Standing in the hallway, he watched the figure in the kitchen. She seemed unaware that the front door had opened. Absorbed in her tasks, she was meticulously preparing dinner, paying no attention to her surroundings.
After observing for a while, he went to his room and closed the door. His training began, during which he also heard the front door open and close again.
A few seconds later, he heard voices talking in the kitchen. Ignoring them, he continued his workout.
Drops of sweat continued to roll down and fall to the floor. His lean body was turning red from the exertion, yet his breathing remained steady and his training poses standard.
Having completed the well-formulated plan sequentially, he did not waste time. An hour later he finished the whole routine. Afterwards, he took a shower, tidying himself up. When he finally finished, there was a knock on the door. His aunt's voice could be heard from outside.
"Aidan, dinner is ready, come quickly before it gets cold."
"Okay."
He responded and tidied himself up before heading out. Entering the kitchen, everything was already set on the table while his sister and aunt were talking. They seemed to be discussing a group trip for a summer vacation.
That was all Aidan could grasp when he entered the kitchen. After he appeared, his sister was clearly reluctant to continue the discussion. Aidan also noticed a slightly awkward reaction from his aunt. After arriving in this world, this was the first time they were having dinner all together. The previous three days, his aunt had come home late and left early in the mornings.
However, from the memories, Aidan could understand that his aunt wanted to ease the relationship between the original owner and his sister. This was also evident from their reactions just now.
Sitting down at the table, he waited for his aunt to start eating. This was also clear from the memories - the previous owner had not been very active in eating with them, but his aunt tried to help him with that.
Aidan waited silently, then began the meal. The other two followed along in the same manner.
"Aidan, how was your first day at work?"
"It's still an internship."
"Oh right, don't worry, you'll do great."
His aunt kept trying to start a conversation, but he always answered briefly and precisely, making the atmosphere awkward. However, Aidan simply followed the behavior of the original owner.
"By the way Lillian, so where are you planning to go?"
"Well... the others decided to go out of town where there are some fun places, I heard them talk about a shooting range and pools."
"Out of town? ...Maybe you shouldn't go after all?"
Aidan overheard them talking, and when his aunt tried to gently dissuade her, his sister's expression changed.
"Auntie! I'm not a child anymore... nothing will happen to me, I finally made some friends and don't want them to abandon me!"
As she spoke, she showed expressions of nervousness and slight anger, getting ready to leave the table. But her aunt grabbed her hand and started calming her down.
"Yes, yes I know, I'm sorry, I know you're grown up now.... just promise me you'll be vigilant okay?"
Showing an annoyed face, Lillian finally nodded and agreed.
Over the next several dozen minutes, Aidan could only silently eat, thinking to himself about the friends who did not even come when he was hospitalized. After eating, he returned to his room. He wasn't interested in what they were discussing out there. Lying on the bed, he opened the apps on his phone and started watching videos.
This continued for some time until it was time to sleep. He stopped staring at his phone and went to bed.
Minute after minute passed as he listened with half an ear as the apartment gradually grew quiet. It seemed his aunt and sister had also gone to sleep.
Lying in bed, he stared blankly at the ceiling as various thoughts came and went. Different memories also replayed in his mind. Gradually he started closing his eyes, ready to drift into dreams.
Just then, he suddenly heard a sound - the opening of a door.
Aidan didn't move, just slightly opening his eyes to follow the silhouette in the darkness. With his keen observation skills, he quickly realized it was his aunt. He wondered why she had come to his room. After thinking for a bit, he just pretended to be asleep.
His aunt entered the room and seemed to look around, not knowing what she was searching for. Clearly she didn't find anything and was about to leave when her gaze fell on Aidan lying in bed.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
She quietly approached the bed while Aidan was still thinking about what she wanted to do. His aunt came close to his bed and he was ready to take countermeasures if needed.
He saw her reach out her hands, and just when he was about to act, she gently took the blanket and carefully covered Aidan's exposed part. Her hands were gentle and clearly had hints of care.
Such behavior clearly had little effect on Aidan who was ready to act. It even stunned him for a moment, but everything returned to normal in the next second.
Lying there, Aidan watched as his new aunt carefully started to leave. But before exiting, she seemed to notice something. She leaned down and picked up a pair of socks he had left on the floor, looked around once more, and finally left the room.
"She came for the dirty clothes?"
The conclusion was obvious - she was just showing concern for him. Lying in bed, his mind kept replaying what had just happened. His thoughts kept swirling as various subtle emotions flashed through his mind, only to return to normal a moment later.
Gradually his mind grew heavy as his consciousness slowly drifted into sleep.
=======================
In the morning, as usual, he left the house heading to work. Before leaving, he also saw the two talking about the trip - one speaking and the other lightly trying to dissuade her. In the end, his aunt agreed and gave Lillian money.
Exiting the house, he headed to work as usual. Today's weather was quite gloomy. Looking up at the sky, Aidan could not see the colorful streaks due to the dense clouds. Yet some were still visible.
Using public transportation, he arrived at work on time. As usual, Robin was already at his workstation doing something. Seeing this, Aidan went up to him.
"Good morning."
"Oh good morning, great you're here. Let's get started - from yesterday's experience I can already gauge your level and help you more. So first let's do this..."
Seeing Aidan arrive, Robin greeted him then started explaining what they would work on today. Like yesterday, the main task was writing components for the core project.
Over the next few hours, Aidan continued to follow along. The feeling of ease he always felt allowed him to work comfortably. The confidence given by his skills made him work without any worries.
It was time for a break, and following Robin, they started going downstairs to the cafeteria to grab a bite.
They arrived at the cafeteria where there were a few people. They got food and sat not far from groups of workers from other departments.
Slowly consuming the food, Robin still talked with him from time to time. In response, Aidan sometimes replied. During their meal, Aidan's attention was drawn to a man who had just entered the cafeteria.
He noticed due to his keen observation skills. In that moment, Aidan made an assessment with this skill. The man who entered was extremely dangerous, giving off an oppressive feeling.
Aidan had never felt such a feeling from other people. This clearly made Aidan narrow his eyes and discretely observe the man from the corner of his eye.
A tailored suit, tall stature, neat hairstyle, handsome face, faint smile at the corners of his lips, confident gait and slightly narrowed dark green eyes. What was barely noticeable was a hint of arrogance and indifference in those slightly closed eyes. Although he smiled and conversed with other workers very casually, his emotions seemed to always mock others.
In addition, Aidan could see that his gait, breathing, and overall body movements were very strong and solid - not like a normal person who has slight defects here and there.
Seeing that the man was not coming their way, Aidan also relaxed his vigilance and turned his attention to Robin who was speaking before him.
Listening to Robin's words, Aidan waited until he finished before speaking up.
"Mr. Robin, can you tell me who that man is who just entered in the black suit?"
"Huh?"
Hearing Aidan's question, Robin was clearly caught off guard. He looked in the direction and saw the man conversing among other workers.
"Oh, that's Mr. Eric. He frequents here although a senior staff member of the company... why do you ask?"
"I just want to know who I should be careful around so I don't get kicked out for ignorance."
For Robin's doubtful question, Aidan came up with a simple answer. Although it was a bit strange that he talked about this in a very nonchalant manner, it did not arouse Robin's suspicion.
"Hmm, seems like you are acquainted with some things in our society after all. But I can assure you Mr. Eric is a decent man. He often chats with regular workers and discusses various plans."
Aidan simply nodded and continued his meal. Seeing this, Robin followed along.
"Those who can smile and talk to everyone are more dangerous than those who directly show their attitudes face to face. Adding to that his aura, eyes, and aspects of his body movements. Conclusion is to stay as far from him as possible."
Thinking to himself, this was the natural conclusion. He was not afraid of getting fired, it would be better than getting involved in something he didn't want. Although there was a chance it could bring him benefits, he should not rush for now.
They finished their meals, and Aidan followed Robin back to work.
However, he did not know that after they left, Eric glanced in the direction of the exit. When he had entered, he clearly felt someone observing him. Yet although he could sense which direction it came from, what exactly watched him he could not discern. Luckily for him there were only two workers in that area.
One of them he was familiar with, but the other was clearly a new face. He chatted and smiled with the workers, maintaining a positive atmosphere. However, his thoughts were a completely different matter.
=========================
Time continued to pass as Aidan simply kept doing his work with ease. The time came and he followed everyone out of the building. Outside, the weather was clearly poor. A light drizzle fell, getting Aidan slightly wet as he walked under it.
Public transportation dropped him close to home, but he still had to walk a few hundred meters in the rain. There was no other option, he was already damp so enjoying the rain he finally reached the building.
Entering the house, he looked around but no one was there. Without thinking much, he went to take a shower. When he finished and stepped out of the bathroom, his phone lying on the bed suddenly lit up.
Picking up the phone, there was a message.
"Aidan, I forgot the money in the apartment, you can find it on the first shelf of your closet. Please bring it to this address."
At the end of the message an address was written where his aunt asked him to bring her the money.
"A trap..."
"The previous owner never received any messages from his aunt. If something was needed she would call. Also my sister isn't home either... seems like something happened..."
Thinking for a few seconds, he turned off the phone and threw it on the bed. Getting into position to start his workout, he wanted to begin training. He didn't want to get involved in anything, even if...
Thinking about his main goal to enjoy life, he was about to start. However, in the next second he stopped. A scene from last night entered his mind.
A mature woman gently and tenderly covered him with a blanket.
The scene meant nothing, yet in parallel, scenes flashed before his eyes where he lay in a hospital bed alone, feelings of coldness and bitterness unbearable until the very end.
Sighing, he got up from the floor. He looked at the phone and muttered to himself.
"Just this once..."