L stared nkly at Landon, who had slid across the floor to kneel before her.
"What are you doing?"
Landon gripped her hand tightly when he noticed her strained voice and the bruises on her neck.
"Who did this to you? Who dares to hurt someone in my territory?
"I''ll make them pay!"
Kieran put his phone away and stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Landon still holding onto L''s hand.
"If you''re so bored, Mr. West would probably be happy to arrange something for you."
Landon immediately released her hand and stood up.
"Ah, I just remembered I forgot to sweep the floor at home today. I better go check on that."
Without another word, he rushed out the door, not looking back.
L nced up briefly, but her attention was quickly pulled by the sound of a few new notifications on her phone.
Opening the messages, she saw they were from Amelia.
"The Locke family has officially severed ties with Pierre.
"He was once popr in the entertainment industry, but recently, there have been no updates from him.
"A few days ago, the Locke family stated they would no longer take responsibility for Pierre, and many marketing ounts have been stirring up public opinion.
"At first, it was imed the Locke family forced Pierre to quit the industry and return to inherit the family business.
"Fans were furious and even attacked Locke Group, causing thepany''s stock price to dip slightly."
"But now, everything has taken aplete turn!"
L read through the messages, and her heart stirred little.
She touched the bruise on her neck, the sharp sting snapping her back to reality.
Suddenly, she remembered what Pierre had said about the day her parents passed away.
She was already in her teens by then, and the scene from that morning, as they left the house, was still vivid in her memory.
Her mother had made her eggs and promised to take her to the beach after finishing work with her father.
But they left and never came back.
The promised sea trip was a forever unfulfilled dream.
Kieran walked over and gently ruffled her hair, noticing L lost in thought.
"Don''t worry. Stay in for the next couple of days."
L understood he would find Pierre in those two days. She nodded. "Okay."
As she
said, "Before we get
è certificate, I want toler
nest, Ls
parents."
"Okay, I''ll go with you."
L nodded, then asked, "Uncle Kieran, when my parents passed away, was it really an ident?"
She instantly regretted asking the question.
"I just miss them so much." Her voice softened, and she lowered her gaze.
Her longshes trembled slightly, hiding the vulnerability in her eyes. Despite her stoic expression, she appeared fragile, like someone who
needed protection. fo
Kieran looked at her with deep concern, his hand hovering as if he wanted to pull her into his arms.
"I know. Over the years, you''ve gone through so much, L."
He spoke gently but didn''t reach out in the end.
L went back to her room to rest, but sleep eluded her. She tossed and turned
through the night, haunted by vivid dreams.
At times, she relived the tragic deaths of her parents, and other times, she was being strangled and interrogated.
"Why haven''t you avenged your parents?"
She jolted awake, the sky still dim as dawn approached.
L got up and headed to Kieran''s study.
She rummaged through the shelves until she found a book at the bottom that
wasn''t something Kieran would typically read.
It was a novel titled "Falling Drizzle",
a love story following a man and a
woman who met during their university days, faced life''s trials together, and eventually bu family.
Taken out on its own, the book seemed out of ce in the otherwise solemn, serious study.
L squatted down, flipping through the pages quickly, not bothering to read the content.
Just as the study door opened, L turned a page and found a photo stuck between the pages.
She stood up hastily, but in her urgency, the photo slipped out.
It fell to the ground, and L looked down at it.