Chapter 419
I wake up tired, which is something I’ve never understood. How is it even possible for someone to sleep a full eight hours and still wake up so damn tired you can barely open your eyes?
My leg throbs faintly as I shift beneath the blankets, the dull ache reminding me that nothing is as normal as it seems. That even if some parts of my life seem to be working out, there are other parts that are filled with chaos.
I groan softly before forcing myself upright while rubbing my tired eyes.
Staying up half the night finishing my proposal probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but once I started working, I couldn’t stop. For the first time in a long while, I felt excited about something that belonged entirely to me, and I didn’t want to lose that feeling.
After showering and getting dressed, I make my way downstairs, expecting silence; instead, I find Lilly already awake. She’s seated at the kitchen island with her tablet in front of her, coffee beside her while she scrolls through something with a level of concentration that immediately makes me suspicious.
“Well, this is disappointing,” I say as I limp toward her. “I was hoping I’d wake up first so I could make breakfast for us p>
Lilly looks up immediately. “That is not happening. You’re injured and stayed up late; why would you even think of making me breakfast? You should still be in bed, resting p>
“None of that means I can’t make an egg, Lilly p>
“Still not happening… I’m capable of cooking up something and if not, we can get breakfast delivered p>
“At least let me help with something,” I sigh. “You wouldn’t even let me wash the dishes last night p>
“And again I repeat, you’re injured,” she says. “If you really want to thank me, you can always buy me a Porsche once you start making millions p>
She winks and I can’t help but laugh. That’s the thing with Lilly; she makes me laugh and makes things easy, but she can also push me when she thinks I’m sitting on my potential.
I move closer. “What are you looking at p>
Lilly slowly turns the tablet toward me.
“Houses p>
I blink. “Really, Lilly p>
I don’t even have to ask on whose behalf she’s looking at them. It’s quite obvious.
“I’m not kicking you out, but you need a place eventually, and when we finally find Val, she’ll need a proper home too.” she says.
Something in my chest tightens slightly at the mention of my daughter, but before I can dwell on it, Lilly is already swiping across the screen enthusiastically.
“What about this one?” she asks.
A massive mansion fills the screen, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows, a fountain in front, and enough land to probably host a small village.
“It has six bedrooms, two guest wings, an indoor pool, a stable for horses, and the backyard is huge p>
I stare at it and then at her.
“Lilly p>
“No wait,” she interrupts before swiping again. “This one is even better. The neighborhood is ridiculously secure, there’s a private garden, and the kitchen alone is bigger than my first apartment p>
“Lilly p>
“I think this will suit you,” she continues, completely ignoring me. “It was two living rooms, seven all-ensuite bedrooms, three guest wings, a huge kitchen, a theater room and you can even use the large basement as your lab p>
She keeps going, showing me extravagant house after extravagant house until finally I reach over and gently stop her hand.
“Lilly!” I snap finally getting her attention.
Her fingers pause on the screen as she turns to look at me.
I take a deep breath. “I appreciate it, but none of these houses are for me p>
Her brows furrow instantly. “What do you mean? These are amazing houses p>
“They are,” I agree with a small laugh. “But they’re your style, not mine p>
“What’s wrong with my style p>
“Nothing, I just don’t want something this huge.” I answer carefully.
Lilly stares at me for a second before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Looking at her, you would probably think I said something taboo.
“Don’t tell me you want a small house p>
I shrug slightly. “Not small-small… Just something simple that I’d probably not get lost in while looking for my bedroom p>
“Sierra, with the amount of money you have now, you can literally buy a mansion or something even bigger p>
“I know p>
“Then why wouldn’t you p>
I lean against the counter slightly before answering. “Because I don’t need all that. I just want something that feels like me. Something comfortable. Somewhere peaceful that feels right for me and my daughter p>
Lilly goes quiet. She stares at me like she genuinely doesn’t understand how my brain works. Finally, she sighs dramatically.
“I don’t understand you.” She says, shaking her head, “You have money now, real money. The kind people would kill and somehow you still want to live like a normal person p>
“Maybe because I am a normal person.” I laugh
She snorts, “You stopped being normal the moment that DNA report came back positive p>
To be honest, I don’t know how to explain it to her. How do you tell someone born into wealth that the person she expects you to be isn’t really you? We weren’t poor, but we weren’t rich either and even though I had a peek at how billionaires live through Lilly, Gunner and Noah, that never affected me because at the end of the day my family wasn’t wealthy.