Suddenly, I Am Rich

Soon, the movie began to play. It was an animated one, full of bright colors and cheerful music. Lily instantly leaned forward, her eyes glued to the screen as if the world outside it didn’t exist.

Gray leaned back against the couch, his one arm resting lazily on the armrest. Selina sat on the other end. Lily, on the other hand, sat between them with her little legs tucked under a blanket. She was clutching a bowl of popcorn that looked far too big for her hands.

As the movie progressed, Selina and Gray couldn’t help but smile. The way Lily laughed with her whole body and the way she swung her legs and hugged a pillow to her chest was too endearing to ignore.

Every now and then, Lily would glance toward Gray and Selina to check on them if they’re having fun just like her. When she saw that they were, she would giggle and point out some things.

”This one’s my favorite, brother,” she whispered as if revealing a secret. ”It’s funny, but also sad sometimes.”

”Oh no, Lily. Really?” Gray smiled faintly.

Lily giggled and nodded her head.

The movie continued to play. Small, yellow, humanoid creatures with one or two eyes were seen on the screen. They were saying words that would be impossible to understand without subtitles.

Lily laughed the loudest at every silly moment.

Selina would glance at her every so often with soft admiration in her eyes, while Gray would just lean back, content to watch the two of them enjoying themselves.

Halfway through, Lily began imitating the characters’ lines, waving her arms dramatically.

”Look, Brother! I’m a minion now!” she declared, standing on the couch cushion and also mouthing out some random words.

”Babababababa”?

Gray sighed, but couldn’t hide the grin tugging at his lips.

”Oh no, Princess Lily turned into a minion now.”

Selina laughed. ”I guess our princess here has a new character now.”

That earned another giggle from Lily, who promptly flopped back onto the couch. The moment was ridiculous, yet somehow perfect. T

”That was so fun! But we’re not done yet, right?” v

Selina smiled knowingly. ”Oh? What else do you have in mind, Princess?”

”Board games! I want to play board games!” Lily’s eyes sparkled. ”

Gray groaned softly in mock despair. ”You’re going to beat us again, aren’t you?”

”Of course!” Lily said proudly. ”I always win!”

Minutes later, the coffee table was cleared, and a colorful board game was laid out. Gray shuffled the cards while Selina read the rules with seriousness. Truth to be told, it was her first time playing silly games like this.

”Alright, no cheating is allowed here,” Selina said, wagging a finger.

”Me? Cheat? Never!” Lily gasped, pretending to be offended.

The first round was chaos. Lily laughed so hard when Gray made a terrible move. Selina wasn’t much better. Her competitive side was showing, even if she couldn’t fully understand the rules of the game.

”Oh, come on!” she groaned, throwing her hands up. ”Why do I always end up in the penalty zone?”

”Because you picked the wrong path, Sister Selina!” Lily was practically rolling in laughter.

”Wise words from the reigning champion.” Gray grinned.

They played several rounds, each filled with laughter, teasing, and harmless bickering. At one point, Lily stood up and did a little victory dance, waving the small token she used to play.

”I win again!” she cheered, bouncing in circles. ”See? I told you!”

”Whoa, our Lily wins again,” Selina clapped playfully.

”I guess Princess Lily is just the best,” Gray muttered with a smile on his lips.

The room erupted in laughter again.

Eventually, Lily flopped back onto the couch, breathless from too much excitement.

”I’m hungry again, brother” she said, rubbing her stomach.

Gray chuckled. ”I had a feeling you’d say that.” He stood and disappeared into the kitchen, soon returning with a white box in hand.

”Good thing I came prepared.”

”What’s that?” Lily asked, sitting up eagerly.

”The cake I bought you earlier, silly.”

Lily’s eyes sparkled at the sight of it.

”Rightttt!”

With that, they gathered around the table again, with forks in their hand. The first bite was enough to make Lily close her eyes in delight.

”It’s really so good!” she said, muffled through a mouthful of cake.

”Careful, Lily,” Selina said gently, patting her head. ”You’ll get some whipped cream on your face.”

But it was already too late. Lily already had a small smear of cream near her lip, which only made Selina laugh harder. Gray reached for a tissue and wiped it off, shaking his head with a smile.

”There. Royal duties completed.”

”Thank you, Sir Gray,” Lily said, grinning up at him.

The three of them stayed at the table longer than they needed to, chatting about the movie, the game, and random things that Lily brought up. The night outside deepened, but none of them seemed to mind.

At some point, Lily stretched her arms and looked between the two adults.

”One more movie before we all sleep?” she asked, her voice hopeful. ”Please?”

Gray and Selina exchanged a glance. They were half-amused and also half-reluctant because it was already starting to get late. Still, the look on Lily’s face made refusal impossible.

Selina smiled first. ”Alright. One more.”

”Just one,” Gray said, sighing in defeat.

”Yay!” Lily jumped up, running toward the couch again. ”I’ll pick the next one!”

She scrolled through the streaming list again, eventually stopping on another animated film. It’s just something light and silly. It was the perfect ending to the night.

As the opening scenes played, Lily snuggled between them again, clutching a small pillow to her chest. Her excitement still stayed, but as the minutes passed, her blinks grew slower.

The laughter that filled the room earlier was now replaced by the movie’s soft soundtrack and the occasional murmur from Selina or Gray.

”She’s getting sleepy,” Selina whispered, glancing down.

Gray smiled faintly. ”Told you the cake would tire her out.”

But even as he said it, there was something peaceful about the sight. Lily’s head slowly leaned against Selina’s shoulder. Her small breaths became quiet and deep.

Selina looked down and softened at the sight of Lily sleeping on her arms.

”She’s out.”

Gray turned off the volume a little and leaned back, watching them both. ”Yeah... she was full of energy earlier, though.”