Lazily Yours.

Gabi hated the summer.

She doesn't like to sweat; she hated the heat.

Growing up, she had avoided going out and staying under the sun for over thirty minutes.

But this time… is different.

Gabi inhaled the warm air. The cooling sensation from the ice-cold tea in front of her wasn't enough to mask the heat of the garden just a few meters away from the tree where she was currently having her tea time.

She especially asked the servants to put some tables and chairs under the gigantic ash tree just so she could look at the view from this side of the mansion. The tree was older than her father. It has been standing tall at the back of the mansion ever since she could remember.

"Gabi… how come you are here?"

The familiar voice that drifted towards her made her gut twist. She raised her head and stared at the man walking towards the tree. "Alfons…" she murmured.

"You are recovering. Your health is bad. How could you have some tea outside at one in the afternoon?" His brows were furrowed, concern apparent in his tone. "How could you be this hard-headed? What would I tell uncle in heaven if you faint again?"

Gabrielle fought the urge to laugh at him. This face, this voice, this acting.

No wonder he was able to fool everyone, including her.

"I have been holed up in the house, grieving for the past week. I needed some sunlight." Gabrielle might have been born talented and beautiful, but her body was weak. However, this was only because she refused to make her body healthy. She doesn't exercise, doesn't go out and expose herself to the sun, doesn't eat enough protein, and doesn't have enough sleep.

She grew up spending all of her time reading.

She was too addicted to reading, she would finish one book in a day.

This also explained the thick eyeglasses that she was currently wearing.

A loud sigh escaped her cousin's lips. "You — really…" He shook his head and reached out to hold her hand, that was placed on top of the circular iron table. "You are right. You need to take care of your health. You should do this more. I suggest you start exercising, too. If you want, I can hire a trainer to help you out. The mansion has an unused gym so you can use that anytime without exposing yourself to the sun."

"Thank you... Brother." Gabi felt like choking on her own words, so she grabbed the tea and finished it in one go.

"See? I told you it's too hot in here… we should go inside and…"

"I used the play under this tree with father," she interrupted his words. She lowered her gaze as she thought of her son running around this tree. Her son the three-year-old, Luca Sutton, especially loved the snow around the tree during winter.

But at that time, her body was really weak she couldn't accompany him. She could only watch the child being surrounded by maids as he created those snowmen with crooked heads. Unknowingly, tears fell from her eyes.

"Gabi…"

"I miss him…" her lips trembled, her hands cold as memories of Luca's last moments flashed in her eyes. "I miss him… so much." She quickly wiped her tears away and faked a smile. "Why did he have to die?"

Almost immediately Alfons stood from his seat, but before he could approach her, she already stood up and walked towards the garden. "I'm sorry… just now I lost my self-control. Let's go back," she said.

"By the way, brother." Though he was her 'cousin', her father insisted that she call him 'Elder brother'. At that time, she thought it was only because her father pitied this man. After all, he grew up in the streets. She was wrong. "How come you are here? How was school? Did you have any problem?" She asked just as she walked towards the back entrance of the mansion.

"Ah? No… No. Of course not. I just came here to see how you are doing. Uncle Lu told me you always stay inside your room. You even eat inside your room and refused to see anyone. I was concerned."

Liar, she thought.

She took a couple of days holed up in her room to think about the events that were about to happen. She knew why he was here and it had nothing to do with her. If she was right, this man was here to ask her to create his thesis. Of course, it wasn't really that he asked her. He just showed how stressed he was and when she asked him what was wrong, he immediately said that he was trying to create a thesis about real estate and he was having trouble because of this lack of connection in the business world.

Of course, the foolish Gabrielle immediately helped him by introducing him to her maternal grandfather, who also happened to own Ren Aesthetics and Co. — a well-known real estate company.

This opened up a new path for the ambitious Alfons.

Gabrielle turned her head towards Alfons and stared at his light brown eyes that resembled hers. She already saw the similarities between them, but she ignored everything. After all, he was her 'cousin'. "Thank you brother, you have always been kind to me. I don't know if I would be able to repay you in the future."

"What repayment are you talking about? How could you talk about repayment? We are family. I am your only living family member. We should rely on each other."

"Brother… what are you talking about?" She feigned surprise. "What do you mean by my only living family member? My maternal family, the Ren Family, is still…" Almost immediately, tears pooled in her eyes. "Brother, are you trying to curse my maternal grandfather?"

"Eh? That — Gabi what are you talking about? How could I curse your grandfather? I was just — I was talking about the Sutton Family. Right? We are the only Sutton's alive. So we should stick to each other."

"Oh… "She used her handkerchief and wiped her non-existent tears. "Thank you, brother. I apologize for misinterpreting you. I just… I have been alone in the past few days inside this mansion with thirty rooms. So, my head is a bit sluggish."

"Of course… Of course… well… ehem… since you are not feeling well, I should let you rest. I need to drive back to the university."

Hearing him stutter eased her mood. "You are not going to stay for the night?" she asked.

"Oh no. I still have some thesis that I need to finish. I just came here because I was really concern about you."

"Oh…" This time, a sweet smile appeared on her face. Her eyes turned into two beautiful crescents as she added. "But my brother is really smart. I am confident that you can finish your thesis in a few days."

"That— "

"Well then, I am going to sleep first. I won't delay you anymore. I wish you luck with your thesis, brother." She turned her back and immediately went inside the mansion, leaving Alfons in a daze.

The moment she closed the door, her sweet gaze vanished. She snorted.

Just like what Alfons said before he killed her. She was the smart one. She graduated college at nineteen and is currently working on her master's in International Relations right now.

Compared to her, the twenty-two-year-old Alfons was still trying to graduate with his bachelor's degree. The man might be charismatic to many people, but he isn't that smart. He would struggle in calculus and even in politics.

Now that she thought about it, Alfons was never really good in school, but he managed to become an excellent politician. Obviously, someone is helping him behind the scenes.

And that someone was the foolish Gabrielle Sutton.

As the woman behind the future Prime Minister of Du Empire, Gabriel was not only adept in politics, she was very good in calculations, internal affairs, and management. Though her body had been weak, her brain was different.

She sat in front of her dresser, staring at her long blond hair that was very similar to Alfons and her father's hair. Alfons said he loved her hair and told her not to cut it.

She opened her phone and called her personal stylist. "Yes, I want you to come as soon as you can. I want to but my hair. Hmmm... And bring some hair color. I want to make it… purple… no pink. I want to change my hair color into pink."