After driving away from the school, Don navigated his way toward East-End Park Mall, one of the better-known shopping centers in that part of Santos City.


    He''d taken care to memorize the directions earlier, not wanting to appear out of ce by relying on GPS, especially with Summer and Sylvia in the car. The two girls were still chatting about the ident Michael had just had as they left the school, with Sylvia expressing concern over whether anyone had gotten hurt.


    "I hope no one got injured," Sylvia said, her voice carrying a bit of worry. "For Michael''s sake, someone better not have, or he''ll be in big trouble."


    Summer nodded, ncing at her phone. "Yeah, but no one''s talking about it in the school chat servers, so maybe it''s fine."


    Sylvia let out a smallugh, the tension in her voice easing. "It''d be interesting to see how he tries to buy his way out of that mess. His daddy''s money might not be enough this time."


    Don listened silently, filing away the details about Michael. From what Sylvia had just revealed, Michael seemed like the type of person who could be trouble if left unchecked. Don made a mental note to look into Michaelter, just in case their paths crossed again.


    Sylvia then leaned forward between the front seats, her curiosity clearly piqued. "So, Summer tells me you''re going to Santos Hero University, Don. If you don''t mind me asking, what are your powers? I''m curious to know how strong the hero of Central Mall really is."


    Don sighed internally, feeling a bit ufortable with the question. He wasn''t sure if Sylvia was genuinely curious or just being nosy. Either way, he wasn''t about to reveal too much. "I''m just a little stronger than the average guy," he said, downying his abilities. "The real hero of the Central Mall attack was Redstar."


    Sylvia raised an eyebrow, a smirk appearing on her lips. "Humble, are we?"


    Before she could press further, Summer, who had been focused on her phone, suddenly cut in, her voice full of irritation. "Don''t inte his ego, Sylvia."


    Don saw an opportunity to tease her and took it. "You sound jealous, Summer."


    Summer''s eyes widened as she turned to face him, flustered. "Jealous? Of you? Gross."


    Don chuckled, deciding to push her buttons a little more. "I never said you were jealous of me. I meant you were jealous that your friend was chatting with me instead of you. But since you jumped to that conclusion first, it must be true. I can''t me you, though—perfection personified and all that."


    Summer''s face turned a shade redder as she realized she''d walked right into his trap. She wanted to curse at him, but the deal they made previously held her back. Instead, she crossed her arms and muttered, "Whatever."


    Sylviaughed at the exchange, reaching forward to give Summer aforting hug from behind. "Don''t let him get to you, Summer. You know I''ll always choose you over some hot guy in a muscle car."


    Out of everything Sylvia said, only one part seemed to register with Summer. She turned to Sylvia, disbelief in her voice. "Hot guy in a muscle car? Don is anything but!"


    Don, grinning, simply hummed a reminder about their deal, cutting off any further retorts from Summer. She grunted in frustration, knowing she was trapped by her own words.


    Sylvia, stillughing, asked, "What''s this deal about, anyway? Now I feel left out of all these sibling secrets."


    "It''s not a secret," Summer muttered, ring at Don. "Just Don being a… thing."


    "Wow," Don replied with mock offense. "If calling someone a ''thing'' is being nice, I can''t imagine what being mean would look like."


    Sylvia burst intoughter again, while Summer, ring daggers at Don, shot back, "Are youughing at his dumb jokes?!"


    The rest of the drive was filled with simr banter, the tension from earlier gradually easing into a morefortable, albeit yful, atmosphere. Before long, they arrived at East-End Park Mall. Don found a parking spot with little trouble, though he noticed the mall was unusually crowded for a rainy afternoon.


    Summer voiced her irritation as she nced around. "Great, with Central Mall getting repairs, everyone on the east side ising here. What a pain."


    Don didn''tment, simply parking the car and turning off the engine. After they all exited the vehicle, Don turned to Summer. "I''ll text you when I''m ready to go."


    Summer frowned, clearly not liking that idea. "Why do we have to go when you say so?"


    Don lifted his hand, ticking off his reasons. "First, it''s my car. Second, you didn''t put any gas in it. Third, it''s my car."


    Summer looked like she wanted to strangle him but restrained herself. Sylvia, sensing the brewing tension, decided to intervene. "So, what are you nning to do, Don?" she asked, her tone light and curious.


    "Just some shopping," Don replied.


    "Oooh, fun!" Sylvia said with a grin. She then linked arms with Summer, pulling her along. "We''ll join you, then. I''ve always wanted to see how guys shop."


    Don was a bit put off by the idea, but to his surprise, Summer didn''t argue. She just kept sulking, which from her was as good as saying she didn''t mind. He thought it might be an opportunity to further his ns, but he couldn''t help but wonder what Sylvia''s angle was.


    As they walked into the mall, it didn''t take long for Don to spot a trendy-looking store that caught his eye. The mannequins in the window were dressed in outfits simr to the ones he''d seen at Mi Casa when he went shopping with Samantha. He made a turn into the store, with both Summer and Sylvia following him in.


    The interior of the store was modern, with polished floors and minimalist disys that showcased a variety of stylish clothing.


    As they entered, a cute teenage girl greeted them with a shy but friendly smile. She had short, curly brown hair, big blue eyes, and was dressed in the store''s uniform—a simple ck shirt with the store''s logo and dark jeans.


    "Wee!" she said, her voice slightly nervous but polite. "What can I help you with today?"


    Don took a moment to scan the store before replying, his tone decisive. "I''m looking for a few things. I need a couple of fitted shirts, preferably in darker colors—ck, navy, maybe charcoal. Some slim-fit jeans, also in dark colors, and a jacket, something versatile but stylish. Maybe a leather bomber or something simr."


    The girl blinked, clearly impressed by how specific he was. "O-Oh, sure! I''ll see what we have." She looked like she was about to rush off to find the items but stopped herself, realizing she hadn''t asked for his sizes. "Oh, silly me—what sizes are you?"


    Don chuckled, finding her nervousness endearing. "Large for shirts and jackets, 32 for jeans."


    "Got it!" she said, quickly jotting down the information before scurrying off to find the clothes.


    As she hurried away, Don noticed Summer mimicking the girl''s dazed behavior behind her back, clearly irritated. Sylvia, on the other hand, bit her lip slightly, her eyes narrowing in thought. She was starting to find Don more interesting than she initially thought.