SIMON THE ZILLIONAIRE FROM NOWHERE

286

Eddie stood outside Jennifer’s bedroom door, hesitating. It had been days since Frank’s death, and Jennifer had barely left her room. She hadn’t spoken much to anyone, and the toll it was taking on her was evident in the way she had stopped managing the businesses she normally oversaw. Her once vibrant energy had been replaced by a shadow of who she used to be, and Eddie couldn’t bear to see his sister like this any longer.

He knocked softly on the door, waiting for some response, but only silence greeted him. He knocked again, a little louder this time. “Jen, it’s me,” he said gently. “Can I come in?”

For a long moment, there was nothing, but then he heard the soft shuffle of movement from inside the room. The door creaked open just enough for Eddie to slip inside.

Jennifer sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes puffy from what looked like hours of crying. She was dressed in the same clothes she’d worn for days, and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. The sight of her, so d