It was as if Dominic knew what she was thinking and tomed to look at


    Vesperation.


    Their ever met, and it felt like a wave of electricity shot through her. 11 maite her numb, and the forgot to avert her gaz


    He chuckled, as if he knew what was going on inhermind. He reached out and lightly patted the top of her beat, bike he wasforting a fost child gripped by tear


    They exchanged no words, but warmth filled her chest, wrapping her in safety. His touch felt like thefort of arabin in the heart of winter something not of a fairytale, though she''d never believed in them


    Soon, she mapped out of it and tumed to Bnna. When Brianna inoked at vespera and Dominic, something came to mind Pain flickered across her face, but quickly came to terms with it


    "Ahoy protecting the girl he liked was only natural, and I know (retinnever regretted what he did.


    Everyone fell silent, It was a hard topic to tread. Whether or not he regretted it, no one could give her an answer


    "Let me tell you the rest," Antonio continued, picking up where she left off


    why tha Herfare was it


    "The day Quentin went missing, thest call he received was froin fade, and Jade was taken away by


    "From the information we gathered from the kids at school, we learned that Tina had been bullying them during that period fom that, we knew she had


    something to do with it


    The police approached her, but she insisted she went shopping with jade and they parted ways soon after. It was obvious she was suspicious, but the police believed her. They didn''t bother interrogating her


    and released her


    "After that, the security camera footage from school disappeared too. Brianna wasn''t going to give up. When she leamed Tina had retumed to Halewick, she went there mam times, but the Sowles never let


    her in


    "We clung to


    to a final shred of hope, that maybe Quentin was being confined somewhere. We went to the police and made a scene. We even waited outside the bowles "residence. But soon, the threats started.


    Things started happening to our family, and judging by how far they went, I knew chances were slim that


    hat Quentin was still alive.


    "That''s when Bnanna taked her death using the gas explosion and vanished from sight. We kept investigating. With no money to hire a private investigator, no experience, and no conections, we had to go slow. Eventually, we locked onto the orchard. We believe he was buried there.


    ere afraid It''d


    "we found him, and we found the evidence. But the sad and bitter truth was that even after all our efforts, we couldn''t hand it over to the police. We were


    be destroved


    "We had no power, no wealth to go up against the Sowles. Even thew wasn''t on our side. That''s why Brianna fell into depression.


    "Look at her. She''s only 45 this year, but these five years aged her like they were 20. Her hair tumed silver from the stress. After all these years, we''re just bitter and dead inside."


    Vespera and Reba felt immense pressure just listening to their story. The pain a mother had to endure was unimaginable.


    Fortunately, Brianna was a mother with an unshakable will. She never gave up, and she found answers. The only irony was that the world couldn''t serve her the justice she deserved.


    Only then did they realize-quentin had returned to his mother all along.


    The Sowles would''ve never imagined that Brianna had dug up Quentin''s corpse, yet ire was still


    relieved, thinking her despicable daughter had gotten away with it again.


    "Who says thew isn''t on your side? This time, I''m sending Tina to jail! With everything she''s done, rotting behind bars or facing a death penalty is the justice she deserves. We lune to believe in thew. We have to believe injustice! Reba shouted, mming the table.


    the despised how the symbol of justice-the scales, was tainted by rotten apples. Even though she knew the world was filled with darkness, she refused to sink into it She would never assdate herself with filth like them.


    Antonio and Brianza were consoled and uplifted by the justice-drivenwyer. Their eyes sparkled at her words.


    Vespera felt nothing but pride. Reba was the embodiment of justice. The way she spoke, with each conviction, lett no room for doubt.


    Dominic, surprised by her sudden shout, let out a softugh. He secretly hoped that Vespera would have the spirit to draw first blood against her enemies when the


    "Meyer is righe said calinly. "Have faith in her We''ll protect the evidence this time, no matter what."


    Antonio and Brisanudded eagerly, on the verge of lear


    phora knew her passionate words alone couldn''t guarantee sess


    The truth at that the Scales had met a stronger opponent. Denise had the


    methods and connections that made him lowincible. Even if the Sowles tried to fight back, they wouldn''t be the ones to will


    It was the survival of the strungral apex perdator, Cruel yet all too peal.


    But what mattered most was that things worked out in thecid