself," he asserted.
"You too, Roger," Demitri said before the call ended.
Roger lowered the phone onto the mattress.
Just then, Varya walked back into the room, a tray balanced in her hands. Neatly arranged on the tray were bowls filled with sliced apples, peeled oranges, ripe strawberries, and glistening grapes.
She set the tray down gently on the side table and offered him a small smile. "You need to finish these," Varya said.
"These are too many," Roger complained.
"Fruits are good for health," Varya stated. "So, how’s Demitri?"
"He’s fine. His grandmother was sick, so he is in his hotown," Roger replied, lifting an apple slice.
"Sylvia had co to visit you yesterday. What did she say? Did she apologize for what happened with you?" Varya’s sudden shift in deanor bewildered Roger. "The attack on you happened because of her. She involved you in her relationship matters."
"I’m sorry for not discussing it with you," Roger said. "Sylvia apologized to for whatever she did to in the past. And she didn’t drag in her relationship matter. That ti I happened to cross paths with her, so I confronted Josh. And I even made sure he would go to prison. I think he returned quite sooner than I anticipated," he explained.
"It’s good Sylvia apologized," Varya said. "I’ve no one except you. You are my only family," she added before hugging him.
~~~
Layla removed the earbud as the eting wrapped up, her fingers moving to close the laptop with a quiet snap. She stretched her arms above her head, a yawn escaping her lips. A strange heaviness tugged at her limbs, the kind that didn’t make sense, after all, it wasn’t even noon yet.
Shaking her head, she stood up and shuffled toward the bed. "I’ll take a quick nap," she told herself, sinking into the mattress and pulling the blanket loosely over her.
But what was ant to be a short rest stretched far beyond her intention. She ended up sleeping for more than three hours.
"Oh my God! How long did I sleep?" Layla gasped, sitting up abruptly with her tousled hair.
From the balcony, Lucius heard the sudden noise and rushed into the room. "Layla, what’s wrong?" he asked, concern etched across his face.
"I overslept," she exclaid, glancing at the clock. "Why didn’t you wake up?"
Lucius offered a gentle smile. "You looked exhausted. I didn’t want to disturb your rest." He settled on the bed.
"It’s past lunch," Layla said, tying her loose hair into a quick bun. "When did you get back?"
"I ca ho quite early," Lucius replied. "But you were fast asleep."
He paused for a beat before adding, "Oh, and your father called. He wants you to visit ho."
"You should’ve told them I couldn’t," Layla said, frowning. "My dad’s surgery is coming up."
Lucius stepped closer. "You can explain it to them yourself. Once the surgery goes well, and it will, you should go ho for a few days."
Layla’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you trying to send away?" she asked with a playful pout.
Before he could answer, she slipped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I feel at ho with you," she whispered. "Even though I’ve made peace with my parents, I still don’t feel that sa comfort there."
Lucius smiled, a warmth softening his features. His hand gently moved to her back, slowly caressing it tenderly.
"Your parents miss you," Lucius said gently, his hand still resting on her back.
"You’ll miss more," Layla murmured. "Is that what you want?"
"No," Lucius replied softly, eting her gaze.
"Then I’m not going anywhere," she said, stepping in even closer until there was no space left between them. "Besides, Father needs here. I can visit them so other ti."
Lucius didn’t press her further. He simply nodded. "Alright. Do what feels right to you."
He leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. "Do you want to go out in the evening?"
"Sure. But will it be alright to go out in the evening when Father is sick?" Layla queried.
"We will take Dad too. Actually, a friend of mine, a business partner invited to the musical of his son. He wants all of us to co. So, I was considering to go there with you two," he asserted.
"That’s a wonderful idea. But what about Sister Fiona and Roderick?" Layla asked.
"I asked Fiona earlier. However, she politely refused. So, I didn’t press her," Lucius explained.
"Hmm. We all should go, not just three of us. I’ll ask her and Roderick," Layla stated.
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