Gilbert just could not bring himself to be cruel to the woman before him. Despite everything, he took her to his place—a decrepit courtyard tucked away deep in the alleyways of the old city district.Kelvin had been taking care of his grandmother's illness here. With Kelvin around, Kisa did not have to worry about Thomas' injury. But Kelvin was not exactly thrilled to see her. As soon as he laid eyes on her, his face darkened, and he grabbed Gilbert's arm, saying in a harsh tone, "Why the hell did you bring her here? What if she rats us out to David and puts your grandma in danger?"Kisa was quick to defend herself, blurting out, "I won't tell David. I just escaped from him."Kelvin sneered, "Yeah, right. You're full of sh*t. Who knows if you and David cooked up this little scheme to mess with us.""I didn't—""Enough!" Gilbert cut her off coldly, turning to Kelvin. "Check out Thomas' injury first."Kelvin scowled. "Are you kidding me? Not only are you not kicking her out, but no

"Tomorrow, you take Thomas and get out of here." Gilbert's eyes were especially cold, sending a shiver down Kisa's spine.She clenched her hands tightly and spoke in a low voice, "She spilled the soup on purpose and poured it onto her own hand."He closed his eyes slightly, his face filled with endless impatience and disappointment.He restrained his temper and growled, "Can you stop with the excuses already? Bringing you two back was a colossal mistake. Tomorrow, I want you both out of here and gone for good!"The man seemed to have returned to his initial callousness.'It was I who had wrongly accused him, hated him. And it was because of me that he ended up in this mess. How could he not despise me?' she thought in her mind.Gilbert did not seem to want to look at her. He turned to Sara and said, "I'll take care of the rest. You go have Kelvin look at your hand." Then he turned and went to cook.Sara gave Kisa a smug smile before wiping her shoulder and walking out.Kisa wat

The house looked like it had been through a tornado. The furniture was tossed around like a game of dominoes, and broken dishes littered the floor like shattered dreams.Gilbert raced upstairs at the sight of the chaos, leaving Kisa standing there stunned. She felt a sinking feeling in her heart, sensing something was terribly wrong.Upstairs, Gilbert's voice echoed through the hallway as he frantically called out for his grandmother. Kisa's hand felt icy cold as she followed him up the stairs, stepping over bloodstains and signs of a violent struggle.There were four rooms upstairs, and as Kisa reached the landing, Gilbert came running out of Sara's room, his face a mask of panic and fear. He shouted "Grandma" over and over again, but there was no answer.Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from Thomas's room. Kisa's heart leaped, thinking maybe Thomas had managed to escape. But as she rushed into the room, she saw Kelvin instead. Kelvin was injured, with blood streaming from

The deserted alleyway echoed with the sound of a resounding slap that shattered the silence.Kisa's eyes narrowed as she glared coldly at the man before her. "Why are you trying to smear my name?"Thomas tilted his head, a reddish-purple handprint swelling on his cheek. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice tinged with guilt.Kisa laughed bitterly, a sad smile spreading across her face. "Your apologies mean nothing to me. I thought I had family in this world, but you betrayed me. You chose to stand with your biological father, and for what? To frame me? Why, Thomas? Why would you do this to your own sister?""Because I'm not your brother!" Thomas interjected, his voice low and firm.Kisa's eyes widened, shock written all over her face. "What do you mean you're not my brother?"Thomas suddenly fell silent, his eyes avoiding her gaze.In an instant, Kisa lunged forward and grabbed his arm tightly. "Then who are you? Where's my brother?" she demanded, desperation creeping into her voi

"Why can't we go back?" Madalyn asked, urgency lacing her voice. "If we return to the Kooper residence, things can be just like before. You still have Jensen, and you—""Enough!" David cut her off with a snap, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Damn, you've really lost your edge. You're a smart cookie, how did you not figure out that I'm the one who kidnapped you, and that I'm behind the fall of GK? I set it up so your precious grandson would have nothing, and I took over the Kooper residence, leaving you and your grandson with no place to go. You're just trying to suck up to me, flatter me, and even repent, all to save your grandson's *ss. You used to be all about your son, but now you only care about your precious grandson. Jensen and I are just pawns in your perfect little game, am I right?"Madalyn looked at him with a complicated expression, unable to say a word. Finally, her feeble voice broke the silence. "I know I messed up, and if you want to get back at me, then do it. Just s