The words "brother" and "sister" hit a raw nerve for Susanna. She snapped, not bothering to be polite. "Those hideous freaks? You seriously dare call them my sisters? I wouldn''t even im them if you paid me! It''s bad enough you disgust yourself at home-don''t drag me into it and ruin my day!"


    Her sharp mouth fired off a barrage of insults without missing a beat. Across the table, Hull paused mid-bite, ncing up at her in surprise. Even while sick, she still had the energy to go for the throat.


    Before Derek could say anything else, Susanna hung up.


    Hull scooped another serving of soup into her bowl, but Susanna shook her head. "I''m full."


    “Let me guess,” Hull said with a smile. “You''re full of anger. Are you really going to let someone like that ruin your meal?"


    Susanna hesitated-of course not. If anything, times like these just made her want to eat more, and enjoy it, too.


    She huffed, “Honestly, I''ve never met anyone so shameless. He really takes the cake." As far as she was concerned, there was no one quite as over the top as Derek. "Does he really think I want him to just kick all the kids out of cktower for me? The way he says it-like I''m desperate to go back there. Who does he think he is?"


    Susanna muttered angrily to herself. She''d met all kinds of people in Portis City, but Derek''s level of delusional self-confidence was something else.


    "Enough," Hull interrupted gently. “Just eat."


    He wasn''t about to let her stew over Derek anymore and tried to refocus her on her meal. Having just recovered from a cold, she needed to take care of herself if she hoped to get her strength back.


    Susanna nodded, picking up her spoon again. "Okay, I''ll have a bit more.”


    Seeing her eat without protest, Hull smiled, a glimmer of pride in his eyes-the same soft fondness reserved for something secretly cherished. They hadn''t known each other long, but he couldn''t help feeling a strange sense of responsibility, as if it had been his care that brought her back to health.


    He finally understood what he''d never quite gotten about how Ronald looked after Ste:, with someone this small, this warm always chattering and soft around the edges, it was as if a bright blossom had appeared in an otherwise gray world.


    After he finished breakfast with Susanna, Hull left with Ss, leaving Barnaby behind


    at the hotel to keep an eye on her.


    "You picked on Derek earlier, didn''t you?" Susanna asked Barnaby.


    Given how furious Derek had sounded on the call, she was sure Barnaby had gotten under his skin she''d experienced that sarcastic tongue of his more times than she could count. Ss obviously obviously dispatched Barnaby to handle


    Derek''s pestering on purpose, just to pile on a bit more misery.


    Barnaby smirked, "What, feeling bad for dear old dad all of a sudden?"


    Susanna rolled her eyes. That


    tone-it was so typical of him. If he


    wasn''t being obnoxious, he must have been bored. She''d seen Ss lose his patience and school


    Barnaby more than once, bub


    somehow, the guy never learned his lesson.


    She gave him a death re.


    He just shrugged. “Not that it matters. Even if you wanted to acknowledge him,


    who''s to say he''s really your dad?"


    Susanna shot back, "You really don''t know when to quit, do you?"


    "I''m just telling the truth," Barnaby replied. "I mean, with the way he acts, he practically has ''cuckold'' written all over him. Honestly, I''d bet none of those kids are even his!"


    Susanna stared, momentarily speechless. That wasn''t just an insult—it was practically a full-blown curse. Even the mostid-back person would snap if they heard that.


    “So you just said all that to Derek''s face? Laid out the fact that his wife had been ying him all along?"Barnaby shrugged, deadpan. "Sure did. No point sugarcoating."


    Susanna just gaped. Subtlety, it seemed, was entirely lost on Barnaby.