Ste had spent much time with Ronaldtely, and everyone around Yorick knew it, too. Yorick and Ste''s engagement was only a temporary arrangement, a mere convenience. They believed Yorick had never loved her. Now that the engagement was off, it seemed natural that they''d both move on. So why was Yorick drowning his sorrows with whiskey?


    Julius nced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Isn''t Urs in Portis City? Who are you drinking for now?" Hanson said, "Yeah. What''s the deal, man?"


    They''d heard rumors while abroad that Ste had a new guy, but there hadn''t been any talk of Urs seeing someone else. Yorick''s heart supposedly belonged to Urs, so what could be troubling him this much?


    Oh, right, wasn''t there talk about Urs battling several types of cancer? Shouldn''t he be by her side instead of hitting the bar?


    Mentioning Urs seemed to deepen the worry on Yorick''s face. He reached for Hanson''s beer, but Hanson pulled it away.


    "Come on, man. Spill it. What''s going on?"


    Yorick stayed quiet, cracking open another bottle and downing half of it in one go.


    Hanson and Julius exchanged a nce. That was more serious than they thought.


    Hanson set his beer down and sat beside Yorick. "Don''t tell me you''ve fallen for Ste, that spiteful woman?"


    Urs had returned. If he weren''t with her, did it mean Yorick had feelings for Ste? That didn''t make sense; he always said Ste was trouble.


    At Hanson''s mention of "spiteful," Yorick''s grip on the bottle tightened. With a sharp tone, he corrected, "She''s not."


    Hanson blinked. "Huh?"


    Julius turned to him too, puzzled.


    Yorick took another swig, and the pain in his eyes seemed more evident. "The real spiteful one was never Ste."


    Hanson and Julius were speechless.


    "Then who?" Hanson asked first.


    The whole of Portis City med Ste for the chaos in the Larkin family, thinking her return threatened Urs, the adopted daughter. If not Ste, then who?


    Urs?


    As the thought crossed their minds, Hanson and Julius exchanged another look.


    Julius asked, "What''s going on with you and Urs?"


    "She... well..." Yorick''s eyes shed with a sharpness they''d never seen when he spoke of Urs before. Now, it was different.


    "The truth is that she almost got Ste killed."


    The air in the room went still as Hanson and Julius processed the revtion.


    "So that car ident, it was Urs''s doing?" Hanson asked, shocked. "Ste wasn''t lying?"


    They had always thought it was a case of the real daughter not epting the adopted one. But now, it seemed like the adopted daughter was trying to keep the real one froming home.


    "Seriously, what''s happening here?" Hanson was bewildered.


    Urs was far more dangerous than they ever imagined if that were the case.


    Yorick closed his eyes, exuding a sense of despair. Memories flooded back-how everyone, including himself and the entire Larkin family, had called Ste crazy and selfish. They''d even said if she couldn''t ept Urs, she''d never see a penny from the family.


    When looking back, those words were absurd. Who could make peace with someone who tried to end their life?


    "So, what''s your deal now?" Hanson asked, trying to untangle the mess.


    Yorick sighed, "What''s left to say? Ste''s moved on. Urs''s a viin, but she''s dying, too."


    Hanson and Julius were at a loss. The situation was a mess, especially with the evident pain in Yorick''s voice when he said, "Ste doesn''t want me anymore."