"I don't believe it. My mom never told me about you."

I turned to Gilbert and Anna. They showed confused faces. They didn't even know I had step-siblings.

"What's inside this paper bag?" I asked.

"You'll know when you open it." The hazel-eyed man took his crocodile leather wallet from his pants pocket, opened it, and gave me his business card.

"I'm Diego. Just call me Diego."

Gilbert and Anna stood on my right and left to look at the black business card. We were shocked to know his name, job, and the company he worked for. No one didn't know about Diego's family.

"I want to talk to Daniella," Diego said.

"Talk to me?" I pointed at myself with a confused face.

"Hey, Daniella. I'm Justin, Diego's assistant." The man wearing glasses smiled at me. I smiled back. "My boss wants to have a serious talk with you."

Justin looked at Anna and Gilbert. "I hope you'll allow Daniella to talk to her stepbrother."

Gilbert, Anna, and I looked at each other as if we could communicate through our eyes.

"Okay." Gilbert nodded. "Anna and I will stand in here."

I was shocked by Gilbert's words. Why did he let me talk to Diego? He was a stranger even though he had paid our debt.

"Do you need my ID card?" Diego asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I observed his appearance and his car. It seemed like Diego wasn't lying. Besides, I could find out the truth on the internet.

"No." I shook my head.

"Okay. I want to talk to you." I walked into the living room with my heart beating fast with anxiety.

"Tell me why I'm your stepsister?" I sat on the couch across from Diego. Justin stood beside Diego.

"You will know the answer after you open the paper bag."

I found myself staring at him. He looked like a well-established man. I wouldn't be surprised if he already had a wife and kids.

"What's wrong?" Diego asked.

"Nothing." I blinked and shook my head.

I took the phone and photo album from the paper bag and put them on the table.

"The phone is unlocked," Diego said.

I opened the pink phone, found three videos in the gallery, and watched them all.

My eyes widened, and my heart beat fast because of longing and sadness.

The three videos showed my mother marrying a man, celebrating her birthday, and playing in the garden with me and a boy.

The videos featured my mother, me, my mother's husband, and a boy named Diego.

I was speechless. My eyes were watery, but no tears came.

The three videos made me remember my mother again. All my memories with her flooded my mind.

I could feel my mother's warmth again. It was as if she had just died yesterday. In fact, she had gone to heaven and left me on earth for more than 10 years.

"The photo album will make you believe me more," Diego said.

I nodded.

I smiled at all the photos, but my eyes gradually became blurry. I blinked. I wouldn't cry.

I had promised my mother not to cry because I missed her.

Diego gave me a lot of evidence, but I hesitated to believe him because Diego was cheerful and looked like a good brother to me in all those videos and photos.

Meanwhile, Diego, sitting in front of me, now had a scary aura, and his gaze was not friendly.

I hugged the photo album and held the phone tightly, staring at Diego with the courage I had gathered in five seconds.

"Why did you suddenly come to me? You also paid off Gilbert's debt."

"I want to make Laura's wish come true," Diego said, looking at me more seriously. "I will pay for your college and all your needs, but you must live with me in Boston."

"What?" I was shocked. "Why do I have to live with you?"

"Laura used to go to college there," Diego answered. "And I happen to have a house in Brooklyn."

"Why would you pay for my college? Aren't our parents divorced? I'm not your stepsister anymore," I said.

My mom moved to Portland with me. That meant she was divorced from her husband.

"I told you why," Diego said casually, but his hazel eyes still stared at me.

"She doesn't remember anything," Diego mumbled. I could hear it, but I doubted that was what he said.

"What did you just say?"

"What did I say?" Diego looked confused, but I saw the shock in his eyes a second before.

"Forget it," I said.

"Are you going to make me your son's nanny?" I asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Diego raised an eyebrow.

"Did you think Diego was married and had a child, Daniella?" Justin smiled.

When Diego turned to him with a cold stare, Justin returned to his professional face.

"I'm not what you think, Dala." Diego hissed. My words had offended him.

"I apologize," I said.

Wait a minute. What did Diego call me? Ah, there was no way he would call me that.

"Sorry to bother you." Gilbert and Anna entered the house.

"Are you serious about paying for Daniella's college?" Gilbert stared at Diego in disbelief.

"Yes. Why would I lie?" Diego replied in annoyance.

"Is it true that he's your stepbrother?" Anna approached me. I gave her the photo album. Gilbert stood behind Anna.

"Ah, I remember now." Anna snapped her fingers. Then she looked at me and Diego alternately.

"Laura once told me that when Daniella was 3, she married her ex-boyfriend while she was in college. Honestly, Laura didn't want to because her ex-boyfriend had a wife and a son," Anna said.

I didn't know about that.

"Daniella." Anna squeezed my hand and said softly.

"You know we want the best for you. Gilbert and I want you to have a good future, but we can't afford your college. This is a great opportunity, Daniella. Please, think about it carefully."

Gilbert nodded with a serious face.

I bit my lower lip.

"I'll give you three days to think." Diego's deep voice surprised us and took over our attention.

Diego stood up from his seat, getting ready to leave our house with Justin. He pointed at the pink phone in my hand with his chin. "That phone is for you."

I sat on my bed.

I placed my chin on my bent knees and looked at the pink phone, the white photo album, and the framed photo of me and my mother in kindergarten.

Heavy rain poured down on my city, making the atmosphere in my room quiet and cold.

"Why did Diego come to me?"

Diego and I were not blood relatives; our parents had separated, but he still considered me his stepsister and was even willing to pay for my college education.

I recalled the three videos on the phone.

"But it seems like Diego wasn't lying. The videos show him being close to my mom."

Diego was very kind in making my mother's wish come true.

I looked at my mother and Diego's father's wedding photo.

I didn't know who my biological father was.

I once asked my mother when I was in kindergarten because my friends were taken to school by their fathers, but my mother wouldn't answer. After that, I decided not to ask about my father anymore.

So far, my mother only told me about my stepfather, who was her first love, without mentioning his name.

"My mom smiled happily when she told me that she was happy to be able to marry her first love even though their marriage only lasted a few months."

However, my mother never told me that her first love already had a wife and a son when they married.

I had looked up Diego and his family on the internet. His parents had never divorced. There was not even any news that they were fighting and going to divorce.

I shook my head as a bad assumption about my mother crossed my mind.

"I was three years old when my mother married Diego's father. I don't remember anything."

Gilbert and Anna met me and my mother when we were looking for a rental house when we arrived in this city. I was three years old at the time.

Neither I nor my adoptive parents know how long my mother was married to Diego's father.

"Maybe Diego knows. I'll ask him."

Would Diego tell me about my past that I don't remember?

"But he's scary. I can't look him in the eye for too long."

I stared at the photo of my mother holding a birthday cake with a big smile. Diego's father stood to her left, and Diego stood to her right. Meanwhile, I stood in front of Diego and held his hand.

"I can't believe I was that close to him."

I looked at the photo closely. Diego now looked just like his father. They didn't smile, and their gazes were as sharp as eagles.

Everything that happened that night was like a dream.

It wasn't a dream. My hand hurt every time I pinched it.

For three days, every night, I daydreamed before going to bed, and the next morning, I went to my mother's grave before working at my adoptive parents' coffee shop.

I brought my mother's favorite blue tulips.

I crouched down and stared at her tombstone.

I told my mother about Diego, my adoptive parents, who encouraged me to accept Diego's offer and about me not making a decision yet.

"Who is my biological father? Why don't you want me to know about him? Will I be sad if I know about him?"

I wished my mother would appear in my dreams to answer my questions.

"Is it okay for me to trust Diego?"

My eyes filled with tears. If I accepted Diego's offer, I would stay in Boston. I wouldn't be able to visit my mother's grave every time I missed her.

"Good morning, Laura, Dala."

I was so shocked that I fell to the ground. "Why are you here?"

"Laura used to be my mother." Diego placed the bouquet of blue roses next to the blue tulips.

I glared as Diego crouched next to me, but my legs couldn't move in this situation.

Did he have the power to turn other people into statues, or was my body overreacting?

Diego stared at my mother's tombstone with a look I didn't understand the meaning of.

"How do you know where my mother's grave is?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to ignore the strange atmosphere surrounding us. "Have you known for a long time that my mother died?"

"I knew Laura died when I found out about you guys," he answered.

"Why are you looking for us?"

"My arm broke six months ago." Diego looked at his left arm. He was wearing a black suit.

"I suddenly remembered Laura. When I was sick, she made chicken soup with corn, carrots, and potatoes. No one could make soup as delicious as she did." Diego's voice shook, but his facial expression and gaze remained unchanged.

"My mom always made that soup when I was sick," I said with a smile. My mother patiently fed me, who had no appetite.

"How did you find me in six months?" I asked curiously.

Diego looked at me as if he was reading my mind. I swallowed and gripped the grass, holding back the sudden tremors.

"You and Laura didn't change your identities."

"Oh, that makes sense." I nodded.

"It only took me a month to find you," Diego said with a proud face.

"Then why didn't you come to me right away?"

"I came to you."

I searched my memory with my gaze fixed on him. I couldn't find him in my brain. "I, I've never seen you before."

"Because you don't just look at me." Diego looked annoyed at me.

I stared at him questioningly. It was rare for a grown man to look like Diego in this city.

His appearance and handsomeness were striking. I should have noticed Diego if he was around me.

"When did you meet me? Tell me." I demanded his answer.

Silence enveloped us. He stared at me deeply. It was so strange, I felt hot as the gentle breeze hit us.

Diego stood up, and I spontaneously stood up, too. I took a step back to create some distance between me and him.

"Have you made your decision? Today is the third day. I came to hear your answer." Diego broke the silence just to change the subject.

"You didn't answer my question."

"That's not important." Diego waved his hand. "Now what's important is will you allow me to pay for your college and will you live with me in Boston, Dala?"

I gasped in surprise.

Diego called me that again. It felt strange and a little uncomfortable, but it made me unable to deny that Diego used to be my step-brother.

Diego's hazel eyes hypnotized me. I tried my best to avert my eyes from him.

I clenched my fists and stared at my mother's tombstone sadly.

Were you okay if I didn't visit you every month, mom?

The three videos and dozens of photos popped into my head. I wondered if Diego was still the same as before, the older brother who loved me as his little sister.

Then Anna and Gilbert's words encouraging me to accept Diego's kindness rang in my ears.

My gaze returned to Diego.

God, I hope I didn't make the wrong decision.

"Thank you so much for your kindness," I said, my fists clenched tightly. It wasn't easy to say this. "I accept your offer. When are we going to Boston?"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning," Diego replied.

Diego's gaze was still as sharp as an eagle, but I felt something change in his eyes. Not tenderness, but perhaps relief?

That morning, I had breakfast with Anna and Gilbert. I didn't know when we would eat together again.

"Are you sure you've brought everything you need? Don't leave anything behind." Anna stared at the medium-sized white suitcase.

"We checked that suitcase twenty minutes ago, Anna." I reminded Anna.

"I've brought everything I need, including this Hello Kitty. I can't sleep without it." I grinned widely as I took the doll out of my backpack and hugged it tightly.

The doll was a gift from my mother when I was 7. At least she celebrated my birthday with a cake she made before she died. The doll would always be by my side until I died.

I put the doll back into my backpack, worried I would leave it behind.

"Take care of yourself, Daniella. Don't be afraid of anyone, and always do good as much as possible." Gilbert said, smiling, his eyes showing sadness.

"It will always be in my memory." I smiled widely with a warm heart.

"Daniella!"

I smiled brightly and ran out of the house.

I hugged Gabriella and Clara for a long time because we didn't know when to see each other again.

"If you get a boyfriend, tell us!" Clara said, teasing me.

"Why do you hope so much that I have a boyfriend?" I snorted.

"We should video call often!" Gabriella gripped my hand as if she didn't want us to be separated.

"Of course!" I nodded.

A black car entered my yard. Diego and Justin got out of their car. They dressed in formal outfits. The difference was that Diego wore sunglasses, whereas Justin wore white eyeglasses.

My heart rate increased every time Diego took a step closer to me. Nervousness hit me after I realized that he was picking me up to live with him.

"Are you ready, Daniella?" Diego stood two steps in front of me without taking off his glasses.

I didn't see his hazel eyes, which always stared sharply, but he had an intimidating aura.

"Yes, I'm ready." I nodded.

"Where's your suitcase?" Diego asked.

"Oh, wait a minute." I entered the house and found Anna and Gilbert holding hands in the living room. Trying to be strong, I said, "Diego has come to pick me up."

They nodded and escorted me to the porch. Gilbert handed my suitcase to Justin. Justin hurriedly put the white suitcase in the garage.

I hugged them.

I felt very emotional, and my eyes were watery, but I was still able to control my tears.

Anna turned her face away from me when she could no longer hold back her tears.

I waved my hand and looked at them to ensure they were all stored in my brain before I got into the black car.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out.

I opened my eyes when I felt calm.

I didn't let my head turn back as the car left my house.

I looked to my right, surprised to find Diego sitting beside me.

I leaned back stiffly. The car was luxurious, and the seats were soft, but I felt uncomfortable.

I had never sat in a car with strangers before.

I stared out the window to calm my pounding heart.

We arrived at the airport. I was getting nervous and excited. It was my first time on a plane!

I frowned as two tall, muscular men in tight black shirts and sunglasses approached us.

"They're my bodyguards," Diego told me. "They're Axton and Oscar."

"Hi, I'm Daniella." I smiled at them. They just nodded. They were as scary as their boss.

"Oh, you haven't introduced me to your driver yet." I looked back; a man in a gray shirt stood beside Justin.

"He's Brian," Diego said.

"Hi, Daniella." Brian smiled at me.

He seemed as friendly as Justin. "Hi, Brian."

After a brief introduction, we went through a security check.

I wondered as I realized we were going down a different path than the rest of the crowd.

Where were we really going?

I was astonished as we went up the stairs to Diego's white private jet one by one.

I admired the private jet's lavish interior.

I had to pinch my hand to convince myself I wasn't dreaming.

I sat near the window. The chair was as soft as a sofa.

My smile disappeared, replaced by a confused face. Diego chose to sit in front of me despite the many empty seats.

I watched closely as the flight attendant demonstrated the safety procedures.

I held the armrest tightly as the plane took off and prayed that we would arrive safely at our destination.

I wanted to explore the private jet so much, but then I realized I was the only woman on the plane.

Suddenly, fear crept into my mind. What if Diego was a bad guy?

I was overthinking.

I read a novel on my phone or looked out the window the entire way.

I glanced at Diego a few times with an uncomfortable feeling.

Diego was staring at the laptop on the coffee table, but I felt he was watching me.

I held my breath unconsciously when our eyes met.

I lowered my head with my heart beating strangely. Diego didn't take his eyes off me as if he wanted me to catch him red-handed.

Diego made me not want to look anywhere else but my phone.

An hour later, Diego asked me out for lunch.

The dining room had eight seats. I chose a seat by the window, away from Justin, Brian, Axton, and Oscar, but unexpectedly, Diego sat across from me.

The delicious food lowered my suspicions and my guard against Diego. I ate a lot, trying not to be distracted by Diego's stares.

"Where do you want to go to college?"

My heart jumped, not expecting him to talk to me after eating.

"I've been looking into it, but I haven't decided where I want to go to college. But I do know I don't want to go to Harvard."

Diego nodded. "What do you want to major in?"

"I want to major in business," I replied.

"Why did you choose business?"

"I want to be like you," I replied.

"What do you mean you want to be like me?" Diego raised an eyebrow as he poured himself a glass of wine and stared straight at me.

"I don't know what business I want to do, but I want to be an entrepreneur. I want to have a lot of money."

"Good motivation," Diego said. "What do you know about business?"

"I've worked at my adoptive parents' coffee shop since I was little. It's not easy to retain and attract customers. We must always innovate and take risks so we don't lose out to other coffee shops," I said excitedly.

"I like the concept of your adoptive parents' coffee shop." Diego nodded twice. "Cold milk coffee is my favorite."

My eyes expanded. The next second, I stared at him with curiosity. "Have you ever been to my adoptive parents' coffee shop?"

Diego stared at me for a long time, allowing the stillness to settle between us, and I got even more intrigued. "We're about to land."

Why did he ignore my question?

After Diego said that, the pilot announced that the private jet was about to land.

"How many hours is our flight?" I asked him.

"Six hours."

I looked down sadly. For six hours, I just sat in my chair and went to the dining room.

We got off the private jet. I hoped someday I could ride it again.

A white car picked us up. I sat next to Diego.

I watched the street. Boston wasn't much different than Portland.

The white car pulled into a block. I admired all the houses we passed. They looked like palaces.

My heart stopped when the white car stopped in front of a magnificent, classic-style mansion like the previous houses.

I exited the car and stared at the white house in disbelief. I felt like I had entered a fairy tale.

"I'll show you your room, Dala."

His deep voice penetrated my consciousness; all the hairs on my neck stood up as I felt his warm breath touch my ear, and that peculiar feeling returned to my chest every time he called me that.

Why was he standing behind me?

I took a step before turning to face him. His crooked smile made my back shiver as if a cold wind had suddenly blown in the middle of summer.