The door creaked open slowly.
Edward stiffened, eyes locked on the entrance.
Renee stepped into view.
She paused in the doorway, eyes sweeping across the chaotic room before finally landing on Edward. Her face twisted into a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"What happened here, Edu? Did your room get hit by an earthquake or something?"
"N-No," Edward stammered. "Why would you assume that? I mean... you're probably being sarcastic but—bottom line is—everything's fine."
He forced a faint smile, hoping to diffuse the tension.
Renee stared at him with raised brows, her expression clearly saying: Seriously?
The smile clung stubbornly to Edward's face as he scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly.
Renee finally spoke, her voice dry. "First of all, you really need to stop saying 'everything's fine.' It's clearly not. Second, you can lose that plastic smile—it looks painful."
Edward dropped it instantly.
"Third... I don't know what happened in here, but based on the ruckus I heard before walking in—and this delightful disaster zone—I'd guess you were hosting a one-man party."
Edward glanced around from the corner of his eye, noticing the disheveled state of his room for the first time. His socks were in places socks shouldn't be.
Renee's voice pulled him back. "Edu... your mom and I are worried. We know something's wrong. May I come in so we can talk about it?"
"'May you come in?'" Edward echoed mockingly, the tension finally beginning to melt. A genuine smile tugged at his lips. "You're technically already in, Aunt Renee. So why are you asking?"
He pointed to her foot, already past the threshold.
Renee gave him a playful glare, then strutted over and plopped herself beside him on the bed, victorious.
A proud grin lit up her face. She hadn't seen him smile properly since his mood shift the night before—and it warmed her heart to see a flicker of his usual self return.
"Hey! Who said you could come in, let alone sit on my bed?" Edward asked, mock-serious.
Crossing her arms and legs like royalty, Renee raised a brow. "I just realized I don't need your permission. I'm your elder. That means I get to do what I want, especially in my sister and brother-in-law's house. Got that?"
Edward squinted at her in fake defiance.
She returned the look.
A silent standoff began—both of them frozen in a fierce glare battle.
Then suddenly, Renee reached out and locked Edward's head in her arm, her fingers wildly tousling his hair.
"You little rascal! Just because you're taller than me now, you think you're bigger than me? FYI—I'm still your elder!" she declared, ruffling his hair with relentless mischief.
Edward flailed, muffled protests escaping his lips as he wrestled free.
When he finally broke loose, he looked at her in a mix of shock and dramatic betrayal, breathing hard like he'd just escaped a near-death experience.
Renee, now sitting with her hands resting gracefully on her knees, stared at him with complete innocence—like she hadn't just launched a sneak attack on his head.
His afro was now puffed and uneven, no longer as neat as it had been moments ago.
"I told you to stop doing that, Aunt Renee," Edward muttered, voice half-annoyed, half-whiny. "I'm not a kid anymore."
Then, using his hand to brush through his messy hair, Edward tried to tame it—at least a little—then turned his gaze to Renee, who now watched him silently, her hands still resting on her knee.
"Wow, Aunt... you're strong," Edward said aloud after quietly pondering the matter for a while.
"Thanks," Renee smiled. "Now, how about a little talk session?"
Avoiding the topic, Edward pressed on with the previous one. "So, do you go to the gym or something? Is that how you're that strong?"
"No, no, Edward," Renee started, slightly irked. "Don't pull that change-the-subject bullshit with me," she warned.
Edward's eyes dropped. The sadness on his face was clear—he had no other option.
"Edward, we're just concerned, okay? Maybe you don't understand, but… it hurts us to see you like this. We want to know what's wrong."
She paused, looking up in thought for a moment before glancing back at him. Her lower lip pouted, her eyes adorably sad as she blinked at him, slow and soft.
"Or… is me coming over—moreover, unexpectedly—bothering you?"
Edward, also pouting playfully, looked away and said, "Maybe," with a joking tone. Then he turned back to her—his expression now serious.
"No, Aunt Renee. Your presence doesn't bother me. In fact... it pleases me so much."
Renee couldn't wait. She cut in quickly, "Then what is bothering you, my sweet little nephew?" Her face now bore desperation.
"Really? Sweet little nephew?"
"Just tell me what's bothering you, Edward… please," she said again, this time strictly serious.
Taking one last look at her, Edward dropped his eyes to the bed.
He sighed.
"…It's… it's something I just discovered recently."
He paused.
He couldn't tell her.
He wanted to…
But not yet. Not so soon.
So, he diverted the conversation—staring down at the carpet while speaking. He didn't have the courage to look her in the eyes.
"I recently found out that… a girl I like might actually be seeing someone else," he said sheepishly.
Renee raised a brow, surprised.
She uncrossed her legs, as though doing so helped her digest the information more clearly.
"Matters of the heart, I see," she teased. "I was starting to think you were ace and heading for priesthood or something."
Edward turned to her sharply, his face contorted with disbelief. He couldn't believe she'd joke about something like that. Still, even if it wasn't what he meant to say at first, he did mean it now. And he wanted her help.
"Okay, okay—I'm sorry," Renee surrendered, raising her hands. "I didn't mean to joke. Even if it was just a little."
Then, turning serious, she asked, "So, as your doctor of love... what's her name, first of all?"
Just the thought of her name lit up Edward's eyes. A smile crept across his face as he rested his chin on his hand, elbow planted on his lap.
Gazing blankly ahead, his back now hunched like some old man lost in memory, he spoke, clearly enchanted.
"Her name is Marissa."
Renee watched him in awe, her hands resting quietly on her lap.
"Okay… So… you said she's into someone else?"
Snapping upright and looking directly at Renee again, Edward responded quickly and defensively.
"No! She isn't. I said she might be seeing someone. Might be. I never said she's into the guy."
His eyes shimmered with desperate hope.
"Okay…" Renee said slowly, accepting his clarification. She was surprised by how deeply her nephew was affected. He was such a soft-hearted, pious romantic, she thought. Honestly, she could almost bet he was obsessed.
"So… does she know how you feel?" she asked. "Does she know you're crazy for her?"
"I'm not crazy for her. I just… I just…" Edward tried to deny it. "Ugh, fine. I might be a little crazy for her. And no—she doesn't know. Not directly from me."
"Oohhhhh… so she's caught the signals already?" Renee teased, poking his side with a mischievous grin.
"Aunt Renee! You're not helping," Edward murmured, gently elbowing her fingers away. His face wore a mix of disappointment and desperation.
Renee stopped fooling around and sat upright, serious now.
"What do you want me to say, Edu? You already said she might be with someone else." She air-quoted "might."
"Okay, by that…" Edward began to explain, but panic took over and he started rambling. "I meant that I saw her talking to some guy in the hallway. And… for no good reason, I got mad. I—I questioned her. No—interrogated her about it…"
"Tss. Uuuu," Renee hissed, her face cringing from secondhand embarrassment.
"Yep. That was painfully idiotic," Edward admitted. "But you know what's worse? She told me I should have just asked directly if he'd asked her to be his Valentine… and then she walked away—frustrated. I've never seen her that angry."
"First off—Yippee! There's an open door there. The guy isn't her boyfriend, or so we hope. So you still have a chance," Renee began her wise advice. "Second—you messed up, nephew. Big time. You pissed her off…"
"I know. No need to rub salt in the wound," Edward cut in, unable to take any more.
"Alright, alright. Third—you should just go and ask her, like she told you. Be yourself while doing it. Who knows? Maybe she's just waiting for you to make a move. And judging by what you've told me… this girl might like you too. Don't let this slide, okay?"
"Okay," Edward agreed, visibly more hopeful and lighter than before.
"So… was my advice good enough?"
"It was superb, Aunt Renee," Edward beamed.
He made an "OK" sign with his fingers, kissed the point where his thumb met his index, and then raised it in the air toward her to confirm it solidly.
He was really glad for her advice. He'd put it into action the next day.
"So… that's all? That's what had you so down since last night?" Renee asked.
"Yep," Edward lied. "That's it, alright."
"Well, I'm glad you talked to Doctor Love about it," she said with a proud grin. "You couldn't even tell my sister. You just told me. Ohh, I'm glad I'm your favorite. You're my favorite too," she praised herself.
"Oh please. Don't flatter yourself, Aunt Renee," Edward replied mockingly, waving her off.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Speaking of love…" Edward began teasing. "How's Henry?"
Renee's face flushed.
She sat up straighter, almost exaggeratedly upright. Her cheeks were red, but her expression was firm.
"You're still my nephew the last time I checked, Edu," she said with a straight face. "I don't have to tell you about my private life."
Edward glanced at her in amusement. He could clearly see the effect Henry had on her.
Not wanting to press further, he changed the subject.
"So, where did you go today? I didn't even realize you were gone until I saw you return."
Letting out a relieved sigh now that the topic of Henry was behind her, Renee spoke. Her body visibly relaxed.
"I went to visit some friends. You know how long it's been since I was last in the country—and how demanding my modeling career can be. So I used the little time I have to catch up with them. At least now, when I leave, I'll know I saw them."
"Speaking of which… you didn't say why you're back all of a sudden. Do you have a shoot or something in the country?"
Renee raised a brow and folded her arms. "Can't I just visit my family?"
Edward raised his hands in defense. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm honestly glad you're here. But like you said, your career is demanding, and I know how it works. So you being here now is just… lucky?"
"Okay, dear nephew," Renee said, teasing. "I see you know my schedule better than me and my manager." She stood from the bed and started walking backwards toward the door. "Let me go pack my bags and hop right back into work."
Edward sighed in defeat and watched her go blankly.
Stopping at the door, Renee turned back and added with a sly grin,
"Oh, by the way, come down for dinner… And one more thing—I do work out, dear nephew."
She winked and left.
Edward followed minutes later, after tidying up his room and hiding the grimoire somewhere well-concealed in his closet.
When he finally went downstairs, he found everyone already at the dinner table.
He greeted his father, who was busy serving himself.
Jarold responded, but rather nonchalantly.
Was this the first time Edward had seen him since he arrived?
He didn't want to dwell on it. Didn't want to ruin his mood—just like earlier.
He returned his focus to the moment.
Taking his usual seat beside Renee, Edward served himself. After a silent prayer, they all began eating.
Then, ping! — a notification chimed on Edward's phone.
He pulled it from his pocket and checked it discreetly under the table.
> "Hey, Edu. So what did you need Anita's mom's help with? Was she able to help?"
—Mdachi.
Noticing Renee's curious side-eye, Edward quickly typed back:
> "I'll tell you later. Eating now."
He sent the text, turned off his phone, and slipped it back into his pocket.
He glanced around the table before continuing with his meal.
His father didn't care—too engrossed in eating.
His mother looked away the moment their eyes met.
Renee, however, gave him a clear look: Be careful. Don't start anything.
Then, with a subtle nod of her head, she gestured toward the oblivious Jarold.
Edward gave her a small nod in return.
Then he quietly resumed eating.
Eager to finish so that he could tell Mdachi all about it.