Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world Chapter 2 2: Meeting Aunt

Elize's eyes sparkled with delight as she spotted the handsome youth at the doorway.

A radiant grin bloomed on her face while she leaped straight into his embrace. "Darling!"

Her arms clamped snugly around his neck, hugging him tightly as though ages had passed without seeing him.

Though a bit startled by her fervor, Brandon exhaled softly and hugged her back.

The warmth he knew so well enveloped him in the hold, and momentarily, the tension from recent hours faded.

"Aunt Elize," he whispered tenderly, shutting his eyes to soak in the soothing embrace.

Elize drew back slightly to gaze at him, then teasingly tweaked his cheek.

"Did you manage to return home after getting spellbound by your Korean girlfriend?"

Brandon laughed lightly, shaking his head at her typical teasing. "Yeah… I finally realized my Aunt is more precious than her."

Elize arched a brow in astonishment upon hearing that.

"Hm?" Her head cocked to one side. "You broke up with her?"

His hold on her waist eased a touch as Brandon sighed wearily. "You're sharp with things like this… Yeah, I broke up with her."

Silence hung between them for a short while.

Suddenly, Elize erupted into laughter. "Pfft… BAHAHAHA!"

Brandon gazed at her with a blank expression while she laughed mockingly.

"HAHAHAHA!" Elize kept going, holding her belly as tears welled up in her eyes.

"What did you say before? 'I love my girlfriend so much… I'm going to live with her in her apartment. She's not like other women.'" She imitated his voice, stressing each word with flair.

A twitch pulled at Brandon's mouth, and a vein pulsed faintly on his forehead from irritation.

"Hold on, hold on…" Elize panted amid her laughter bursts.

"I just… I can't believe you actually said that back then… Hahahaha…"

"Can you shut up for a moment?" he remarked, delivering a smack to her butt that made her ass ripple.

Elize let out a surprised yelp. "Ahh!" She rubbed the smacked area but her laughter didn't cease.

The sheer absurdity only fueled her harder guffaws. "Hahaha! Oh my gods, Kael, I missed you!"

To stop the ribbing, he bent down a bit and hooked his arms under her waist, hoisting her up.

"Waaah!" Elize shrieked as he slung her over his shoulder like a bag of flour.

"Kael! What are you doing?"

In a playful voice, he shot back, "Let's see if you can laugh like this while hanging upside down."

Elize lightly thumped her fists on his back, giggling wildly. "Wait, wait! Hahaha! Put me down, you brute!"

"Not happening," Brandon grumbled while carrying her over the threshold into the house.

The comforting aroma of lavender and fresh bakes greeted him right away, bringing back a strange calm.

This place had forever served as his refuge, even through his wild teenage days.

No, it wasn't the house... it was Elize's warmth that filled it.

Hanging over his shoulder still, Elize settled enough to talk amid gasps. "Okay, okay, you win. Put me down before."

Brandon laughed but carefully set her down on the floor.

Elize wobbled a second before steadying herself, her cheeks red from the intense laughter.

"Geez," she grumbled, swatting at nonexistent dirt on her relaxed attire.

A peaceful quiet settled between them briefly before Elize's face grew gentle.

Her hand extended to softly touch his arm. "Joking aside, are you okay? You look… tired."

Brandon paused, uncertain about sharing details. "I don't know, Aunt Elize. It's just been a rough day."

Elize's gaze scanned his features, grasping the situation wordlessly. "Well, you're home now. We'll get through it."

"Mhm..."

She nodded and ruffled his hair. "Rest a bit, I will prepare the dinner for you..."

Turning, she headed to the kitchen as she said it.

Gazing at her retreating figure, Brandon drew in a deep breath. 'I hate this...'

His jaw tightened, fighting off the unwelcome emotions.

'I went to live with Yeon thinking that if I distanced myself from Aunt Elize, the feelings I have for her would diminish.'

'But now that I see her… Ahhh… Why is she so fricking beautiful?'

Though he called her "Aunt," Elize shared no blood ties with him.

His deceased mother's best friend, she had stepped up immediately after the loss.

With devotion and tolerance, she nurtured him.

During his turbulent teen years, she became his steady support, witnessing his vulnerabilities without scorn or sympathy.

Yet as he matured, their connection evolved... at least from his side.

Admiration and gratitude had evolved into emotions far more intricate.

He was unsure of the exact moment it started, yet he realized he couldn't halt its progress.

'I attempted to suppress these emotions…' Brandon mused, his palm pressed firmly against his forehead in exasperation.

'I figured moving out and dating Yeon would smother them. I believed falling for another would erase it entirely.'

Yet Yeon, despite her allure and stunning looks, failed to replace the space Elize held in his heart.

With Yeon now absent, those fiercely buried feelings were rising to the surface once more.

'Every time I catch sight of her…'

Elize's cheerful laughter drifted from the kitchen along the corridor.

She likely hummed softly while fixing dinner... a routine she'd developed through the years.

Though minor and ordinary, that sound ranked among the most soothing in his world.

'Haa… This is rough.'

No one existed for him to confide in about this—not even Riven, who was privy to nearly all his other secrets.

He couldn't fathom revealing to anyone the sentiments surging in his heart at thoughts of Elize.

For he understood, at his core, that Elize would feel let down if she ever learned the truth.

Her treatment of him had always brimmed with warmth and regard.

To her, he remained family... the youth she'd seen mature into adulthood.

She remained oblivious to how his affection for her had breached an unforgivable boundary.

A heavy sigh escaped Brandon as he massaged the nape of his neck, slouching against the doorframe.

Pots and pans clattered from the kitchen, while the aroma of a savory dish began permeating the atmosphere.

'Well, screw it...'

He sighed once more before ascending to his upstairs room.

His quarters, nestled at the hallway's far end, stood precisely as he'd abandoned it... modest, featuring a tidy bed, a desk bearing several aged sketchbooks, and a window facing the front yard.

Lavender's subtle fragrance, Elize's favorite for scenting the home, hung faintly in the atmosphere.

Softly shutting the door, he released a prolonged, weary exhale.

He shed his garments, snatched a towel from the adjacent hook, and proceeded to the connected bathroom to rinse away the perspiration.

---

Clad in a white t-shirt and black shorts, he descended the stairs and noticed Elize still busy in the kitchen.

Elize glanced out from the kitchen with a smile. "Hold on, dear... Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes."

He nodded and stepped into the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator door.

What the hell? Brandon stared in bewilderment.

The shelves brimmed with booze.

Dozens of beer bottles crowded the upper shelf.

Vodka, wine, plus several whiskey bottles occupied the bottom shelves.

Little space remained for other items, save a handful of apples and a milk carton shoved to the rear.

"Don't tell me," he remarked, facing Elize with arched brows. "You ramped up the drinking after I moved out?"

Elize pivoted toward him with a lighthearted laugh, drying her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Yeah. Well, you left me by myself. Needed something to fill the hours."

Brandon shot her a flat stare. "You certainly went overboard."

Elize motioned to the counter. "The water's right there if you want some."

Brandon seized a bottle, unscrewed the cap, and downed a lengthy swig as the chilled water eased his parched throat.

Elize propped herself against the counter, arms folded, observing him. "Oh yeah, let's drink tonight to toast your breakup."

Brandon nearly sputtered his water. "Celebrate my breakup? Seriously?"

Giggling, Elize responded, "What? It's perfect. You're free of that girl at last. Worth a toast or two, I reckon."

He shook his head, though a faint, unwilling grin crept onto his mouth. "You're impossible."

"Come on, Kael," she bantered, invoking the moniker from years past.

"You gotta relax. You've been downcast since stepping inside."

"Moping is too harsh..." he grumbled.

"Sulking, then."

"I'm not sulking either."

Elize raised a brow. "Brooding?"

"Now you're just listing synonyms."

With a chuckle, Elize declared, "We're definitely drinking later..."

"Oh, by the way, Charlotte's returning today."

WHAT?

Brandon jolted at the news. She's arriving today?