Four Of A Kind

Chapter 108: [3.10] She Smiled, and For a Second, I Forgot I Was Just the Help

I gathered my own materials slowly, replaying the conversation in my mind. Had I imagined that moment of connection? The way her expression softened when I complimented her? And what about that maid costume comment – was she just trying to get a rise out of me, or was there something more to it?

More importantly, could she have been the one on the steps last night?

I checked the time. Twenty minutes until I needed to meet Sabrina with her ramen. That gave me time to drop by the main salon where Mrs. Tanaka had mentioned Harlow was waiting to “ambush” me.

Sure enough, Harlow pounced the moment I walked through the door.

“Assistant-kun!” she cried, launching herself from the couch where she’d been sitting cross-legged with her phone. “You took forever! Did Cassidy hog you the whole time? Did you bring me anything?”

“Hello to you too,” I said, steadying myself as she collided with my chest. “And yes, there’s strawberry milk tea in the carrier.”

“Yay!” She clapped her hands together. “You’re the absolute best! I know I should cut back on sugar, but I was working on cosplay all day and I need energy and Vivi keeps saying I’m bouncing off the walls but that’s just my natural state, you know?”

I nodded, having long since learned that Harlow’s questions rarely required actual answers. She would circle back to whatever point she was making eventually.

“So what did you think of our festival idea?” she asked, grabbing her drink from the carrier and taking a long sip. “The Halloween maid cafe? Isn’t it genius? I already started designing costumes! The boys can be butlers with little vampire fangs, and the girls can be zombie maids with fake blood, and I thought maybe we could do fortune telling in one corner with a crystal ball and—”

“Breathe, Harlow,” I reminded her gently.

She inhaled dramatically. “Sorry! I just get excited. But you like the idea, right?”

“I think it’s creative.”

“I knew you would!” She beamed at me. “Cassidy said you’d think it was stupid, but I told her you have good taste.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Of course! I always believe in you, Assistant-kun.” She studied me for a moment, her head tilted like a curious puppy. “Are you feeling okay? You seem a little distracted.”

That was the second Valentine sister to ask about my wellbeing today. Was I that obviously off my game?

“I’m fine,” I assured her. “Just a long day.”

“If you say so.” She didn’t look convinced. “Oh! I forgot to tell you! Vivi wants to see you before you leave tonight. Something about the Lumière launch party next week?”

Great. Another thing to add to my to-do list.

“I’ll stop by her study after I deliver Sabrina’s ramen.”

“Good luck with that. She’s in a mood today.” Harlow lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Mom left this morning without saying goodbye, and Sabrina always gets extra quiet when that happens.”

I nodded, filing away this information. The Valentine family dynamics were a complex web I was still learning to navigate.

“I should probably head up there now,” I said, checking my watch. “Sabrina requested a nine o’clock delivery.”

I picked up the carrier with Sabrina’s taro boba and ramen packet and headed toward the east wing, my thoughts swirling with the day’s interactions. Two sisters down, two to go. And I was no closer to solving the mystery of the mansion steps.

As I climbed the grand staircase, I tried to organize what I knew so far:

Cassidy had been surprisingly vulnerable during our tutoring session, showing genuine concern for my wellbeing before reverting to her usual prickly self. She’d also teased me about a maid costume and seemed pleased when I said she’d look good in one.

Harlow had been… well, Harlow. Enthusiastic, touchy, full of energy. Nothing out of the ordinary there, but her concern about my distracted state mirrored Cassidy’s.

I still needed to see Vivienne and Sabrina. Would they also notice something off about me? Would they give some clue that revealed which one had kissed me last night?

By the time I reached Sabrina’s door, I had more questions than answers. I knocked twice, knowing she’d be waiting, and prepared myself for whatever game the third Valentine sister might be playing tonight.

“Enter,” came her soft voice from within.

I pushed the door open, stepping into the familiar chaos of Sabrina’s room. Books piled everywhere, tea cups abandoned on every surface, clothes draped over furniture. And in the center of it all, perched on her bed like a queen on a throne of literature, sat Sabrina Valentine.

“You’re two minutes early,” she noted, not looking up from her book. “Impressive.”

“I aim to please.”

“Do you?” Her purple eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for a moment I felt like she was looking straight through me, reading every thought I’d ever had. “How interesting.”

I placed the carrier on her nightstand, careful not to disturb the precariously balanced tower of paperbacks beside it.

“One taro milk tea with extra pearls and one packet of two-times spicy ramen, as requested.”

“Thank you.” She closed her book and set it aside. “Would you prepare it for me?”

And so began our familiar routine. I took the ramen packet to her bathroom, boiled water using the electric kettle she kept beside her makeup supplies, and carefully prepared the noodles according to the package instructions. As I worked, I could feel her watching me from the doorway, her expression unreadable.

“You seem distracted tonight,” she said, echoing her sisters’ observations.

I focused on stirring the noodles. “Long day.”

“Hmm.” She moved closer, leaning against the bathroom counter. “Did something happen?”

I looked up at her, studying her face for any sign, any tell that might reveal whether those were the same lips that had pressed against mine last night. But Sabrina Valentine was a master of masks, and whatever she was thinking remained perfectly concealed.

“Nothing worth mentioning,” I said finally.

“I see.” She accepted the bowl of ramen I handed her. “Well, if you decide it is worth mentioning, I’m an excellent listener.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She turned and walked back into the bedroom, settling cross-legged on her bed. “Bring me my tea, would you?”

I grabbed the boba from the carrier and joined her, perching on the edge of the bed at what I hoped was a safe distance. She took the cup from my hands, her fingers brushing against mine for just a moment too long.

“Thank you, Isaiah.” Her voice was soft, almost intimate.

Was this a clue? Was she trying to tell me something?

Or was I just seeing what I wanted to see?

“You’re welcome,” I replied, watching as she took a sip of her tea.

“Perfect,” she murmured. “You always get it exactly right.”

I had no idea how to respond to that, so I remained silent. Sabrina seemed content with the quiet, eating her ramen with delicate movements, occasionally looking up at me as if to ensure I was still there.

After several minutes, she spoke again. “I heard you and Cassidy made progress today.”

“We did. She’s improving quickly.”

“She always was smart. Just needed the right approach.” Sabrina tilted her head. “You’re good at finding the right approach with people.”

“I try.”

“No, you succeed.” She set her bowl aside. “That’s why you’re still here when seven others failed.”

I shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “Maybe I’m just stubborn.”

“Maybe.” She smiled, a rare, genuine expression that transformed her face. “Or maybe you see what others miss.”

With that cryptic statement hanging in the air between us, I decided it was time to leave. I stood, gathering the empty ramen bowl.

“I should go. Vivienne is expecting me.”

“Of course.” Sabrina picked up her book again. “Thank you for the delivery.”

“Anytime.”

At the door, I paused, an impulse seizing me. “Sabrina?”

“Yes?” She looked up, her expression curious.

“About last night…”

Something flickered in her eyes – surprise? Anticipation? I couldn’t tell.

“What about it?” she asked carefully.

I hesitated, then lost my nerve. “Never mind. Good night.”

“Good night, Isaiah.” Her voice followed me into the hallway. “Sweet dreams.”

Three sisters down, one to go. And I was no closer to an answer than when I’d started.

With a sigh, I headed toward Vivienne’s study, wondering what the final Valentine sister had in store for me tonight. Whatever it was, I doubted it would make my life any simpler.

But then, nothing about the Valentines ever did.