Third Person's POV
After a long discussion at the car and RV dealership and using his father's card to pay, Eunice headed to a warehouse rental company to secure a space for a month. This was to accommodate the cars, ships, and aircraft that would soon be delivered by the dealership's boss. After finalizing the rental, she took her younger siblings to an arcade, where they excitedly played various games, including claw machines, simulators, video games, shooting games, and others that rewarded them with tickets.
A few months back when her father decided to cut ties with her she decided to steal her fathers card and documents. She even forged signatures and pre recorded his father's voice a few time for this kind of situation. Now with the large payment for the military vehicles and weapons I bet his company is already on wits end.
"Sissy, I want that Stitch plushie!" Dahlia exclaimed, standing on her tiptoes and pointing at the one in the middle of the plushie display.
"I will try my best," Eunice replied, swiping her card as she tried to grab the Stitch plushie.
"Go, sissy! You can do it! A bit more!" Fiona cheered, encouraging Eunice as they missed the plushie again.
"Try again, sissy! I know you will get it this time!" Dahlia shouted, jumping in excitement.
"I'm trying, but it just won't budge!" Eunice gritted her teeth as she maneuvered the lever. The claw lifted the plushie, but it slipped from its grip.
"Noooo! We almost got it!" Fiona whined.
"Here, let me help!" a smooth voice with a Korean accent interjected.
"Brother Thomas! Hiii!" Dahlia beamed up at the handsome young man.
"Hello, miss. Let me just help you out," he said with a smile as he took over the lever, effortlessly winning the plushie.
"Thank you so much!" the three girls exclaimed in unison.
"Haha, you said it together! You're welcome. I've worked here for a long time, so I kinda know all the tricks," he said shyly, rubbing the back of his head.
"That's pretty cool, brother," Fiona responded, picking up the plushie for Dahlia.
"Wow, this is so soft! Fiona, hug it!" Dahlia exclaimed, embracing her new Stitch plushie.
"They're cute, miss," Thomas said, looking at Eunice.
"Oh, Eunice Maurice," she smiled, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Thomas Jeong. In Korea, it's Hyun Ki Jeong. Hyun means 'worthy,' and Ki means 'spirit,'" he explained, blushing slightly as he shook her hand.
"That's nice! This is Fiona and Dahlia," Eunice introduced her twins, who eagerly shook his hand.
"Should we go grab something to drink? The nearby café has great drinks and pastries," he suggested, pointing to the area.
"Sure! The twins must be hungry too," Eunice agreed, following his lead.
"Are you Asian in some way? Your siblings use 'brother' and 'sister' before people's names," he asked as they walked toward the café.
"Yeah, our mom is Filipina. She was adopted by an American couple," Eunice explained while they waited in line.
"That's why you have Asian characteristics and attitude," he replied, pointing out a dessert he recommended.
"You know a lot, Brother Tom," Dahlia grinned at him, her hands on the glass display.
"I've worked here for a while before resigning to study," Thomas said shyly as he paid for the dessert.
"I'll pay you! What's your Cash App?" Eunice asked, holding up her phone.
"No need! It's my treat. If you like it, just buy more later," he smiled as Eunice helped him with the trays.
"I see! I will do as you say," Eunice replied, her smile bright as they enjoyed their snacks.
"How old are you, by the way?" he asked after taking a sip of his milkshake.
"I'm actually 23," she said, taking a bite of her blueberry cheesecake.
"I'm 9!" the twins chimed in together.
"Really? I thought you would be my age. I'm already 18," he exclaimed, looking at Eunice in surprise.
"Do I really look that young? No way, I look my age!" she laughed as he nodded in agreement.
"You do! I never thought you'd be older. You're my noona then! And the pretty misses are too." Thomas responded, a playful grin on his face making the twin giggle.
All afternoon, Eunice and Thomas chatted about random things, with Thomas proving to be good company. He felt like a breath of fresh air in her stressful life, which had been marked by chaos. Eunice even learned that he had been an orphaned child, raised by his grandparents who brought him to America for a fresh start.
"The weather is getting hotter these days," Eunice remarked as she looked outside.
"That is indeed true. I feel like we should start staying in our homes," Thomas replied while cleaning the table as they prepared to leave.
"We should begin stocking up on food and water; with this weather, a strong drought and heat waves might come," Eunice suggested, framing it as a recommendation.
"Yeah, I should indeed. Let's go before it gets dark," he agreed, helping her carry the desserts she had ordered for later, and they exchanged numbers.
The three walked back on their hotel riding the elevator to their floor.
"Come on, let's head back to our hotel room. Last one to reach the door is a rotten egg!" Eunice exclaimed, darting out of the elevator as it dinged.
"Whoa!" a familiar, husky voice chuckled as he stabilized her.
"I'm so sorry," Eunice said, bowing her head in apology as she looked up.
"Handsome" was the perfect word for his face: almond-shaped eyes with sharp corners, electric blue pupils, long thick lashes, arched bushy brows, a tall Roman nose, plum-defined cupid's red lips, perfectly straight teeth, high cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. His caramel hair fell in light curls, framing his perfectly fair, smooth skin. She wondered if he was truly human or a Greek god.
"No problem, beauty," he smiled, making her breath hitch.
"I... I see... well, I'll get going. I'm sorry," Eunice stammered, bowing in apology again as she ran toward the twins, who teased her playfully.
"Stop it, you silly kids!" Eunice laughed, patting their heads as they entered the room, her hand resting on her chest.
"That man is too handsome for my heart health," she thought, her hand still on her chest.
"Sissy, that handsome man looked like the gods in my books!" Fiona giggled, covering her mouth.
"Yes, like Poseidon or Artemis!" Dahlia gushed, jumping around while hugging her Stitch plushie.
"Alright, alright, settle down! Go get showered; you're both drenched in sweat," Eunice said loudly while covering her nose in mock horror.
"No, I do not agree! I stink, smell me, smell me!" Dahlia shouted, running after Eunice with one hand raised, trying to make her smell her armpits.
"Ahh! It stinks like vinegar! Ahh, nooo!" Eunice laughed, trying to move her nose away from Dahlia's armpits.
"Sissy, smell me! Smell! It's not a bad smell!" Dahlia shouted while laughing, as Fiona randomly poked her armpits to smell them.
"Yes, I can confirm it smells like a pot of vinegar," Fiona chimed in, holding back her giggles, nodding as if she had made a great discovery, fingers curled in front of her lips.
"Vinegar with a hint of sour milk," Eunice added, taking a whiff of Dahlia's armpits while doing the Italian hand gesture.
"No, it does not!" Dahlia exclaimed, placing her hand over her heart as if offended.
"Yes, yes, and a hint of two days without showering," Fiona teased, trying to act serious while rubbing her thumb and forefinger together under her nose.
Dahlia looked back and forth between them, her hand on her chest, mouth agape, and eyes wide open.
"Hahaha, alright! Go shower your sour pits!" Eunice teased, as Dahlia screamed exaggeratedly and ran toward the bathroom while laughing.
"It does smell sour!" Fiona confirmed, and Eunice laughed at her as she bobbed her head side to side, walking like a crab toward the bathroom.
"Stop it, you silly goose! Hahaha," Eunice chuckled, preparing some camisoles: white for herself, one green for Dahlia, and yellow for Fiona, along with khaki shorts for all three of them.
"Are you done?" Eunice called after waiting for them for 15 minutes.
"Yes! Is the green one for Fiona?" Dahlia asked, bowing at Fiona.
"Princess Fiona shall be dressed in green to fulfill her duty-now sleep!" Dahlia exclaimed, fake punching Fiona on the face while jumping on the bed, causing Fiona to fall down and bounce with her tongue out, and they both burst out laughing.
"Alright, come get dressed!" Eunice laughed as the twins changed into their clothes.
After they all showered and dressed, Eunice held their hands as they walked out of their bedroom for dinner. When she looked up, she saw the same god-like man walking out of his room as well.
"Out for dinner?" he asked in his handsome voice.
"Ah, yes! We are on our way downstairs," Eunice replied with a smile as the twins waved their hands with enthusiasm.
"Shall we eat together then?" the man offered, but Eunice shook her head.
"Ah, no, I think we would just trouble you," she said with a smile as they stepped into the elevator.
"Sissy, what floor?" Dahlia asked, her fingers poised over the buttons.
"The G button, Lia," Eunice pointed out, and Dahlia nodded, pressing the button.
"No, it's fine, and I insist! I am new here, so I would like to have dinner with some people," the man insisted, and Eunice looked at him suspiciously.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know you, sir," Eunice replied, looking up at him.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! My name is Malik Enoch, 27, single," he said, smiling and winking at Fiona, who was still gazing up at him with stars in her eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Eunice," Eunice said, looking up at him curiously while pulling Fiona closer, who smiled widely at Malik.
"Brother, come on! Let's eat!" Fiona pulled at him, while Dahlia looked at her blankly.
"Brother, Thomas is still more handsome!" Dahlia claimed as they sat at a table in the restaurant downstairs.
"Please," Malik smiled, offering Eunice a seat first, along with the twins.
"Thank you," Eunice replied with a smile.
"Good evening, madams and sir! I will be your server for tonight. Call me when you're ready to order," the waiter said politely while handing them the menus.
"Sissy, shrimp, chicken Alfredo, chocolate lava cake, and fruit tea," Dahlia said one by one, taking her time to look at the menu.
"For mine, I want this bread with tomatoes (bruschetta), spaghetti (linguini in marinara sauce), apple pie, and this strawberry milk," Fiona added, pointing at the pictures in the menu.
"Alright," Malik said as he called for the waiter to take the twins' orders.
"I'll have corn chowder as an appetizer, filet mignon cooked medium well, cheese ravioli in marinara sauce, margarita pizza, and a nonalcoholic cherry daiquiri," Eunice said while scanning the menu.
"I'll have corn chowder, a T-bone steak cooked medium rare, crème brûlée, and a blueberry mocktail. Thank you, beauty," Malik said, looking up as he took the garlic bread that Fiona offered.
"Alright, I'll go prepare your dinner," the waiter said.
---
After dinner, they took a quick walk before resting on the playground while the twins played around. The temperature was hot, even with the night breeze, making Eunice's skin crawl with nerves.
"I should call the company about the RV before this heat picks up. I need to start looking for a place," Eunice mumbled to herself as she glanced at her phone.
Malik looked at her. "Did you say something?"
"No, I didn't. I just thought that with this hot temperature, summer must be coming early," Eunice replied, smiling up at Malik.
"Yeah, we should stock up. With how hot the nights are, a drought of some sort might come," he said, wiping the sweat from his eyebrows.
"That's true; securing enough food and water is a must," Eunice said, subtly suggesting that he prepare more.
"I'll keep that in mind, but we should head back. The kids must be tired and sweaty," Malik suggested as he offered his arm for Eunice to hold on to.
"We should indeed. Dahlia, Fiona, come on! We need to go back; it's already dark!" he called to the twins.
---
After that short period of fun amidst the consistent increase in temperature, Eunice returned to storing materials in her space. This time, she focused on cooked food and baked goods from various fast-food restaurants, pastry shops, as well as pottery and building materials. She also received the RV, cars, trucks, military vessels, and weapons that she had ordered from Malik.
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Eunice POV
A week ago
I went to the shop to fetch my RV and other vehicles. When I arrived, I saw Malik talking with Philippe, who was standing tall and proud in his suit.
"Good morning, I came for my order," I said, excusing myself and greeting them.
"Good morning, Miss Eunice," Philippe said. "This is Miss Maurice, sir-the one who came for a big order at our store."
"Oh, I know her! Eunice, good morning! I didn't know you liked to collect cars," Malik said, smiling as he shook my hand.
"Yeah, I just have a deep fascination with those types of cars," I replied sheepishly while shaking his hand back.
"Since I know Miss Eunice well, how about giving you a 5% discount as a token of our friendship?" Malik suggested, smiling as he helped me with the signing of papers.
He also included some brand-new military cars and vessels as gifts, which I gladly accepted, knowing I might put them to use someday. That day, he also helped me check out the weapons, testing their efficacy while assisting me in choosing the right weapon for myself.
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