REBORN: MEET MY BROTHERS-Chapter 54: HAPPINESS NEVER LASTS

The morning sun peeked through the little holes from the blinds and Ava squinted against the light as she woke up to the unfamiliar surrounding. It took a while for her brain to register where she was and how she got here.

Ava rubbed her sleepy face and looked around. Something was missing. She didn’t know what until she remembered she fell asleep beside Granny, who was no longer in the room.

Panic surged within her as she shot up from the bed. "Granny?" She called out, hoping she was in the bathroom or closet. But when she searched and found no one, her heart pounded.

Did she wander out again like yesterday?

Running her fingers through her messy hair, Ava picked up her phone and hurried out of the room. There wasn’t anyone around as she dashed into the hallway. She felt like she was the only one awake, but she managed to find her way to the elevator that took her to the ground floor.

The mansion was eerily quiet. There was no worker around. No maid, no butler. Everywhere was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. Ava looked around wearily. Compared to the Whitlock’s resident, the place was too dry for a place where people lived, but that didn’t make it any pale in beauty.

Reaching the living room, it was empty as well. For about a minute, Ava stood there confused, wondering if everyone had disappeared or if she was still dreaming. She opened her phone and was about to call any of the Moore brothers when she heard faint noises from another part of the house.

She followed the sound. Turning to a corner, she found herself at the dinning room entrance, and she stopped as she took in the sight before her. Granny sat comfortably on the table, sipping tea. The three brothers were on the table as well, but while Jordan and Liam chatted and laughed, Dustin was busy with his tablet.

Ava sighed in relief, placing a hand over her chest. She’d almost panicked that everyone was missing, especially Granny, but they were just having breakfast.

Liam was the first to notice her. "Good morning, sleepyhead," he greeted with a grim, noticing her frazzled look. "Looks like someone had a rough morning."

Ava ran another hand through her hair, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I thought everyone disappeared! I woke up, Granny wasn’t there and the house... It was empty and so quiet."

While Jordan and Liam chuckled, Dustin raised an eyebrow, "Why would you think that?"

Ava paused. "What happened to the maids... The butler?"

"Granny doesn’t like people around," Liam replied. "So they just do their work and leave."

"Oh." Ava pouted. When her eyes landed on Granny, she’d already set her cup down and was staring at her.

"I thought you were going to sleep in since you barely got enough sleep last night, granddaughter."

The three brothers looked at each other.

"You couldn’t sleep?" Jordan asked concerned.

"Is this some kind of first night effect?" Dustin pushed.

"No..." Ava shook her head. "...I just had this weird feeling, that’s all."

Granny patted the seat beside her. "Come sit, granddaughter. Join us for breakfast."

Ava smiled softly before walking to the table and sitting close to Granny. She was about to start eating when she felt a buzz on her thighs. She picked up her phone and stared at the familiar number.

It was the Whitlock’s household phone. Only one person used that phone - Fiddlestick.

Why was the butler calling her?

Ava frowned, gripping the phone tighter. It wasn’t like Fiddlestick to call her, especially so early. Excusing herself from the table, Ava stood at the exit of the room before picking up. "Fiddlestick?"

"Miss Ava, thank heavens! I thought something might have happened to you," Fiddlestick said breathlessly, making Ava’s frown deepen.

This behavior from the butler was very unusual. "What’s wrong, Fiddlestick?" Ava asked, stepping further away from the dining room to avoid the brothers overhearing.

"Are you in any form of trouble? Is that why you didn’t return yesterday?"

"No," Ava said sternly, wondering why Fiddlestick wasn’t being direct as usual. "Did something happen at home?"

There was a pause at the other end. "It’s about your grandfather, Miss Ava. I’ve been trying to reach you all night, but your phone must’ve been on silent."

Ava’s heart sank. She quickly checked her notifications and realized her phone was, in fact, on silent mode. There were multiple missed calls from the household’s line. "What happened to him? Is he okay?" Her voice trembled involuntarily.

"You should go to Lebron’s Medical Center," Fiddlestick said urgently. "Your grandfather just got out of the operation room not too long ago after spending hours in there. Every member of your family have been in the hospital the entire night."

Ava felt like the ground beneath her had shifted. Her knees wobbled and she leaned against the wall, clutching the phone tightly. "H how? W what happened?"

"We got a call from the hospital late last night, Miss Ava. He had a car accident."

At the mention of car accident, Ava trembled, pushing her back to the wall. Her feet gave up on her and she fell to the floor. Her chest clogged and she suddenly couldn’t breathe. Her grandfather... How bad was the accident that he spent hours in the operation room?

She thought about how brutal her accident before her rebirth was. Was her grandfather’s accident as bad as hers?

"H-how i is he?" She breathed, trying her best to keep her voice steady even if she was doing a terrible job at it.

Fiddlestick took a deep breath. "He’s in coma, Miss Ava."

A tear escaped her eyes, and in the next second, another followed. Her lips quivered as she tried to hold back her tears. "I-I..." she sniffled, looking to the ceiling. "...T-thank you for informing me."

Immediately she ended the call, her phone fell to the floor.

.

.

Inside the room, Dustin continued to go through his tablet computer. His brows furrowed as he scrolled through the news. A headline caught his attention: "Prominent Business Tycoon Involved in Tragic Car Accident--Condition Critical."

His eyes widened slightly as he clicked on the article. The name was unmistakable—it was Ava’s grandfather, William Whitlock. He glanced toward the doorway where Ava had disappeared moments ago, before his eyes fell on his brothers.

Giving them a knowing look, they followed behind him as he walked out of the room.

.

.

Ava was still on the floor when Dustin walked out of the room. His eyes narrowed in on her as he stood a few feet away. "Ava?"

She looked away from the ceiling to his face. Noticing the almost faded lines of teardrops on her cheeks, Dustin crouched beside her. "Are you okay? I just saw the news."

Ava struggled to form words. "I-i need to go to the hospital," she stuttered. "My grandfather..." She sniffled, blinking to stop herself from crying. "...I don’t know if he’s okay."

Dustin shifted closer, pulling her into a warm embrace. "He’s going to be okay, Ava," he said reassuringly, even if it wasn’t convincing enough for Ava.

Liam and Jordan walked in on the scene. They froze for a moment as they wondered what was going on.

Clearing his throat, "What happened?" Jordan asked confused.

Dustin pulled back slightly but his hand remained on Ava’s shoulders as he looked up. "We need to go to the hospital. William got into an accident."

Jordan and Liam looked at each other before their eyes fell on their sister’s pale face.

"Is he okay?" Liam asked concerned.

"That’s what we’re going to find out," Dustin said coolly. "I don’t want Granny finding out about it."

Jordan and Liam nodded.

With that, Dustin helped Ava up and took her out of the mansion.

The drive to the hospital was a quiet one. Neither Dustin nor Ava said a word to each other, even if Dustin occasionally glanced at Ava. He hated seeing her like this --pale, worried, and on the verge of breaking. It worried him, but he didn’t know how to comfort her, not this time.

When they arrived, only Ava went into the hospital, while Dustin remained in the car. He was aware that her family were also in the hospital, and given their feud, he decided it would be best if he didn’t follow her in.

Ava’s stomach churned as the sterile smell hit her immediately she walked into the place. She clenched her fists, trying to steady herself as she approached the reception desk.

"I’m here for William Whitlock. He was brought in last night," she said to the girl.

The receptionist looked at her skeptically. "Means of identification?"

Ava held out an identification card.

The girl read her information and confirmed the photo. Her tight face softened into a smile. "Miss Whitlock," she greeted, "Please follow me."

Ava nodded, dragging her feet as she followed her into the elevator. When they got to the last floor, she pointed to a private room. "Room 2," she said, before walking back to the elevator.

Ava followed her direction, but the moment she was about to reach the door, Matilda walked out of the room.

Her eyes narrowed and her face twisted with disgust when they fell on Ava. "What are you doing here, Ava?! Who permitted you in here?!"