From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent ( Anthea )

What a shame.

It wasn't a message from Anthea.

It was from my older sister, Yuna Christensen.

"Hey Sherman, when are you, grandma, and mom planning to head back to Capital City?"

I was just about to reply when, out of the blue, I got a text from Anthea, "Been to the hospital yet?"

I shot back a message to Anthea right away, "Yeah, went to the hospital, doc says it's all clear."

All clear?

Anthea paused at her end of the screen.

Looks like her medical skills hadn't missed the mark.

But if Sherman was okay, what was with the rapid breathing and the heartbeat racing through the roof?

"Snap a picture of the CT scan report and send it over."

Without a second thought, I pulled out the CT report, laid it on the table, and sent her a photo.

Anthea opened the photo.

The CT report was all clear, alright.

Her eyes caught the ashtray at the corner of the report, her eyebrows quirked in amusement.

Sherman smokes?

And apparently, it's not just a once-in-a-blue-moon thing.

"Glad you're okay. BTW, smoking's a lung buster, you know. No issues now, but keep at it and you'll tar up those lungs for sure!" Me, quit smoking?

A smirk played at the corners of my lips.

Was Anthea showing concern for me?

"Alright, quitting it is."

"Gotta go, mom's calling me for lunch."

"Okay."

Soon after, Anthea sent over a picture of her lunch.

A full-on feast.

Her lunch was quite the spread.

I immediately called my assistant, "Bring my lunch over."

Lunch delivery?

Weren't we skipping lunch today?

The assistant was caught off-guard but managed to deliver the meal in no time.

As I opened the lid, I also snapped a photo to send to Anthea.

She opened the picture I sent, her eyebrows raised slightly.

Typical vegetarian fare.

Apart from the tofu, it was all greens.

"You really into greens that much?"

Greens?

I couldn't help but smile, warmth filling my eyes.

"Greens are tasty, fresh, and juicy."

Seeing my message, Anthea's eyebrows quirked again.

If it were anyone else, she'd have thought they were flirting.

But this was Sherman.

And who's Sherman?

The guy's practically a monk!

Does he even know what flirting is?

"Monks' world, huh. "

I replied, "I'm not a monk. Just because I'm off meat now, doesn't mean forever."

Anthea teased, "So, 'Through the

heart sits Buddha divine'?".

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Just as I was about to reply...

A video call came in.

It was Yuna.

That reminded me, I'd forgotten to reply to Yuna.

But, I didn't pick up. Instead, I kept on texting Anthea, "Exactly, that's the spirit."

Anthea sent over a bear emoji rolling its eyes, looking all sassy.

Looking at that bear...

I raised an eyebrow.

The bear seemed kind of vulgar.

Even cursing.

What did Anthea mean by sending this to me?

Was she calling me dumb?

"My IQ's 170."

Anthea almost choked on her food reading my reply. Classic monk behavior.

Totally clueless about memes.

After finishing my chat with Anthea...

I casually opened up my chat with Yuna and called her back.

Yuna picked up almost instantly.

On the video, Yuna looked visibly

annoyed, "Sherman, what's the deal? Why haven't you replied for so long? Didn't you know I was waiting?"

KOUMS

Yuna was all fire and brimstone, a stark contrast to my usual calm demeanor.

We couldn't seem more different if we tried.

With a straight face, I replied, "Was caught up with some paperwork, missed your messages."

Yuna ranted, "Paperwork! Always the paperwork! You might as well marry your paperwork! No wonder you're still single! Bet you're destined to be a bachelor for life!"

In Yuna's eyes, I've always been a workaholic.

Either that or I'm off seeking tranquility at some monastery.

So, when I mentioned paperwork, Yuna didn't doubt it for a second.