Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

After New Year. The snow in Athana had been slowly melting, leaving sparse traces of white clinging to the tree branches. In the warm sunlight, one could still see faint glimmers of light reflecting off the white snow. The ground in the residential area was now completely free of snow, presumably cleared by the property management.

A man in a black down jacket and a gray turtleneck, lacking enthusiasm, jogged around the neighborhood.

Occasionally, he turned his head to look behind, glancing every few steps. After completing two rounds, and not seeing the person he had hoped for, his mood plummeted. He stopped his steps and walked towards the villa with a sense of disappointment. The next day... The third day...

Not knowing how many days had passed, Leia still had not replied to Chris's messages. The longer the wait, the more thoughts flooded in, and the frequency of missing increased. At this moment, Chris was sitting on the sofa in the living room, playing with his phone, which was rare for him. He did not go to the hospital. Yesterday, during the surgery, he was on the verge of losing focus. Adhering to his commitment to patient care, he chose to take a day off.

When Angie woke up and cdownstairs, she saw her son sitting on the sofa, looking at his phone. She didn't know what he was looking at, unlocking and locking the screen repeatedly. Standing at the staircase for a long time, Angie spoke up in a sense of sympathy, "It's rare to see you at this time. No morning run today?" "| did." Chris's mood was not high. He glanced at his own mother who had cdownstairs, and responded nonchalantly, as not answering might upset his mother. As Stella mentioned, her brother had to constantly consider the emotions of those around him, making life more challenging. Just being able to catch his breath was already quite an accomplishment.

"Hey, Chris, you didn't go to work? What's going on? Are you sick?" Stella, who followed closely, found it strange to see her brother sitting on the sofa playing with his phone. As long as her brother wasn't sick, he worked 365 days a year without a break. Therefore, seeing him sit on the sofa playing with his phone today, it wasn't surprising that Stella was amazed.

Upon seeing Stella, Chris seemed to think of something. He stood up, tidied his clothes, stuffed his phone into his pocket, and then put his arm around his sister's shoulder, walking out. "I will take you to work." These words scared Stella as she felt like her brother had sill intentions. She shook off her brother's hand. "Wait a minute. Are you up to something bad?" Chris had never taken her to work before. Sometimes, when she didn't want to drive and asked her brother for a ride, he always said it was out of the way, wasting gas. 'The was too unusual,’ thought Stella as she raised her hand and used the back of her hand to test her brother's forehead, then tried her own temperature. With a confirmed look, she said to him, "Chris, you're not running a fever either." Before Stella could react, Chris pulled her wrist and walked out without caring about the expressions of his sister and mother behind him. "Hurry up, you'll be late." Angie, standing in the living room, was still puzzled, unable to understand what her son was up to, thinking, 'What's going on with him?' Stella, pulled into the front passenger seat by her brother, wanted to ask what was going on. Before she had a chance to speak, Chris reminded her, "Buckle up." The car was already running, and Stella was busy fastening her seatbelt. After securing it, she looked puzzled and asked, "Chris. Even if you're takingto my death, you should at least givea reason, right?" Meanwhile, she thought, 'I'd like to know what I'm dying for." Chris was earnestly staring ahead while driving, calm and unhurried now, without the previous urgency. He replied, "Just taking you to the company, checking out your work environment. Besides, I'm not working today." "Are you serious? To my company?" Stella yelled. Everything seemed normal before her brother spoke. However, with his revelation, Stella's voice rose several decibels. Her voice was so loud that Chris subconsciously scratched his ears. Sitting on the side, Stella stared blankly at him as if he might be under skind of spell.

Meanwhile, casting a sidelong glance at his bewildered sister, Chris asked, "I'm just driving you to the company.

What's the problem? Don't make a fuss. What do you want for breakfast?" Stella was pulled out of hunexpectedly and forgot to have breakfast. She leaned back in her chair, and glanced at her brother repeatedly. Finally, with a curious look, she said, "A smoothie, a sandwich, and shash browns would be fine." Chris, still focused on a point ahead, casually remarked, "From a doctor's point of view, you've eaten quite a bit. 70% full is optimal." "Stop using the doctor's perspective. Do you have something to talk toabout? Let's stick to our usual way of interaction. | feel uneasy with your abnormity," said Stella.

"Do you have paranoid delusions? Taking you to the company and buying you breakfast makes you think I'm having any bad intentions toward you. Do you have a problem?" said Chris.

"This is our usual way of interaction. It's normal." Stella's tense mood suddenly relaxed as she sank into her seat.

After driving for a while, Chris asked, "Is the company busy lately?" "Yeah, very busy. How can it not be busy right after the holiday? Haven't you noticed I'm working overtevery day? I'm exhausted. Our manager, Ms. March, goes honly after midnight. Have you bumped into her during your morning jog these days?" Before Chris could answer, Stella continued to answer herself, "Probably not. No tfor morning jogs when sleep is insufficient..." Midway through her words, Stella finally grasped the unusual actions of her brother this morning. With a curious and excited expression, she grabbed Chris's wrist, saying, "You're not trying to inquire about Ms. March from me, are you? You're not..." After several days of contemplation, coupled with the recent uncontrollable emotional upheaval, so intense that he spaced out even during surgeries, he had finally identified the source of his ailment, it was Leia March. He needed to find the right remedy to begin the treatment. Chris openly admitted, "Any problem with that?" Christina and Joseph had not informed Angie and Stella about Chris's confession to Leia, especially since Leia had not given a clear response. Excited, Stella tapped her feet in the car, her whole body dancing on the seat to express her inner excitement. "Oh my. Finally, you've fallen for Ms. March. How did you find out she had feelings for you?" She thought it would take a long time. It seemed her brother was straightforward yet not foolish.

Chris had no intention of sharing his feelings with his sister. "Be quiet for a moment." "I can't be quiet. Chris, have you confessed?" asked Stella.

"Yeah," replied Chris.

Stella was dumbfounded and pondered, 'So her brother secretly confessed? When did this happen? Why didn't she get wind of it?" After a while, Stella regained her composure and continued to inquire. Now with a head full of questions, she cautiously asked, "Then, were you rejected?" ‘Rejected? Not exactly. She said she needed stto think. It's just that her consideration is taking longer than I'd like and | don't want to wait anymore," thought Chris as he searched for a suitable word before replying, "It's not really a rejection." "Not really a rejection? So, she neither accepted nor refused. That's good. It means you still have a chance. If you take the initiative a bit more and adopt a persistent pursuit approach should still be quite hopeful." At a traffic light, Chris stopped and glanced at his sister. "Aggressive pursuit. Is Ms. March into that?" Meanwhile, he pondered, 'Wouldn't she find it abrupt and annoying?* "| really don't know about that. People always say to wait till the clouds roll by. Look at Trevon's approach to Natalie. It's similar." Chris refrained from commenting on his sister's misuse of words and advised, "Do more reading to choose your idiom correctly." His situation with Leia had nothing to do with "wait till the clouds roll by." It was a mess. If there was an advantage in proximity, then it might be worth a try.

Half an hour later, with breakfast in her hands, Stella followed Chris eagerly, waiting at the elevator. People in the company were not familiar with Chris. When they saw an unfamiliar face, they couldn't help but take a second glance at him. A colleague tugged at Stella's clothes and whispered in her ear, "Stella, is this your boyfriend?" "Huh? Are you blind?" Stella placed one hand under her chin, and stood still, letting others compare her with Chris. She continued, "Don't you see any problem in your statement just now? Don't we look alike?" They shared the sgenes.

The colleague suddenly realized and said, "Oh, you do look alike, especially the nose part. It turns out he's your brother." Handsand wealthy, the siblings did resemble each other on closer inspection.

Chris was not as familiar with the company. Walking alongside Stella, she placed her bag at her work desk, tiptoed, lowered her voice, and used one hand to cover one side of her face, saying, "Ms. March's office is straight to the end, and it's the second one inside. The first one is Dad's, don't get confused. This document was given toby Ms. March yesterday. Take it to her for me. It'll give you something to talk about. This is all I can do for you, the rest is up to you. Good luck, I'm counting on you to geta sister-in-law!" When Chris arrived at the company, he was indeed a bit nervous. He tightened his grip on the folder, more nervous than performing surgery on patients. Following his sister's instructions, Chris went to Leia's office. He pushed the door open and found no one inside. There was a stack of folders on the desk, a computer, and a white coffee mug. It was simple and neat. Unconsciously, Chris felt the urge to get closer, to explore what Leia's usual work environment looked like. Slowly approaching, he reached out and picked up the white mug from the office desk. Holding it in his hands, it felt as if he could sense her warmth, causing a strange warmth in his chest, a slight tremor, and a tingling sensation.

"Who let you in? You can't enter my office without my permission. | said that on my first day." Listening to the sound of high heels hitting the floor behind him, Chris did not turn around. He just wanted to know how she managed her employees on a regular basis. It turned out she was quite strict, no wonder Stella was so afraid of her. In the split second of him turning around, Leia forgot to react as she realized the man in her office was Chris.

The two locked eyes and sparks flew in the air, scattering in all directions, as tstood still at that moment.

Leia was dressed more professionally today, wearing a beige suit set. Underneath, she wore a white shirt, and the cuffs at her wrists were rolled up. Chris's straightforward gaze inadvertently made her lower her head.

Regaining her composure, her mind a bit scattered, Leia had been pondering how to respond to Chris's messages these past few days. However, with the company just starting up after the holiday and things getting busy, she had temporarily put it aside, still unsure of how to express herself. Finally, she spoke up, "You... have something to discuss with me?" Chris stood in front of her desk, still holding the mug she had used. Leia had already sat down, feeling somewhat uneasy, her heart rate starting to fluctuate.

"Yeah, | do," Chris replied. Both of their hearts were racing. Chris was also nervous, and Leia glanced at the situation outside. The glass was transparent and had frosted paper stuck to it, but she could vaguely see the movements of people.

It was tto get to the point. Chris straightforwardly said, "I don't beat around the bush. | prefer straightforwardness. | chere to ask if you have made up your mind."