Chapter 25: Mia’s Triumph
Early in the morning, Ryan was stirred from sleep by the sound of his sister, Molly, reading aloud.
His eyelids felt glued shut, and a heavy drowsiness clung to him like a stubborn fog. For a few seconds, he stayed still, half-hoping to drift back to sleep. Then, with a sigh, he forced himself awake.
"Molly, what time is it?" he mumbled, dragging his feet as he shuffled out of his room in slippers.
"It’s already past eight," Molly replied. She was standing out on the balcony, a paperback in her hands, the golden morning sun lighting her up like something out of a painting. Her smile was bright and easy.
"Past eight already? Damn, I must’ve slept like ten hours," Ryan muttered, stretching his arms high over his head. His joints cracked one after another, loud and satisfying.
Starting early the previous morning, he’d been logged into the game nearly non-stop, only crashing around ten the night before. Twenty straight hours of grinding had left him mentally fried.
"Where’s Mia?" he asked, noticing her absence.
"She didn’t sleep at all last night," Molly said, turning another page in her book. "She left a little while ago to grab breakfast. But she seemed really happy. The moment she took off that headset, she couldn’t stop smiling."
Molly glanced over her shoulder and let out a light laugh. "Speak of the devil—there she is."
Sure enough, Mia came through the door moments later, humming softly as she carried in a bag of breakfast. She stopped short when she saw the two of them watching her, then gave a small, sheepish grin.
"What are you staring at?" she said, flustered. "Hurry up and eat!"