Now the complete chapter is
"All good, what will happen to me?" replied William with a smile.
[Everyone is busy in their own world that they do not have time even for themselves,
let alone for others.
These types of occasions bring everyone together — to share their happy moments and relieve stress.]
Suddenly, William walked two steps forward toward Beatrice. She was trying her best to avoid his eyes, but fate had its own course.
William went to her.
"Look how gorgeous our little sister looks! Oh my!" he said, spreading both hands toward her cheeks and pinching them with a smile.
"Th-that's why I don't like you!" Beatrice cried, quickly hiding behind Tommy for protection.
She grumbled, "Another bully came out! Why are my brother's friends all like him? Can't they be normal?"
"I'm already eighteen, and you're still pinching me! I'm not a child anymore! Don't pinch me, you hear?" she complained.
Who was going to listen to her anyway?
"Little Beatrice, come here. No one will bully you if you stay with me," Juniper said kindly.
Beatrice went to Juniper, wrapping her arm around her leg.
"Sis, you look so pretty," she said.
"But you're prettier than me," Juniper replied with a gentle smile.
"Let's get going," I said.
The carnival was alive with music and laughter.
On one side, a cultural program was being performed — the stage lit with colorful lights and traditional tunes echoing through the air.
On the other side stood rows of merry-go-rounds, ferris wheels, spinning "chakari" rides, and small train-shaped rides filled with excited children.
Street food stalls lined the paths in an organized fashion — the aroma of fried snacks, sweets, and coffee mixing in the evening breeze.
I wanted to head toward the cultural side, but my sister suddenly interjected,
"Brother, let's go there! Let's ride on the merry-go-round wheel!"
Before I could respond, she grabbed my hand and started pulling me in that direction.
I hesitated, but then I heard Juniper's cheerful agreement — which meant the ordeal couldn't be avoided.
Beatrice thought to herself, Now my chance for revenge… hehehe.
She giggled softly, pretending not to know that I was terrified of those spinning rides — something I'd always tried to avoid.
I looked toward my friends, silently asking for help, but none of them met my eyes.
So I had no choice but to follow along.
Beatrice chose the giant wheel, and we both took our seats. She looked at me with amusement as the wheel began to move.
The moment it started climbing higher, I clenched my teeth and shut my eyes tightly.
As we reached the top, Beatrice said teasingly,
"Brother, look! How beautiful the view of the festival looks from up here!"
She knew exactly what she was doing. Meanwhile, I was silently praying, God, when is this going to end?
When the ride finally stopped, I got off as if I'd just survived a war.
Beatrice burst into laughter, almost bending over from it, while Juniper tried her best to hide her smile.
Tommy patted my shoulder and said, "You did well, hahaha", he laugh laudly.
I just sighed, shaking my head.
"Next time," I muttered, "we're going straight to the cultural side—no discussions."
As we walked away from the rides, the rhythmic beat of drums and the sweet melody of a folk song reached our ears.
The cultural stage area was alive with dancers in bright traditional costumes, moving gracefully under the soft glow of hanging lanterns.
Crowds clapped in rhythm, children waved tiny flags, and food vendors cheered to attract visitors.
The air was filled with color, music, and laughter — the kind of atmosphere that made you forget your worries, even if just for a while.
Actually, I heard that a famous musician of our country was going to perform tonight.
He was a great pianist — Mr. Lebado Salwado.
After waiting for some time, Mr. Lebado walked onto the stage.
The whole crowd became jubilant as his name was announced, and moments later, the performance began.
What a performance it was. Those sweet, flowing notes filled the air, each one carrying warmth and life.
His hands moved over the piano like magic — graceful, effortless, alive.
And I… seated there quietly, watching, listening — feeling something deep and unexplainable rise within me.
For a moment, everything else faded — the noise, the crowd, even my own thoughts.
There was only music… and peace.
The performance continued until late in the evening — it was almost 8:00 p.m.
We finally stood up from our seats and walked toward the food stalls, thinking we'd grab something to eat before heading home.
Beatrice and Juniper walked together, chatting and laughing happily.
All around us, the food stalls were neatly arranged. There were strict regulations regarding food standards and safety — any stall found unhygienic would have its license terminated, making it difficult for the owner to ever get another one.
After finishing our meal, William stepped forward to make the payment and handed his card to the stall keeper for swiping.
"Sorry, sir, this card isn't working. Could you please try another one?" the stall keeper said politely.
"How can that be?" William frowned. "We used this card at noon while shopping. Check once more."
"Sir, we've checked," the man replied gently. "Maybe there's no balance left in your account."
I walked closer and handed over my card.
"Please, use this one," I said.
After the payment went through, the stall keeper smiled and said,
"Thank you for coming, sir. Have a nice day."
As we stepped aside, I looked at William.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said, still puzzled. "We did shopping at noon using this card, and when I last checked, the balance was nearly four hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
"Check your bank account immediately," I said sharply.
He pulled out his phone, opened his banking app, and froze.
His face turned pale.
The account was completely empty — only eight dollars remained.
"Ohhh my God!" he cried, his phone nearly slipping from his hands as he clutched his head in disbelief.