Chapter 69 - Annie and Ema Sullivan

Prime was seriously confused by the girl's proposition, who shouldn't be much older than Sara. Personally, Prime imagined the girl would ask him to adopt both, but his expectations were easily shattered when she suddenly volunteered to be his maid.

Prime had no clue what led the girl to have this thought, but if her goal with this proposition was to grab Prime's attention, then she had succeeded. Personally, Prime wanted to pick a less innocent child from the orphanage, or at least someone with a more realistic view of life.

That's exactly why Prime requested children ranging from 15 years old and up, and both seemed to fit that description. Prime stipulated that the older one should be between 16 and 17 years old, while the younger one seemed to be around 15.

Additionally, Prime felt a bit uncomfortable with what he was about to do. Although it wasn't with Sara, he wasn't sure if other people would so readily accept a symbiote within themselves. And those who did would probably have crazy ideas about how to use it.

That's why he needed to carefully choose the people who would receive these powers, and the natural solution Prime found was to adopt children. That way, theoretically, he could shape them into the values he desired.

Setting aside all these thoughts, Prime turned his attention to the girl in front of him, who was staring intensely, awaiting a response.

"Although your initial approach was rather... unique, I think it would be appropriate for us to formally introduce ourselves. My name is Ryan Connor, and this is Sara Connor" said Prime, pointing first to himself and then to Sara.

After finishing his introduction, Prime noticed the girl seemed a bit confused, as if unsure how to proceed from there. This elicited a small, discreet smile from Prime's lips, as it seemed to him that the girl had never been in this situation before.

"Relax, you and your sister can introduce yourselves calmly" said Prime, trying to reassure her.

"I'm not nervous. It's just that usually the couples who come here don't even look at me and my sister because we're older than the others. Actually, you were the first person who wanted to talk to us" replied the girl, casting a sideways glance at her sister, who was holding her hand. "Anyway, my name is Annie, and this is my sister, Emma" Annie added, directing a small smile to her sister.

As Prime silently observed Annie, he briefly turned his head to Sara, who was staring intently at Annie. Prime sincerely had no idea about Sara's thoughts on the matter.

"All right, now that we've met, let's get to the main subject: why exactly do you want to be my maid?" Prime asked, genuinely curious about the question.

Upon hearing Prime's question, Annie simply gave him a confused look, as if questioning something completely obvious.

"What do you mean by that? Isn't it obvious that I'll need to provide some sort of service if I want to live in your house?" replied the girl, as if it were completely clear that anyone should know.

These words caught both Prime and Sara off guard. For some reason, Annie seemed to consider the idea of taking care of the house as a maid natural.

"Wait, hold up, why do you think we would want to turn her into a maid?" Prime asked, his serious expression reflecting his curiosity about Annie's life.

Although Prime considered his question a natural reaction to the situation, Annie slowly displayed a sad expression that left Prime intrigued, not fully comprehending the reason behind it.

"So... does that mean you have no intention of adopting us?" Annie asked, her voice becoming noticeably lower and more disheartened.

Upon hearing this, Prime began to seriously wonder how the conversation had taken such a strange turn from the start. It seemed that if he didn't get straight to the point, Annie would continue to have strange ideas.

"Look, just to make it clear, we're not looking for maids. We're here to find new members for our family. If we choose to adopt you, I have no interest in making anyone a servant. You two will be my daughters..." Prime paused, the word "daughters" feeling strange to him no matter how he examined it.

"Something like a family..."

As he thought distractedly, Prime heard Annie's murmur. Turning his gaze to the girl, he noticed her eyes suddenly were completely dark and unfocused.

"It's not possible for something like that to exist"

Hearing Annie's words, Prime looked at Sara, who was staring at Annie with a complicated expression. Perhaps, both coming from an orphanage, they shared the same belief? Prime wasn't sure, after all, he had also been raised in an orphanage and completely unaware of what it was like to have a family.

"I don't know what led you to think like this, and maybe it's hard to believe me right off the bat" Prime said, crouching down to Annie's eye level. "But in the end, what really matters is whether you believe this can work out or not. The choice is yours and yours alone" he concluded, looking into Annie's eyes.

***

"Have you managed to interact with all the children?" the director asked, her gaze fixed on Prime.

"Yes, I can say I got along well with most of them. As you mentioned, they're quite energetic, in a good way, of course" Prime replied, with a subtle smile on his lips.

"I'm glad to hear that. Even though these children don't know their biological parents, they haven't let that affect them. Thanks to that, they remain cheerful. And that's why I'll do everything I can to ensure they all have a proper home" the director said with pride in her voice.

Although it was something Prime had noticed earlier, he still couldn't help but be surprised by how much she seemed to enjoy her work.

"Well, now that you've met all the children, I suppose you already have in mind the ones you wish to adopt, right?" the director asked.

At that moment, Prime looked at Sara beside him, but all he received was an indifferent look. He realized Sara was leaving this matter in his hands, which made him smile and turn his gaze back to the director with more confidence.

"Actually, there are two girls who caught my attention" Prime said with a smile on his face.

Minutes after Prime's words, the door to the office opened silently and almost imperceptibly. Annie, the girl who was called along with her younger sister, was quickly surprised to notice the man from earlier in the room. Annie still had no idea why she had been called, since as far as she knew, her conversation with that man hadn't ended very pleasantly.

Putting aside that thought, Annie and her younger sister slowly approached the director.

"You called us?" Annie asked, with her younger sister by her side.

Upon hearing the girl's words, the director quickly smiled and then pointed to Prime.

"Mr. Ryan Connor seems interested in adopting you and your sister, Annie. I believe it would be an excellent opportunity. I've already checked his entire background, so I'm sure you two will be well taken care of. However, the final decision is yours"

Upon hearing the director's words, Annie looked at Prime with a surprised expression, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Although she didn't show it, Annie had already given up on being adopted. However, she continued to try for the sake of her sister.

At that moment, even though she no longer believed in something like family, the man's words came to Annie's mind, reminding her that it was she who needed to believe that this could work out.

"Sister?"

Annie quickly looked at her younger sister and caught her understanding gaze. Without the need for words, Annie understood what Ema was trying to convey: that she would follow her no matter where she went. It was thinking of her younger sister, whom she had cared for all this time, that Annie finally managed to make her decision.