CHAPTER 22: FLASHBACK

It was five years ago, when Jason was still a new university student. He had come home for a short break, intending to finish one of his philosophy assignments before the next semester started.

The house was quieter back then. Catherine hadn’t begun her online job yet, Marinette still had many brand deals as an actress since she hadn’t retired, and Angela and Daisy had their own projects. Jason enjoyed those quiet moments alone, spending time with his laptop and a cup of coffee at the living room table.

That afternoon, his peace lasted only about thirty minutes before a familiar little voice called out from behind him.

"Uncle J."

Jason turned around.

At the end of the couch stood a small girl with her hair tied into two loose ponytails and eyes sparkling with pure mischief. Her name was Regina, Daisy’s daughter, and she was only seven years old then.

She held a lollipop in one hand, its bright red color matching the candy stains on her fingers. Her white dress was a bit wrinkled, and she wore mismatched socks that somehow perfectly fit her personality.

Jason looked back at his laptop.

"What do you want, Reg?"

She stepped closer and tilted her head.

"You look boring."

With a sigh, Jason replied flatly:

"I’m busy."

"What are you doing?"

"Work."

"What kind of work?"

"How to keep children quiet."

"Why should they?"

Jason let out a quiet sigh and closed his laptop halfway. He looked at her once more.

"Why are you questioning me like this?"

Regina smiled mischievously.

"Because everyone else is afraid of me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"And you think I’m not?"

She folded her arms and smiled like a cat that had trapped its prey.

"You don’t seem scared."

Jason leaned back a bit, watching her with mild amusement.

"Then maybe you should find someone else to bother."

"I already tried. They all ran off." She flopped down on the couch next to him. "You’re the only one who stayed."

Jason closed the laptop fully.

"So, what exactly do you want, Reg?"

She turned to him with a serious look that seemed almost funny on her round face.

"I want to make a bet."

He frowned.

"A bet?"

"Yes. You’re good at math, right? Mom says you study phil... shark or something, so you’re in the wrong place anyway."

"That’s one way to put it."

"Then I want to bet something with you."

Jason’s interest was piqued.

"Alright. What kind of bet?"

Her smile grew wider.

"If I win, you have to do whatever I tell you until I turn eighteen."

Jason stared at her.

"Anything?"

"Yes."

"And if I win?"

Regina hesitated, thinking carefully before answering.

"Then I’ll give you my favorite candy."

Jason looked at her blankly for a moment.

"That doesn’t seem like a fair deal."

"It is if you lose."

He couldn’t stop a faint smile from appearing on his lips.

"Alright. What’s the bet?"

Regina jumped off the couch and pointed toward the dining table.

"Do you see those coins on the table?"

Jason followed her gesture. Daisy must have left some loose change next to the vase earlier that day.

"Yeah," he replied.

"I want you to guess how many there are without touching them."

He tilted his head slightly.

"That’s it?"

"Yes."

Jason stood up and walked over, glancing at the coins. They were stacked unevenly in two small piles. It wasn’t hard for him to make a guess.

"Sixteen," he said confidently.

Regina looked victorious.

"Wrong! There are fifteen and a half."

Jason blinked.

"Fifteen and a half?"

She nodded eagerly.

"The small one is bent. Mom said it doesn’t count as a full coin because no machine accepts it anymore."

Jason stared at her in disbelief.

"That’s not how numbers work."

"Then you lose."

"I didn’t—"

"You lose," she repeated firmly, her smile growing wider.

Jason sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You’re impossible."

She clapped her hands happily.

"That means you’re my servant now!"

Jason lowered his hand and gave her a long, unimpressed look.

"I’m not your servant."

"You promised."

"I said I’d bet, not that I’d obey a seven-year-old dictator."

Regina put both hands on her hips.

"You promised," she said again, stretching the word dramatically. "A deal’s a deal."

Jason exhaled slowly and sat back on the couch, debating whether it was worth arguing with a child who was already convinced she’d won.

She stood in front of him, clearly waiting.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" he asked with genuine curiosity, already knowing there was no way she’d remember a silly bet until she was eighteen.

Regina’s smile softened into a more thoughtful expression.

"Carry me on your shoulders."

He blinked twice.

"That’s all?"

"For now."

Jason looked at her a moment longer, then let out a short sigh of surrender.

"Alright."

Regina immediately ran over, handed him her lollipop, and climbed onto his shoulders with surprising ease. Her small hands rested on his head, and she giggled quietly as he stood up.

"Higher, Uncle J!" she laughed. "You’re so tall."

Jason slowly walked around the living room, carefully holding her legs to keep her from slipping. He could feel her childlike excitement in every word. Despite himself, a faint smile appeared on his face.

For the next hour, she made him her official carrier, her helper during snack time, and even her audience as she performed a short dance on the couch. Jason eventually stopped resisting and decided it was easier to go along with her than to argue.

But Regina’s sense of triumph didn’t end there.

By evening, she had declared him her permanent helper until she said otherwise, even suggesting she might extend it beyond the original plan.

Her exact words were:

"You are now my human butler forever."

Jason laughed, thinking she’d forget by the next day, but unfortunately for him, she didn’t.

For the rest of the week, she introduced him to every relative and neighbor as her personal assistant.

When Daisy scolded her for being rude, Regina just turned and said:

"He lost a bet. Rules are rules."

Jason never forgot that line.

What amused him most was how seriously she took it. She made him read bedtime stories, quiz her on math, and even attend her pretend board meetings where she "managed" her stuffed animals’ business empire. The strangest part was how sharp she was during those games.

While other kids played with dolls and toys, Regina arranged them into companies. She created concepts like profits, losses, and rivalries, using expressions she had clearly picked up from listening to adults.

Jason recalled sitting one night, watching her explain why one of her stuffed animals had gone bankrupt. The way she spoke, the clarity of her reasoning; iit was unusual, as if she was thinking beyond her years and analyzing deeply.

’This kid is going to be trouble,’ he thought at the time.

One evening, he tried to regain his freedom.

"Alright, Regina, the week is over. The deal’s done, I’m not going to keep this bet until you turn eighteen."

She crossed her arms, pretending to think it over.

"Hmm. No."

Jason frowned.

"No?"

"You didn’t win any new bet. So you stay."

"That’s not how this works."

"It is now."

He rubbed his forehead in quiet frustration while she grinned triumphantly. It took another week and a clever trick involving math puzzles before he finally won a bet back and freed himself from her control.

Still, even after that, whenever she came over, she never stopped teasing him about the time he became her "butler."

And despite his protests, Jason had developed a strange affection for her boldness. She was smart, quick-witted, and far too confident for a child her age. She read people well, learned quickly, and always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else.

Even then, he could tell she was someone born to lead.

When her voice rang out in the present, calling his name with the same joyful enthusiasm, Jason’s heart fluttered for reasons he couldn’t quite grasp.

That memory wasn’t merely a fragment of the past. It marked the start of something greater; the moment he first understood that even the tiniest adversary could flip the rules of any game against him.

However, he intended to rewrite those rules now, and she might have changed too, for all he knew. After all, that was a long time ago.